"I'm still weighing my options, but definitely I don't want to leave Tacloban," he says. "I also don't like legislative work so congress is out. It'll definitely depend on my calling. Honestly, I want to rest muna. I'm telling my wife (Cristina "Kring Kring" Gonzales) to run for mayor so she can continue with all my programs for Tacloban. She's very much qualified after her three terms as the top councilor. She has gained so much experience especially with her livelihood programs that have helped so many people and her fight with child trafficking. I can still help her through my private foundations. I told my wife that we should pray to help us discern what's our purpose in life. I will always be here to support her."
How would he describe Tacloban now after the Yolanda tragedy? "I was here before, during and after it happened so we now know what to do to have a tailor fit program for our city. Yolanda has really changed the mindset of our people about climate change and disaster preparedness dramatically. They now avoid living in areas that are of great risks. The time to mourn has lessened and it's now time to rebuild and be thankful to the Lord that we're still alive and are now more resilient. I really want to thank everyone, including other countries, who helped in rebuilding Tacloban. Also all the investors who stayed on to give jobs to our people. So many countries donated to Tacloban but up to now, hinahanap pa namin kung saan napunta ang donations. Hindi raw makita. Lagi tayong tinatamaan ng disasters, so it's important to create just one agency that will handle all disasters, like what they did in Thailand."
Has he given his son Raymond, who has been linked to two actresses, Gwen Zamora and Ellen Adarna, any advice about his love affairs? "I've met both girls and I like them both as they're good kids. My son is also a good boy. He was here during Yolanda and he helped a lot of people. I don't impose any strict rules on him since he's already an adult. Ayokong pasukin ang love life niya dahil mas mahirap pa yan kaysa sa politika. I'm more concerned with our two daughters, Sofia and Diana, who are 15 and 12. Kids today face so many distractions lik the internet, social media. My wife and I help guide them to have good values and not to neglect their spirituality."
