MANILA, Philippines- "It has been the best 9 years...I sleep well at night."
So says President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's husband, Attorney Jose Miguel Arroyo, in his coffee table book, "The First." The book chronicles the work of the First Gentleman Foundation, as well as an intimate look at the private lives of the First Family and his responses to all controversies that hounded him during their stay in Malacañang.
In his note at the end of the book, Arroyo said: "It has been 9 years since we first started the journey of this foundation and I'm proud to say that in spite of some intrigues and innuendoes that have been thrown our way, it has been the best 9 years."
The President's husband went on to thank God for support for his work.
Arroyo says that he was initially reluctant to publish the book because "some people might say that we are tooting our own horn, so to speak."
Yet he decided to publish anyway, to pay tribute to everyone who helped the FG Foundation along the way.
The book devotes its first 104 pages to the First Gentleman's pet advocacies and projects, depicted in colorful pictures and annotations. Juris Umali-Soliman, Arroyo's chief-of-staff and president of the FG Foundation, is credited as the book's executive editor.
The book tells how FG adopted his wife's "Beat the Odds" platform with his own twist, using it to encapsulate his pet advocacies: Bato or free kidney operation for the poor, E for eyes, free cataract operation, Academic youth development, Tulong libreng Abogado, Tree planting and reforestation, Hydrocephalus, meningocoele/heart surgeries, Employee involvement through volunteerism, out of school youth livelihood training, dentures for the poor, disaster and life threatening diseases assistance and sports development.
The book tells the stories and shows pictures of the people who benefited from the various programs of the foundation, including heart problem patients and national athletes. It maybe recalled that the FG treated athletes who brought honor to the country in international leagues to free trips to Hong Kong, Disneyland.
It also touches briefly on how Arroyo nearly lost his life in 2007 after he was hospitalized for dissecting aortic aneurysm.
How Mike courted Gloria
In the next 37 pages, the book provides an intimate look at the lives of the First Couple and their children, from the time Gloria and Mike were courting to how he loved spoiling his grandchildren.
Mr. Arroyo said he met Gloria at a friend's birthday party in the the Baguio City home of TV icon Elvira Manahan, mother of TV executive Johnny Manahan. "I fell for her because she has a very disarming smile and her eyes, they are very nice. That's why I fell for her the first time I met her," he recounts.
The young Gloria however says of their first meeting: "He was good looking, quite a charming personality and a nice dancer. But that was all."
The 2 were separated briefly when Gloria, who is the daughter of President Diosdado Macapagal, studied in Georgetown. When they finally saw each other again after a long time, he asked her to go steady.
"I remembered when I asked her to go steady. I visited her and brought grapes. I told her, if you really love me, you'll eat this grape on my lips. And she bit the grape off my lips."
FG further recalls: "When I was courting Gloria, she brought me to Malacañang. I didn't know this until later but she pulled her father from a Cabinet meeting and told him it was a matter of life and death."
The book features quotes from people who knew the Arroyos from way back including childhood friend Baby Boy Poblador and fellow Rotarian, Ed Manda.
His 2 sons, Mikey and Dato, also share anecdotes about how Arroyo was the spoiler, sometimes vetoing his wife's orders or instructions on their activities.
"When we were young, he was our Supreme Court. If we wanted to do something, like go out with our friends or watch a movie, we would always run to our dad and he says yes, not knowing that mom already said no," says Dato.
'We'll answer only to One'
The President's husband also revealed that how hard it was for him to let go when his only daughter, Luli, got married. "I always spoil her. Always. And when Luli started to date, Gloria and I would just appear. Then she'd say how funny it was for them to run into us. The truth was we followed her."
The book ends with some 17 pages devoted to Mr Arroyo's camp refuting all allegations of wrongdoing attributed to him. Among the allegations are the World Bank Road Projects Scandal, allegations he faked a heart ailment to escape money laundering raps in the US, the NBN-ZTE controversy, the fertilizer fund scam, alleged multimillion dollar accounts, the use of an expensive Las Vegas suite in one match of Manny Pacquiao, the Hello, Garci scandal, jueteng payola, libel cases he filed against some members of the media, the Jose Pidal expose, alleged smuggling and importation of rotten rice, and the alleged use of PCSO funds for campaigns.
His camp says Mr. Arroyo has become a convenient target for the President's critics who are out to erode public confidence in the President.
To that, Mr. Arroyo says, "I sleep well at night knowing that at the end of the day, we'll answer only to one and He will be the best judge on how we lived our lives."
Mr Arroyo pays tribute to the power of prayer for getting him through all the trials he has been through, including his medical challenges. "I am very grateful to the Almighty. With the very low survival rate for such a high risk surgery, even the doctors believe that my recovery is nothing short of a miracle."
This seemingly unshakeable faith is something he shares with his wife.
In a recent exclusive sit down interview with ABS-CBN News, the President said: "I'm the same person, just older little wiser. I have a strong belief in the Filipino people, strong faith in God."
She attributes her longevity to "faith and prayer."
Daughter Luli underscored the love and importance of their family to each other in a 2007 interview with ABS-CBN: "I suppose, para sa amin mahalaga yung na kahit dati emphasis was sa amin pamilya, parang lalo na ngayon napakaprecious yung pamilya namin na throughout so many trials buo pa rin kami and even if people try to rip us apart, we're still together."
The pictures in the coffee table book were taken by Mandy Navasero, Jun Tapan and Juris Soliman while some came from the private personal collection of FG. Soliman also wrote the annotations.
"The First" is published by the FG Foundation.
