He loved Fabrica so much

If there was any man who never forgot where he came from, it was the late former Manila Mayor Ramon D. Bagatsing who died Tuesday at his Alabang residence in Muntinlupa. He truly remained to the end a true Negrense, a Fabricanian.

He was our compadre - of Nene and me. But we remember him best as a person who was always proud of having been born in Fabrica, Sagay City. As a matter of fact, he once brought his entire family on a pilgrimage to Fabrica. He proudly retraced the areas where he used to play as the son of his father, a security guard of the former Insular Lumber Company. His grandchildren openly gaped at the tales he told them about his boyhood days and the time he spent as conductor of the Visayan Rapid Transit while still studying at the Negros Occidental High School.

That was his second love - the NOHS.

I was present when he asked both Reps. Amado and Ramon Jr. (Dondon) never to forget Fabrica and asked them both to take care of the Fabricanians.

He and my late father, Fulgencio, were close friends. They belonged to the same organization - the Knights of Columbus. So with another brother, the late Tommy Bagatsing. We also became close later when I was staying in Manila and he took to me as if I were also his own son. Tommy and I, the former actually his older brother, sort of served as his sounding board for public issues.

But one of the things that I remember vividly with Tiyo Ramon was his consistent pride in having worked his way through school. As a conductor of a public transportation firm while studying at the NOHS.

Although he was elected as congressman of Manila's third district for a four-year term in 1957-1961 and reelected for 1961-1965, Bagatsing never disdained to be known as a close friend of the late Mayor Arsenio Lacson, another Negrense.

I recall the harrowing tales he told me about the Plaza Miranda bombing. He survived it after spending a long time in the hospital, between life and death. He had shrapnels in his body and lost one of his legs. That also later prompted him to set up a foundation that helped paraplegics walk again. He empathized with them and devoted part of his time in helping the lamed.

A Bataan survivor, he also devoted part of his time to helping the World War II veterans. He invariably found himself at the helm of the veterans.

Later, during the Martial Law years, Bagatsing also became a Lions and was charter president of the Manila Sampaloc Lions Club. He eventually was elected international director. And that was his major frustration. The International Lions Convention would have chosen Manila as site of its international confab when something happened that aborted that event. That was for Bagatsing his worst disappointment.

In a way, I became close to him having once also been a K of C member, and later, as a charter president of the Bacolod Capitol Lions Club. But very much later, he paid the supreme tribute of inducting me into the Manila Sampaloc Lions Club despite my insistence that I could not abandon my own club. But since I was in Manila, at the time, and attending make up meetings with Sampaloc, that sort of served its purpose temporarily. But even when he was ailing and bedridden, whenever I was in Manila later, he invariably had me invited by Rica or one of his secretaries. The question was always - how is Fabrica now?

Barely a month ago, I was touched when Dondon sent word to me to revive the Fabricanians. As a matter of fact, I sent back word that the organization had been turned over to the younger generation. But, as pointed to me later, the reason why it sort of ebbed naturally is the fact that this was the generation that did not have memories of Fabrica during its historic days and thus could not share the same obsession and enthusiasm for the barrio that was considered the biggest such village in the province.

Bagatsing is dead. But his legend lives on. He will always be remembered as a philanthropist, a civic leader, a public servant of unequalled education.

Goodbye, compadre Ramon. My family condoles with his wife Juanita Sevilla and children, Rica, Amado and Dondon, Jesus, Manuel, Eduardo and Valentino and his grandchildren.

I am sure the Lord must have already given you the reward for a life spent in the service of others as well as of your family.

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Rep. Monico Puentevella deserves kudos for his backroom efforts for and in behalf of the frustrated West Negros College nursing graduates whose test results have been withheld by the Professional Regulations Commission.

It may not be desirable, but the CHED's bowing to the request that those who had an overload of 35 units would have their test results released soon is a major achievement. It leaves only a few hanging.

The fact that the Board of Nursing, for humane consideration, said that it will release the results of those with overloads of 35 units and below, is something that we should all be proud of. Puentevella and CHED chairman Carlito Puno deserved praise for handling the controversial issue with the awareness of the plight of the WNC graduates.*

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