BY JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
Even before the first vote is cast for the May 2022 polls, these ladies (and gent) have already won these leading presidential aspirants’ hearts.
Jesse Robredo
While she has confirmed that she has no plans of remarrying, Vice President Leni Robredo would be bringing fond memories of her late husband with her to Malacañang, should she win on May 9. In 2012, she revealed to PeopleAsia editor-in-chief Joanne Rae Ramirez that she met former Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo shortly after she entered law school in the ’80s. “I learned that the Bicol River Basin Development Program, a government office, was looking for economic researchers. It was just after EDSA and the spirit of idealism was really pervading. Jess was the program director and he was the one who interviewed me. He impressed me as a no-nonsense kind of person. I had with me a letter of recommendation from a politician who was his relative. And when he saw it, he told me that it will not help me at all!” she shared.
Needless to say, she got not just the job but also the man. Together, they had three children – Jillian, Aika and Tricia. “Ours wasn’t a perfect marriage, but it was great nonetheless. We brought out the best in each other. We were happy being together and we were really partners all throughout. He was proud that I was my own person and respected my decisions,” said the VP.
Diana Lynn Ditan
Sorry ladies, but the heartthrob Mayor of Manila has been married to businesswoman Diana Lynn Ditan since 2000. Together, they have five children: Vincent Patrick, Frances Diane, Joaquin Andre, Franco and Drake.
And while she has chosen to remain in the background as a private citizen, presidential aspirant Isko Moreno most certainly values her counsel. She was, after all, the first person he consulted when it came to his presidential ambitions. “She knows that politics is cruel, especially when you’re on the other side of the river. But in the end, wala naman kaming masamang intensyon (we have no ill will) so we decided to do this the same way we did for Manila. If we’re given the chance, we’ll work harder than anyone.”
Jinkee Pacquiao
She may cut a stylish figure as a businesswoman and social media personality these days, but Jinkee Pacquiao’s love for Pambansang Kamao Sen. Manny Pacquiao came long before the Hermeses and Guccis started pouring in. “When I first met him, he was a quiet man. I liked that he was the silent type. But now, he’s become so talkative,” she told PeopleAsia with a chuckle a few years back.
The couple met in General Santos City in 1999, when Jinkee was still a beauty sales consultant in a mall and Manny was no more than a fledgling boxer. Seven months after Jinkee’s uncle had introduced them and one whirlwind courtship later, the two tied the knot. They now have five kids: Emmanuel Jr., Michael, Princess, Queen Elizabeth and Israel. “
Liza Araneta-Marcos
In an interview with Aster Amoyo, Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that he met his wife Liza Araneta in New York, where she was working as a lawyer and while his family was on exile. According to Bongbong, they would sometimes visit each other in court, in between Liza’s appearances for her clients and the trials of the Marcoses.
Asked if it was love at first sight, the two made funny faces and immediately said no. “It wasn’t love at first sight, but when I got to know him I eventually fell in love. I told myself, ‘for someone so intelligent, napakabait nya (He was so kind)!’” said Liza, who admitted to having her own prejudices against her future husband, due to her family’s political affiliations, as well as the political climate of the time. The two, who consider their ‘friendship’ as an integral part of their marriage, have been married since 1993 and have three sons: Sandro, Simon and Vincent.
Alice de Perio
Sen. Ping Lacson and wife Alice De Perio have been married for more than 49 years now. In a YouTube video, Alice confessed that she fell in love with the former PNP Chief on the disco dance floor! “Kaya nga ako nagka-crush diyan, ang galing galing sumayaw. Hindi niyo alam, sobrang galing niyang sumayaw (I had a crush on him because he’s a great dancer. You don’t know it but he dances very well!),” she said. Their favorite tool for cutting a rug: boogie!
And while Lacson, has reportedly been a spirited dancer since his school days, Alice added that he seems to have retired from the dance floor for good. “Ayaw na nya ngayon. Hindi mo na mapipilit (He doesn’t want to anymore, no one can force him),” she shared with a chuckle.
Marieza Tolentino
According to online sources, labor leader Ka Leody de Guzman is married to Marieza Tolentino with whom he has three children: Prolan, Lea, and Dexter.
While not much is known about Marieza, online sources say that she is also part of the labor force, and that she, along with their children, have supported the family as “full-time employees and small entrepreneurs.”
