Montelibano legacy: People's love

I hope our contemporary leaders adopt the legacy of former Governor and former Mayor Alfredo Montelibano Jr.

That legacy is not in the public works he built nor in the organizations he led but in the love of his people in return of his own love for them. And that love was genuine, sincere.

We in media see these things better, observing Montelibano for decades he was in public office. And more important, in the years he was in public office, no one raised an accusing finger that he dipped his finger into the government's cookie jar.

How can you love an official who stole your money? His father, the Grand Old Man Peding Montelibano always enjoyed lecturing to any one who cared to listen every thing about statescraft. He must have hammered these on his Junior and we hope, the same have been taught to his children who can be future Montelibano leaders.

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That's the monument Junior Montelibano built. Some 2135 B.C. an unnamed king of Herecreopolis left a set of teachings to his son, Marikare, “Build your monument on your writing and in the love of your people.”

Roman writer Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) who lived 65 B.C. wrote that in his writings. “I have built a monument more lasting than bronze.”

Poet Henry Dobson believes art endures. “All passes. Art alone enduring stays with us. The bust outlives the throne. The coin outlives Tiberius.”

And Shakespeare wrote in his Sonnet, “Not marble nor the gilded monument of princes shall outlive this powerful rime.”

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Only Abraham Lincoln made the mistake. He said in his Gettysburg address, “People will long forget what we say here but they will never forget what we did here,” Wrong! People forget the Gettysburg battle but they remember the Gettysburg address as any student in English would intone “Four score and seven years ago, our forefathers….”

But back to loving one's fellowmen, I remember a beautiful high school poem “Abou Ben Adhem” by Leigh Hunt “Abou Ben Adhem, may his tribe increase,/ Awoke one night in a great dream of peace…”

So, the poem goes, Abou woke up and saw an Angel writing in a book of gold. What are you writing, Abou asked. The Angel replied, “The names of those who loved the Lord.” Is mine one? Abou asked. “Nay, not so,” answered the Angel.

Abou spoke more low, “I pray thee then, write me as one who loves his fellow men.”

The Angel vanished and the next night it came. “It showed the names of whom the love of God has blessed,/ And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.”

We ask our leaders to follow Abou Ben Adhem. Junior Motelibano like Abou Ben Adhem's name, leads all the rest.

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The best monument is in the hearts of the people. But a more visible monument for the former Governor is the renaming of Ylac Avenue in Villamonte to Alfredo Montelibano, Jr. Avenue .

It's risky putting up a monument of stone. I got pissed off when in previous years I would see the monument of Senator Benigno Aquino , Jr. being desecrated splashed with red paint and putting a straw hat in his head.

The monument of Moises Padilla in that same place was even pulled down after officials found out, he was not the hero he was projected to be.

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How are heroes made: Herodutus wrote there were heroes before Agamemnon but they did not have the sacred poets to sing of their exploits. Today it is the writers who create, make or unmake heroes.

There would have been no hero named Odysseus or Ulysses had there been no Homer who composed the stories in his ballads, later put down in writing by scholars.

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I have been following closely U.S. politics. Americans are great spoilers. Front running Hilary Clinton beaten by black candidate Barak Obama and front running Republican candidate Mitt Romney beaten by Mike Huckabee in the Iowa caucus.

I still believe it will still be Clinton for the Democrats.

But what is interesting is the Americans keep on voting for Texas Congressman Ron Paul for president. His stand is, if elected President, he will withdraw all American troops from abroad and bring them home.

If this is done, half of government bureaucrats and 75 percent of U.S. armed forces will be out of work. Also war factories will be closed and millions of Americans will be out of job.

Well, America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, including some crackpots. Just like us. We know the land reform program has been a failure but many people still want it extended.*

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