BEFORE the peace and quiet of Holy Week get overwhelmed by the chatter and jabber of daily life, we pause to recall the lives of three men who lived for others, caring for others in the most selfish of surroundings. We refer to Alfredo de la Rosa, Antonio Cabangon Chua and Jovito Salonga—all of whom left positive imprints in the hearts of people they touched.
We start with de la Rosa, the obscure one of the three. The editor and publisher of one of Manila’s respected daily newspapers until his eyesight began failing him some 10 years ago, Fred was not a typical journalist. He was quiet in his ways, never given to proclamations of his greatness, of his wide-ranging learning. A man of tremendous wit, he could turn an ordinary accident into the most historic occurrence with his satirical pen. What made him stand out among his peers was the encouragement he gave to aspiring young writers and reporters to realize their potential in journalism and literature. In his late years, he devoted his attention to people with visual disabilities. He died with the adulation of the people he served.
We focus next on Cabangon-Chua, owner and publisher of our own BusinessMirror. Tony started life under the sole care of his mother, having lost his father at an early age. By sheer determination, he worked his way through college. Literally working 24 hours a day, he built an empire of businesses spanning many sectors, estimated to be worth not in the millions, but billions of pesos. Later, he became Philippine ambassador to Laos. But the most outstanding aspect of his life was the generosity he showed to people he came in contact with and to causes that help uplift the ordinary folk. Nowhere was the love and admiration for him more evident than in Mandaluyong, where he grew up. There, in the church in the middle of the town, the people gathered and stayed through the night to pay their last respects to the man they loved and admired.
Last but not least is Salonga. A bar topnotcher, Jovie dedicated his life to public service. From hard-working congressman, to a committed adversary of the martial-law dictatorship and defender of oppressed people under that regime, to senator of the Republic and later to President of the Senate, he never wavered in his commitment of loyal service to the Filipino people. Never was he associated with any act of wrongdoing in and out of government. One of his last acts was to spearhead the Senate group that terminated the United States military bases in the Philippines. In the last years of his life, as statesman par excellence, he provided counsel of loyalty and dedication to honest governance to all people who came to seek his guidance and wisdom.
Though this piece is meant to give tribute to the eminent men mentioned above, it is, likewise, our intention to honor all Filipinos who dedicated their lives to the service of others. May their examples serve as beacons to guide us in our own ponderous existence.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano