Now, I'm the father of Inday

My children often took pride in being known as the children of Rolly and Des Espina. Now, the opposite is happening. Now I am known as the father of Inday. Yesterday, I had my hands full trying to distance myself for what Inday had achieved - the first prize in the non-daily division of the Jaime V. Ongping Journalism Awards for excellence in journalism.

Frankly, I told those who congratulated me for Inday's feat that her talent did not derive either from Nene or myself.

"That's what God gifted her with. And so with my other children-journalists. And, yes, they did not follow my footsteps. They found themselves on their own," I pointed out.

That's the same explanation I had to give for Dr. May Irene Espina-Rife. She did not inherit her healing gift. It was what God had granted her. She followed the footsteps of her late mother. But what she learned and put into practice were her own.

Actually, I had known about Inday having been entered into the JVO awards last week when I was still in Manila. That was the latest I know about it. But Thursday, she texted me that she had won the grand prize in her category.

She just recently accepted to return to the Philippine Graphic as editor. She had left it on her return from Stanford University on a scholarship grant and took up as executive editor of the Manila Times.

Inday, however, had her standards and values which she thought was not compatible with the Manila Times top officials. She resigned. But immediately, she got again the offer by Tony Cabangon Chua to return to the Graphic. That included a raise plus other benefits and conditions.

Anyway, the work for which she gained the award was done in cooperation with Yvette Lee and Christian Manglaban. This was published in the Graphic October 23 and Oct. 30.

The piece was "Leyte sea roils from rape of WWII ships." I was astonished to learn during her follow up of the story, that actually the Philippine Coast Guard was unaware that one cannot salvage warships. And she discovered that one salvage of the many that had been going on for a long time had been authorized by the Coast Guard.

And, yes, we learned later that the museum must also be consulted before doing any salvage because of cultural and historical importance of these sunken vessels.

The sweetener insofar as Inday is concerned was the Marshall McLuhan Prize from the Canadian government. This is a travel tour of Canada for the winner.

Inday flew into town yesterday morning. And my brood clapped for her for what she had accomplished. Of course, we are proud of her and for her. But we cannot claim a share of what she did. To God belongs the glory.

***

Bukidnon and Negros Occidental's Miguel Zubiri elicited cheers from the 10 million strong Filipinos who voted for him with his proclamation as the 12th senator of the Republic.

But Senator-elect Trillanes called him a cheat.

How can Trillanes use the term when the Supreme Court itself had pointed out to Koko Pimentel that he had not shown proof of cheating or anomalies in the Maguindanao poll results?

And, if we just remember, Migz all the time had not lifted a finger to browbeat anyone and contended all the time that he was submitting himself to the rule of law and whatever the high court was going to decide as well as the Commission on Elections.

That certainly is not the actuation of a cheat.

That's why Zubiri came out blazing yesterday and said he never called Trillanes a "mutineer" or saboteur when he could very well do it since the former Navyman is still being tried by the court for his participation in the Oakwood Mutiny.

Somebody commented yesterday that the insult was not against Migz but against the 10 million Filipinos who believed that this young, charismatic and dynamic Filipino can make a better Philippines for us to be proud of. "We have our misgivings with this government but our ways are constructive and legal. Our country need no more of the likes of this Trillanes whose recent actuations and pronouncements leave a bitter taste in the mouth for the officers and gentleman of the military. He would not get my salute outside of the Senate," was how he put it.

Well, if Migz stands up against Trillanes (the bully), "we also support his libel case against Trillanes to teach him a lesson in decency to one who used to be once an officer and gentleman."*

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