Salute to the
best governor

“Siya lang mag dicidir kon san-o niya ako kuhaon (He will decide when he will take me).”

This was the statement given to me by Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Marañon just before he was rushed to the Riverside Medical Center for confinement when his liver ailment recurred.

It struck me as the testimonial of a Christian who entrusted God his fate and his allotted time on earth.  It was not resignation.  It was an acceptance of his reality as a creature of God.

The only other time when I saw him sort of devastated was when I informed Gov. Joseph about the demise of my late brother Dr. Dodge Espina, in Palawan.  They were close friends and classmates.

“Aba! Nauna pa sya sa akon (He was ahead of me),” was how he greeted the news.

Dodge was not only a bosom friend, he was also a relative.  As we all had known, although none of us had paraded it.

But the other time surprised me.  This was when my daughter, Maté, introduced herself to Gov. Joseph and he replied –“then, if you are Rolly’s daughter, then you must know that I am your uncle.”

But one thing I noticed.  He never asked me to do him any favor.  Neither did he impose on Maté and the other members of the family in mass media.

My heart goes to Aida Lopez, the governor’s widow.  She too, reflected Joseph’s humility.  Despite her status as the province’s First Lady, Aida never strutted around like one.  She often preferred to stay in the background lending her strength and support to Joseph when he needed.  Otherwise, she remained in the background.  One often misses her among a crowd of the Negrense elite.

We grew up together in Fabrica when Tiyo Pidong Marañon and the family stayed in Takas, as they call the place.

But even when they had already transferred to Sagay and later put up the Sagay Central, we remained close, although never that intimate.

Gilda Puey Locsin remembers the time when as Sophie’s close friend, she often found herself the niña bonita of the Marañon brothers – Joseph and Freddie (Alfredo). This was when they stayed in Manila.  But even with the fallout of the Pueys from the Marañons, Gilda remained close to the family.

When he became mayor of Sagay City (then town), Mayor Joseph showed his common sense approach to local governance.  He spoke the language of the ordinary too.  He never developed the rhetorical prowess of the professional politician.  Instead, he listened and immediately cut across verbiage to focus on the issues of problems or suggestions brought to his attention.

He and brother Freddie, later put up the Sagay Marine Sanctuary which has become the favorite of marine scientists not only local but also foreign.  And that is one of their legacies in Sagay and the province of Negros Occidental.  Today, this remains one of the richest fishing grounds of the province.

Quietly, and almost sans fanfare, Joseph and Freddie managed to convince the officials and people of Osterholtz, Germany to adopt Sagay as their adopted community. It has become the favorite, a bit low key recipient of largesse from the Germany district.

I remember one time when my late father developed an emergency health problem.  There was need for him to be brought to Bacolod on board an ambulance for Bacolod.  It was then Joseph who acted fast to have the ambulance of Sagay central bring him down to Bacolod from Paraiso.

But I remember Joseph more for what he has done to the province of Negros Occidental. Having served as chief executive assistant to former Gov. Alfredo Montelibano Jr.,  I am in the best position to determine the extent and vision with which he governed the province.

As he pointed out, Gov. Joseph went beyond the basics.  And rightly so, he never was one who could forgo a decision when it is needed.

For me, one of his legacies was the reconstruction of the old provincial capitol.  Today, the once seedy structure has been restored to its pre-war glory and more.  He placed it where it should be-capital of the province.  And he improved the provincial park and lagoon, now one of the best in the country.

The most enduring, though, was the restoration and improvement of the Mambukal Summer resort.  Once almost sidelined by previous governors, the once famed summer resort is now a bustling community where thousands make a beeline for during weekend.  And hundreds and thousands more of Negrenses and outsiders make it a must to visit the refurbished Mambukal which now earns money for the government coffers where it once depleted the provincial purse.

He also put up the provincial hospital in Silay City and helped expand and improve district hospitals.  This has proven a boon to Negrenses. Most of the time in the past, they knew only one “provincial hospital” - the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital.

But now, they have eased the overcrowding in the tertiary health institution because they have their own provincial hospital.*

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