Former President Noynoy Aquino was not palautos or fond of ordering his staff around so much so that he would plan his meals the night before to avoid bothering them the next day. It was the same routine the night before he died, said the head of his household, Yolly Yebes.
Yebes had no idea that the crispy pata, sisig and burger that Aquino requested would be the last meal she would prepare for him, after 30 years of serving the family.
Aquino valued Yebes so much that he thanked her in his last State of the Nation Address in 2015 amd he made sure that she had a seat beside his family. Yaya Yolly prepared his clothes and even held important government documents. She repayed that trust with loyalty, refusing to leave Aquino in the family's Times St. home to make sure that he doesn't catch COVID.
"Si sir sa bahay, 'yung talagang nag-uusap kami kung ano yung gusto n'ya. Napakabait, 'yung hindi siya palautos talaga... Napakabait na tao."
The former president's last night
"Nung gabi, nagbilin na siya kung ano kakainin n'ya. Crispy pata, sisig, burger. 'Yun po kasi sabi n'ya, tatawag na lang daw siya kung kakain siya, 'yun po 'yung pinahanda n'ya," Yebes told Vice President Leni Robredo during her weekly radio show at RMN Manila on Sunday.
He was still sleeping soundly when she entered his room at 12:30 a.m.
"Hindi siya tumatawag mga 12 a.m., pinasok ko siya, tulog. Sarap po ng tulog n'ya. Umalis na ako sa kuwarto n'ya. Pagbalik ko hindi ako mapakali, mga 12:30 a.m. bumalik ulit ako kasi... pinapasok ko siya kapag hindi kumakain. Sabi po n'ya pag tulog siya, huwag siya aabalahin kasi 'yun lang 'yung time na nakakatulog siya."
She told his security detail to wake her up when he calls for her. When she woke up at 5:45 a.m., she went back to his security. He did not ring the buzzer.
"Kinabahan na ako. Hindi naman n'ya dati ginagawa 'yun na hindi siya tumatawag. Pagsabi po na hindi, pumasok po ako sa kuwarto n'ya. Tinawag ko siya. Sabi ko, 'Sir, sir.' E hindi na po siya kumikibo," she said as she fights back tears.
Aquino was brought to Capitol Medical Center, where he was declared dead at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, his sisters said. He died due to renal disease secondary to diabetes.
Taking care of Citizen Noynoy
Yebes, who never left Aquino through his stint as a lawmaker and president and even during the pandemic, shared how good a boss the former commander-in-chief was at home.
Working with Aquino for most of her life since she was 27 years old, Yebes already knows his staple breakfast food: crispy corned beef and bacon. "Malutong, crispy talaga."
For lunch, he liked adobo.
"Ang sakit po, ang sakit talaga kasi parang siya po ang pamilya ko. Magmula noong pandemic, hindi po ako umuwi sa amin, talagang 'yung inaalala ko po siya baka mahawahan po siya, maanuhan ng sakit, talagang hindi po ako umuwi," Yebes tearfully said.
The Aquino sisters thanked Yebes and the rest of Noynoy's staff at his Times Street home for their service after announcing his death.
"Sa tropa n'ya kay Ivy at siguro ang numero uno sa listahan, si Yolly na 30 years siyang inalagaan. Lahat ng kasama n'ya sa Times Street, na bihirang mag-off nung pandemic dahil alam nila delikado para sa kanya. Salamat," Pinky Aquino-Abellada said.
In his valedictory SONA, Aquino thanked Yebes, bringing his long-time yaya to tears.
"And I would like to introduce to you Yolly Yebes, who has been with me for the past 20 years: You never fail to make sure I am able to eat my meals at the proper time; you prepare my things for all my trips, whether domestic or foreign; and you have cared not just for me, but also for those I work with in government.
"Whenever I tell you we have a meeting and ask if you could prepare us something to eat, you don’t have to ask 'when' or 'how many people.' I never have to worry about those preparations, because you think of everything. Yolly, I wanted you to watch this SONA, so I could tell you: Thank you for all your help."
