Party of century
How do you celebrate a 100th birthday? If you have a daughter like Katrina Ponce Enrile, you let her pull out all the stops, and then some.
You let her invite 500 of your oldest and newest friends. You leave her to prepare your private chapel for a birthday mass. You give her free rein to design the menu: five apperitifs on a plate, an all-filipino dinner with sinigang, lechon and chicken inasal, and five kinds of native sweets on one plate. You let her put up a video wall showing you in various moments of relaxation, contemplation, at play and having fun. On top of everything, she has turned your house into a ballroom with a garden and terrace, every nook and cranny festively lighted.
The one and only JPE – Juan Ponce Enrile to you, a love child who was born on the day of lovers in 1924 – turned 100 years and three days old last Saturday. An achievement, for which he was honored in Malacañang by PBBM, for someone who has spent decades fighting for and serving his country. From 1970-86 he was Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s secretary of defense – the hottest, coolest, to hold that position for 16 years – and with the election of
FM’S junior, Bongbong, in 2022, he became chief presidential legal counsel. At age 100, he reports for work daily in Malacañang. At every cabinet meeting, he occupies pride of place to the President’s left.
Last Saturday, JPE told his guests, “Thank you for being here.” The only one among his contemporaries in the old FM cabinet whom I spotted was Cesar Virata, FM’S finance man, who was accompanied by his Joy, one of the pillars of Repertory Philippines, which staged plays and musicals in its heyday. JPE and Secretary Virata were among the most stellar of FM’S secretaries. What a sight to see the two together in one night!
But the sweetest sight of all was JPE crossing from the front pew on the right side of the chapel to the left side to plant a kiss on the lips of Mrs. Enrile. Those of us present could not help shattering the silence by loudly applauding such a blessedly romantic gesture at the end of the mass.