An assessment for the year 2006

I would like to greet a very happy birthday to my wife, Jessica on her nth natal today, from all of us, Dr. Fara and Atty. Jen-noh Tequillo, Katrina and JV and our two grandchildren, Mico and Keena. May God shower you with more blessings for the years to come.

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It's practically the end of the Year 2006. I guess now is the right time for us to come up with an assessment for the year 2006, which was quite a bad year for me personally because the Chinese apparently believe that the Year of the Dog is bad for those born in the year of the Rabbit. Indeed, dogs chase rabbits around and scare them away. I'm not really into this Feng Shui stuff but at least for this year it seemed to be true.

Yes, the Year 2006 only gave me personal grief, starting with the death of my close friend from Manila, Mr. Josefino "Joey" Pineda who was the family "Booker" for our theatrical operations. Though he was in coma for five years, I had to go to Manila for his burial. Last August 13th, my mother Ascension S. Avila also passed away without any hint that she would be moving to eternal life except that last Valentines Day, my mom asked all of us to be at the Casino Español not realizing that it was some kind of a sendoff dinner of love from my mom. Though she was 86 years old, my mom was not sick at all. In all the years we've been with her, she was never hospitalized except when she bore her children. But this year, we lost her.

By end of September, another close friend Wing-Wing Genterolizo of CITOM died of a heart attack, he was only 41 years old. To compound my grief, on Nov.24th, my close friend and mentor, Sir Max Soliven, publisher of the Philippine Star, the Dean of Columnists in this country and a media icon died in Tokyo on his way to the airport in Narita. I met Sir Max 20 years ago and he asked me to join the Philippine Star when I was not even a journalist. He told me that he could teach me to write and here I am today.

Another group of friends died this year. Just to name a few: Mr. Johnny Viado, Capt. Pocholo Cui, Atty. Fausto Lim, our comare, Mrs. Rose Ong, Sonny Young who collapsed on the tennis court at the Cebu Country Club and my aunt Tia Narding Segura, the second wife of Archt. Gregorio Segura. Yes, too many friends passed away this year, it seemed that we were attending vigils or funerals almost every month!

Well, the year wasn't over yet. Then we got that ugly news of those people who died in Ormoc because of the Unitop fire. But then the people died in that tragedy because someone goofed. They should never have padlocked the exit door of that store. Call it another man-made disaster, which could have been prevented if only people were safety-conscious.

For most of the year, we got a lot of man-made problems, especially another coup attempt against the administration of Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) in Feb.22nd. This major difference between that ill-fated coup attempt was that, this time, the disgruntled elements of the military coalesced with certain elements of the New People's Army (NPA) and the power-hungry opposition groups and those self-proclaimed messiahs who believe that they are God's gift to the Filipino people.

Well it took the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) eight months to finally file rebellion charges against the coup plotters, former Senator Gregorio Honasan (who was finally captured last month) and the military officers like Marine Col. Ariel Querubin, former Army Scout Ranger Commander Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and former Marine Commandant Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda and its civilian component former University of the Philippines (UP) Pres. Francisco Nemenzo, former Ambassador Roy Señeres, Council of Philippine Affairs (COPA) Pastor "Boy" Saycon, businessman Jaime Regalario and Don Pepe Araneta and others. Let's hope that this February, we won't be seeing any more stupid coup attempts.

The Year 2006 also brought a lot of natural calamities. Perhaps the most unforgettable this year was the mudslide that virtually wiped out the entire sitio of Guinsaugon in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, where entire homes still with their occupants and whole families disappeared. Rescuers could only find a few survivors. This disaster could have been prevented if only the townsfolk listened to the findings of scientists. But then, we are a very reactionary people who only move when tragedy has already struck. We really do not embrace that statement that "an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure." Good riddance to the year 2006 and we welcome the Year 2007 with a fresh hope that it would be a better year for all Filipinos!

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit's columns can also be accessed at www.shootinginsidecebu.blogspot.com