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| Sen. Nancy Binay and her book, MAKE LOVE NOT WAR |
Has she finally met Senyora? “No. We wrote our respective parts of the book separately, then ABS-CBN combined them at pinagsama sa isang libro. It was designed in a way na hindi kami kailangang magkita at all. I still have no idea at all kung sino siya.”
So, after this book, has Senyora stopped bashing her? “Hindi. Inookray pa rin niya ako. Pero okay lang.”
Doesn’t she feel hurt when she gets bashed? “No, kasi I know myself naman, so why should I be bothered at all? Ang laging pintas sa akin is my skin color. Maitim daw ako. May nago-offer, papuputiin ako. Ayoko nga, this is me. At kahit paputiin nila ako, iitim din uli ako agad kasi mahilig akong magpaaraw sa beach.”
Even on social media, they keep posting photos of her in unflattering shots while in the Senate. “Wala akong magagawa, prerogative nila yun. I am not conscious kasi na there are many cameras around me who might take candid shots of me in ugly poses. But okay lang, I’m just being myself.”That shows she’s a good sport and is quite good natured. “Well, I’ve always believed na we cannot control what they say or write about me, but I can control how I will react to them. Yung iba, nade-depress agad kapag na-bash sa social media. Ako, I don’t let them affect me at all. I-stress ko lang ang sarili ko. It’s really how much you love yourself and I love myself enough para hindi ma-stress ang buhay ko.”
She’s writing a new book in time for her 46th birthday on May 12. “Dahil 46 na nga ako, it will have 46 tips on how to deal with bashers. My first rule is: ignore trolls and bots. Don’t even answer them back. Ni hindi mo nga kilala or alam kung sino yung sinasagot mo, e. So why bother at all? The title of my new book will be ‘Charcoal Confessions’ kasi tinatawag nila akong uling or charcoal.”
Will she give a copy of “Make Love Not War” to her warring siblings Jun and Abby who are up against each other as Makati Mayor? “Gusto ko talaga silang bigyan.” So who’ll she be supporting between the two? “Abangan nyo na lang kapag nag-start na ang campaign for local elections. Abangan nyo kung kanino ako sasama.”
Some memes attached a photo of her face to the body of Catriona Gray. How does she feel about it? “Entertaining. Tuwang-tuwa nga ako, e. Pinagkaabalahan pa nila.”She’s running for re-election in May. In her six-year stay in the Senate, what’s her most memorable experiences so far? “Unang-una, there’s really truth to the saying that there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests. The senate is a collegial body, so kahit anong differences nyo, you still all have to work together. Tapos, for the general populace, I realized ang main concern pa rin nila is about health issues. Araw-araw, ang dami-daming lumalapit asking for help for their various ailments. Dapat kasi, more than medicines, what we need is preventive changes for a healthier lifestyle.”
Her book is written with humor and is very amusing. Do you know she’s the mom of identical twins and she likes doing the laundry simply because “nakaka-relax maghiwalay ng ma de-color sa puti”? She feels sad that there’s so much negativity online when “social media was created to connect us with one another, pero ngayon, paggising mo pa lang sa umaga, ang ibubungad agad sa iyo ay kanegahan na agad.”
And that, folks, is really a very valid and relevant observation. Let’s now be nicer to one another, okay?