P-Noy’s Quiet Kindness Remembered; Ateneo Scholarship Fund Put Up In His Honor

The late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III once sent medical assistance to someone he knew after a friend mentioned that the person was in the hospital. It was mentioned to him in passing during an exchange of text messages and no help was solicited, but he helped anyway.

He was no longer the Chief Executive at the time and had health issues himself. He didn’t bother to discuss what ailed him in detail with his friend as well as the assistance he subsequently extended.

Former journalist Johanna Poblete, who covered the Malacañang beat during his administration, also shared an untold story about how Aquino honored a fallen airman, which she did not expect considering the number of papers he had to read at the time as president.

“Typed him (Aquino) a story once, about an airman, his widow, and their son. I made a few copies, left them in the hands of the people he trusted. I didn't expect him to read it – among the reams of reports he had to read, everyday – much less act on it, but he did,” she wrote in a July 5, 2021 Facebook post.

“It could've easily been lost, ignored, (deprioritized): after all, an indifferent system had done as much for seven years already, much longer than a president's term. But the 15th president honored that lost airman, and did right by the widow and son,” Poblete said. “What I remember most about moody (P-Noy): He didn't turn aside from a stranger's petition. He stood by his people. He did it without fanfare. You gotta wonder how many more uncelebrated acts of service/kindness he performed as (commander-in-chief).”

Aquino had his own sentiments on the adversarial nature of the Philippine press. He would speak his mind about it from time to time, but overall, he developed a working relationship with the members of the media rooted in professionalism.

Early on in his administration, he had the habit of making random phone calls to journalists or unscheduled visits to the press working area just to clarify a report. He valued the truth no matter the cost and did his best to enlighten the public about the issues that confronted his government.

Missing P-Noy

For Aquino’s staff members who worked closely with him, the kindness and generosity of the former president also came naturally.

On what would have been his 62nd birthday today, Feb. 8, they looked back and shared some of their fondest moments with Aquino which somehow allows them to keep him alive in their hearts and minds.

Most of his closest staff members said they could always strike up a good conversation with the former president when it comes to food, movies, music and random things. He had time for them.

According to Yolanda Yebes or “Yolly,” the longtime head of his household on Times Street, Quezon City, Aquino had varied gastronomic delights, but he would often ask to be served extra crispy corned beef for breakfast. As requested by Aquino, she also kept his refrigerator stocked with his favorite brand of soda. 

“Marami po. Tulad nung paggising niya, tawag siya sa akin para magpaluto ng corned beef na pinalutong [at] maglagay lagi ng Coke sa ref niya…At ‘yung maghanap lagi ng mga menu sa restaurants (Also, he would often ask me to look up the menu of restaurants),” Yebes said in a message sent to The Philippine STAR / OneNews.PH when asked what she would miss most about Aquino.

Rochelle Ahorro, Aquino’s longtime executive assistant and appointments secretary, said food was also something she and her late boss would frequently talk about besides work. But he could also keep you on the phone for hours over the most random stuff, she noted.

“Food madalas pag-usapan namin,” Ahorro said. In January last year, Ahorro disclosed that her former boss started calling her often. They would talk for about one hour to an hour and a half.

Ahorro shared that Aquino was fond of taking trips down memory lane. “Puro siya naaalala mo pa ba ito?” he would always ask her. Aquino would also ask Ahorro to buy him pants, socks, and even a comforter.

Ahorro said Aquino was likewise looking for bite-sized Hershey’s chocolates but she couldn’t get some for him, so she brought him the regular ones.

Aquino’s former senior executive assistant JC Casimiro, who also worked as one of his speechwriters, was grateful just to spend time around the former president and for having had the privilege to receive his wise counsel – a thought echoed by former fellow speechwriter Mai Mislang.

Also asked about what he would miss most about Aquino, Casimiro said: “Actually, marami pero siguro ‘yung (there are many, but perhaps the) very occasional calls and texts to discuss food, especially our common favorites; Netflix finds and discovered songs and audio updates. His counsel for many things is what I also miss.”

Mislang, for her part, noted: “I miss his humor, his gift to make light of things, even while you’re in the trenches with him. The desire to do good work is never diminished – ‘Do it once, do it right’ – but he would come up with a joke or two, which makes working for him easier.”

“I also miss his thoughtfulness. He would remember the little things about our insignificant lives, and in that way, he always made us feel significant,” she said. During his administration, Aquino worked closely with his speechwriters, who would never run out of anecdotes to share about their boss.

Other staffers who worked for Aquino said he had been so influential not only in their careers, but equally inspiring when it comes to their sense of patriotism.

Jennifer Lazo, who was Aquino’s political communications assistant from the Senate all the way to the Office of the President, said she often thought about him not only during his birthday but because the 2022 elections are just around the corner.

“Now that it’s election season, [I] can’t help but miss him more. Like, hoping that he’d speak and remind us how a president can be decent and be able to inspire and make us proud to be Filipino,” Lazo said in her message with crying emojis.

Lawyer Abigail Valte, who served as Aquino’s deputy spokesperson, also said what she’s missing most about the former president was that he was “even-keeled in many aspects.”

“His calm and steady manner is sorely missed at a time when there is so much noise in the political arena,” Valte added.

Aquino’s former close-in-aide Raf Ignacio held a similar view. He had a lot to say about the grace and gravitas Aquino brought to the role of a president, especially during calamities and other man-made crises that tested his leadership.

“I miss how Sir (Aquino) took his role as president seriously. He decided not based on what was politically savvy or convenient, but on what course of action will benefit the Filipino people the most. He was the president who showed up. He was there when calamities struck, when our sovereignty was threatened, when important laws had to be passed,” Ignacio said.

“Even after his term, he showed up for investigations. No excuses, no drama, no alibis. At a time when we are about to elect a new president, I wish that the candidate who will follow Sir’s example wins,” Ignacio added.

The erstwhile Palace staffer described the former president as neither emotional nor sentimental, but had his own way of expressing appreciation and criticisms to those who worked for him. Ignacio said Aquino only got mad at the people closest to him, but to everyone else, he was “unfailingly polite.”

“Oddly enough, I miss the times when would criticize his staff’s work…In a way, receiving a lecture from Sir was a privilege few people experience,” he pointed out.

“I miss how he shows appreciation to his staff. Sir was not the type of boss who would [make] his staff feel warm and fuzzy inside. He was not sentimental or emotional. He was strict and exacting. But somehow, despite his straightforward approach to his work, in his own way he still manages to show his personal care to each and every member of his staff,” Ignacio said.

Lazo will “miss sending (Aquino) a message” on his birthday, “trying to be funny and witty each year”and Aquino would “always be receptive to the joke.”

“Like, one time, I told him: ‘Although it’s been said many times many ways, Happy Birthday to you, sir!’ He responded with: ‘Thank you. More chestnuts for you, Jenn,’” Lazo recounted.

Paulo Espiritu, who was Presidential Communications Operations Office assistant secretary, said he would always remember Aquino’s stories, kindness and thoughtfulness as a boss and a friend.

Scholarship fund

To honor Aquino, his high school and college classmates from the Ateneo de Manila University have spearheaded a scholarship fund for the university.

With other donors, Aquino’s classmates were able to raise ?10.75 million. “It is a seed fund,” businessman Gerry Esquivel, one of Aquino’s classmates, said.

Ateneo will administer the scholarship.

According to the memorandum of agreement with Ateneo on the scholarship endowment,

a freshman and a junior scholar will be selected as recipients on the first year of award in school year 2022 to 2023.

“A Benigno Simeon Aquino III scholar is therefore expected to graduate every two years. Henceforth, only freshman students will be awarded the scholarship,” Esquivel said.

Aquino stepped down in 2016 after serving his six-year term as president. He also retired from public life shortly thereafter. He died on the morning of June 24, 2021 due to renal disease, secondary to diabetes. To his friends and family, he was simply “Noynoy.” To the lives he touched, he was the leader we lost last year.