RUMOR: Chiz Escudero, would-have-been presidential candidate of the NPC, left the party because he got only P200 million from Danding Cojuangco. Rumor: Loren Legarda is the reason.

Rumor: He believed his own press releases, that he is idealistic, stands for reform, and the typhoons plus his 40th birthday provided the stage to display a maverick streak.

So when we sat down to hear him out, the questions came in rapid-fire fashion. Not that the answers were unequivocal, short, simple and straight to the point. In fact, they provoked more questions.

My impression was that he is not only disenchanted with his party but, hard as it is to believe, with the party system in general. “A party is exclusive, it excludes, whereas I want it to be inclusive.” On the other hand, “How can I tell my party’s congressmen that as president I will abolish their pork barrel?”

Was he afraid that Mr. Cojuangco, with two nephews in the same race, would not give him his full attention? “I never for a moment doubted his support for me.”

Still, it was not to Mr. Cojuangco, chairman emeritus, but to Jun Dy, chairman, and Mark Cojuangco that he explained his decision AFTER he had announced it.

On Senator Legarda: “We’ve talked. But you must remember, the party has not fielded a presidential candidate since 1992.”

He didn’t sound worried about the P200 million rumor. Campaign donations, “mostly from my brods,” have not stopped. “But P3 billion is too high a price to pay. And I’m not willing to pay any price just to get there.”

As a maverick, is he thinking of quitting? “I’m not pulling out, I haven’t declared I’m in.”