Knowing GenVel, then and now

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

I WAS not surprised at all when the retired PNP Deputy Director Reynaldo V. Velasco phoned me last month to confirm that the one year old planned bicycle road race will become a reality. I have known the guy since 1975— then a very young aide de camp of former Philippine Constabulary (PC) chief Fidel V. Ramos with a rank of first lieutenant—as a cycling fanatic. He was one of the reasons why the former cyclists and champions Modesto Bonzo, Samson Etrata, Pepito Calip, Edgardo Pagarigan, and my former teammates Cesar Catambay, Manuel Pucan and Teofilo Aquino, to name a few, joined the Philippine Constabulary.

Despite being a public servant as a police officer since 1971, I know he follows sports events, even until now, particularly Pangasinan’s favorite, the bicycle racing. Ask him about the former champions from Pangasinan, from Rufino Gabot in 1957 and up to Santy Barnachea this year, he knows them all. That’s GenVel-as fondly called by his friends— born and raised in Sta. Barbara, a die-hard aficionado of the two-wheeled sport.

After serving the government for 38 years, the three-star general formally retired more than a year ago with sterling performance, among them the busting of shabu laboratories in Metro Manila that led to confiscation of illegal drugs worth P4.8 billion.

            When he was named as deputy commander of Task Force Mindanao, he was responsible for the arrest of the real master-bomber of General Santos City and the rescue of an Italian priest Guiseppe Perientonni from the hands of his kidnappers. He is also remembered as the one who neutralized escaped kidnapper Faizal Marohambsar who escaped in Camp Crame in 2002.   

Before getting his first star as a general, he became a provincial director in Negros Occidental and Batangas and I sent him congratulatory cards particularly when he took the position as the regional director of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao and our region 1, the Pangasinan-Ilocos region.

His late father, who also served in the Philippine Constabulary with a rank of master sergeant, was also a friend of mine and his mother a plain housewife helped her husband in raising and sending all their nine children to college to become professionals in their chosen career.

Now GenVel is retired, pursuing a lifelong obsession that is farming and agriculture with his charming wife Ma. Fatima Carranceja, formerly from San Miguel, Bulacan and his only son Ricardo assisting the family’s business.

When he organized the bicycle race held last Sunday, assisted by his brother-in-law Sta. Barbara alderman Emmanuel Cabangon and my long time friend Mel Velasco that started and ended in his hometown Sta. Barbara, traversing the entire third district twice, pundits says he might have a big plan to run for a political position next year, most probably a lower seat in the congress for the third district.

Well, if that happens, I believe he has still an unfinished job, that’s to serve his people at his district. I  also  believe that he has the other  unfinished mission – not only to enter politics and serve his people via medical missions, donation of school rooms and others –  to help develop our athletes by organizing sports competitions not only  for our cyclists but also other sports,. And happily, according to my source, these projects are now in the offing.

Let’s wait and see.

That race last Sunday was won by his tukayo Reynaldo Navarro of San Jacinto.

What a coincidence, from Reynaldo to Reynaldo. I smell a double VictoRey.

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

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