ALIENS
"Sir, I remind you that
as the Commissioner of Immigration and Deportation, I represent the majesty
of the Republic of the Philippines. You have the obligation to show
respect and courtesy to me. Now shut up, or I'll knock your teeth
off!"
.
(To an alien criminal suspect, who raised his voice to interrupt her during
a televised press conference.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"This is my message to aliens.
If you are a desirable alien, welcome. If you are an undesirable
alien, say your act of contrition, because I know what you're doing, and
I'm going to get you!"
.
(At a TV interview, shortly after assuming her post as Commissioner.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I got the message, they
are out to get me. The response is: gentlemen, make my day!"
.
(To a group of newsmen
wishing to know if she felt intimadated by the alien criminal syndicates.
.
.ALIEN
LEGALIZATION .
"Gentlemen, I respectfully
submit that if, after this dissertation, anyone still persists in opposing
the alien legalization program, he must be suffering from low IQ!"
.
(While testifying
before the Senate committee on justice, in defense of the alien legalization
program which she authored.) ..
* * * * * * * * * * .
"It looks like there's a
rocky road ahead for the alien legalization program, despite its obvious
merits. It will reduce graft in CID, earn billions of pesos for the
national treasury, and focus limited law enforcement resources on alien
syndicates specializing in heinous crimes, like drug pushing or pedophilia
But I failed to convince the Senate, possibly because the IQ in this room
is higher than in the entire Senate combined!" .
(At a press conference with the CID press corps.)
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I will defend the alien
legalization program, even if enemies stage demonstrations against me.
The program is necessary, beneficial, and practical. I will not be
disuaded, even if my opponents start running around naked in Metro Manila!"
.
(Emerging grim-faced from her office as Commissioner.) .
..CABINET.
"The cabinet is afflicted
with a dread disease. It is known as logorrhea, or incoherent talking."
.
(After the President announced a program of measures to improve cabinet
performance and cut costs, most of which had been proposed earlier by Miriam).
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Congress and the cabinet
are talking at cross-purposes. We are trapped in a political Tower
of Babel. Our national leaders are accursed by glossolalia, or talking
in different tongues."
.
(When the Senate first began to oppose her alien legalization program.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Some of them are devotees
to a cult of self-praise. I refused to join that hallelujah chorus!"
.
(To a newsman's question of why some of her cabinet colleagues accused
her of aloofness.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Natalo ako ng Bulong Brigade
sa Malacañang. Sa kabubulong nila, nagka-ear infection si
Presidente Aquino. Bulong na sila ng bulong, hanggang nahilo at nalito
ang pangulo, at bigla akong natanggal sa gobyerno!" .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"There is a scam in Malacañang.
A cabal in the cabinet are selling the transcripts of cabinet meetings
and they are circulated abroad. This is a scam, because most of the
transcripts are worthless, considering that the contents are nothing but
garbage." . (At a radio interview, after returning
from abroad.) .
.
COMMISSION
ON APPOINTMENTS .
"I am prepared to dance
the dance of the seven veils!" . (Just before
attending her first confirmation hearing before the Commission on Appointments.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I feel like Indiana Jones
in the Temple of Doom." . (Entering
Congress for her first confirmation hearing.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I have seen the future
and I don't like it." . (Emerging from
her first confirmation hearing.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I'm hanging in there by
my fingernails. My lips are at the water line." .
(Her progress report to media on her pending confirmation.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"If I don't get confirmed,
I intend to stop inflicting myself on the public. I intend to stay
home and learn how to crochet. I'll sit on a rocker, and watch my
garden grown." . (After the Commission
bypassed her appointment.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I did not want to be Secretary
of Agrarian Reform. I am not comfortable in the cabinet...
Which post would I prefer? (Laughing) Maybe I should be Secretary
of National Defense I, but I worry that I might precipitate a civil war."
.
(Engaging in banter with the media, before a press conference.) .
* * * * * * * * * .
"I was absent at the last
hearing, because I had to undergo a previously scheduled executive check-up
at the Heart center. It did not mean apathy about my confirmation.
It only proves I am not immortal...
.
"Oh yes, I got a
clean bill of health. I am disgustingly healthy." .
(After missing a session of the Commission on Appointments.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I was accused of almost
every crime under the Penal Code, except adultery. At malapit na
rin kaming dumating doon." . (Explaining
why confirmations hearings at the Commission on Appointments could be oppressive.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Sir, you have the grin
of Garfield the cat." . (To a Commission
member, referring to a popular comic-strip character.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I am surrounded by idiots."
.
(Overhead while under grilling by a few Commission members, whereupon she
opened her paperback, A Brief History of Time, and proceeded to read it,
as an act of spite against her tormentors. The book is about quantum
physics. The photo of Miriam reading the paperback at the confirmation
hearing was published on the front page of a metropolitan newspaper.)
.
.CONGRESS
.
"FUNGUS FACE!" .
(Of a certain congressman who delivered a privileged speech against her
in the House of Representatives. Miriam's phrase delighted the nation,
and he never lived it down.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Pinaliwanag ko na, ayaw
niyang makinig. Eh, kung hahamunin ko na lang siya ng suntukan?"
.
(Of the same congressman.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"In the spirit of
Holy Week, which is approaching, I amend my previous offer to fight.
Instead, I challenge him to take an IQ test with me in UP!" .
(Of the same congressman. Miriam is a UP honor graduate and a law
professor there.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"He is suffering from mental
AIDS and needs a frontal lobotomy!" .
(Of another congressman who included her in his attack on the Aquino administration.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"It was a close encounter
of the third kind. After all, in the Congress, apparently there
are three sexes!" . (To the question:
"How did you find your first appearance in Congress?") .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"The member of Congress
treated me like an undesirable alien!" .
(To the same question, asked during an open forum at a joint meeting of
Jaycee Clubs.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Matapang silang manira
sa akin. Pero wala namang matapang sa kanilang kalabanin ang mga
sindikato. Alam naman natin, asawa lang nila, takot na sila, sindikato
pa kaya?" . (Her reaction to Congress
members delivering privileged speeches against her and invoking parliamentary
immunity.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"There's no intelligent
life down here. Beam me up, Scotty." .
(While riding the elevator in Congress, using a common expression in the
popular TV serial Star Trek.) .
.CROOKS
.
"They should be chopped
into a thousand pieces and fed to the sharks in Manila Bay. But it
is problematic whether the sharks will eat them, out of a sense of professional
courtesy!" . (At a televised speech
before a convention of doctors, referring to a few CID employees who took
out newspaper advertisements demanding her ouster.) .
* * * * * * * * * .
"Go stick your finger in
the wall socket!" . (At a TV talk show, in
answer to the question. "What is your response to the demand for
your ouster by a few CID employees?") .
* * * * * * * * * .
"Those crooks exhibit the
epidermis of pachyderms. But I am prepared to fight them. I
have cultivated intestinal fortitude." .
(Of CID employees who announced they would stage a demonstration and burn
her effigy.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I will rub their noses
in the mud, for mud is their natural habitat." .
(Of certain CID employees conspiring to invent charges against her.) .
* * * * * * * * * *
.
"This is the concrete jungle,
populated by savages. They are no longer bound by any canon of civilized
conduct." . (After a few CID employees
whom she disciplined for graft hired squatters to stage a demonstration
and burn her effigy. One of the squatters complained that he did
not get paid.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Discombobulated moral retardates!"
.
(Of a few DAR employees who, upon her assumption to office after the Garchitorena
land overpricing anomaly, immediately organized against her.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I will exterminate them
from the face of the earth!" . (Told
that crooks in the DAR were preparing to oppose her tenure as Secretary.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Those crooks, those criminals
do not blush, do not suffer any shame or embarrassment peddling outright
lies. And I thought that this is a Christian country where it's a
sin to tell a lie." . (During a media
blitz against her.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Of the total population
of crooks and criminals in this country, one-half are pickpockets and the
other half are holduppers!" . (After
recounting a humorous anecdote of her tenure as a trial judge, when she
tried a case for armed robbery against a holdupper, who pleaded innocent
by claiming he was only a pickpocket.) .
.DEATH
.
"I eat death threats for
breakfast!" . (To a newsmans question:
"What is your reaction to the many death threats received by your office?")
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Death is only a state of
thermo-dynamic equilibrium!" . (Before
a congregation of nuns and other members of the religious.) .
* * * * * * * * *
* .
"It is not important to
ask, `Will CID Commissioner die a premature death?" No, the more
important question is: "Is there sex after death?'" .
(To a question during an open forum at an inter-city Rotarian meeting.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"As a doctor of laws, I
have researched the question and shall now proceed to share the answer
with you. `Is there sex after death?' Answer: Yes, but you cannot feel
anything!" . (To a follow-up question at the
same open forum: "Could you please tell us if there is sex after
death?") .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I have no intention of
floating in the Pasig River!" . (To
a question in an open forum of the Lions Club: "Are you looking after your
personal security?")
.*
* * * * * * * * * .
"The alien suspect claims
he is ill and might die under detention. I assume full responsibility.
If he dies, I shall probably be assassinated. Then we shall see each other
in the next life and settle scores there!" .
(To a newsman's question: "Are you willing to assume responsibility
if this alien dies under detention?" referring to the celebrated arrest
and deportation of an alien wanted by Interpol. The Supreme Court
eventually upheld Commissioner Santiago, and the alien lived to go to jail
in Hongkong.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I am not afraid of death
threats, but I am appalled that so many people are capable of so much wrong
spelling and fractured grammar!" . (To
a question during an open forum at a convention of nurses, asking: "Are
you not afraid of death threats?") .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Kung papatayin man nila
ako, mumultuhin ko sila!" . (To a question
during a radio interview.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I refuse to die at the
hands of those intellectual pygmies!" .
(Of alien criminal syndicates reportedly putting out contracts for her
assassination.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I have no regrets.
I tried to raise the consciousness of the Filipinos on the need to fight
graft. The accident affects only my mortal body. It is a small
price to pay for this good fight. I wish for my people to continue
with the will to win." . (Statement
handwritten after sustaining near-fatal injuries in a highway collision
that left her car a total wreck in 1991. Covered with blood, she
was airlifted by helicopter from Tarlac to Manila, an on media request
wrote this message on the back of her x-ray plate folder, inside the ambulance.
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"As the poet said,
because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me. But
as another poet said, although the woods are lovely, dark, and deep, I
have miles to go before I sleep. As God has seen fit to spare of
my life, I am committed to the pursuit of His justice, including the crusade
against graft and corruption.
"No, there is nothing
wrong with the shape of my legs. The bruises will heal in time.
Come with me to Boracay Island within this month, so you can inspect the
evidence. Res ipsa Loquitur (Things speak for themselves).
"I do not intend to
accommodate the political vultures who are waiting for me to give up. Never!"
.
(Handwritten answer to a media questionnaire submitted while she was hospitalized
after the accident. Boracay Island is a world-famous beach resort,
and Miriam's favorite place for swimming.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"No, I don't want
to watch these clowns. I die a thousand deaths every time a corrupt
politician appears." . (Handwritten
instructions to an aide who asked if Miriam wanted to watch a TV talk show,
while hospitalized for the same accident.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I defy all this pain!
I stand on my head and maybe contemplate my navel."
.
(Handwritten note to her family after a painful session at the operating
room for injuries at the same accident.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"On the operating
table, I seriously considered a breast implant." .
(On a TV talk show, 1991.) .
.ENEMIES
.
"They have all the intelligence
of retarded political cockroaches." . (Before
a joint meeting of Rotary Clubs, referring to certain presidential candidates
whom she claimed to be financing a media blitz against her.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Miserable little intellectual
amoeba!" . (Before a joint meeting of
Jaycees Clubs, referring to paid members of PR firms carrying out the media
blitz.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"They are already salivating
at the thought of becoming President." .
(Of presidential contenders plotting against her, after she left government.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"They met in the dead of
night to plot against me, which is perfectly natural, for darkness is their
natural habitat." . (Of a "demolition
crew" formed by a congressional leader and presidential candidate to launch
a smear campaign against her.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"He sounds like he is suffering
from dyspepsia!" . (Of a mayor who made
side remarks against her upon her arrival in his city.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I will not spend my adult
life answering obviously false charges. But I will exert every effort
to resist the charge that I lack sex appeal." .
(Of the charges filed against her by a few CID employees whom she disciplined
for graft and corruption.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"That is the arrogance of
power, the arrogance of intellectual bonzai." .
(Of politicians making side remarks about her performance as a public official,
claiming she is not a team player.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I predict that when the
Supreme Court decides the pending case against him, he will have egg all
over his face." . (Of a public official who
resented it when Miriam said his move to make a mass removal of government
employees was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court eventually held
so, proving Miriam was right.) .
* * * * * * * * *
* .
"I challenged him to a debate
in UP or Ateneo campus. His reply was that he cannot debate with
women. I asked around, and I learned that he cannot debate with men,
either. In short, he simply cannot debate." .
(Of the same public official.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"He is suffering from verbal
diarrhea!" . (Of a public official who,
while still in the process of investigating charges filed against her,
kept on issuing press releases implying she was guilty.) .
* * * * * * * * *
* .
"BRAIN-DAMAGED!"
.
(Of a presidential candidate who reportedly financed a media blitz against
her, but feigned friendship with her in public. The press shortened
the phrase to "Brenda," and he is known by that monicker until today.)
.
* * * * * * * * *
* .
"Gusto ko sanang makipagkaibigan.
Pero kung lalabanan ninyo ako, di subukan natin at tingnan kung sinong
mauuna sa atin sa Intensive Care Unit!" .
(At a CID flag-raising ceremony.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Yes, I go to mass everyday.
Sometimes I pray that God might turn my enemies into pillars of salt."
.
(At a speech before nuns.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Since you apparently
refuse to get the point, I would be happy to educate you." .
(To a hostile TV talk show panel host, 1992.) .
.FAMILY.
"You are about to witness
a trial judge committing parricide with her bare hands!" .
(To her son Archie, when he received two failing marks in Grade 6, because
adjustment problems after schooling in Geneva, Switzerland, where she worked
with the United Nations. Archie recounted this incident in his article,
"My Mom" published in the Sunday Standard magazine.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I am suffering from battle
fatigue. I am catatonic with exhaustion. I can no longer distinguish
my husband from the living room furniture!" .
(Describing how difficult it is to fight graft and corruption.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I do not have any strong
desire to remain in government. When my task is done, I shall be
happy to leave and enhance my lovelife with my husband." .
(Discussing with the press her hopes to retire early.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I wish I had a daughter.
I will have to exert myself in that direction, because my family is under-populated."
.
(At the same press conference.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Alexander, finish your
dinner, or I'll prove to you that God exists!" .
(To her son Alexander Robert, 6, when as Commissioner she went home late
and found him still at dinner. As a dilatory tactic, he attempted
conversation by saying: "Mom, I've lost my faith in God. The problem
is that there is no proof." Recounted by Archie to a journalist.)
.
.GOOD-BYE
.
"This is good-bye.
I shall not importune you any longer. I shall fade into the night
like Batman." . (At her last press conference
as Secretary of Agrarian Reform.) .
.
GRAFT
AND CORRUPTION .
"Freeze! Come out with your
hands in the air, and I'll hold my fire." .
(At a Malacañang press conference, answering a newsman's question:
"What is your message as Secretary to the DAR employees involved in the
land overpricing anomaly?") .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I shall expect the landlords
to cooperate with the agrarian reform program. Right now, it looks
like I'm headed for One Hundred Years of Solitude." .
(Upon the President's announcement of her appointment as Secretary, using
the title of a book by Nobel prizewinner Gabriel Garcia Marquez.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Head-bashing is the best
strategy. Sometimes I have to splatter their brains on the pavement."
.
(After she was asked for the best way to fight graft.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"The fixer is a person who
nominally looks like a human being. But he specializes in creating
misery for others, in order that he can offer to fix it for a fee." .
(Explaining to the CID press corps why she banned fixers at CID and ordered
their mass arrest.) .
.
MANAGEMENT.
"My management style? Spiritual
fortitude, intellectual scholarship, and, (smiling) if all else fails,
physical violence might prove salutary." .
(After winning the Magsaysay Award for government service.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"They were not only rebellious,
they were malicious to boot. Naturally I got mad, but I restrained
myself... No, I did not throw a chair at my employees. (Laughing) The accurate
statement is that I may have rearranged the furniture." .
(After scolding a few employees who declared their intention to have her
removed from CID.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Im very results-oriented,
and I do have a kamikaze attitude. I don't care if I go down in flames,
as long as my enemies and I go down in flames together. Or maybe
you can call it the Samson-in-the-temple syndrome. I don't care if
I destroy myself, as long as I destroy the temple of corruption.
That would be a definite service to the community, don't you think?" .
(1991 magazine cover story on a taped interview.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Tinawag ko ang lahat na
CID intelligence agents. Tinuruan ko ng immigration law. Dinala
ko sa CID Detention Center. Sabi ko: "Nakita ninyo itong kulungan?
Sa ilalim ng batas, ang katungkulan natin ay punuin ang kulungan na ito.
Kasiya ang limampu na bilanggo pero ngayon ang laman ay limang dayuhan
lang. Araw ng Lunes ngayon. Sa Biyernes, pag wala pang laman
yan, kayo ang ilalagay ko diyan!" .
(At a student convocation at the Ateneo de Manila University, explaining
how she motivated CID intelligence agents to post a record high in the
number of alien criminal suspects arrested and deported.) .
.POLITICS
.
"Entering politics is a
fate worse than death." . (1988 at a
CID press conference, when asked for the first time if she planned to run
for president.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I have only entertainment
value in Philippine politics." . (1988
during an interview with a foreign journalist.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Read my lips. I have
no plans for 1992, except possibly to defy the laws of medical science
and to represent the country in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games-preferably
in the fields of boxing or wrestling!"
..
(1988 at a CID press conference) .
* * * * * * * * * * ..
"Me enter politics? I would
rather stick needles in my eyes." . (1989
during an interview, after the President announced her appointment as Secretary
of Agrarian Reform.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"This is the politics of
cannibalism! We need a new politics-the politics of synergism." .
(1989 after the Commission of Appointments bypassed for the first time
her confirmation as a cabinet member.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Barring public demand,
any person who pursues the presidency out of personal ambition must be
suffering from a basic genetic defect." .
(1989, during a magazine interview.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Itong mga kalaban
kong mahilig sa intriga ay hinahamon ako. Patutunayan ko na ang tunay
na Pilipino, pag hinahamon, hindi umuurong!" .
(1990 after the President accepted her resignation, amid rumors of her
alleged sympathy for military rebels, which she denied.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"My ambition is more modest.
I desire only to be known as the Demi Moore of Philippine politics." .
(After she first topped a presidential survey. She was referring
to the Hollywood star of the popular movie called "Ghost.") .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I am the recurring ghost
of Philippine politics." . (Referring
to the same movie.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I am seriously contemplating
entry into politics, for the pleasure of educating the non-educable." .
(1990, after certain politicians reportedly ordered a smear campaign against
her.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Hindi ko susundin ang gusto
nila! Ano sila, sinusuwerte?" .
(Reacting to the proposal by a group of politicians hostile to her, that
she should not run for president, but only for vice-president or senator.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"May mga politikong sinisiraan
pa rin ako, ganoong wala na ako sa gobyerno. Gusto na yata nila akong
kantahan ng "Unchained Melody!" . (When
this song became a hit.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I do not subscribe to the
school of thought that I am leading the presidential polls because of my
beautiful legs." . (After topping most
presidential surveys in 1990.) .
* * * * * * * * * .
"Three factors are necessary
for victory in the presidential polls: popularity, funding, and a political
party. We have met all three.
"According to media reports,
I have topped over a dozen presidential surveys, including a nationwide
survey by Social Weather Stations, Inc. Because I am number one in
the polls, the traditional sources of funding in the business community
are making pledges of financial contributions, consonant with the Election
Code. And I have filed a petition for registration with the Comelec
of the People's Reform Party.
It's all systems go!
After all, (smiling) the psychics and fortune-tellers in Asia have only
one, consistent prediction to make for our country in 1992-that the next
president of the Philippines will be another woman!" .
(At a press interview, when journalists asked her to assess her chances
as a presidential candidate.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"First you say that I have
a brilliant resume and an impressive track record. But then you propose
that I should not run for president, but only for vice-president.
Clearly, your conclusion does not follow your own premise. And you
justify this illogic by claiming that I would be cheated by my rivals as
a presidential candidate, so I should settle for becoming a vice-presidential
candidate instead.
"Sir, if the rest of mankind
had adopted your line of thinking, man would never have reached the moon,
scaled Mt. Everest, or learned to fly. For in all these daring enterprises,
men who should have known better said it could not be done.
"When I went to CID to fight
graft and corruption, the cynics also said it could not be done.
But a man's reach must exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?
"Why did man climb Mt. Everest?
Because it is there. Why am I fighting graft and corruption?
Because it is here!
"That's why I'm running
for president, and for no other post."
.
(Answer at an open forum hosted by the Association of International College
Women, who gave her an ovation.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Pinagmamalaki nila na dadayain
daw nila ako sa halalan. Pinag-aralan ko na ang problema, at handa
na kami. Subukan nilang mandaya, at makikita nila ang hinahanap nila!"
.
(Upon filing the petition for registration with the Comelec of the People's
Reform Party.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Itong mga kalaban natin,
kapag madilim na ang Metro Manila, nagsisipagbangon sila sa mga kabaong
nila, lumilipad sa kabilugan ng buwan, nagkakalat ng kanilang mga lagim!"
.
(Her speech before peasants and the urban poor.) .
.REFORM
.
"I refuse to surrender to
the cynics, who claim that to reform Philippine society is `mission impossible.'
In the CID, by the grace of God and with the help of all the fine Filipino
men and women, I am proud to tell you-we did the impossible!" .
(Speech before the employees of the Public Information Agency, subsequently
aired over radio networks.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"The mathematician said:
`Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth.' We shall move this
earth, and we shall reform this country. All that I need is-not a
place to stand, but one moment in time." .
(At a commencement speech, using the title of the hit theme song of the
1988 Olympic Games.) . * * * *
* * * * * * .
"We shall effect a turnaround
in the culture of corruption! We shall energize ourselves by our own inner,
moral strength! We shall plug into a power base consisting of the best
and the highest values of the Filipino character!
"My countrymen! All that
you need is to believe in yourselves! Have faith in the Filipino!" .
(Her famous extemporaneous oration, credited with elevating her to the
top of the presidential polls, during her 1990 speaking tour of the country.
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"The operative word is courage!
What this country needs is the will to win! I challenge you to help me
to twist the tail of the cosmos. I call on the youth to help me repair
the moral damage on our nation." . (First
delivered before 1,000 cadets of the Philippine Military Academy, and subsequently
became the standard conclusion of her extemporaneous speeches before the
student assemblies.) .
.RELIGION
.
"When I was a schoolgirl,
I wanted to be a nun. I would have taken the threefold vows of poverty,
chastity, and obedience.
"But I had to abandon that
ambition, because we were poor. As the eldest child, I had to help
send my six brothers and sisters to college.
"Anyway, as CID Commissioner,
I am living the life of a nun. My salary is very low, only P12,000
a month, and so in effect I have taken a vow of poverty. I am a lowly
subordinate of the President, so I owe her the vow of obedience.
And because I am too busy fighting criminal syndicates, I have no time
left for my husband. So in effect I have taken the vow of chastity!"
.
(At a national convention of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"By the grace of God and
with the help of our friends in the inter-national community, we shall,
at the end of this long and tortuous road, claim our just victory; for
surely, the Infinite Administrator, even now, arranges the universe, in
order that immutable good shall triumph over the vincible forces of evil."
.
(Speech upon acceptance of the Magsaysay Award for government service,
the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"President Aquino
has the patience of a Tibetan monk sitting on top of Mt. Everest, contemplating
infinity." . (On a TV talk show, 1990)
.
.RESIGNATION
FROM GOVERNMENT.
"The President said she
accepted my resignation. Actually, I got kicked out of the cabinet."
.
(While packing at her DAR office.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"The rebels attempted a
coup d'etat. It was a shooting war, with much din and confusion,
smoke and sniper's fire. When the smoke cleared, I turned out to
be the major casualty." . (At a radio
interview, explaining that her enemies concocted the charge of disloyalty
during the coup attempt, as an excuse for intriguing against her continued
stay in the cabinet.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Nalulungkot ako na naniwala
si Presidente Aquino sa mga bintang laban sa akin, at hindi man lang ako
binigyan ng pagkakataon na makapagpaliwanag. Si Presidente naman,
hindi na naawa. Hindi naman lang ako pinakitaan ng kahit konting
pagtingin." . (Using the title of a
Tagalog hit song.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I was heartbroken that
the President could believe I was disloyal to her. Precisely because
of my loyalty to her, I got into trouble with certain opposition politicians
in the Commission on Appointments! It was painful. I wept in front
of my stricken family. I had to change my handkerchief with a wide
Curity diaper, because the tears kept coming." .
(Taking to a group of nuns.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Tangkaan na nila na ang
buhay ko. Siraan na nila ng siraan ang pangalan ko. Basta hindi
ako aalis sa gobyerno natin. Hindi ako hihinto. Hindi ako uurong.
Hindi ako susuko. Dahil ano sila? Sinusuwerte?" .
(After a public relations firm placed print ads using the names of a few
CID employees to call for her removal from government.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"The chances of me quiting
are like the chances of a snowball in hell. .
(To a few DAR employees who threatened to oppose her confirmation.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"If you don't see me here
next month, it will mean that the President no longer wants me around.
In that case, I shall attempt to improve my obstetrical condition." .
(At a Malacañang press conference in December 1989, less than a
month before she was included in the cabinet revamp. She has two
sons and no daughter.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"It was a stinging sensation,
accompanied by deep humiliation." .
(Describing how she felt when the President told her that her resignation
was accepted.) .
.RETURN
TO PUBLIC SERVICE.
"My public life closely
resembles the popular science-fiction trilogy on screen, consisting of
the movies entitled "Star Wars, followed by "The Empire Strikes Back,"
and ending with "The Return of the Jedi."
.
"In seeking to change
the culture of corruption, I have to fight willy-nilly the superstars of
the political underworld in this country. Although I am a definite
underdog, I am not afraid of those corrupt supertars. Thus, the first
chapter of my life should be entitled "Star Wars."
.
"Because I was able
to conscienticize the public about corrupt politics, my enemies sought
to avenge themselves. They refused to confirm me in the Commission
on Appointments, until I was removed from the Cabinet. My enemies
posted that evil victory, but until now they do not stop. Although
already a private citizen, when I started leading the presidential surveys,
they paid for a diabolic media blitz against me. Thus, the second
chapter of my life should be entitled "The Empire Strikes Back."
"But we have not seen
the end of this trilogy. For life, like theology, consists of the
unceasing battle between good and evil. In the movie trilogy, the
forces of good were called Jedi, while the forces of evil were called the
Empire. I have no doubt that, in the end, the forces of evil in Philippine
politics. Thus, I promise you, the third chapter of our life together
shall be entitled, "The Return of the Jedi. .
(From a speech at the St. Louis University gymnasium in Baguio City where
over 5,000 students gave her a standing ovation, presaging her phenomenally
popular campus tour of the country, and prompting media to call her "the
new campus heroine.") .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I have no strong desire
to remain in government, and I have no personal preference for any government
post. But if you insist... I prefer to collect garbage in Metro Manila."
.
(On repeated questioning by a congressman during a committee hearing, on
what government post she prefers.) .
.SUBORDINATES
"When the government employee
is poor, and he works in a corrupt agency, he can resist everything except
temptation. . (At a student convocation
at the University of the Philippines.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"The Manila Polo Club is
too aesthetic for immigration officers." .
(As guest of honor at the induction ceremonies of the Immigration Officers
Association held in 1988 at the Manila Polo Club in posh Forbes Park, the
country's wealthiest neighborhood. She reprimanded the Association
members for ostentation, and thereafter some Association officers sought
to retaliate by calling for her removal.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I defy my enemies.
I challenge them - Do your worst, and I shall do my best! And we shall
let the Filipino judge." . (At a student
convocation at the University of Santo Tomas.) .
.
SWIMMING
"Im glad swimming is my
hobby, because CID is populated by sharks." .
(During a media interview. She was a high school swimming champion.)
.
* * * * * * * * * * .
"I'm surprised the
photographer used that shot. He and I had an agreement that he would
take shots of me swimming in the pool. I followed all his instructions,
exactly as if I were a trained dolphin." .
(Explaining the publication in a metropolitan newspaper of her controversial
photo in a bathing suit.) .
* * * * * * * * * * .
"Nandiyan na yan,
kasama sa trabaho. Siguro mabuti na ngang lumabas yung litratong
yon, dahil diyan mapapatunayan na pag sinabi ko ang vital statistics ko,
totoo! Patunay na akong tao, hindi sinungaling, hindi kamukha ng mga kalaban
ko!" . (Laughing at the same photo.)
