Punchline
Sammy Samson, a Pangasinan icon
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
Pangasinan lost another icon in the field of education in the person of Dr. Luis F. Samson.
Between him and Dr. Blas F. Rayos of the Dagupan Colleges (now University of Pangasinan), I would not be exaggerating if I say that more than fifty percent of our professionals in the province were mentored and educated from the vision of the two gentlemen.
But unlike Dr. Rayos, “Sammy” lived long enough to see his vision come alive in University of Luzon, from its humble beginning as LCCBA.
A soft-spoken warrior-veteran with a quick-to-smile disposition, Sammy easily earned the respect of anyone who mattered in the industry and certainly held in high esteem by those who served with him in the last world war.
The province and the city will certainly never be the same without Sammy Samson and his easy smile.
***
I had the privilege of collaborating with Sammy when I joined the Rotary Club of Dagupan at age 21 and he was in his late 50’s (that’s exactly what I am today and so it seems like we’ve come to a full cycle).
Given our age difference, I was uncomfortable addressing all of my late father’s friends by their first names, a must by Rotary tradition. But it was Sammy who was one among the first who went out of his way to make me feel comfortable. When I addressed him as “Kuya Sammy” in Rotary the first time, he gave me a wide grin and said: “You have to call me Sammy- besides I like it because it makes me feel young.”
And that was the start of a “father-son” friendship with Sammy yet made me feel undeservedly an equal.
Then, it always gave me great joy when I would see him in the company of the senior club gang (Pilo Goyena, Bal Balingit, Amado Ayson, James Turner, Badong Zulueta, Zaling Favila et al.) whip it up when they stood up to sing the “Welcome to Dagupan Rotary” song that I had composed for the club then.
Somehow, I felt that the song, as they sang it, expressed in their pride in the club. But things are different now, and I sorely miss those times.
***
Back in early days of Luzon Colleges, President Sammy asked me to help and intercede in the student unrest brewing in the College of Nursing.
One never who to back out from a challenge, I agreed to help out and went on to meet with the student nurses for three nights in their dorms, from 9-10 pm! What made me very tense through out was the fact that I found myself in the middle of agitated young women in their ready-to-bed get-ups. (The tension was partly owing to my difficulty to concentrate on the discussion at hand).
I knew if it would have been more comfortable if a another male were with me in those meetings but President Sammy gave strict orders to his security guards that absolutely no one but I was authorized inside the nurses’ dorms in those ungodly hours! (The late Nap Donato who went with me to the meetings had to stay with the guards).
When the issues were finally settled, and I stopped visiting the student nurses in their dorms, President Sammy just had a good laugh and gave me a sly wink when I gave him an account of how tense I was in those meetings with the nurses.
It was another “All’s well that ends well,” with Sammy and I can’t agree more.
To Macky, Glo, Au and Chito, I wish you well as you reap the fruits, and care for the grand tree planted by a great man.
***
The provincial board members were prudent not to rush headlong in approving a resolution that would allow the operation of the small town lottery in the province.
I agree fully with Archbishop Oscar Cruz that gambling in any form, whether legal or not, only serves to promote indolence, and the “easy-money” mindset. What comes easy, goes out easy.
The members of the board must take the cue from the initiatives of Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza who has shown that vision and hard work, not gambling, provides the impetus for a long term livelihood for the people. Once a sleepy touristic town, Alaminos is now a busy hub energized by the entry of new economic activities. Overnight, the residents realized that jueteng, souvenir vending and boat rentals were not the only viable sources of livelihood.
The board members have this rare opportunity to reshape the mindset of Pangasinenses towards work and labor by providing real opportunities for economic advancement.
And STL is definitely not one of them.
***
Approving the entry of small town lottery ostensibly to provide employment for the displaced jueteng “kabos” is a cop-out response to a serious malingering social problem.
Besides, STL, for all the drumbeating about additional legitimate revenues for the towns and cities, will serve nothing and nobody but the jueteng lords.
As it is without the STL, the police is already “hard put “in arresting those who continue to operate jueteng because of EZ 2 Balls, another gambling gimmick under the aegis of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. You add the STL in the jueteng lords’ bag of tricks, and government will end up more frustrated than ever in the war against illegal gambling. (Perhaps I am being presumptuous to believe that the government is engaged in this war).
I have no doubt, the STL will serve only one purpose in the short and long term – to provide another legitimate cover for jueteng. It’s definitely a neat ploy to allow jueteng to operate unhampered because while the “kabos” will be wearing official ID’s provided by the PCSO, their bet collections will be plowed to the illegal numbers game.
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Certainly, no jueteng lord worth his salt will make his STL operations profitable. Why? Because only jueteng with the payola system makes them more powerful than the mayors, governors and chiefs of police. With everyone in their pockets, the jueteng lords can dictate who should be elected “bossman” in the provinces, and yes, in the country.
Only the nanve will believe that STL will finally put an end to the corruption that jueteng nurtures. With STL, corruption will continue because jueteng will be back with a vengeance.
So, watch out for the board members and mayors who will go out on a limb to approve STL. Don’t ever believe that their intentions are for public good. Approving the STL but will actually make them regain their foothold in that lucrative business of corruption – jueteng.
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