Think about it
A man for all seasons
By Jun Velasco
ON April 30, 2010, it rained hard in Bangusnilad.
It was a good sign for Al Fernandez.
Earlier, many feared Bangusan was going to be Lagusan. But the rain proved to be a good bath, a soothing breather from the heat wave that was scorching Mother Earth in these parts.
The earth heaved a sigh of relief literally –and financially to those who cashed in on Belen Fernandez’s biggest kalutan.
At this writing, it might be premature to say if there’d be no downpour till evening. Everybody has waited to saunter on the De Venecia Diversion Road, venue of the biggest Dagupan summer festival.
Thursday morning, this columnist and Dr. Cathy Velasco were at the La Vista chapel along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City to pay our respects to a great friend from way back, Dr. Salvador Tiongson-Duque, 68, fondly called by his legion of friends and admirers as “Kuya Ado.”
Viewing his frail form in the casket, we couldn’t help feel a choke in the throat. There hardly was a time that we, Kuya Ado and this columnist, were not chatting. Of course, Atchi Mita, his ever loving and dutiful life-partner, would do the connecting via her cellphone. We felt awkward whenever Kuya Ado didn’t call. His calls were a regular fare.
He was fond of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The subject would sometimes put us in clashing positions.
One night at a Northern Luzon media forum at the Thunderbird in San Fernando City, the duo chatted via our cellphone. Those of you who knew him could already tell what was happening in their chatting when the dainty woman kept saying, “Ok, Ado, happy new year…” We then motioned to get our cellphone when GMA said “happy new year” for the 10th time.
Kuya Ado was chair of the Regional Development Council, and was not, mind you, just a nominal head. He kept poring on a thick infrastructure manual of a list of road and bridges projects slated to be done by the government. Heads of governments were at his beck and call and never hesitated to call them to task if they were remiss on their job. He was also fond of Congressman Joe de Venecia in spite of the fact that he and younger brod Gonzalo were twice congressional foes. He called former the former Speaker “Kuya Joe,” “a great doer unlike many of our solons.”
As president of the Metro Dagupan Rehabilitation, Reconstruction Fund Corporation, Dr. Ado was a spitfire rallying the massive rehab work when Luzon was devastated by the 1990 earthquake.
He was never in government but was the busiest among those who manned the reconstruction fronts in Dagupan and environs along with then President Cory Aquino, Public Works Sec. Ping de Jesus, Gov. Rafael Colet, Executive Sec. Oscar Orbos and Rep. de Venecia and Mayor Al Fernandez. He never relaxed on his nitpicking to get people to work double time in the rehab work even during Benjie Lim’s mayorship and congressional term.
As organizer and first president of the Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (APSCU) in Region l, he cast a giant shadow over all education leaders in Ilocandia. He impressed no less than our imminent intellectual friend, Cezar Agnir, president of a university in Ilocos Sur, with his impeccable leadership.
Among the local mediamen, Kuya Ado was a darling. He was not only dishing out news subjects to them almost daily. He was “the news subject” himself, his statements made local headlines on his raps against nuclear experiments in the high seas.
When we were active in the national media, our late editor Ben Rodriguez of the Bulletin called our attention to the series of wars the local media had declared on France’s nuclear experiments in the Pacific Ocean.
The national paper treated the item in the inside page. We said “Ado Duque would decide the headlines on some local newspapers.” He gave newspaper ads generously in return. Dr. Ado’s passing will leave a great void in Dagupan that is hard to fill. His bosom friends Al Fernandez, Bert and Boy Balingit, Macky and Billy Samson, Viven Villaflor, Voltaire Arzadon, Aster Duque and others we couldn’t recall at the moment would surely agree to that.
Rest in peace, dear, dearest friend, Dr. Ado, a man for all seasons. You will be missed for a long time.
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