Escudero just being ‘gentlemanly’ when Liza Marcos took his wine

WHEN MADAM GOT THIRSTY A video screengrab shows First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos taking a sip from the glass of wine she has just taken from Senate President Chiz Escudero (left) during
the Independence Day reception in Malacañang. Looking on (right) are President Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Thursday made light of the now-viral video from the Independence Day reception at Malacañang showing First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos suddenly grabbing his glass of wine, casually taking a sip, handing him back the glass, then turning away to take another, this time from a waiter.

The first lady slaked her thirst as she and President Marcos went around to acknowledge and shake hands with the VIP guests, mostly foreign diplomats, at the June 12 vin d’honneur.

“I consider waiting on a lady (first or otherwise) to be gentlemanly,” Escudero said in a statement as the video spread on social media. “Others may consider it traditional or being henpecked, but for me, being gentlemanly or mannerly is never about being traditional or out of trend, whatever others may call it.”

The clip first showed Escudero smiling and bowing to the first lady as the first couple arrived for the traditional toast. President Marcos had just been greeted by Speaker Martin Romualdez when the first lady—without looking at the Senate leader—took the drink meant for the third highest official of the land.

Escudero let go, the smile on his face getting broader as the first lady took a sip.

Netizens had a field day reading into the Escudero-Marcos dynamic as captured in the scene.

On X (formerly Twitter), the user @Esoy said it only showed how close the first lady was to Escudero, who rose to the Senate presidency on May 20 in a coup that ousted Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri from the post.

“She trusts Chiz. [Her way of saying] ‘Your cup is my cup. My bread is your bread. A close(ly) knit family,” the user said.

Another user, @R2R_18acm, alluded to the recent power shift in the Senate and said: “Didn’t you know that the (first lady had) the last say in installing Chiz as Senate president?”