Marcos hails Enrile as 'national servant,' says he never crossed lines against national interest

Manila Bulletin

President Marcos has paid tribute to the late Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, calling him a rare public servant who refused to take part in anything he believed went against the nation’s interest. (Video courtesy of Bongbong Marcos)  READ: https://mb.com.ph/2025/11/22/marcos-hails-enrile-as-national-servant-says-he-never-crossed-lines-against-national-interest  Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5664f6TkaeHgwBly50DWZQ/join  Subscribe to the Manila Bulletin Online channel! - https://www.youtube.com/TheManilaBulletin  Visit our website at http://mb.com.ph Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manilabulletin Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/manila_bulletin Instagram: https://instagram.com/manilabulletin Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@manilabulletin  #ManilaBulletinOnline #ManilaBulletin #LatestNews

Transcript

00:00I am tasked to give some form of eulogy for Titojani and to the remembrances of his life.

00:11But mine will only be a small voice, together with the voices of the greats, the icons of our history,

00:21of our legislature, of our legal system, of our jurisprudence.

00:32It just goes to show that he has touched a part, every part, of Philippine society.

00:40And not just touched, but influenced it greatly.

00:44And he worked very hard to always do that for the good.

00:49And so there are many commentators who can better express the greatness in those grand settings that I mentioned to Titojani.

01:02So perhaps what I can contribute is how I knew, how I knew Titojani.

01:08And perhaps a more, maybe a more intimate portrait of, well, a child and a boy, and finally a grown-up and now a president.

01:21I don't actually remember the day that I met Titojani, that somebody said to me, that my father probably would say, this is your Titojani.

01:34I don't remember anything like that.

01:36What I do know is that since we came to live in this palace, he was a constant fixture in my life.

01:46He was always here.

01:47He was always there.

01:49And we didn't, it was, it was such a close relationship between our families that it wasn't just at work here in the offices here.

01:57But when I saw you today, Katrin, I remembered we used to spend Easter in Baguio together.

02:04And I, yeah, Jack, you remember that.

02:05And that was how, how intimately close we were.

02:12But he was, you know, he was my dad's, my dad's guy.

02:17And although you could tell that he had a special place, even in my father's heart, only because, and the reason I say that,

02:26is because there are very few people that I saw my father not give just instructions to, but listen to.

02:37He was one of those very few people.

02:39I know you know some of the, some of the others, but he certainly was one of those.

02:43But we, and that was, that was my impression of him as a boy.

02:50And Tito Gianni was always there at the, in the office when my father would call for me,

02:56at dinners, at the social events, at formal events, ceremonies, et cetera.

03:03And, but I never, I never, I never really worked with him until one time, we were both on the board of a company.

03:13And we were talking about a very large project.

03:18And in his signature fashion, he didn't say very much.

03:21He just sat there, he was looking through his notes, and spoke up and said,

03:26okay, that's fine, but this is what you need to do.

03:29You've missed certain things.

03:31It was mainly about taxation.

03:34And on that, after that meeting, we looked at all of his suggestions and all of his insights,

03:43and we said, we just missed all of this, and he's exactly right.

03:49And he saved the company a great deal of money.

03:54And so I went home, and a couple of days later, I spoke to my dad.

03:58And I said, dad, you know, we were having a board meeting, and Tito Johnny came up with this.

04:03And he said, why, what did he say?

04:05And I said, ganito ganyan, ganito ganyan, kailangan gawing ganito.

04:08And he said, tama yan, sundan mo yan.

04:11Marunong yan, magaling talaga yan.

04:13And that was the first time we actually worked together.

04:17And so after that, I ended up in the Locos Norte, so we didn't see each other very much.

04:25The next time that we came back, after, you know, it was also very, very, a little bit, I wasn't sure how it would go when we came back around 1991,

04:42when we came back from Exha.

04:44Because after the events of February 86, we found ourselves on the opposite sides of the barricade.

04:52And let me put it that way.

04:54And so it was always a little, I was always a little, what did I do?

04:58And I said, Tito Johnny, how is it going to be?

05:00Will he be angry with me?

05:01Will he be very, you know, will it be awkward?

05:04It wasn't.

05:05It wasn't.

05:06The relationship that we had forged between his family, my family, between himself, my father, between him and us, just took over.

05:17And it was as if, you know, we would just keep, we had met, we had, we just left each other one week ago.

05:25And we came and we started work.

05:27So we started working together as congressmen in the 14th, 14th Congress.

05:34And that's when I started working with him.

05:39And I remember that this is one of the smartest people I know.

05:43So I'd always pick his brain.

05:45I'd always go.

05:45And he taught me.

05:47He was my tutor.

05:48He was my mentor.

05:50And then I went, I went to Ilocos North as governor.

05:55Of course, I was living there.

05:58And then I came back and became congressman again.

06:00But he was already in the Senate.

06:01But I found myself in the Senate together with him.

06:05And once again, he was my mentor.

06:09And because, first of all, I always found it easy to talk to him because I was so familiar with him.

06:16So I would always go and ask him questions.

06:18Once again, I said, who's the smartest fellow in the room?

06:22Let's go pick his brain.

06:23That's always my technique.

06:24Who's the smartest fellow in this room?

06:26Let's go pick the fellow or lady in this room.

06:29Let's go pick their brain.

06:30And that's what I do.

06:32And he would really teach me.

06:35But the depth and breadth of his knowledge and his understanding was just remarkable.

06:45I remember people in the Senate would come and say, I am so-and-so.

06:50I come from this little town in the middle of nowhere.

06:53Oh, I remember.

06:54I was there.

06:55How is Lola like this?

06:58The people that came from the dead, you know, because when I was there,

07:01that's why he explained everything.

07:02He didn't forget the names, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget the events, he didn't forget

07:32Because Tito Janit never took anything lightly.

07:37He was a very serious person.

07:39Everything that came to him, he would think about very hard.

07:43He would study about very, very hard.

07:46And he will not, until he has some conclusions,

07:51he will not say anything until his thoughts are totally fine and completely formed.

07:57And that was why he is such a good lawyer,

08:02he was such a good congressman, such a good senate president.

08:06And he was good at, wherever he found himself,

08:10he took the job very, very seriously.

08:12He studied very, very hard.

08:15And so during the senate, I remember,

08:17he took me by surprise once in the senate.

08:21We were discussing the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

08:25And he was interpolating me,

08:27because I was sponsoring a substitute bill.

08:31And so he said,

08:32So we were in the middle of this interpolation.

08:46And suddenly, out of nowhere,

08:49he started asking me about Quranic studies.

08:52Because we were talking about the BBL.

08:56I have nothing.

08:58I have no background in that.

09:00Buti na lang.

09:01During, well, I was on the podium.

09:03Next to me, Siti, was one of my advisors,

09:06who was a Muslim imam.

09:08So, ano sabi niya?

09:09Ano ba yung sagot?

09:10Ano ba yung sagot?

09:11Buti na lang.

09:12So, nung nag-suspend kami,

09:13I go up to him and say,

09:14Tito naman,

09:15bakit mo naman ako tinanong ng mga Quranic studies?

09:17Eh, dapat pinag-aralan mo yan.

09:19You should know these things.

09:20You should know these things.

09:23You should know these things.

09:24Yes, Tito, you're absolutely right.

09:26I should.

09:26Then, pati yung pagsagot ko,

09:28tinuturoan ako.

09:29Ganito ang pagsagot mo.

09:30Para maintindihan ng tao.

09:32You should do this like this,

09:33like that,

09:34like this,

09:34like that.

09:35And so,

09:36that was our whole relationship.

09:40And even when he was a Senate President,

09:43he would still find the time to come down

09:45and, you know,

09:46give me advice and guide me.

09:50And I considered myself very,

09:53very, very lucky.

09:56And this continued

09:57because after the Vice Presidential Election,

10:01nagpapatulong ako sa kanya,

10:03sa protesta ko.

10:03So, I would go and see him

10:05sa bahay niyo.

10:06I would go and see him.

10:08And I said,

10:08Tito, patulong naman,

10:10ganyan, ganyan.

10:11What do you think we should do?

10:12How do you think we should approach this?

10:14Who are the people we should talk to?

10:16I can help you.

10:17I'll do this.

10:17I'll do that.

10:18I'll do this.

10:19But I never left your house

10:20without a reading list.

10:23It was like going back to school.

10:25Parang I went to see my tutor

10:26in university.

10:29Because we talk about

10:30all kinds of things.

10:31And then at the end,

10:32bago ako pa this.

10:33Bung, ditaw mo na.

10:35And he'd give me

10:36some books

10:37and a list of other books

10:39that he wants me to read.

10:42And so I'd take them home

10:44because I'm sure

10:46wala namang...

10:46and you know,

10:47the subject matter

10:48was so diverse,

10:50was so...

10:52wide-ranging.

10:54You would talk about

10:55the battle for world resources,

10:59of what will happen

11:00after Gaza,

11:02the oil crisis,

11:04the economic crisis,

11:06etc.

11:07yung talagang kahit lahat,

11:08even philosophical works.

11:12And these are books.

11:13I'm sure all of you

11:14have experienced this

11:15that you cannot just read.

11:19After you read it

11:20the first time,

11:21you say,

11:21teka, hindi ko pa yung...

11:22medyo mahirap.

11:23You have to read it

11:24maybe three times

11:25before you understand

11:26exactly what the author

11:28is trying to say.

11:29So I would.

11:30I would read them.

11:31And you cannot just say,

11:33pag sinabi...

11:34He doesn't...

11:34He never asked

11:35when I see him again.

11:36He'd never ask,

11:37did you read the books?

11:39No.

11:39He'd go straight to the point.

11:41What did you think

11:41of his idea

11:42na galito,

11:43ganyan, ganyan?

11:44In other words,

11:44kung hindi mo binasa,

11:45huli ka talaga.

11:46But they were such good books.

11:49And it was like...

11:50Back in...

11:51I was always...

11:52When I was with Tito Johnny,

11:53I was always in school.

11:55I was always learning something.

11:57I was always making myself better.

11:59He was always making me...

12:00You read this,

12:02you get better at this.

12:03He was always pushing.

12:04He always challenged.

12:06He never learned to coast.

12:08He always challenged you.

12:10And that's why

12:12when I took office,

12:16when he continued

12:19to say

12:21that, you know,

12:22if you need any help,

12:24it became a natural

12:25that I asked him

12:26to be the legal advisor

12:29to the president

12:30because I could not think

12:32of a better place for him

12:35and a better man for the job.

12:37And I'm glad that I did

12:40because every so often,

12:43we would...

12:43I would come here.

12:44I'd come to the office

12:45and there'd be a little note.

12:48JPE says he needs to see you.

12:52Whenever that happens,

12:54you better go and see him immediately

12:57because he doesn't do that.

13:00He would do that

13:02only if it's very important.

13:03So I'd go straight to his office.

13:04And, of course,

13:06he would say,

13:06what you're about to do

13:07is a big mistake.

13:08You cannot do that.

13:09It's illegal.

13:10It's not this.

13:10It's not proper.

13:11It's not that.

13:12But,

13:13with him,

13:14it's not only criticism.

13:16The way around it

13:17is this.

13:18This is the solution

13:19to your problem.

13:20Naging me is a good.

13:21because

13:22he was just such a good lawyer.

13:26He could argue

13:27either side of the question

13:28and make a good argument at that.

13:31However,

13:33the one principle,

13:34the line that he never crossed

13:36was that,

13:38you know,

13:38he would say,

13:39well,

13:39how would you like us

13:41to argue this?

13:43What would you like?

13:45What's the result?

13:46What's your ideal result

13:48to all of this?

13:49And I'd tell him,

13:50I'd say,

13:50sana magkaganto,

13:51sana magmaayos natin magkano.

13:54And he would do it.

13:56And he would do it

13:57exceedingly well.

13:58Better than most,

13:59anyone that I knew.

14:01And I always kept thinking

14:04how,

14:05every time I would sit down,

14:06it's like talking to my dad.

14:09And perhaps,

14:10the osmosis

14:11between the two of them,

14:13they rubbed off

14:15on each other.

14:16But that intellectual,

14:17the standard,

14:20the intellectual standard

14:22that they would set

14:23for themselves

14:23and for you,

14:25if you expected

14:26to talk to them,

14:28was the same,

14:29was exceedingly high.

14:31And it's not

14:32because they're

14:33mayabang

14:34or they're showing off

14:35how smart they are

14:36and how much they know.

14:37It's because

14:38that is the only way

14:39to truly solve

14:40a problem.

14:41you have to think

14:42about it

14:42very,

14:42very deeply.

14:43Don't be mad at it.

14:46Don't be mad at it.

14:47Don't be mad at it.

14:48Don't be mad at it.

14:49You talk to everybody

14:50that you can talk to.

14:51The striving for excellence

14:55in everything

14:56that he did

14:57was something

14:58that he even

14:59passed on to us.

15:00And he said,

15:01not just me,

15:02you should strive

15:03for excellence too.

15:05And we have

15:06many, many stories.

15:09Those of you

15:10who have attended

15:11some of our meetings

15:12upstairs,

15:14and Dr. Johnny

15:15would be there

15:16sitting next to me.

15:18And we'd all think

15:19he's already sleeping.

15:21Because he's like that.

15:22He's like that.

15:24Then suddenly,

15:25he would say,

15:26wait,

15:27you're missing something.

15:29And let's say

15:29we're talking about

15:30some places.

15:32When I wrote the law,

15:34for creating

15:35that facility,

15:37what we meant to do

15:38was behind that.

15:40When I argued

15:41that the case

15:42in the Supreme Court,

15:43and his insights

15:46were way beyond

15:49our understanding.

15:52And the contributions

15:55that he made

15:56when he was

15:58in the legal counsel

16:00to the president

16:01were underage.

16:04unfathomable

16:05or so.

16:06There's no way

16:07that we can quantify,

16:10we can somehow measure

16:11the importance

16:13of what he did.

16:14And so,

16:15until the very end,

16:19the remarkable thing

16:21about it is that

16:22until the very end,

16:25he never stopped working.

16:26His brain,

16:27his brain kept working

16:31until the last day

16:34that I spoke to him.

16:36That's how his memory,

16:37that's how his cognitive ability,

16:40that's how his brain

16:44was a 20-year-old brain

16:46in a 100-year-old body.

16:50Oh, by the way,

16:51the 100-year-old body,

16:52when we celebrated,

16:53you know what,

16:54the video that you saw

16:55where we celebrated

16:56this 100th year,

16:58after,

16:59after that,

17:01you know,

17:01I said,

17:01Tito,

17:02okay,

17:02kept asking him,

17:03Tito,

17:03what's the secret?

17:04how do you stay young

17:06like you,

17:06you know?

17:07And he just smiled,

17:09he never really,

17:10never really say anything.

17:12And so,

17:13of course,

17:14again,

17:14during his birthday celebration,

17:16I said,

17:16Tito,

17:16what's the secret?

17:18I want to be like you also

17:19when I want to,

17:20at first,

17:20I want to live

17:21to 100 years old.

17:22And I want to be like you

17:23when I'm 100 years old.

17:25And then,

17:26he said,

17:26you know,

17:26I'm not sure

17:28that I'm 100 years old.

17:29I think I'm older.

17:31I said,

17:31why?

17:32My records are not

17:33sa gira.

17:35But,

17:36eventually,

17:37I found,

17:38apparently,

17:39Katrina just told me,

17:41that he found

17:43his papers,

17:45eventually.

17:46And,

17:47ladies and gentlemen,

17:49this man was

17:50103 years old,

17:52which is even,

17:54even more remarkable.

17:56But the one thing,

17:57in all of his

17:59maneuverings,

18:01in all of his

18:02very clever ways

18:04of getting

18:06his best result,

18:08of helping us,

18:10of helping everyone,

18:11the one line

18:14that I noticed

18:15that he never crossed

18:17was this.

18:19Yeah.

18:19When he believed

18:20in his heart of hearts

18:22that what you were

18:23trying to do

18:24was against

18:24the national interest,

18:26he would remove himself.

18:28And he'd say,

18:28I do not agree with this.

18:29You go ahead

18:30and do what you think

18:31is proper,

18:32but I cannot be part

18:33of this.

18:34And,

18:35that was,

18:36that was

18:37Tito Gianni,

18:38all the way.

18:40He was,

18:41after being

18:42the genius

18:43of a lawyer,

18:44after being

18:46a long-serving,

18:48taking all the

18:49very important positions

18:50in all

18:52the departments

18:54of government,

18:55the legislature,

18:56the judiciary,

18:57and the

18:58executive,

19:00after all that,

19:02that is

19:03the most important

19:05part of him

19:06was his

19:07being

19:08a national

19:10servant.

19:11And that's how

19:12he saw himself.

19:13We are here

19:13to serve.

19:14And therefore,

19:16we will do

19:16everything that we can

19:17to make the system work.

19:19but I cannot

19:21be part of

19:22anything that I

19:23believe is against

19:24the national interest.

19:25And that is the

19:26core of Tito Gianni.

19:28And it is a lesson

19:29that we all learned

19:30from,

19:30we learned from

19:31many people,

19:32but we also learned

19:33it from him.

19:34And it was an

19:35important,

19:35important part

19:36of his

19:37being.

19:38Do we in our

19:41lifetimes find

19:42another person

19:43like this?

19:44I don't think so.

19:46I don't think so.

19:47Not in my life.

19:48Maybe you guys,

19:49we younger people,

19:50you will meet

19:50some other

19:52genius,

19:53some other

19:53remarkable person

19:54such as this.

19:56But I will not.

19:57Not in my life.

19:58Not anymore.

20:00All right?

20:01He was,

20:01he was,

20:03what we now,

20:05the phrase we now

20:06use is that

20:06he was old

20:07school.

20:08Old school.

20:09He was an old

20:10gentleman.

20:11He was old school.

20:12He was always

20:13correct.

20:14He was old

20:14proper.

20:16He was always,

20:17every time,

20:18and he showed

20:19up to everything.

20:21Even the kids'

20:21birthday party,

20:22but so he invited

20:23him,

20:23he'd come.

20:24Which,

20:25he said,

20:26Tito,

20:26you didn't have

20:26to come.

20:27Of course I did.

20:28Of course I had

20:28to greet everybody

20:29and like this.

20:31And that,

20:31but that was,

20:32that was the man

20:33he was.

20:33He was devoted

20:34to his work.

20:35He was devoted

20:35to his family.

20:36He was devoted

20:37to the country.

20:39And there is

20:40no higher praise

20:41than I can make

20:42of anyone,

20:44of anyone

20:47that I know

20:49that has served

20:51in government,

20:52that has served

20:53the country.

20:53there is no greater

20:55praise for anyone

20:57than to say

20:58that she lived,

21:01he was willing

21:02to die,

21:03he was willing

21:04to bleed

21:05for the country.

21:07And that's what

21:07we will miss.

21:09Perhaps we don't

21:10find so many

21:10of those people

21:11anymore.

21:12So as we grieve

21:14the loss

21:15of JPE,

21:18let us also

21:19be grateful

21:20that at some

21:22time

21:22in the history

21:24of the Philippines,

21:25there was a man

21:26who devoted

21:28his entire

21:29being

21:30to the service

21:31of the Filipino.

21:33Woods,

21:34that we,

21:35the rest of us,

21:37could be able

21:37to do

21:38even a little bit

21:39of what he had done.

21:41But we must

21:42all follow

21:42that example

21:43that he gave

21:44to us.

21:45We must

21:46always remember

21:46the benefits,

21:49the contributions

21:50that he made

21:51to the Filipinos,

21:52to the Philippines.

21:54And that is how

21:55I will remember

21:56Tito Janim.

21:57He is my Tito.

22:00He is,

22:02I hope,

22:03I can say

22:04he was my friend.

22:05He was certainly

22:06my mentor.

22:07And

22:08but overall,

22:11overall,

22:13he was a Filipino

22:14in the purest

22:17and best

22:19sense

22:20of being

22:21a Filipino

22:21where every

22:23molecule

22:24of his being

22:26was devoted

22:27to service

22:28of the Filipino

22:29people.

22:32And so,

22:34not such a good morning

22:35because we have

22:36to say goodbye

22:36to JP.

22:38I'm looking at him,

22:39I was looking at him

22:40during the mass

22:40and I'm still waiting

22:42for him to pipe up

22:43and say,

22:43wait,

22:43you guys forgot

22:44something.

22:46When,

22:46when,

22:47when,

22:47when I made

22:48that law,

22:49this is what

22:49you were doing.

22:51I'm sorry

22:51to think

22:52that he's not

22:53going to do

22:54that anymore.

22:55So,

22:56goodbye,

22:57Tito Janim.

22:58Thank you for

22:58everything

23:00that you have

23:00done for me,

23:01for my family,

23:03even in the time

23:04for my dad.

23:04and thank you

23:06for what you have

23:07done for the country.

23:09We will never

23:09forget you.

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