Nakausap namin si Mikee Cojuangco sa barangay Talisayan sa Zamboanga City last Monday night, April 5, sa kampanya ni re-electionist Congresswoman Beng Climaco, na tumatakbo sa first district ng naturang siyudad under Noynoy Aquino's Liberal Party.
Naroroon si Mikee bilang representative ng kanyang pinsang tumatakbong kandidato sa pagkapangulo ng Pilipinas.
"Exciting," ang natatawa nitong bungad sa amin. Ang kanyang tinutukoy ay ang papalapit na May 2010 elections.
Bagamat kaliwa't kanan ang mga political rallies na kanyang dinadaluhan, hindi na raw iniinda ng dating aktres ang pagod.
Aniya, "Nandun na yun...But I've been to many elections before and I think you get to the point na alam mo na kung ano ang gagawin mo para maisantabi muna yung pagod mo.
"Alam mo naman na it's only up to a certain day, and you know what you're trying to achieve. So I think talagang...yung pag malakas talaga yung will and spirit mo, kahit anong physical exhaustion or even mental exhaustion or pressure, you will get through it."
Ang mister ni Mikee na si Robert "Dodot" Jaworski Jr. ay piniling mamahinga muna sa pulitika sa halalang ito. Dating Representative ng lone District ng Pasig City si Jaworski at tumakbo rin ito sa pagka-alkalde ng naturang lugar noong 2007. Ang focus niya sa ngayon ay ang pangangampanya para kay Noynoy Aquino.
"Oo, pareho kami. We want to concentrate on Kuya Noy's candidacy. We know na mahirap yung dalawa ang talagang pinagtatrabahuhan mong candidates and the focus is split. So we've decided that definitely this is a more important fight," pahayag ng pinsan ni Kris Aquino.
Samantala, ipinagtanggol naman ni Mikee ang famous Kapamilya host tungkol sa mga batikos na ipunupukol sa kanya.
Aniya, "I know what Kris has done and continues to do for this campaign. Kapag may nagsasalita ng hindi maganda tungkol sa kanya related to the campaign, nasasaktan ako dahil alam ko naman kung gaano rin kahalaga sa kanya ito at alam ko na in a lot of instances, it is...what her actions or what she says are exaggerated and pinipilit ilagay sa context ng campaign na kahit hindi naman dapat."
Aminado naman siya na masalimuot talaga ang buhay-pulitika. "But you know, I think ganun talaga pag election season. I think it happens to everybody. But, of course, because it happens to Kris and she's my cousin, I have seen that it really does hurt her, at nasasaktan din ako," dugtong pa ni Mikee.
Anong payo ang maibibigay niya kay Kris?
"Wala! Hindi naman ako nagbibigay ng advice sa kanya," natatawang saad niya. "Kasi mas matanda sa akin si Kris so it's more of the other way around. But it's...you know, Kris has a lot of friends who also love her and I know that they all show her support. So ako, in order to show her support, I send her text messages na one-liners, mga ganun."
Lastly, diretsahan siyang tinanong: Bakit dapat iboto si Noynoy?
"Considering na ang pinakamalaking problema ng ating bansa ngayon ay ang corruption, I believe that he is the only one that has really a grasp of how serious the situation is.
"And I believe that he is the only one who really means what he says when he says that he's really gonna fight it," ang sagot ni Mikee.
For more updates regarding the May 2010 elections, click ELECTION WATCH.