Heart Evangelista accompanies her husband, Chiz Escudero, upon taking his oath as the new Senate president on Monday, May 20. | Image: Instagram/@iamhearte
Behind Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero‘s successful installment as the new Senate President is his actress-socialite wife, Heart Evangelista, who is having qualms and even panicking at the new tasks ahead of her.
As the wife of the leader of the upper chamber, Evangelista will now head the Senate Spouses Foundation, Inc. (SSFI), a nonprofit organization composed of the wives of incumbent and former senators that conducts charitable missions and humanitarian projects.
But while Evangelista is willing to take on the job, Escudero said she was understandably nervous about what her new position entails.
“Parang naiyak sya ng konti, nag-panic kasi parang hindi daw nya kaya,” Escudero said of his wife at the Kapihan sa Senate on Thursday, recalling their conversation on Wednesday night.
(She seemed to have teared up a bit and panicked because she felt she couldn’t handle it.)
Escudero said he advised Evangelista to not get too sucked into the pressures of the job and to just do what she could. “Kung ano lang ang kaya. Tapos nagtatanong sya, hindi daw nya alam, hindi daw nya kabisado.”
(Just whatever she can. She’s saying that she doesn’t know if she could do it, as she’s not familiar with the task.)
“Sabi ko ako rin naman, hindi ko alam, hindi ko kabisado. Sabi nya, ‘E ikaw ang tagal-tagal mo na dyan, mundo mo yan.’ Sabi ko, ‘Senador, oo, pero Senate President hindi, kaya panay ang pa-briefing ko,’” he said.
(I told her that I also don’t know, I’m not familiar with it. Then she said, “But you’ve been there for so long, that’s your world.” I said, “Yes, I’m a senator, but as Senate President, I still asked to be briefed on everything.”)
Escudero ascended to the highest post in the Senate on Monday after successfully getting the support of 15 of 24 senators to eject Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri.
Asked if Evangelista is willing to sacrifice her modeling career to focus on her new role in the Senate, the Senate leader explained that SSFI’s activities are usually once every quarter only.
“Usually Christmas season ang functions nila,” Escudero said. As the head of SSFI, Evangelista has yet to consult its members and discuss their next moves or projects, added the senator.
But is Evangelista ready to take on her new duty? The Senate leader said, “Sa ngayon, willing pa lang. Magiging ready pa lang. Willing pa lang.” (At the moment, just ‘willing.’ She would be ready, but for now, she’s willing.)
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