Last Tuesday night I went to St. Peters Funeral home to pay my last respects to a dear friend and mentor, Juanito Jabat, whose vigil was on the third floor. But while waiting for the elevator, I saw the wake of another good friend, Mr. Peary “Bip” Aleonar, Jr., the son of the late Judge Peary Aleonar, Sr. who also wrote columns for The Freeman.
Bip was a research genius. One day when we met he told me that he was working on getting the Avila Family tree and this was a bit of a surprise to me because I wouldn’t even know how to start. But since he lived in Carcar, he was able to give me a paper that showed when my grandfather Don Jose Avila was baptized and on the name of his father was written, “Non conicido.” But the priest who baptized him was Fr. Manuel Rubio Fernandez, long rumored within my family circles as the father of Don Jose Avila.
This fact was confirmed to me by my own father, the late Jesus S. Avila who brought me to the San Agustin Church in Intramuros and pointed to the grave of Fr. Manuel Rubio Fernandez saying, “This is the Papa of my Papa!” I pretended not to know and asked him, “Dad, this is a Fernandez, we are Avila’s!” Then in a higher tone of voice, my father retorted, “Just like what Papa did to me, he brought me here in this church and said, and “This is my Papa!” This is the second time that I wrote this story.
But thanks to the work of Bip, he gave my family something that I would always treasure about my great grandparents, especially that among our family, I’m the one who is passionate about history…more so that this is my family history. Thanks Bip for what you have done and May God grant you eternal rest!
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During last Tuesday’s 888 News Forum, San Fernando Mayor Abe Canoy told us that he no longer belonged to the Liberal Party. Well, these loyal LP subjects were rejected by the LP in favor of the Gullas family members who are not even members of the LP. Hmmm the Liberal Party is self-destructing right before the eyes of Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III.
In Mactan, I learned that another blue blooded loyal LP member, Mr. Efrain Pelaez, jr., has been booted out of the ruling party favoring instead incumbent Mayor Paz Radaza. So loyalty to the LP has no value at all in this era of Daang Matuwid! What I see here is the LP breaking apart long even before the official campaign period has begun. I texted Jun Pelaez and he emailed me this letter, which is self-explanatory.
“Hi Bobit, It looks like, finally, we are on the same side as far as the Liberal Party is concerned. As you know, last week, the LP national leadership named Paz Radaza as their official candidate for mayor. Your suspicions about “Daang Matuwid” are confirmed. It should be called “Daang Matuwad” instead. They have rejected our original LP chapter whose loyalty, crusade against graft and corruption is well known, and rewarded political turncoats and a family dynasty decorated with all kinds of graft and criminal cases.
We thought that Mar Roxas would put his foot down and not stand for this political maneuvering by many of his lieutenants in the LP. The contrast between our two factions is like night and day, black or white, principle over political expedience. Twice in the past Mar rejected the attempts by the Radazas to be part of LP, much less head the Lapu-lapu City chapter. Both times, in 2010 and in 2012, Mar called me to consult and gave us the courtesy to respond. We did and they were shunned.
All we had to do was remind them of the various scams and numerous cases filed against Arturo Radaza and Paz Radaza. Back then, His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and Ernesto Aboitiz had written the Ombudsman to investigate and prosecute fully four of the high profile graft cases in Cebu. The Radazas were involved in three of those four cases! Even the Makati Business Club and the Coalition Against Corruption, had given us similar letters of support in our fight against corruption.
But when Speaker Belmonte accepted the Radazas into the fold in 2013, it seemed like a different ballgame. Even the Cebu Coalition of People Power Volunteers for Reform, headed by Atty. Democrito Barcenas, wrote Belmonte with copies to Mar and President Aquino, about their disgust. Honestly, can you imagine Paz and Boy Radaza on the same stage with Mar Roxas and his senatorial line-up talking against corruption? Boy is implicated in the infamous Lamppost Scam and the Computer Scam, while Paz is charged by the Bangko Sentral and the PDIC for the P2.6 Billion Fake Loan and Bank Fraud scam as well as the Girl Scout Scam. These cases are active and now pending with others to follow. Slogans like “Kung Walang Kurap, Walang Mahirap” now ring hollow in our ears. You are right. “Daang Matuwid” is indeed a myth. Tama na, Sobra na, Palitan na!” My reply to Jun Pelaez? I told you so!
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For email responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.