Playing with Fire
The late Dr. Ado was a sportsman
By Gonzalo Duque
IN case you don’t know, our late brother, Dr. Salvador “Ado” Tiongson Duque, was, in his own right, a great sportsman.
In his teens and early 20’s and 30’s, he was a basketball player. He and former Mayor Al Fernandez, together with the members of the “Aces and Bees,” their beerkada group, were star basketball players in the north.
Their team was adjudged champion in one summer in the early 60’s. He played billiards, pingpong and, oh, yes, chess. He was dubbed Spassky and Fischer of Dagupan, and most of you who came to LNU would probably find him in his office, playing chess.
Our partner, Jun Velasco, would insist, however, that papang (the late Governor Paco) was a better chess player because he could win a game even while plotting political strategies with Vic Millora, Joe de Venecia, and the late former Board Member Tony de Guzman and Judge Anastacio Zamuco at the Polyclinic in the 60’s.
We remember his sporting days as we inaugurated the LNU gym “Dr. Salvador T. Duque Field House” last Friday, a fitting tribute to our family sportsman.
Better visit the place. It’s nicely renovated, beautiful, functional whose heat has been reduced significantly with the use of a novel roofing material, “35 MM Polyurepane Panel Double Skin,” provided by tycoon brother Cesar, who has a firm that manufactures it. In case you’d fall in love with its cool ambiance, just get in touch, and we’d call Kuya Czar to serve your needs.
The gym is now fully aircon and would be rented out to the public. If Vice Mayor Belen won’t mind, we’d say it’s better than her Stadia.
In a larger sense, our sportsman brother lived life fully, as a doctor and “functional lawyer” as president of the rehabilitation group that rebuilt the city and metro neighbors after the big and most destructive earthquake that flattened Dagupan in the early 90’s.
As chairman of the Regional Development Council, he was methodical and straight talking. But he was loved, admired, and also feared by government engineers who did sloppy work. In the field of education, he was our Number l adviser in the running of LNU. As president of Apscu (association of private schools, colleges and universities) in Region I, Kuya Ado inspired everyone including fellow university Dr. Cesar Agnir, a former Philippine Collegian editor, with his erudition.
He, too, was founding president and later chairman of Metro Dagupan Chamber of Commerce and Industry where he energize and encouraged local businessmen to think big but remain resourceful in building Metro Dagupan and Pangasinan.
If Mayor Benjie Lim picks up Kuya Ado’s baby, the formation of Metro Dagupan Commission, he’d become chairman- governor and just give the mayorship to Belen Fernandez, who is extra-eager!
If you ask us, the kuya’s most outstanding achievements are his and Atchi Mita’s children, all doctors, Katrina, Christine, Marco, Marvin, Mikee, and Kim-Nancy, all healthy, brilliant and service.
Allow us to say this with great confidence — he couldn’t have been that happy and successful without the inspiration, love and guidance of his beloved Mita, daughter of an illustrious family, sired by the late former Justice Porfirio and former Gov. Nancy Quimosing-Sison .
True, we were not able to eulogize him with a speech at his necro rites, but the idea of this gym filled us while listening to the speakers. Nakabayad na ako ha, Kuya Ado?
Mabuhay ka, Kuya Ado!
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Governor Amado Espino Jr., alyas Spines, will deliver his State of the Province tomorrow.
The speech, we’re sure, could not match what he has done in actual deeds.
Were happy to have been a part of his leadership, having initiated the find of the province’s foundation, set on April 5, 1580. Because of it — straight from a column item here — the Historical and Cultural Commission was born.
Congrats, Governor!
