Holdup incidents alarming

Another delivery van, this time owned by RNG Marketing, was held up Wednesday night by two motorcycle-riding suspects. This happened in front of Lopue's East along Burgos avenue, Barangay Villamonte. In full view of people.

The duo reportedly managed to elude police pursuers when they fled towards Gonzaga Street nearby. Police did not explain how they managed to respond to the holdup report so fast that they engaged the holduppers immediately after in "hot pursuit."

Anyway, the more important thing is that with the recent rash of holdups in the city, our police chief should be able to insist that policemen should bag the holduppers.

Things like this just don't happen overnight. They are the products or handiwork of a gang. And most likely, these are already known by police intelligence. And they should be able to bag them for what they did.

As I had earlier pointed out, police intelligence should already have tagged who are the potential and professional holduppers operating in parts of the city. Thus, it is easy for the cops to track them down. And perhaps our police chief should be able to ask his theft and robbery section chief to identify the perpetrators of that holdup.

***

I just would like to impress upon every former seminarian of the Sacred Heart Seminary that a former student - Edwin Evangelista succumbed to cardiac arrest only Wednesday evening. His remains are now at the Rolling Hills Memorial Chapel.

Edwin did not last long in the seminary. He was the favorite boy of the late Fr. Dormido of E.B. Magalona. He followed a few others from Saravia.

Edwin, however, was an energetic young boy. But he was also one who refused to be treated like a small kid. He stood up to many of the senior classmates.

I remember my favorite recollection of Edwin chasing the hulking figure of Fr. Florencio Gabas along the dining hall of the Sacred Heart Seminary when we had already relocated to the Lupit site.

But Edwin remained a devote churchgoer. He did not stay long in the seminary. But he remained committed to the school. Years later, when we had our Golden Anniversary of the seminary, Edwin sent in a lot of food as well as his monetary contributions.

As a matter of fact, the last time I met him at the Bob's, Edwin promised me that he will help the Graciano Lopez Jaena Clan Reunion in Silay City on May 26.

Gilbert Hollero told me that Edwin was the apple of the eye of an auntie of his. That was the reason why, Gilbert said, Edwin considered himself also a descendant of Lopez Jaena.

Well, anyway, Edwin, despite the years we have been maintaining an off-and-on relationship, I know that God must have been carefully helping you with His graces. I know that. Hence I am sure that shortly before he finally summoned you, He must have showered on you the graces you really needed.

Goodbye, Edwin I'll miss you.

****

Yesterday, we celebrated the 25th year of the Visayan DAILY STAR. The affair was sumptuous. Fit for a king, commented a bystander.

Well, it is but proper that we commemorate the 25th year of an institution with fanfare. After all, the Visayan DAILY STAR has grown from its humble beginnings into what it is now today.

Our kudos to Ninfa. It was really her dedication that steered the paper all these years, through the thorny channels of a young community periodical in what it is today - a regional newspaper.

And the three major personalities found themselves honored. But there was also the other side to it.

The three stalwarts of the STAR - despite very often intense quarrels - were reunited yesterday. These were Ninfa, Primo Esleyer, and Modesto Saonoy.

But it took Paeng to recall the headline story of the first issue of the Visayan DAILY STAR - 18 massacred in Calatrava. That was written by the undersigned. And it was a story that caught the attention of Negrenses for quite a time. It was story that then Governor Alfredo Montelibano, Jr. refused to acknowledge as true. He did not know then that even under Martial Law (or so it seemed despite the fact that officially it no longer existed), truth will out. In this case, it was the National Bureau of Investigation that provided me all the data as well as briefed me on the progress of their investigation into that mass killing.

Anyway, although that was not publicly acknowledged, newsmen who were around admitted that the working press should have been the first to have acknowledged that instead of Golez.

Still, there was the satisfaction that I had contributed my share to the Visayan DAILY STAR with the headlines.*

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