Who’s The Next President? (3rd of a Series) CHIZ ESCUDERO: YOUNG HEARTTHROB CAUGHT UP IN AFFAIRS OF THE HEART

By Manny Pinol

Chiz Escudero has a way with people.

He is warm and engaging. He makes people feel comfortable because he talks in a language easily understood and his child-like haughtiness makes him endearing.

Having had the opportunity to get very close to Chiz, I saw first hand how the youth swooned over him, embracing him as one of their own and seeing him as somebody who understands the dreams and desires of the young Filipinos.

It was this mass support from the youth which convinced Chiz and his advisers to consider throwing his hat into the presidential race in 2010, just a few months after he turned 40.

But disagreements within his party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), and with his fellow senator Loren Legarda, who also expressed intention to vie for the presidency, resulted in Chiz bolting the party and abandoning his plan to run for president.

As things turned out, Legarda teamed up with presidential bet and former senator Manuel Villar. Both lost.

Chiz finished his first term as senator and successfully won a second term in the last elections in spite of the distractions caused by his stormy love affair with young actress Heart Evangelista.

Separated from his wife with whom he has two sons, Chiz started a love affair with Heart in spite of the strong and violent opposition from the movie star’s parents.

The controversy somehow affected Chiz’s electoral performance finishing 3rd in the field of 12 behind Grace Poe and Loren Legarda, a poor performance compared to his 2007 senatorial victory where he garnered the second highest number of votes, also behind Legarda.

While Chiz has not hinted that he intends to vie for the presidency in 2016, he remains a dark horse in the contest.

The factors that work in favor of Escudero are his youthful exuberance, his intelligence and the gift of mastery of oral communication.

Like Mar Roxas, Chiz has not been tainted with issues of corruption while in public office and has assumed an active role in the opposition group, especially during the time of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Add to that the fact that he is perceived as a “provinciano” and somebody who understands agriculture being the son of the late Congressman Salvador “Sonny” Escudero who was among the best agriculture secretaries the country ever had.

While many are making a big issue out of his separation with his wife and his relationship with Heart Evangelista, most political pundits believe that these would hardly matter in an election.

Filipino electorates historically have always glossed over issues involving affairs of the heart. In fact, Filipinos voted for the presidency Joseph “Erap” Estrada who made no efforts to hide his relationships with women other than his legal wife.

But there are downsides to Chiz’s persona.

He is a political maverick who refuses to play ball with huge interest groups who are often behind the rise and fall of big-time politicians.

His image of being a chain-smoker and a heavy drinker is also hurting his chances at winning the top political post.

The big plus that goes the way of Chiz Escudero is the fact that among the presidential potentials now, he is the youngest. By 2016, he will only be 46 years old.

Even if he decides to take his time and settle instead for the vice presidency, Chiz will only be 52 years old by 2022.

In contrast, Vice President Jojo Binay will be 74 years old in 2016 and it is 2016 or never for him.

Once again, his youth gives Chiz Escudero a lot of options in his political plans.

Here is what en.wikipedia.org says about Chiz Escudero:

Francis Joseph “Chiz” Guevara Escudero (born October 10, 1969) is a member of the Philippine Senate since 2007.

He previously served as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives from the1st District Sorsogon, and as the Minority Floor Leader of the 13th Congress of the Philippines on his third and last House term.

Early life and career

Escudero was born on October 10, 1969 in Manila, Philippines, the middle child of the three children of the late Representative Salvador Escudero (1st District of Sorsogon) and educator Evelina B. Guevara.

Education

Escudero attended the University of the Philippines Integrated School for both his Elementary and Secondary Education, and graduated in 1981 and 1985 respectively.

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City in 1988 and Bachelors of Laws at the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1993. He received his Masters in International and Comparative Law at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D. C. in 1996.

At the University of the Philippines, Escudero was Secretary General of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines from 1992–1993.

He also joined the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity and was a member of the Alpha Phi Beta Debating Team which was the 1991 U.P. Open Debate Champion.

A consistent honor student, he was a member of the Order of the Purple Feather or the U.P. Law Honor Society from 1989–1993.

Private sector

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Escudero was a teaching assistant at the Department of Political Science,University of the Philippines in 1988–1989. In 1989, he became Junior Political Analyst of the Batangas Development Planning office.

From 1993–1994, he was Junior Associate at the Bautista, Picazo, Buyco, Tan and Fider Law Office. After this, he was Legal Consultant for the UNLAD Ship Management and Manning Corp. and Legal Counsel for the Crusade Against Violence (CAV), both in 1994 to 1995.

Since 1995 until the present, he is a partner of the Escudero, Marasigan, Sta. Ana, Vallente and Villareal Law Office (EMSAVIL Law).

From 1996 to 1998, he was a Senior Lecturer at the College of Law at the University of the Philippines. He was also lecturer at the Graduate School of the Ateneo de Manila University in 2000.

From May to August 2000, he hosted Ngayon na Pinoy, a television program that aired on RPN 9.

He anchored the radio programs “Magandang Umaga, Bayan,” at the Angel Radio, DZAR 1026 AM, Usapang de Campanilla and Usapang Legal, both at DZMM. He penned a column, “Usapang Legal ni Chiz Escudero” (later renamed “Say Chiz”) in the newspapers Abante and Abante Tonite.

On July 3, 2000, Escudero was named a Commander of the Philippine Navy Reserve Command

Congressional career

Escudero’s initiation into the political arena and into the art of addressing big crowds began in his teenage years in the 1980s, when he helped organize the local campaigns of his father.

Escudero explained: “In 1984, I was part of the postering brigade in my dad’s campaign for assemblyman. In 1987, I handled the youth; in 1992, I handled the headquarters and arranged logistics. In 1995, I handled last minute operations, and in 1998, I was finally the candidate!”

He first indicated his inclination towards public service at the age of 22 when he expressed interest to run for public office as municipal councilor of Sorsogon City .

At age 25, he again indicated an intent to run for the office of the mayor of Sorsogon City.

But for both occasions, the family’s opinion, especially that of his father’s, that he finish his law studies first before beginning a political career, prevailed. In response to the wishes of his family, he finished his Law studies first before entering politics.

House of Representatives.

As a fourth-generation Escudero to serve in public office, he began his political career at age 28 in 1998 as the representative of the 1st District Sorsogon for the 11th Congress of the Philippines.

He was elected Assistant Majority Floor Leader of the 11th Congress from June 1998 to November 2000 and became Second Deputy Majority Floor Leader of the 11th Congress in November 2000 to January 2001. He was Assistant Deputy Majority of the 11th Congress from January to June 2001.

Escudero was the campaign spokesperson for the defeated Philippine presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr.

Escudero was one of the pro-impeachment congressmen who were the prime movers for the initiation of impeachment proceedings for the former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

In 2005, he voted against the dropping of impeachment complaints against the president. His explanation summarizes his stand: “It is the truth that she has lost. But the search for the truth does not end today. The president and her allies will always be haunted by questions.”

Escudero maintained the same vote against dismissing the impeachment complaints against Arroyo in 2006, retaining his original vote the previous year.

As for his term in congress which ended in 2007, he said: “Three years is too short for a good official, too long for a bad one. Four is ideal. I feel tired—I used to have only five white hairs!—but I still want to find out, at age 35, if this will still be my career path or whether I should move to the private sector. I wouldn’t want to reach 50 still hoping to be something in government which I can never be.”

U.S. Senate Democrats

On January 30, 2007, Escudero filed his candidacy for the Philippine Senate.[2] He was elected to the Senate with the second highest tally of votes, slightly behind Loren Legarda.

Today, he heads the Senate Committees on Justice and Human Rights, Joint Oversight Committees on Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Clean Air Act, and Committee on Environment and Natural

Resources.

Escudero was later reelected during the 2013 Philippine Senate elections.

Awards and Citations

Escudero has earned several distinctions, including becoming a TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines) awardee in recognition of his selfless dedication as a youth leader.

In 2007, he was the only Filipino named as Asia News Network’s Asia’s Idols.

He has also been honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader of 2008 in recognition of his professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.