How Chiz Escudero almost ended up on Pinoy Big Brother

Growing up with a dad who was busy with work and a mom who taught him all household chores, life seemed to be ordinary for this boy who always wanted to become a lawyer. He went on to become a three-term congressman, an elected senator with the highest number of votes, and a consistent leader in public opinion surveys. One of the most talked about politicians because of his mannerisms, charm, controversial love life, and future as a leader, here are 10 things you should know about Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

1. He never ran for any position as class or school officer until his days in the UP College of Law. He was supposed to run for president of the Law Student Government, but says that if he did, he probably would not have become a lawyer.

He was looking for the “law” option on his UPCAT form, only to find out that he had to finish a four-year pre-law course before entering law school. (He chose political science.) A UP boy from kinder all the way to college, he describes his school days as “a quiet and ordinary existence.” He and his friends wouldn’t be invited to parties, they wouldn’t throw parties, they didn’t have girlfriends, they weren’t bullied, neither were they members of clubs. They were just a “happy” bunch. He admits to just having “okay” grades, in fact failing an English class in high school. “Masakit man aminin, nag-aaral naman ako pero hanggang dun lang talaga yung kaya. May mga kaklase ako na hindi nag-aaral pero natural na magaling.” He also remembers always being at the front of the line (by height) in class every single year, until he reached his growth spurt in his senior year in high school. “Baka nadiskubre ko yung sikreto ng buhay, tumangkad ako ng konti,” he says laughing.

It was in law school that Chiz started to excel because it was something he was very much interested in. He was juggling many responsibilities at that time and says that if he had ran and won for the LSG, “I don’t think I would’ve become a lawyer. Good luck ng malaki, di ako ganun kagaling.”

2. The first time he ran for public office, he didn’t ask his dad Salvador Escudero’s permission, and his dad did not campaign for him either. “I think he wanted to either teach me a lesson, or make the victory sweeter.”

When asked about what he can say now about his ‘ex’ (his term), Chiz says: ‘It’s a sad episode in anyone’s life that you wouldn’t wish even onto your worst enemies.’

He was still taking up law when he wanted to run for public office, but his parents disallowed him and told him to finish law school first. Upon graduation, he wanted to run again but his parents insisted he take up further studies. (“Actually my mom didn’t want me to get married yet, that was her motivation.”) He went to Georgetown University for his masters degree in International and Comparative Law in 1996, and when he returned to Manila, his dad was appointed Secretary of Agriculture by President Ramos, leaving the congressional seat vacant. As fate had it, unknowingly preparing him for his political plans, his roommate in Georgetown was also from Bicol and taught him how to speak the dialect by giving him a Bible in Bicolano. During the campaign, he surprised everyone (including his father) by giving his entire hour-long speech in Bicolano. Thus began the political career of Chiz, as he was elected Representative of the 1st District of Sorsogon in 1998. 

Chiz’s father, Salvador Escudero, was also the Secretary of Agriculture under the Marcos administration and he recalls how most of the children of the pro-Marcos officials left school in the years surrounding 1986. He shares how teachers would say, “Lahat tayo nagkakaisa dito, na ang gobyernong ito ganito ganyan, maliban sa isa,” and all eyes would zero in on him. “I took it in stride,” he says, and in fact, had some of his highest grades ever that semester. That whole chapter in history taught him a lesson early on: whatever position you are holding will not last forever. “It makes you keep both feet on the ground, and not to fly too high kasi masakit yun pag bumagsak ka,” he adds.

3. On his signature monotone way of speaking: “Pumasok ako sa pulitika, bata ako, hindi ako sineseryoso. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism when I was starting.”

“Hindi ako pwede mag-crack ng jokes about serious matters unlike Joker, Miriam, or Enrile, I had to have a serious tone,” Chiz explains. But it wasn’t always the case, he says. “Hindi ako monotonous dati.” In his law school years, as part of the debate team, he developed what he calls a “relatively good memory” and learned how to organize his thoughts. The worst speeches he’s had were the ones that he read. “Since I began campaigning in ‘98 when I ran for congress, I’ve always done it extemporaneously, so that I can adjust.”

4. On the status of his heart after his separation: “Hindi naman ako jaded, parang ang lungkot naman ng buhay kung jaded ka.”

Intently listening during the during the Renato C. Corona impeachment trial

He says you learn from failed relationships, and you shouldn’t avoid a new one simply because you’re afraid of repeating mistakes. But he is clear on where he stands in terms of getting into a new relationship. “Not yet.” 

When asked about what he can say now about his “ex” (his term), Chiz says: “It’s a sad episode in anyone’s life that you wouldn’t wish even onto your worst enemies.” Quite the private person, it was on his first day as guest co-host on Kris TV that Kris Aquino asked him live if his marriage has been annulled, to which he had no choice but to confirm. His marriage to wife Christine bore them twins (who are turning five this year). He prefers to have his meetings in the Quezon City area or even in his home, so that he can spend as much time as he can with Chesi and Quino. He admits to memorizing lines from Katy Perry’s Firework and a few Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus songs because it’s what his kids sing and dance to.

When asked about dating actress Heart Evangelista (he refers to it as “meetings,” she refers to it as “dinners”), he says, “I’m not at liberty to say because perhaps I’ll be violating confidences.” He says that Sen. Miriam Santiago did not exactly introduce them in person, but instead, she “introduced (them) using modern technology.. like the cell phone.” He reveals he has never been “on the prowl” at any point of his life, that he doesn’t know how to make ligaw, and that even after his breakup he was never “out there searching.” What is he looking for in a partner, if ever? “Someone I can talk to. It’s about the conversation before, during, and after.. meals,” he quips.

5. On supporting candidates and being independent from any party: “I support the person, not the party.”

He was questioned when he supported the “Noy-Bi” tandem in the last national elections, and when he was told he couldn’t cross party lines, he says like any other voter he has the free hand to choose who he will vote for. “I supported Noynoy cause I was of the firm belief at that time that he was what the country needed from a corrupt government. I supported Binay because I thought he would compliment him, Noynoy having served only in national office, Binay having stayed longer in the LGU. And I would like to think that they would get along because they’re on the same side.” He chooses who to support based on who he believes in, and for him, who you are as a politician should also be who you are as a person. “At the end of the day parties mean nothing anyway in the Philippines, they all fight for the same thing,” Chiz explains.

Speaking before University of Southern Mindanao students

For him, the biggest problem the country is facing right now is corruption and lack of direction. “We inevitably are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past instead of learning from them,” he claims. 

When asked about being president, he says that it is something one can reach only by fate and by faith. “If I’m thrust into it…I honestly cannot say. It’ll be a lie to say I don’t think about it either.” 

6. For Chiz, the very first rule in politics is: Never underestimate the voter, the voter is always right.

“Never think for a minute that you are right and he is wrong. The voter is not stupid, he knows exactly what he wants. If you don’t fit the bill, that’s what’ll make a candidate lose. If you fit the bill, that’s what’ll make a candidate win,” he explains.

On political dynasties: “Take whatever it is I say with a grain of salt because I am a product of that. Why limit the voters’ right to choose? Many dynasties have failed. The Assistios in Caloocan, the Josons in Nueva Ecija, the Dys for a time in Isabela. At the end of the day, the question is: Have they done something for their district?”

On new blood in politics: “Good side is new blood came in. Bad side is on some occasions naging pampainit lang ng upuan yung pumalit, with no intention of really serving or doing a great job. You end up having second stringers instead of your first five, kumbaga sa basketball.” He names some of his colleagues who he started with in 1998 like Sen. Alan Cayetano, Migz Zubiri, and President Noynoy Aquino as some of those who have remained, not just warming the seat for their parents.

On showbiz personalities entering politics: “What I heard before is may proposal na parang golf, may handicap ka. For every vote, it’ll be counted as .9 or .8 para may chance yung iba na manalo,” he shares. “Wala namang harang, walang prohibiiton. There is no great divide.”

7. Chiz in numbers:

With his twins Chesi and Quino

1: girlfriend he had (for nine years) before he got married to his second girlfriend, Christine. “Late bloomer nga ako, di ba?”

6: number of times he went home to the Philippines within the 1 1/2 years he studied in Georgetown. “Ang lungkot ko nun, paglanding ko dun tatlong araw ko humahagulgol.” It was around this time his relationship with Christine was developing, and he admits to having sent her love letters via snail mail, one of which was a letter in reverse, which she had to read by looking at a mirror.

23: number of people on his staff

1.91: GPA in UP College of Law. He was awarded the Order of the Purple Feather, recognition given to those with a GPA below 2.

60,245: number of followers (as of press time) on his official twitter account, @SayChiz. “Yes, I answer the tweets myself.”

9.3: millions of pesos in net worth, declared in his SALN

8. He almost became a housemate in the First Celebrity Edition of Pinoy Big Brother in 2006.

He did the screenings, he did the interviews, and was seriously considering becoming a housemate. When he told the show’s unit head Lauren Dyogi that he’ll first consult with his wife, direk Lauren answers laughing: “Saan ka makakakita ng asawa hindi gugustuhin makita at malaman ang ginagawa mo 24/7?” 

Chiz is uncomfortable with the thought of him being called a “heartthrob,” often being likened to rockstar Bamboo, but he admits he finds it flattering when supporters ask to have a picture taken with him. He does receive fan mail according to his staff, and even once had a kolehiyala sit in the office and wait for the senator to walk by everyday for two months, and everyone thought she was an OJT. “You have to understand where it came from. Lahat ng crush ko sa school, literally, walang crush sa akin,” he says. He even recalls the time he finally got his crush to dance with him at the JS prom. “Sweet dance di ba, both her hands were just by her side, it was so embarrassing.”

9. What Chiz does to unwind: sleep.

He’s not a DVD person, not into listening to music, not really into travelling, not into reading. “I don’t read books actually, I don’t read for fun, if it’s for work I read,” he says. He is a homebody that prefers to lounge around and play with his kids at home when he has down time. “I’m learning how to cook,” he proudly says. His pambato dish? “Paella.”

School matters: Chiz in Grade 1 at UPIS

10. How Chiz handles bashers: “I’ve managed to live through several of these trials simply by letting it pass.”

“For as long as you’re happy with what you’re doing, you’re secure, you don’t really have to please everyone and you don’t have to dwell on it either,” he explains. When there is bad news reported about him, he doesn’t believe in reading or watching each and every single one. “Parang tino-torture mo naman sarili mo, hindi mo kailangan yun.” He mentions how today’s headlines will be pambalot tomorrow, and that tomorrow there will be another headline and another person to bash. His mantra of the moment seems to be “this too shall pass,” which he mentioned several times throughout the interview. “Kaya lang pag maganda yung nangyayari, this too shall come to pass?” he laughs.

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When I interview personalities, I usually set my point of view by finding one word to describe them or figuring out what stereotype they fall under. I couldn’t seem to do that with Senator Chiz. He comes off as smart whenever he speaks, but you can’t say he’s a nerd. He tops all the surveys, but you can’t say he grew up as a popular kid. Fan girls admit to having a crush on him, but you really can’t say he’s a ladies’ man. I guess you can’t make any generalizations about Chiz, and that’s probably the trait unique to him that keeps people interested in him and keeps him on top of his game. From lawyer to senator, product endorser to talk show host, what’s next for Chiz? Yes, I guess we can’t say.

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E-mail me at askiamsuperbianca@yahoo.com or follow me on Twitter @iamsuperbianca