Faithful friends

Last week, an old friend, Mrs. Norma Bitanga Regidor who lives now in California with her family, texted me to thank me for the item I wrote.

You remind me of an old song, Norma wrote “Faithful friends.” I texted her back I liked that song, too, a grade school song. “Faithful friends are life's best treasures,/ Wealth and fame may pass away,/ Bring no joys or lasting pleasures,/ Faithful friends abide all way./ Through the world I'd gladly go,/ If one faithful heart I know.”

Then the other day, my friend Jimmy Golez texted me, with the thought along the same line. “Faithful friends are life's best treasurers,/ Wealth may pass away;/ Honor may give you pleasure,/ But with friends life is better beyond measure,/ Of these I'm sure.”

Following Norma's and Jimmy's texts, I got a letter from a faithful friend in London , Barry Swain.

I have found I have a closeness with British and easily relate with them, Barry, Neil Honeyman, Robert Harland, Ken Reader.

* * *

Barry lived for a year in Bacolod 20 years ago and since he left, he never missed sending me a greeting card on my birthday every June 19 and a Christmas card every December.

He now lives in London with his wife Anne Marie who is the Lady Mayor of the City of Enfield , one of the satellite cities of London .

There's another thing I like in Barry and all other Brits. He is so natural, so uninhibited, he has warmth, and his letter is chatty, as if I am a member of his family.

He sent me a picture where he played Santa Claus for Enfield 's Age Concerns and together with a British famous actress Lindsey Coulson.

* * *

I like Barry telling me stories about his family and his travels but I like most about his mother, Renee, who must be nearing 90 now but still strong and healthy.

I met Barry with my late wife Fe in 1986 in Boracay and we became friends right away so that when I came home to Bacolod he came with me and liked it here. He made many friends here, one of them is Mayor Bing Leonardia who was then a tourism official.

I fondly recall beautiful memories of my tour of London guided by his mother Renee visiting the Tower of London where the Kings lived, some were jailed, and beheaded, then at Threadneedle Street where the Bank of England is located which is also called “Old Lady Threadneedle,” to Gypsy Moth for a bottle of beer to, to use the English sailors' language, “whet our whistle.”

And so many other places like the Greenwich Village and stood at the marker of Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT), the standard measurement of world time. Old Lady Threadneedle is also the world's first bank.

* * *

I enjoyed the company of Renee who was surprised when I could memorize grade school songs like “ London Bridge is falling down…” “Ring a ring O roses…” and “Sing a song of six pence…” Each of these has a story, Renee said, of British origin.

“Sing a song of six pence, a pocket full of rye,/ Four and twenty black birds baked a pie,/ And when the pie was opened, the birds began to sing,/ What is that a dainty dish to set before the king?/ The King was in his counting room counting out his money,/ The Queen was in the parlor making bread and honey,/ The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,/ Along came a blackbird and peeked at her nose.” London had so many black birds. Here we call them crow. It has vanished.

I never missed a column because wherever I was I always faxed it daily. And Barry was taking his breakfast at Sea Breeze Hotel when he read my column about his mother.

* * *

That is why I never can forget Barry. Neither can he. A few years ago I was set to go to Europe and Barry was ready to welcome me but the late Dr. Ernie Namin would not permit me, when I told him I would be traveling alone.

Besides this column I will e-mail Barry and will be chatty too like him. I recall when Neil went home to London , I asked him to visit Barry Swain and they met. I hope Barry and his wife Mayor Anne Marie will visit the Philippines . I will give them a red carpet welcome.

And hope Renee can come along too.

One's life must not be measured only by the number of friends but on the number of faithful friends which are had by being a faithful friend too.

* * *

Silay airport will be operational starting Thursday, a day before the official opening. Let us all help to make it successful. But, of course, we hope, too, the Bacolod airport is also retained.

I was informed the Ceneco-Kepco contract requires Ceneco to put in a deposit of some P190 million.

This will be P190 million of idle funds. I would like to have more data on the Ceneco-Kepco proposed deal.

We must not close our eyes, lest we get caught in a contract that has not been studied well. If Iloilo City residents are paying nearly twice the rate we at the Ceneco area are paying, it's because of a contract not studied well by Panay Electric.*

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