NEWSFLASH

KOKOY PLANS SETTLEMENT, POLITICAL CAREER

Tacloban City, April 29, 2000 - Former Leyte Governor and Ambassador to Washington Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez plans to go back to politics after a settlement with the government, says his younger brother, Tacloban City Mayor Alfredo "Bejo" Romualdez.

According to Bejo, his brother is considered the "financial wizard" and the "real politician" of the Romualdez family.

While in exile after the EDSA uprising, Kokoy put up his own businesses in Massachusetts, New York and Hawaii, Bejo said.

He also said that Kokoy used to handle the family's enterprises, which include shipping, transportation, communication and publishing.

Kokoy was also the first among the Romualdezes to be elected to a government post as governor in the 1960s. Bejo's son Alfred is a congressman, while his nephew Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is governor of Ilocos Norte and his niece Imee Marcos is a congresswoman of that same province.

The former ambassador is second to the eldest of the six Romualdez brood. The eldest is former First Lady Imelda Marcos, Alita Martel (third), Bejo (fourth), Armando (fifth) and Conchita (sixth).

Bejo expressed belief that his brother will be able to hurdle the cases, saying these charges were "politically motivated."