Farewell, my friend

It’s not easy to pay tribute to somebody who’s very popular, well-loved and respected, an icon, a legend and most of all a very close, dear friend.

I have been seated in front of my computer for almost an hour now facing a blank page trying to muster the right words that would befit a “not so ordinary man” for a final tribute.

With my deadline obviously nearing, that is if it hasn’t passed considering that the text messages from my editor are getting nearer in between, I would just tell it as it is and as the words come out from my heart.

Jose “Pocholo” Ramirez, also dubbed with reverence as “the country’s racing living legend”, at age 76 has passed away.

A widower twice over, he is survived by his ever-loving and caring wife Ellen who patiently stayed by his bedside until the very end and a racing brood composed of Kookie, Georges, Louis, Michele with first wife Janine and Miguel with second wife Connie. All the children have their own families with the exception of Miguel, who’s still as slippery as an eel when it comes to tying the knot. But despite having their own responsibilities to take care of, all decided to take turns in staying with their beloved dad to talk to him and to keep him company as he went through the most difficult times fighting the “Big C” until he was finally summoned by the Lord. They know this gesture is miniscule compared to how he loved and took care of all of them all throughout his life - perhaps a way of life and a mission for Pocholo.

Pochie was indeed a real proud product of La Salle, as he would always make time to attend alumni homecomings especially in his latter years. I remember he told me once in jest after one such event, “Hey Butch, you know what? I think our batch is getting fewer by the homecoming.” Well, I guess that batch is now again one alumnus less.

If I remember right, he mentioned in a one-on-one interview I had with him on the TV show Business & Leisure’s segment, Profiles, which featured business personalities, celebrities, top government officials, sports icons or “people who matter”, that his career outside of the racing track was started in the hotel business. I also remember he said that very early in his life, while he was still chalking up experiences in hotel management abroad, he had the very fortunate opportunity to work running errands, “gratis con amore”, for the first two-time former World Formula One Champion Driver Jean Manuel Fanggio, a chapter in his life that made him a more passionate lover of the sport of racing.

His hotel and restaurant career spanned long and far and counting among the more notable establishments he successfully managed were the Insular Hotel in Davao, the Coronado Lanes in Makati and Greenlanes in Greenhills, San Juan. His final stop until his retirement about a decade ago was as the founding general manager of the plush Valle Verde Country Club starting from its inception and construction in the late 70s until the time that it was ripe to be run by anyone other then him.

Based on unsolicited testimonies from his old friends from Davao, Poch really liked to drive fast. One of those first hand accounts came from Fernando “Pando” Aquino, formerly a top marketing man of Amon Trading who was one of the closest friends of Pocholo while he was working at the Davao Insular Hotel. He would reminisce how Pochie would nonchalantly drive distances in Davao City at nearly half the time they were normally taken.

I met Pocholo through my wife Baby who’s a niece of Pando Aquino. “Tito” Pando, being the ever-protective uncle recommended my wife to Pochie for her first job fresh out of college – as secretary of the AAP or the Automobile Association of the Philippines – and as the old saying goes, “the rest is history”.

I remember Babes telling me that Pochie was a little wary of that “nattily-dressed TV man from ABS-CBN sales who was a former radio-TV announcer”. After all he promised Tito Pando to take care of her. I think his apprehensions finally ceased when I asked him to be the godfather of Tin Tin, our first-born.

My first professional encounter with Poch was when I produced the TV coverage of the Philippine Grand Prix in 1972, which was held in a street circuit that is now known as Ortigas Business Center. I remember mounting cameras on the 6th floor of the Ortigas Building, the only one standing high enough then for a panoramic view of the entire race track. That was when I realized how passionate his love for the sport was as he spared no effort to help us come up with a thorough and exciting TV coverage of the races.

After that, in between his managing Valle Verde Country Club we would literally “play to death” the then very popular Game of the Generals almost daily from lunchtime to around 5 PM. That was when the game was not even in its electronic version and we needed to have an arbiter all the time, until we received the “arbiter-less” type for a gift, from someone whose name I don’t recall at the moment but most probably from somebody who we would always bother to call the game for us.

We had to stop at five o’clock in the afternoon because by then our friends would fetch us to complete a quorum for the badminton games that would succeed afterwards, which we then play up to about 10 PM in time for the club’s closing.

When I decided to put up the TV show Motoring Today, there was no other choice for me but Pocholo for a co-host – then the country’s “winningest” race driver and my “kumpadre” or the godfather of my only daughter – not necessarily in that order. After all, I didn’t want to work with anybody I didn’t like no matter what good it will do to me. And this was one guy I loved and respected – so what choice was there to make?

I never had any problem working with Pocholo doing the TV show Motoring Today. I can only think of one occasion, on our 2nd year I guess, when we argued and discussed for almost two hours while in the set. The taping delay was caused by arguments on where to place the white broken lines and the continuous yellow line in a mock-up of a highway for the week’s “driving tips” portion. I remember the discussion was passionate and long but was never personal. We were both defending our own beliefs but we never for a moment forgot that we were friends. Pocholo had always the talent not to run out of arguments and rationale for a long protracted debate but at the end of the day, you will not lose your respect for the man as he would go all through his arguments with all due respect to the person he’s arguing with.

I also had the chance to work together with “the country’s racing legend” in bringing back “circuit racing” in the country through what is now known as the Subic International Raceway, which if only to honor the man who herded his entire family to Subic to work together and make a once abandoned airport runway to the country’s seat of circuit racing and other motor sports, should be henceforth known as the Pocholo Ramirez International Raceway – let’s not forget that he put this together almost with his bare hands. I brought up the idea to sons Georges and Miguel and their apprehension was that the SBMA management may want to always have the name Subic, when referring to the track. No problem, then let’s call it “Subic-Pocholo Ramirez International Raceway”. Besides, I don’t think the people now running SBMA, if only out of respect for “the country’s racing legend” and for the region-wide enhancement of Subic as a motor sports venue, would block such a move to rename the track. Believe me, Pocholo is known very well after having spoken to many journalists and racing enthusiasts in the region. Go to Macau and visit the Macau Grand Prix Museum to know that this is not just an empty claim.

Even at the time that he was having difficulty with his battle with the Big C, my friend would still be concerned about his taping schedule for Motoring Today. He would always look forward to it. I remember the last few weeks that he appeared on the show was a compromise for him to just greet his numerous fans and loyal viewers instead of appearing all throughout the program. But the truth is, he didn’t mind and he wanted to host the show just the same, with tubes sticking out of him and all. That’s Poch – the trooper with “the show must go on” attitude up to the very end.

After a long talk about death and accepting it and remembering that “Thy will be done” it should always be, up to the end, I decided not to see Pocholo in his final days when the short lucid moments already came far in between. I felt that I would not do him any good as he would not recognize me and it would not also do me any good for it would depress me no end.

The last time I saw Pocholo was at the St. Peter Memorial Chapel during the mass that was said just before his cremation.

Yes, I cried silently and how. Before I left I shook the cold stiff hand of my friend and mentor as a final farewell. He was wearing his racing suit when he was finally brought back to what he was and to what we all were and will be – ashes to ashes.

Goodbye, Pochie. Goodbye, my dear friend.

Philippine motoring grieves your demise.

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