Think about it
Bayambang’s epic role recalled
By Jun Velasco
‘To thine own self be true – William Shakespeare
WE rejoined our colleagues at Rembrandt’s Balitaan last Friday to have a new glimpse of the nation as the Manila media viewed it. We’re happy to be back in league again with Bulletin’s Jun Icban, moderator Erick San Juan, our friend of 30 years, and several others.
Guests led by brod Dante, Jun Yasay, JV Ejercito and Bert Lantin gave us a multicolored prism of the nation that underscores our democracy as remaining lively and exciting as ever.
At one point, the issue on the reliability of our banks was tackled with moderator Erick himself making a jab at the way banks would charge Pl5 per withdrawal from the ATM.
When we held his arm to say (in a whisper because we didn’t want those in the head table to hear) and said pare, our case is worse than that, because someone, not the bank, stole our personal ATM card and surreptitiously gate crashed into our secret chamber and succeeded into peeping into our pin number, Erick’s face turned pale, and asked, “may milyon bang winidraw, manong?”
For a poor guy like us, we said “parang milyon ang nawala, about P300 thou!” sabay bunot ng panyo to wipe away our sweat. Erick, looking sympathetic , added, “ikaw kasi manong, kung sino sino ang mga sinasakay mo sa kotse mo at dinadala mo pa sa iyong bahay at opis.”
We discuss this after the forum, we said, which we did zeroing in on a possibility, a remote one we prayed, that the culprit turned out to be a friend with access to our personal files. Suppose he was our friend, he said, with a concerned look? We shrugged our shoulder, cast sad eyes at the horizon and said almost matter of factly, “I’ll let the law take its course, because he or she did us wrong and therefore should face the consequences.” To which, the author of the book “Marcos Legacy: Conspiracies and Controversies,” said, “I’ll do the same manong if I were the victim.” Erick then gave us tips and pointers on how to track down persons who’d act like trusted friends but are actually conspirators.
At this point, the managers and staff of Chinabank, RCBC in Dagupan and Tarlac (most of the withdrawals were done in Tarlac), and the PNB kept assuring us their CCTV facilities would soon show how the grand loot was done.
Wish us, trusting bank depositors and ATM holders, luck.
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Our friend and business tycoon Cezar T Quiambao and Bayambang Mayor Ricardo M. Camacho are into a great effort to highlight Bayambang’s rich historical heritage in preparation for its forthcoming founding anniversary.
They have commissioned comprehensive studies and research of the town’s past such as the town’s role in the final years of the country’s struggle for independence.
In case you don’t know, Bayambang was the seat of the Philippine Republic on Nov. 13,1899 when then President Emilio Aguinaldo, while eluding pursuing American forces, made a long march to the north.
It might interest you to know that Camiling, Tarlac — then a part of Bayambang — was the venue of an idyllic love story between our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal and his cousin Leonor Rivera.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet which surely couldn’t match the depth and height of Rizal’s love story (because it was actually lived and true to life), the Bayambang railroad station, site of a bloody encounter between the Aguinaldo forces and American soldiers, and precursor of the tragedy that ended Rizal and Rivera’s love story, with her forced marriage with Charles Kipping will be recaptured in a coffee table book and a series of events organized by a team Cezar has formed to commemorate Bayambang’s foundation anniversary.
You’d be touched by this moving story. We urge Gonzalo Duque to be a part of this.
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NOTES: We wish to congratulate our kin and confidant Alfredo Dawana for his appointment as consultant to Mayor Benjie Lim on fisheries and aquaculture. The post is long overdue… ditto with former Bonuan Gueset chair Angel; Gumarang for his designation as regional fisher folk director by Secretary Proceso Alcala to ensure the viability if not success of the fishing industry in the region. Mabuhay!
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