“Prayer Power” for Arenas mother and daughter

By Eva C. Visperas

In life’s most difficult moments, hold on to “prayer power” through the rosary.

For Catholics and devotees of the Blessed Virgin  Mary like socialite and philanthropist Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas, this was their secret and strongest weapon for winning the difficult political battle against seemingly three Goliaths (a son of an outgoing three-term congressman, a former deputy Customs commissioner and a graduating mayor of a vote-rich town) in Pangasinan’s third congressional district. Others, she said, relied heavily on guns, goons and gold.

“Many aspirants forget that there is another G who is most powerful and that is God,” she said.

Arenas’ daughter, Rachel, up to now, could hardly believe she emerged victorious, although with a small margin of just 617 votes over the second candidate in the tally for the congressional race. She was the last congressional winner proclaimed by the provincial board of canvassers a week ago because votes by two of her close rivals (there  were four congressional bets in their district) were really close to one another.

Prior to her actual proclamation, a lawyer of one of her opponents tried but failed to stop it. Again, Mrs. Arenas brought out her rosary and asked her assistant to distribute some to the crowd while lawyers of contending parties tried to articulate their arguments.

Many raised their eyebrows when Rachel Arenas first announced her plan to run for a representative in Pangasinan, claiming that she’s not a true-blue Pangasinense and is someone who could   not relate with the masses because of her high social status.

But during the campaign, she patiently mingled with the people, shook their hands every time she attended gatherings, ate whatever was offered to her and drank soft drinks popular among the masses in the barrios. For a time, she forgot about the fine dining she was used to in her growing up years in Makati City and in foreign countries where she stayed and studied. While in Pangasinan to face her political fight, she lived the life of a real probinsyana.

Being the only rose among three thorns, er, rivals rather, the mother-and- daughter tandem said lots of prayers, and distributed rosaries and scapulars as their gifts to the people did wonders for them.

In fact, when fear and tension were high because of the killing of the Arenases’ avid supporter, San Carlos City Mayor Julian Resuello, at the height of the campaign, they thought their chance of winning became dim. San Carlos City has the biggest number of votes in the district and even in the entire province, with about more than 70,000 registered voters.

Again, the elder Arenas said she prayed harder.

Ms. Arenas told this corner that during the canvassing of votes, her mother prayed unceasingly. She said she would wake up in the middle of the night and found her mother still praying the rosary in front of their altar in barangay Nancapian this town.

The elder Arenas said she’s so proud of her Harvard-educated daughter because she remained steadfast in her political fight. She said if there is one good inheritance she passed on to her daughter, it’s the power of prayer.

“That’s the other side of Baby A,” Mrs. Arenas said.

Of course, many had been written about Baby A, good and bad, but most of the time, intriguing items.

By the way, during the campaign, they gave away about 5,000 rosaries, thousands of scapulars, and prayer cards made by nuns from various religious congregations.

Mrs. Arenas said one of the soldiers deployed in San Carlos City to man the   armored personnel carrier following the mayor’s killing wore a scapular she gave him.

One of their rival candidates also admitted to the elder Arenas that he was also a recipient of the scapulars they gave away.

 “What happened was next to impossible,” Mrs. Arenas said.

But, of course, the newly-elected congresswoman said she practiced what her mother perennially told her to succeed, “You have to do your best, and God will do the rest”.

The Arenases plan to tender a Thanksgiving Mass and party for thousands of their supporters very soon at their sprawling mango farm here.

During the party, they will again give away about 10,000 pieces of rosaries to the people to remind them that indeed in life, prayer does lots of wonders.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/business-log/)

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