Song of Kuya Sonny

The Philippine Star > Business Features > Business As Usual

Song of Kuya Sonny

By Donna B. Velasco (The Philippine Star) Updated March 08, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The “Sonny” side of his life is recalling every now and then how timid he was as a bachelor attempting to court the girl of his dreams.

“The first time I met Cecille (his wife with four kids), I was devoid of words,” Avelino “Sonny” Razon Jr. recalled. “My inability to express how much I adored and loved her was sort of a disadvantage for me, because Cecille had suitors who were glib-tongued and vocal in expressing their true feelings for her. But I started writing love letters to her, praying I would soon receive a “yes” answer. He describes his wife as sweet and considerate, that through the years she continues to be a loving, understanding and broad-minded wife and mother. He said she has always shown genuine care and concern for those who were with him as well as other people, even strangers who were in need of help.

But Kuya Sonny said like married couples, life has not always been heaven, so that when the kids started growing up, he asked her to quit her nursing job and would rather attend to his needs and the children’s. After retiring from the service as chief, PNP, Kuya Sonny seemed not to have retired at all. People in need sought for assistance. Because of these, one more kind of service beckons as Kuya Sonny sees it.

Kuya Sonny quoted parts of a Greek philosopher’s maxim, saying education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. Unfortunately, unschooled children reveal how much a vessel has been filled, rather than the extent to which a flame is kindled. For him, education is for all.

Whoever leads the city of Manila soon, if he truly has the passion to serve well will face an entirely new challenges.

Ready to serve, the retired chief PNP said he is the Mamang Pulis who institutionalized the incentive system among his peers and subordinates, pushed health care, scholarship grants, legal assistance, government housing (cash and non-cash) for police personnel.

He strengthened the peacekeeping and the crime-busting capability of the police force and re-integrated the foot and mobile patrol for higher police visibility and faster response time, plus other non-related activities to his duties then as top cop. He is aware of what Manila wants and needs.

“May Razon ang pagbabago. (There are reasons for change). May alternatibong pagbabago para sa Manileño. (There are alternative changes for Manileños). These reasons for change, he said have bearings on sustainable development, opportunities for all sectors’ empowerment, arts, culture and sustainable development. All that had been covered by leaders before Kuya Sonny wishes he would enhance developments if he so makes it in his Manila mayoral plans.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=555884&publicationSubCategoryId=78

Kuya Sonny Razon's motorcade in Sampaloc, Manila

Abante Tonite February 28 2010 Page 8

Kuya Sonny Razon in Santa Mesa Market

Abante Tonite
February 24, 2010
Page 8

City Hall: Century Park auction valid

Manila Standard Today
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Metro

City Hall: Century Park auction valid

Secretary to the mayor Rafaelito Garayblas said the sale of Century Park Hotel under Mayor Alfredo Lim as authorized by the city council led by Vice Mayor Isko Moreno is aboveboard.

He downplayed the complaint by lawyer Reynaldo Bagatsing before the Office of the Ombudsman as unfounded, noting that the sale along with a prime lot was legitimate.

“The deal is aboveboard and there is nothing to be afraid of,” he said, awaiting a copy of the graft complaint against him and other city executives.

“There is nothing irregular with everything that attended the sale of the Century Park Hotel.”

The property was auctioned off on Dec. 23, 2008 to Maranaw Hotels and Resorts Corp. which is reportedly owned by taipan Lucio Tan.

Comebacking mayoral bet Joselito Atienza and National Police Chief Avelino Razon Jr., who are pitted against re-electionist Lim, have taken opposing views on the transaction.

“I vow to recover the said prime city property presently occupied by the Century Park Hotel that was sold at a give-away price by incumbent city officials, led by Lim and Moreno, in a rushed sale that was grossly disadvantageous to the city government. We will make sure those found guilty will go to jail,” Atienza said.

Razon has said deals of his rivals will merit priority once he gets to city hall.

“I will immediately order a thorough review of all patromonial properties auctioned off by the two past administration from 1992 up to the present, and initiate proper legal and judicial actions,” he said.

Tony Macapagal

Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideMetro.htm?f=2010/march/3/metro1.isx&d=2010/march/3

SONNY RAZON: The Romantic “Mamang Pulis”

SONNY RAZON: The Romantic “Mamang Pulis”

by ARMAND SEBASTIAN
Wednesday, 03 March 2010 14:36

The professional soldier. The dedicated police officer. The confident, disciplined, and stickler for details public servant. That’s former PNP Chief Avelino “Sonny” Razon, Jr.

Sonny’s career as a soldier and policeman has been quite colorful. His PMA Class ‘74 graduated in January of that year, ahead of their March schedule, because there was already a military offensive in Mindanao. 2nd Lt. Razon was commissioned in the Philippine Constabulary and deployed to fight in the jungles of Jolo, Sulu. Over his 34-year career in public service, he has notched a sterling track record, serving with honor and distinction.

Although retired from the service and even in his trademark denim jeans and sky blue shirts, he still possesses the bearing of one who has spent most of his life in uniform. He walks and moves in a precise and measured manner with a neutral expression on his face, his actions giving one an impression that he is not a man to be trifled with.

Yet, Sonny is naturally romantic. And only Cecille Cleofe Razon, his wife of 34 years, could attest to that.

“I met Sonny in 1972, who was then on his second year in the academy, through a first cousin of mine, Colonel Dominador Flores, a member of PMA Class ’75. The cadets had a party hop in Manila and my cousin thought of introducing me to Sonny. Nakita daw niya na malungkot si Sonny, so he set up a blind date,” Cecille recalls. It seems that cadet Razon was instantly smitten.

“From the time we met, hindi na niya ako tinigilan. But Sonny was the type who did not talk much, he would rather write, and he did almost everyday,” says Cecille. Some of his letters were filled with sketches, a peculiar hobby of his. (He was so good at sketching that he was asked to design the crest of his PMA Marangal Class of ’74.) Cecille recalls that there was one letter that included a sketch of a sick man in bed with a nurse beside him. “He said he was the sick guy and I was the nurse.” Cecille was a registered nurse and working at Medical City when the two met. The persistence of the shy and soft-spoken cadet who grew up in Oroquieta St. in Sta. Cruz, Manila, finally paid off.

“Sinagot ko siya a year later, in December 1973. What attracted me to him was his kindness. Mabait siya, hindi mareklamo. And siyempre gwapo rin at nasa PMA pa,” she fondly narrates. It was perhaps the best Christmas gift that a young man in love could ever ask for.

A bemused Cecille noted that Sonny’s penchant for writing really served him in good stead in so far as wooing her was concerned. “He wrote a letter asking me to marry him. The next time he came to visit, he asked if I read his letter and I said I did. ‘Ano sagot mo?’ tanong niya. So, sabi ko naman, “oo.”

The cadet who was a Cal. 30 M1 marksman had hit the bull’s-eye, not with a rifle but with a pen. The couple finally got married in January 22, 1976. Relying then on the meager pay of a 2nd Lieutenant, Sonny couldn’t afford a lavish wedding. He even just walked to the church with his brother Chito. The soldier was not marching off to war, but rather to the beginning of a lifelong romance.

Sonny was so in love with his bride and wanted so much to please her that on their wedding day, he made her a promise – someday, he would give her a dream wedding, one fit for a princess. True to his word, he delivered on his promise 25 years later, when the couple renewed their conjugal vows on their Silver Anniversary.

Love at first sight

What was it about her that captured the heart of the shy, young man who would soon rise to the pinnacle of his career and command a force of 120,000 uniformed personnel?

Sonny, the habitual letter writer recalls that Cecille looked so lovely the first time they met that he was actually at a loss for words. This would have been a disadvantage for someone who would rather write than speak to express himself, but we now know, he used his penchant for writing to his full advantage.

Aside from Cecille’s good looks, Sonny points out that it was also her gentle and caring personality that swept him off his feet. “She is sweet and very considerate. And through the years she has been and continues to be a nurturing and loving wife and mother. Outside our home, she has also shown genuine care and concern for those who served with me as well as other people, even total strangers, who are in need of help,” Sonny elaborates.

Of course, as in the case of married couples, life was not always a bed of roses, especially for the wife of a man in uniform. Eventually, Sonny asked Cecille to quit her nursing job when they started having kids, adding up to a total of four – Kristine Carol, Reginald David, Jerick Jan, and Evan Gabriel.

Although imbued with utmost dedication to his duty, Sonny made it a point to spend as much time as he could with his family, making sure to be home for the holidays when assigned outside Metro Manila. It’s obvious that this couple is very well adjusted to each other, a perfect fit, as it were. A long-time friend describes the relationship as “a picture of bliss and gentleness.” Achieving such a grounded and mutually nurturing relationship is no simple feat for a couple under their circumstances; he was a soldier and a cop who has to go when and where he is told to go, and she a mother who has to make sure that the children are cared for.

After 34 years of marriage (they recently celebrated their wedding anniversary last January 22 with a special weekend together aside from hosting dinner for family and friends), it is quite apparent that the romance is still very much alive.

“He’s still the sweet, kind man that I fell in love with. At hanggang ngayon, gwapo pa rin,” Cecille quips as he lovingly gazes at her husband’s face, to which Sonny, with a wide grin, jokingly replied: “Eh kung ganito kaganda at kalambing ang misis mo talagang hindi ka tatanda at mananatili kang gwapo.” Despite his busy schedule, especially when he was PNP chief, the “Mamang Pulis” made sure that the couple would spend a romantic evening at least once a week.

Sonny loves to play golf, but could not play much because of his official duties when he was still in the active service, and especially now that he is running for Mayor of Manila on his “Alternatibong Pagbabago” platform. Whatever spare time he has nowadays he prefers to spend with his family.

The loving man of the family

How was Cecille as a wife to Sonny the top cop and cabinet member? “I go with him to official functions, and I make sure he is comfortable and taken care of when he gets home, especially during a stressful day, but that’s about it. I don’t meddle with his work and I refrain from even going to his office.”

For the Razon family, Sunday is family day, spending leisurely time, eating out or going on trips. Cecille shares that Sonny also likes watching movies on DVD. “He buys lots of those (DVDs), especially action movies.” But always a stickler for rules, “Ayaw niyang bumili ng pirated DVD.”

She also describes Sonny as a gentle and loving father, an image that is probably hard to reconcile to that of his being the country’s top cop and keeping in line the men and women serving under his command. “Magaling siya mag-spoil ng anak,” Cecille says in jest, but adds “our children have never been the type who asks for all sorts of things. If they need something, they come to me first before telling their father.”

What makes him angry? Cecille says that Sonny has always been a calm and patient person, but what rankles him is not actually the “big stuff.” A former subordinate shares: “Perhaps it’s his training and discipline. He doesn’t like any deviation from routines or established procedures when it comes to work. He wants everything to be orderly and systematic, but he adds that Sonny is not one to raise hell when things go awry. “He would call your attention and give you guidance. He is more interested in putting things back in order rather than putting people on the carpet.”

In September 27, 2008, his 56th birthday, Sonny ended a 34-year career in the uniformed service, retiring as PNP chief, the apex of the organization he has served faithfully and well. That was the day Cecille and children were looking forward to a leisurely life. Alas, it was not meant to be. Just a few months after retiring as PNP chief, Sonny was asked to head the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

It was tough on the family, but wife and children also knew that Sonny, with his strong sense of service, could not turn his back on this new challenge to serve. And so the prospects for a leisurely life had to be put on hold. There were no recriminations or complaints, Cecille says, just a loving and open acceptance that the country still needs his services.

In October of last year, Sonny stepped down as presidential peace adviser, but not to go into blissful retirement, but to heed another call for him to serve. This time to lead Manileños in effecting meaningful and genuine change in the city of his boyhood —the city where he spent and continues to spend precious moments with his family.

For Sonny’s latest journey, his loving wife says: “Sonny came from humble beginnings but he and our family has been blessed with a good life. It’s not enough for him to share what he has for the less fortunate. The desire to serve is already ingrained in him, and I love him all the more for that.”

Source: http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/features/4313-sonny-razon-the-romantic-mamang-pulis.html

Kuya Sonny Razon in Baseco Compound, Port Area, Manila

Abante Tonight March 03, 2010 Page 08

Kuya Sonny Razon - Fire Prevention Month Kick-Off Parade

Kuya Sonny Razon - Fire Prevention Month Kick-Off Parade Abante Tonite March 02, 2010 Page 8