Remembering Doy Laurel

We spent one afternoon with the widow of the late vice president Salvador “Doy” Laurel, Mrs. Celia Diaz Laurel, who very graciously showed us around the Laurels’ family retreat on a hilltop in San Pedro, Laguna. Joining us were Mrs. Laurel’s son Cocoy as well as her daughter Suzie and son-in-law Mayie Delgado, my longtime personal friend. The four-hectare property in Holiday Hills is surrounded by numerous fruit-bearing trees that give an Eden-like atmosphere to the place. According to Mrs. Laurel, the vice president — fondly called Tito Doy or DHL by those who got close to him — planted many of the trees, describing himself as “the Lord’s gardener.”

The property also houses the Salvador H. Laurel Museum and Library — a loving tribute to the memory of the former vice president whose legacy has sadly been glossed over by writers and observers of history. A centerpiece of the museum is the late vice president’s study at the Laurel house on Shaw Boulevard whose contents were painstakingly transferred piece by piece, for a period of one year, by Mrs. Laurel. From the floor, the ceiling, the walls to the books lining the shelves — the study looked almost exactly the way it was in the family home in Mandaluyong where numerous power meetings were held and important decisions made by the former vice president.

Although the museum is not yet open to the public, visits can be arranged especially with schools that want their students to learn about the man whose legacy to this country has been almost forgotten.

In his article “Doy Laurel: The Unsung Hero,” Christopher Bonoan described DHL as “a quintessential statesman...whose dream to selflessly serve our country as president (and probably could have been one of the best Philippine presidents in our history) was made impossible by an unfortunate string of historical events.”

Being the son of a former president, Doy Laurel was groomed for the presidency, eventually becoming the youngest senator of the Nacionalista Party. He then organized the United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO) that became a major opposition party in the 1980s. But just when he seemed destined for the presidency, he was faced with a difficult challenge that required him to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

DHL gave way to Cory Aquino to unite the fractured opposition groups and galvanize the people, with the understanding that he would contribute in running the country as its Prime Minister. Sadly, promises were broken and once again frustrated because exactly a month after, the position was abolished with the declaration of a revolutionary government.

For a man like Tito Doy, who was passionate about friendships and did not take promises lightly, betrayal became a source of heartbreak and disappointment. He quietly went into retirement, and died of cancer in Atherton, California in 2004.

Those who accused Doy Laurel as just being ambitious are gravely mistaken because history will be kind to him and ultimately reveal a man who chose — above all — patriotism and love of country. When all is said and done, Doy Laurel will be remembered as a man who decided not to seize the moment for himself, but ultimately seized the moment for his country.