Bulosan, Ka Roger & Randy

By Al S. Mendoza

SPORTS BUFF Randy Oriel, a distinguished dentist based in Los Angeles, California, is in town to be by his ailing mother’s side.  Thank God, his mother is fine now and is recuperating at home in their beloved hometown of Binalonan.

Speaking of Binalonan, that’s where Carlos Bulosan, the great writer, was born.  And speaking of Bulosan, why, I just got a copy of his best-selling book, “America Is in the Heart,”    through the kindness of, who else but Randy. Randy brought it here all the way from L.A.

I am extremely delighted because Bulosan has been my idol since grade school. 

“I read your column in the Sunday PUNCH through the PUNCH website about Bulosan, and I immediately rushed to a bookstore in L.A. to grab his book for you,” Randy said as we met for the first time – in a Shell gas station of all places, along Edsa in Quezon City.

I was flattered no end by Randy’s show of affection. You see, we’ve been “texting” each other the past couple of years or so, mostly on sports topics and about Jun Velasco’s “beercapades” with Randy, whether here or in L.A.  It was only last Wednesday, Oct. 4, that Randy and I have finally met in person.

And you know what? Randy didn’t only bring me a Bulosan book, he also brought me home a newspaper, the “Los Angeles Asian Journal.” Teeming with advertisements, the paper is not only well-edited, it is also printed immaculately clean.

Oh, well, no surprise there.  America is First World. Hi-tech.

 Congratulations to the paper’s chief owner, who’s none other than Randy’s brother himself, Roger Lagmay Oriel. 

I was likewise extremely happy to see my old buddy, Teddy B. Cecilio, writing a column for the paper.  And reading Teddy’s column, “Bottomline,” I learned that he had undergone a heart-bypass operation. Thank God, it was successful. Sadly, I read in his column about the death of Mercy Tira, another distinguished colleague of mine since the ’70’s yet. May God grant eternal peace to the soul of Mercy.

Haven’t seen Teddy for maybe 20 years now. Oh, we had such fun when he was still here, and also in L.A. the last time I saw him there – in 1986, I guess. We played poker in Hawthorne, while his shiny black Cadillac bathed in the sun.

The May edition copy of the “Los Angeles Asian Journal” that Randy gave me had 5 sections and 68 pages. Gosh, that’s something to crow about, any time. But what floored me was the paper is the first Filipino newspaper published twice a week in America. Wow! A 68-page, twice-a-week newspaper practically demands as much time as a daily paper. And this is America!

Hat’s off to Ka Roger L.O.

Hat’s off to Randy L.O.

You guys – may your tribe increase.

And, yes, Randy, since what we had on Oct. 4 was a whistle-stop meeting due to commitments we had to urgently attend to that afternoon, next time you are home, we’ll kill a general. Who would that be – Carlos Primero, Remy Martin or Johnnie Walker?

Your call, buddy.

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

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