Rafael Alunan had only been six months in government when the coup d'etat of December 1989 took place. He was an undersecretary of Tourism.  

Not long after, Corazon Aquino appointed him as government spokesperson for the US Bases talks. It was a brief stint as he had to leave the government service because he needed medical attention for his Achilles tendon.

"I told the president it would not look good if the government spokesman hobbled around in crutches. She understood me. I reminded her of Ninoy, she said, whose Achilles tendon got cut and needed to be repaired. Her late husband underwent therapy for three months."

When he returned to public service, he continued to work in Tourism until the department's Secretary Peter Garrucho "was moved to the Department of Trade and Industry as its secretary."

Alunan stayed as DoT secretary until the national campaigns started. "I chose to support Fidel V. Ramos. President Cory expressed her desire for me to become FVR's spokesman."

Non-traditional politician

Of the days leading to the start of the campaign, he recalled, "A lot of people within Cory's group wanted (Ramon) Mitra. Because Mitra was very nice. He was a politician. He was a very good man. But then the mood of the people then was they wanted a non-traditional politician. And they saw Ramos as that person.

"And considering that he was known as the hero of the Cory administration from 1986 to 1992," having helped restore freedom and then, continuing to defend freedom and democracy during the series of coups that tried to overthrow the Cory government, "many believed that he was the rightful heir to the presidency. Many people knew that it was FVR who always laid his life on the line many, many times for the country. So, he deserved to be the next president. And Cory knew about his commitment to freedom and the completion of her term. Notwithstanding the fact that even Cardinal Sin was pro-Mitra."

But other than FVR's consistent record in keeping the gains of EDSA, he had also seen him at work since they were together in the cabinet. "I was already the cabinet secretary for Tourism. He was my counterpart at the National Defense. And then, the killer earthquake happened. And then, Mt. Pinatubo erupted.  We collaborated in taking care of our people who had been affected by both calamities.