Behind the Red Pen

We all love stories. As Joan Didion said, we tell ourselves stories in order to live. It’s the reason why when a well-respected leader such as Fidel V. Ramos dies, we regale ourselves with endless tales about the man.

The older journalists, who covered him up close, for instance, talked about FVR’s big sense of humor; those eyeglasses with no glass at all; his work ethics – waking up at 4 a.m. to read newspaper clippings; and his respect for the role of the media in a democracy.

There were other stories, too. Tycoon Robina Gokongwei recalled that FVR, at the inauguration of JG Summit’s Petrochemical Plant in Batangas in 1998, lent a comb to her father John Gokongwei because the retail magnate arrived with his hair disheveled.

“FVR saw my dad’s hair, took a comb out of his own pocket and lent it to my dad. My dad laughed, took the comb and thankfully fixed his hair in time for the photo opportunity. This was to the delight of the crowd in attendance. No wonder FVR’s hair was always well groomed,” she said.

“Rest in peace FVR!..If you see my dad up there,” Robina added, “hope you still lend him your comb.”

As for me, I don’t have stories to tell about the former president. I was still a student when he was president, but I knew quite a lot about his accomplishments – many of which we all still enjoy today – from that bold move to privatize water, electricity, etc to instilling in our hearts and minds that fervent hope in our nation.

From tragedies to an encounter with James Bond

But while I never had the chance to cover him when he was president, I learned so much about him when Jojo Terencio, one of his close-in presidential reporters, asked me to edit his book, Behind the Red Pen, My Adventures with FVR.

It was a joy reading Jojo’s work – mostly based on a diary he kept during his days in Malacanang.

From Jojo’s book, one will enjoy stories behind the stories – from how FVR handled the reports about an ex-paramour; jogging at New York’s Central Park (Jojo, then in his 20s, said he could barely keep up with the senior citizen FVR who jogged for 30 minutes in the chilly New York morning); how the former president marked one of his birthdays dealing with a tragedy – the Ozone disco inferno; the way he handled the power crisis of the 1990s that earned him the moniker Mr. Fix It, and FVR’s delight when English actor Roger Moore came for a visit.

FVR, who was in the middle of a Cabinet meeting when Moore arrived in Malacanang, asked to be excused and jokingly said: “Mr. Bond is just outside the State Dining Room and wanted to see me. He might have an important message.”

It’s an easy-to-read book with a lot of inside stories – from the mundane to the funny to the profound – that will give readers a good look inside Malacanang during FVR’s time.

Now who doesn’t love stories in this republic of Marites?

But mostly, I loved the book because I learned so much about FVR’s work ethics and yes, including the stories behind his famous marginal notes to his staff – in red ink; thus the title Behind the Red Pen, as witnessed by Jojo.

This book is as much about FVR’s presidency as it is about the adventures of a young, 20-something close-in reporter who trailed the country’s 12th president, perhaps with wide-eyed awe.

The result is an engaging, at times funny read, that will let readers know how FVR was as a leader, as a president, as a boss, and as a human being.

In the book’s foreword written in February 2020, FVR said, “Behind the Red Pen is Jojo’s contribution to our history, putting on records, and adding his own narrative about the President and the administration that he served well.”

Destiny

FVR also said that looking back, he totally agrees that, indeed, the presidency is a matter of destiny, that a confluence of many things will bring the presidency to the anointed one.

Inevitably, whoever the anointed one is, his or her date with destiny not only intertwines with our own destiny, but determines our nation’s future as well.

FVR was many things to many people and he had his share of scandals and controversies such as his role during the Martial Law regime but in the end, he chose to be on the right side of history.

He tried his best to bring stability to the country, made peace with the rebels, nursed the economy back to health, broke monopolies, and he guarded our democracy.

Thus, more than the endless stories about him, what his passing really reminds us is the need to keep fighting for our country, to keep choosing a leader who actually believes in the Filipino people, and one who will do what he can to make sure that one day, this young nation of ours will actually reach its full potential.

Rest in peace, FVR. Thank you for your service to the country.

(Behind the Red Pen was released this year. The last few copies are still available online and at Solidaridad and Popular Bookstore).

Iris Gonzales’ email address is [email protected].

Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com