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Inside Philippine politics & beyond

“Enrile’s lies” – Confession of a Backroom Boy

September 25, 2018

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By Val Villanueva

Val Villanueva – from his FB account

[NOTE: I have asked Val’s permission to repost this on my blog. I know Val. We once worked together in Philippine Star – he as assistant business editor and me as investigative reporter (reporting directly to the late Betty Go-Belmonte). I did not know until recently that Val had married one of my schoolmates, Millette  Barin. I salute Val for coming out with this post, which I know will earn him a lot of flak.]

It’s no secret that I’ve been one of Enrile’s backroom boys in his 1992 presidential bid. Along with Teddyboy Locsin, Kit Tatad, Yen Macabenta and Roly Eclevia, we formulated his campaign strategy with cohesion and precision.

I was recruited by his then trusted finance manager, Nora Bitong, who was then responsible for multiplying his millions. Nora arranged for me a one-on-one dinner with Enrile at her posh Dasmariñas Village home for me to get to know him better.

Nora knew that I was a Martial Law victim and the dinner was meant to ‘set the record’ straight. “You can ask him anything, no holds barred,” she told me. I was the Business Editor of the then Gokongwei-owned Manila Times and Nora told me Enrile was impressed by my business insights, “he reads you, and we need your kind of writing to amplify his business policies to the electorate.”

Our discussion centered on Enrile’s role in Martial Law. He confirmed to me that that there was a fake attempt to kill him by an ambush (one of the reasons for ML declaration), that Cory was the real winner in the Feb., 1986 presidential snap elections, that there was massive cheating in almost all areas that was perpetuated by Marcos forces in that exercise and that he recognized Cory as the duly-elected president. He also said he was humbled by Cory’s decision not to seek re-election and he ate humble pie when he wrongly wagered that Cory would cling to power. I resigned from the Times. I was convinced or should I say now, I was taken for a ride.

The team had tried to project him as a statesman. When we realized that it was impossible for him to win the election, we advised him to back out of the race which he did. Candidates of the opposition slate – Imelda Marcos, Danding Cojuangco and himself would divide the votes among themselves and there was no way that one of them would win.

No doubt that Enrile was an excellent boss. We maintained our correspondence long after that professional engagement I had with him.

But hearing him now makes me cringe. Now, it’s my time to set the record straight.

Comments

  1. drill down says

    September 30, 2018 at 6:57 AM

    https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/09/29/lying-congress-federal-crime-sanders-demands-fbi-investigate-whether-kavanaugh?amp

    ‘Lying to Congress Is a Federal Crime’: Sanders Demands FBI Investigate Whether Kavanaugh Committed Perjury
    ——————-

    not just 1, 2, or 3 but many many possible instances

  2. andrewlim8 says

    September 28, 2018 at 6:46 PM

    I have now figured out what RED OCTOBER really is: many of the economic indicators in October will be in the red zone: budget deficit, current account deficit, trade deficit, inflation vs target, gdp vs target, etc.

    There’s also MORAL deficit, RULE OF LAW deficit, DECENCY deficit, etc.

    • arc says

      September 29, 2018 at 4:25 AM

      it’s red october po for pinas, russians in charge of our cyber security na. now, we can expect russians to poison our top officials!

      • arc says

        September 29, 2018 at 7:20 AM

        dapat i-red october na po yang mga junkets ng mga appointees ni digong. if their overseas travel does not bring benefits to the country, economic or others, they ought to reimburse the country. at the moment, sina dominguez at perna et al are in london on economic trip kuno, pero sounds like junket ang trip nila.

        at yang si mocha panay travel overseas din po at palagi sa italy. may boyfriend yata siya duon and rendezvous-ing sila, away from the prying eyes of the one na mukhang uling na. sabi, meeting her fans kuno siya sa italy, checking on sa ka-fellow dds at mga ofws duon. living the high life si mocha and maybe her secret boyfriend is also living the high life, all at tax payers expense. hi ho silver. he, he, he.

« Older Comments
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist Then they came fof the Trade Unionists, and I did not out speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me— And there was no one left to speak for me. —Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

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