WHEN was the last time a Philippine President recommended a book?" Dabawenya Athens Garrote tweeted with a photo of Ioan Grillo's "El Narco: Inside Mexico's criminal insurgency" on August 3, 2016. That was what started the events that saw Grillo meeting President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañan Palace on December 6, four months later.
Garrote is the person referred to by Grillo in an article online when he said, "First time I found out through Twitter was through a somebody from the Philippines, from Davao who was living in New York who was saying the President mentioned your book."
Garrote is an alumna of Stella Maris Academy and took up BS Nursing in Davao Doctors College. As a child with parents working in the US, she would go to school here but would go to the US during summer vacations.
After completing her nursing degree in 2008, she went to New York to join her parents and also work there. She has not returned, hence, but has maintained her Filipino citizenship "for personal reasons". Even her parents had just become American citizens this year, after decades of working in the US.
"Sa Davao Doc ako nag nursing pero dito sa NY ako licensed. Never took the boards there," she said in an interview through personal message in Facebook.
Garrote said that she was intrigued by Grillo's book when Duterte mentioned it in his speech during the Testimonial Dinner tendered to him as the First Bedan President of the Philippines last July 14, 2016.
In that speech, Duterte said, "Kakabigay ko lang ng libro, kay Ioan Grillo. It's there on the table. It's sold online, bilihin ninyo. Pagkatapos ninyong mabili, basahin ninyo at humarap kayo sa akin, mali ako o tama? Four or seven years, if nobody interdicts the drug business in the Philippines, we will be a narco-politic."
"After some research because sometimes he mumbles when he says Grillo's name, I bought the book and read it. Then I posted that and I found out Grillo was on Twitter so I tagged him, or whatever they call it when you tag someone on Twitter," she said.
When she saw Grillo retweeted her first tweet, she followed this up with another tweet where she wrote: "@ioangrillo #PresidentDuterte recommends to read your book every time he talks about his war against drugs. Do a book tour in the Philippines."
Through private conversation, Grillo thanked her for letting him know about Duterte's recommendation and asked which speech Duterte mentioned his book.
"I sent him a link of a YouTube video and did some translation," Garrote said. Garrote said that she messaged Grillo upon learning that he was in the Philippines, but was surprised that the book author actually remembered about her being from Davao and living in New York.
The meeting between Grillo and President Duterte in Malacañan was initiated by New York Philippine Consul General Ma. Theresa Dizon-de Vega. Last Thursday, Garrote was invited to the Philippine consulate for Simbang Gabi where she met Consul de Vega and Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza.
