Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, one of the most influential and enduring political leaders in the Philippine government for the past four decades, officially launched today at the Peninsula Manila “Juan Ponce Enrile - A Memoir,” a 772-page autobiography that details his personal and political life.

The momentous event was attended by President Benigno Aquino III, other top government officials, big business leaders, media executives, family members and personal friends.

Published by ABS-CBN Publishing, the autobiography was written in a period of four years, and from about 2,000 pages was edited to its final form by journalist Nelson Navarro.

“Culled mostly from my memory, the events narrated here portray my struggles with fate and adversity, my encounters with triumph and defeat. They describe the wisdom and folly of my acts, and the boldness and perils of my decisions and actions as I waded my way through all of eighty-eight years to where I find myself today,” JPE wrote in the memoir’s prologue.

The book reveals little known details of Enrile’s youth as well as stories from his perspective behind the scenes during key moments in Philippine history.

Through his own words he wrote about his humble beginnings in Cagayan as an illegitimate child, his experiences as a guerilla, his family life, and his rise to being one of the country’s most powerful government officials. It also narrates his relationship with Ferdinand Marcos, Cory Aquino, four succeeding Philippine presidents and other formidable personalities from business and politics.

Some highlights include the origins of United Coconut Planters Bank, the people behind the sale of San Miguel to Danding Cojuangco, how Enrile called the Imelda-Qaddafi agreement on Mindanao a betrayal of the nation, the last-minute secret deal Marcos supposedly struck with the Americans at the height of the EDSA revolt, and many more.

“Juan Ponce Enrile – A Memoir” will be released in National Bookstore branches nationwide.