Playing with Fire
Tribute
By Gonzalo Duque
THESE are excerpts of our eulogy to Tio Condring Estrella at a necrological service in his hometown of Rosales, Pangasinan yesterday, June 18.
Tia Sergia, other esteemed members of the Estrella family, relatives, provincemates, ladies and gentlemen:
“It’s my singular honor to be here today. As you know, I consider Tio Condring as my second father, the first, being the late Dr. Paco Duque.
Tio Condring and my father, Paco, have many things in common: they were former governors, they were former Cabinet secretaries, they were chairmen of their respective political parties; they were both handsome, and if, Tia Sergia would allow, they were both ladies men.
Maraming nagkaka-crush sa kanila. Papaano, parehong pogi.
Those of you, the elders who are here, like Manong Alfie Bince, whom Tio Condring jokingly called “eternal board member,” must have witnessed the heated, painful and devastating gubenatorial fight between the two.
We were very young then. I thought Tio Condring was a cruel, bad, unlikable, hated person. But what I noticed in my father was that after the political conflict, they were in good terms again, like long lost brothers. Well, after all, they were related by affinity.
I saw this when one day my father asked me to accompany him to Tio Condring’s office. He was to ask Tio Condring, then the right hand man of President Marcos, a favor in connection with the running of the Lyceum Northwestern University. You know what I saw? Dalawang taong nagmamahalan who held each other in the highest esteem. I was touched by their statesmanlike attitude. Tayong mga kabataan, dapat nating tularan ang nga magandang asal at ugaing ganyan.
I already wrote about my own salute of Tio Condring in our Sunday Punch column. One day as guest of honor of the Veterans Day in Lingayen, Tio Condring called for me to accompany him to the rostrum. He even told us that he was proud and happy about what we were doing at the Pangasinan Historical and Cultural Commission.
One day, I also approached him when I was intending to run for congressman in the 4th district of Pangasinan. In spite of our friendship and kindredship, he calmly told us that he had already agreed to field Atty. Juan Siapno as the KBL’s candidate for congressman.
I saw the man’s sense of fairness and principled decisions. Unlike other politicians who would decide on the basis of expediency or what they can personally profit from, Tio Condring’s decisions were based on what’s fair, what’s good, and what’s beneficial to the majority, he being a champion of people’s democracy.
Had you dug deeper into his heart, you would see Tio Condring’s greatness in the way he treated the little tao. He did his best to elevate their status. That central virtue of Tio Condring was the central philosophy of Agarian Reform.
I say without fear of contradiction that in this province if not in the whole country, no one can match his love and concern for the common man. People who have visited the Estrellas in Carmen would say that Tio Condring had all the time, energy and resources for the little tao.
He was the Ramon Magsaysay of Pangasinan whose spirit had long dwelt in the hearts and minds of the Filipino people. Tio Condring and The Guy had the same birthdays, August l9; it was also the birthday of the first president of the Philippines Manuel L. Quezon.
Mga minamahal kong kaprobinsiya sa Pangasinan; sikatayo ran sangkabaleyan, mapalpalar tayo ta wala yan nagmaliw ya ama na probinsiya tan agrarian reform. In this our time of prayer for his safe journey to God’s Kingdom, we say, So long, Tito Condring. We shall remember you always, your works and deeds, your advices, your example as a great leader of all men, and your gentle role as beloved husband of Tia Sergia and dearest father of the late Robert, Jojo, Jimmy, Bernadette, Noemi, grandpa of Conrad, Eskimo and all of us who have individually and collectively received so many blessings from Tio Condring.
May you rest in peace in God’s kingdom, Tio. “
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