By Farah G. Decano

 

TITO Ermin, please accept my mea culpa. As a former legislator, I regret that I was not able to pass a resolution to honor your father, Ermin Garcia Sr.’s, profound heroism. While you never sought his recognition, I take full responsibility for this oversight – an omission, which unintentionally sidelined a truly deserved official tribute to your father’s unparalleled courage.

Perhaps it may be a consolation that during my time in office, I dedicated myself to opposing transactions detrimental to the City Government’s interests. I fought against the “notorious” purchases of the Awai property, the questionable street lamps, dredging machines, and the ill-conceived government buy-back of the Perez market property,  among others. In essence, I believe I embarked on a crusade much like your father’s: a lonely battle for transparency and accountability in governance.

Fighting corruption in government is rarely popular. Few are willing to risk their necks for seemingly abstract concepts like “nation” and “common good.” It often feels like only fools would jeopardize their lives and financial stability. The “wise,” or rather, the wais, often prioritize securing their own positions, wealth, and power.

Yet, being a “fool” for our country is not foreign to your family. Beyond the distress your father endured, you yourself experienced firsthand the horrors of standing up against the most powerful man in the Philippines at the time, President Joseph Estrada, all to protect the fundamental right of “freedom of expression.” This shared struggle explains why your column so often provided me solace and comfort during my own transparency efforts. You’d been there, you understood the solitary path of a lone wolf.

Upon becoming city administrator, I sought to honor this heroic Dagupeño. I proposed naming either the second floor of the City Museum or the bridge along the De Venecia Extension highway after your father. Unfortunately, both proposals fell on deaf ears. I realized, perhaps too late, that I no longer held the influence and decisive power of an elected official.

This leads me to a renewed plea: I urge our current elected officials to consider an ordinance honoring both Ermin Garcia Sr. and his son, Ermin Garcia Jr.

To impress upon them the importance of this recognition, a brief historical reflection might prove useful. A few years ago, a custodian of centuries-old documents recounted to me an embarrassing episode in Dagupan City’s history—an event we’d rather forget. According to this individual, Dagupan residents were once branded as cowards by neighboring towns due to their sudden withdrawal from a planned attack against either the Americans or the Spaniards. These infuriated towns reportedly retaliated by burning structures in Dagupan instead of confronting the foreign adversaries.

Honoring courageous Dagupenos like Ermin Garcia Sr. and Ermin Garcia Jr. would undoubtedly help redeem our reputation from this shameful moniker, if this historical claim holds true. One lost his life for the sake of good governance, and another sacrificed his position and publication in defense of freedom.

The individuals we choose to honor truly reflect our community’s values.

Must we solely bestow awards upon those who donate their excesses to charity and who achieved merely personal successes but have no impact over the generations?

Or should we reserve our highest accolades for those who have made supreme sacrifices for our beloved country?

I sincerely hope that, for once, the majority and minority factions of our council can unite in remembering our true heroes.

With June 20th – Araw ng Dagupan – just around the corner, now is the opportune moment.

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