Loyal and unrepentant: The passion of Raul Gonzalez

During the five years he served as Justice Secretary, Raul Gonzalez, 77, became notorious for his crude and boorish verbal abuse of critics and foes of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. But those who work closely with him describe the man called “Malacañang's attack dog" as a soft-spoken and thoughtful boss. “He's a kind-hearted man. He would refuse to eat his meal if we hadn't had ours yet," said one of Gonzalez's bodyguards. Another bodyguard recalled: “He treated everyone the same: once, he invited a farmer who was picketing against him inside his office." In 2007, when Gonzalez underwent a kidney transplant, the donor was not a member of his family, but the driver who had served his family for years. Felicito “Mang Muroy" Gunay did not hesitate to offer one of his kidneys, saying he was happy to help prolong his boss’ life. Even reporters covering the justice beat affectionately referred to Gonzalez as “lolo" – grandfather. When he gave up the position, Gonzalez invited the press to lunch but refused to bid the journalists farewell, insisting that “love does not say goodbye." For this interview, Gonzalez himself invited me over to his house, which looked modest even if it was in a posh, gated village. From the abundance of framed family photos in the living room, it was evident that Gonzalez was a family man. He talks about how he spends Sundays with his family. Now that President Arroyo has given him a less strenuous job, he says he can finally attend to his 38-year-old son Jose Mari, who is suffering from cerebral palsy. Gonzalez says he and his wife plan to bring Jose Mari to Lourdes, France, a pilgrimage site for the sick and disabled. Carlo Lorenzo, GMA’s television reporter, recounted that Gonzalez's softer side is seen off-camera. Lorenzo recalls that in one of their conversations, Gonzalez nearly broke into tears when he lamented that despite his success, he could only do so much to help his son. Lorenzo covered the justice beat for more than a year and said he will definitely miss "lolo." Unrepentant outbursts The anecdotes paint an image that is hard to reconcile with the public persona. As justice secretary, Gonzalez acted less like the national government's lawyer and more like President Arroyo's personal advocate, a role he seemed to play with relish and little restraint.
Click here to recall some of Gonzalez’s famous biting statements For instance, in 2005, there was a public uproar over the “Hello Garci" scandal, which involved audio tapes supposedly showing Mrs. Arroyo giving orders to cheat in the 2004 elections she won against the now-deceased action star Fernando Poe. When Poe's wife, former actress Susan Rocess, called on the president to resign, Gonzalez dismissed her as “just a griping widow... too beautiful to be jailed." Later, when former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., then 77 years old, participated in protests against Mrs. Arroyo, Gonzalez sneered: “They should get (former Senate President) Jovito Salonga (then 85 years), so we have ancient senators." Last year, after President Arroyo inexplicably granted executive clemency to convicted murderer Claudio Teehankee Jr., Gonzalez told the family of one of Teehankee’s victims to “file their appeal before Jesus Christ." The justice secretary even had no hesitation belittling a national icon. Four years ago, when Corazon Aquino asked Mrs. Arroyo to step down, reporters asked Gonzalez if Malacañang was monitoring the former leader. He replied: “I think there is no need to monitor Cory Aquino because she’s also busy monitoring her own daughter," referring to controversial actress Kris Aquino. For good measure, Gonzalez added: “I do not know how big is the following of Cory Aquino, if she cannot get the following of Hacienda Luisita," referring to workers at the disputed land owned by the Cojuangcos in Tarlac province. (Firing back, Mrs. Aquino recalled how Gonzalez had begged for her endorsement when he was being considered for the justice department post). The intemperate outbursts led former senate president Franklin Drilon to say: “He (Gonzalez) was the first secretary of Justice who I knew allowed himself to serve as attack dog of Malacañang." But Gonzalez was always unrepentant. Asked if he ever felt sorry for his remarks, he told me: “I don’t regret issuing statements whether they are controversial or not, as long as I believe in it, and as long as it fits my principles. I’m not afraid of controversies – it’s what I am, I speak my mind." Loyal to Arroyo During the Martial Law years, Gonzalez was a human rights lawyer – a dangerous profession under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. He was slapped with inciting to sedition charges for criticizing the regime in his column at a now defunct newspaper. In 1986, then President Corazon Aquino appointed him Tanodbayan (now called Ombudsman) and concurrent special prosecutor. Among the high-profile cases he handled were the Ninoy Aquino-Rolando Galman double murder case. His work in securing the conviction of Ninoy Aquino's murderers makes his later viciousness to Mrs. Aquino all the more inexplicable. In 1988, the Supreme Court suspended him from the practice of law after he accused the high court’s magistrates of preventing him from investigating the cases of their alleged close associates. The suspension was lifted four years later. Gonzalez then ran for congressman of Ilolilo city, a post he held for three terms, or nine years. During his final term, he chaired the House panel in the Congress’ committee that canvassed the votes for president and vice president in the 2004 elections. Gonzalez and his Senate counterpart Francis Pangilinan brushed aside calls from the opposition to recount votes to assure that the election returns weren’t rigged in favor of Mrs. Arroyo. Three months after the President was declared winner of the 2004 polls, Gonzalez was appointed Justice secretary, a position he held for five controversy-filled years. Ironically, it might have been his zeal in serving Mrs. Arroyo that might have cost him his job. Last June, Gonzalez was abruptly yanked out of the DOJ and appointed presidential chief legal counsel. The media speculated he was being punished for bungling the administration’s strategy against one of its foes. The story was that the talkative Gonzalez had spoken one word too many and telegraphed a plan by Malacañang to implicate one of its staunchest critics, Senator Panfilo Lacson, in a double murder that took place in 2000. Alerted, Lacson was able to prepare a defense. Gonzalez denied the story and said he was only “passionate" about the murder case because he felt it was his obligation to follow it closely. Despite his removal, Gonzalez says he still watches the developments in the double murder case of publicist Salvador “Bubby" Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito from the sidelines. Last July 26, former police officer Glenn Dumlao returned to the Philippines after six years in hiding in the United States. Gonzalez welcomed Dumlao’s arrival, saying “I was the one who coordinated with him before" and worked for his extradition. Gonzalez says he expects Dumlao to bolster the case because the former police officer’s testimony could pin down the brains behind Dacer and Corbito’s killings. Nevertheless, Gonzalez' sudden removal from the DOJ seemed to be a surprising fate for someone who had served the President with such fierce loyalty. Still, to the very end, Gonzalez has only kind words for his boss. “My loyalty still rests on her, even if I feel I could serve better as DOJ secretary," he said. - GMANews.TV