Restoring Lopez Jaena to his niche in history

On Thursday, Negrenses were overjoyed. They finally found Ilonggo national hero Graciano Lopez Jaena, and paid tribute due the pioneer of the triumvirate of the Propaganda Movement — Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar and Lopez Jaena.

Thursday’s commemoration of the 110th death anniversary of Lopez Jaena saw a capacity crowd of Bacolod groups paying tribute to the Ilonggo national hero during the rites at the Graciano Lopez Jaena Elementary School. The newly refurbished statue of the national hero, gleaming golden in the sunlight, saw a record number of floral wreaths brought by a horde of civic, non-government and government groups.

Ms. Virgie Janiola, principal of the GLJES, blurted out that it was the first time that she saw an overflow of floral wreaths at the foot of the monument of the national hero in a park inside the school campus.

The principal speaker in Thursday’s rites was Dr. Augusto de Viana, chief of the publications, research and heraldy division of the National Historical Institute. He was delegated by Dr. Ludovico Badoy, NHI executive director, to represent him in the affair.

Dr. De Viana stressed that the problems spotted by Lopez Jaena are the same basic issues that bug us today — social justice, poverty, political issues, and the role of government — and the individual, too — in society.

"They are challenges to our generation and a test of our conviction and resolve. History will be our judge on how we deal with these challenges," De Viana pointed out.

He then cited Andres Bonifacio’s warning — "Be afraid the judgment of history. Its verdict is merciless and there will be no appeal."

Surprisingly, that was exactly the same themes harped upon by the preceding speakers — acting Mayor Renecito Novero and Mrs. Josefa Puentevella, wife of Rep. Monico Puentevella.

Novero called on the people to unite as one to liberate ourselves from the oppressive shackles of poverty, lack of education, and the other ills which have hampered our growth.

Mrs. Puentevella also harped on the need for us to become "small heroes." She pointed out that these individual heroisms could build up into a national movement of reform.

What caught the fancy of the group, which included the members of the Masonic District No. 22 of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines, was the rendition by GLJES teachers of the Padungog kay Graciano Lopez Jaena under the baton of Marife Tan.

The music was by R.J. Pangan. Dr. Concepcion Pamatid of the West Visayas State University composed the Ilonggo lyrics.

My brother, Bert Espina, president of the Bacolod Capitol Lions Club, suggested to cousin Gilbert Hollero that the lilting song be adopted as the hymn of the Lopez Jaena clan of Negros during its reunion.

But that is not the point. More important is the reported assurance of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza to Antique Gov. and Regional Development Council chairwoman Sally Zaldivar-Perez that he intends to put up a statue of Lopez Jaena in Manila.

As a grandnephew of Lopez Jaena, I have been touched by the paeans for Marcelo H. del Pilar who, at one time, a Manila writer called the founder of La Solidaridad. That was a historical mistake which was resented by members of the Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation of Iloilo City, headed by historian Demy Sonza.

Dr. Pete Jaena, a foundation trustee, said that while he did not begrude his followers paying more tribute to Del Pilar, they, however, should not rewrite history by attributing to him the La Solidaridad.

Anyway, Dr. De Viana, to a certain extent, restored the confidence of Lopez Jaena’s clan in both Negros and Iloilo, saying that the Ilonggo national hero has not been discriminated against simply because he is the only one from southern Philippines.

Two contrasting funerals

Actually there were two funerals on Thursday that caught the attention of Western Visayas.

The first was that of Talisay City Mayor Anthony Lizares. The cortege was accompanied by some 5,000 Talisaynons as his remains were escorted from Bacolod City to the Talisay City Hall.

Ton, was he was fondly called by Talisaynons, will actually be interred on Monday yet after the requiem Mass at the Talisay San Nicolas de Tolentino Church.

He died on Monday of multiple organ failure. Lizares was just 39, and he succumbed to cirrhosis just one day before his 40th birthday.

The other was the burial of Francisco (Bobby) Tan, his wife, Cynthia, and their daughter, Katherine, who were killed in their home last week.

Hundreds of members of the Filipino-Chinese community of Iloilo attended the Mass and the subsequent funeral procession to the posh Foresh Last Memorial Park in Mandurriao.

Tan and his family members were slain inside their two-story mansion in Molo District of Iloilo City.

Two of Tan’s children by his first wife — Archie, 23, and Jan Michael, 18 — have been charged by the Criminal Investigation and Detention Group of the Philippine National Police with double murder and parricide.

The two brothers have vehemently denied involvement in the killing of their father, stepmother and stepsister.

Many members of the Zayco clan from Negros Occidental attended the funeral. And they were all crying for justice for Cynthia, niece of Negros Occidental Vice Gov. Isidro Zayco and Kabankalan City Mayor Pedro Zayco.

Bobby’s and Cynthia’s five children gathered around the coffins with the Tan matriarch, 71-year-old Conchita Tan.

Both Archie and Jan Michael were also present. They cried as they hugged the coffins of the Tan victims.

Later, the five children of Bobby and Cynthia were brought to Bacolod under tight escort by Kabankalan and Bacolod policemen.

They are to be placed under the custody of Cynthia’s mother, Rosalinda, and uncle, Michael.

They are Raffy, 17; Karen, 15; Kristine, 13; and Katheleen, one; and another sibling.

Two major court cases

It is seldom that Negrenses find themselves with two major court decisions that jar them. But this happened yesterday.

The first was the sentencing of a secretary of Ernesto Divinagracia, owner of the Bacolod Aries Parts and General Merchandising, to double reclusion perpetua or 40-year prison term for allegedly filching an accumulated P2 million from January 1977 to July 15, 2000.

The secretary, Dionela Villacastel, according to RTC Judge Gorogio Ybanez, withdrew varying amounts of money weekly and deposited in the current account of Divinagracia’s store less than what she had withdrawn from the savings account.

Since she was a trusted employee of Divinagracia, Dionela, the judge said, acted in grave abuse of confidence. This crime amounted to qualified theft, the penalty for which is higher than for simple theft, Judge Ybanez ruled.

In the second case, the first division of the Supreme Court awarded former San Miguel Corp.’s warehouse checker Bonifacio Azufrin Jr. P7 million in back wages dating from April 1, 1996 and also ordered his reinstatement.

The High Court also ruled that Azufrin’s dismissal was illegal, and ordered his reinstatement to his former or equivalent position.

Azufrin was represented by lawyer Jose Max Ortiz.

Hired in February 1972 as a miscellaneous worker in the Coca-Cola plant, he became a regular daily paid employee in November 1973, and was promoted to monthly paid employee in November 1981.

He was then promoted to stock clerk in 1981 and assigned as warehouse checker of the Sum-ag sales office in 1984.

The implementation of the "pre-selling scheme" by San Miguel in 1994 led to the abolition of the positions of 12 personnel on the grounds that they were redundant.

The complaint of the employees was dismissed by Bacolod City labor arbiter Ray Alan Drilon for lack of merit in December 1996.

The complainant, however, elevated the decision to the NLRC in Cebu. The Court of Appeals later dismissed the SMC petition.

Ortiz filed a motion for execution of the Supreme Court verdict to obtain the award for his client, who said that he now sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the Philippines, cases drag on for years. But in the case of Azufrin, he may find the means soon enough to treat the ailment of his wife when the order of execution is finally issued by the court.