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Her name was Aisa. When I was still in the Senate, she sent me a letter explaining her horrific ordeal in Jordan as a migrant worker. Her first employer did not feed her for two days and when she got sick she was returned to her agency. The agency then “detained” her inside the toilet for five days until they found a second employer. Her ordeal was about to worsen as her second employer attempted to molest her. She screamed and cried and ran to seek help only to fall down the stairs injuring her leg. “Sana po tulungan niyo akong makauwi,” she pleaded in her letter.

The campaign jingles have stopped blaring from loudspeakers. The posters have been removed. Winning candidates have been proclaimed. Pundits have given their postmortem of the midterm elections. The elections are over. Now, back to work.

In a recent media interview, I was asked a very common question: What makes you so successful as a businessman? It is one of the questions I am often asked about: you have achieved so much as an entrepreneur, which of your accomplishments are you most proud of. This recurrent question is understandable, after all, I have always seen myself as an entrepreneur despite my 21 years of experience in government. But if someone would ask me what I am most proud of among my accomplishments, not just as a businessman but as a person, I have a ready answer: my children. Cynthia and I have been blessed with a wonderful life and the biggest reason is our children. The title I am most proud of is not Senate President or Speaker of the House but the proud papa of Paolo, Mark and Camille.