Morphing from politician to statesman!

First off, allow me to salute my good friend, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas for morphing from a mere politician to that of a statesman, a trait that was common during the days of his father Sen. Gerry Roxas, but was thought to be extinct with today’s crop of me-myself-and-I politicos! There’s a lesson that we ought to learn from Sen. Mar Roxas, that we already learned from the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and the recently departed US Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy, that you don’t have to be the President of your country to achieve greatness! Cheers to you Sir Mar Roxas!

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Finally, Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno launched his Moral Force Movement (MFM) which I thought was originally designed to fight corruption, but it seems to have been refocused to elect a moral leadership for the coming 2010 elections. I only have a simple message to the Chief Justice that electing a moral leadership could still result in a corrupt administration unless we cleanse the system that breed’s corruption.

Let the MFM focus on cleansing our Justice system by giving the Filipino that Justice that they have long desired, but always denied! When our government officials realize that a corrupt act can land them in jail in a couple of months, believe me, corruption will start to decline big-time!

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Today is the 80th birthday of our dear friend and mentor, the late Sir Maximo Villaflor Soliven who passed to eternal life on Nov. 24, 2006. I have already written much about Sir Max who turned me from an obscure businessman into a journalist. Now that I’ve sold my restaurant (Chika-an Restaurant) business, I’ve really devoted my time as a media personality, which I learned the ropes from Sir Max. But one thing that I never learned from him was his poetry and I’m glad that the Soliven family came up with a collection of his timeless poems entitled, “Ave Triumphator!” that Tita Precious gave me.

 For his 80th birthday, allow me to take a quote from the Soliven book of poems, entitled “God Bless You!” I chose this particular poem because whenever he bids his friends goodbye whether in person or on the phone, Sir Max always says the last word saying, “God Bless You!” or just a plain and simple, “God Bless” and so here’s his poem.

God Bless You

As grateful friends forever seek

Their wishes to impart,

The words that they in friendship speak,

Must spring up from the heart.

We know no other way pray’r or thought,

Dear Father, to address You,

We know no truer wish than this,

Three simple words — “God Bless you!”

And Father, may your path be bright,

And ne’er the dark depress You,

For we’re wishing that your way be light,

In wishing God to bless you!

And this I pray, nothing I stand,

Your peace and joy to sever,

And we shall never cease to pray,

May God bless you forever!

For no one in the whole wide world

A grief too deep possesses,

How can be a man oppressed,

When it is God who blesses?”

No doubt, my 20-year friendship with Sir Max Soliven has left a great impact on my life, my family and my friends in Cebu, where Sir Max was a frequent visitor. On Sept. 4, 2005, Sir Max came to Cebu to celebrate his 76th birthday with his Cebuano friends at the Cebu City Sports Club. I was supposed to be the host of that dinner, but in the end, my friends literally took the bill from my hands because it truly was an honor to host the birthday celebration of Sir Max especially that he was in Cebu.

Sir Max was also in Cebu to celebrate Press Freedom Week, which we hold annually every second week of September. He was able to see first hand how close are Cebuano journalists . . . the competition between the local newspapers may be tough, but Sir Max noted that we are all friends with each other. I submit that a day never passes where my thoughts would not bring me back to the time Sir Max and I where together. So whenever my thoughts remind me of Sir Max, I simply go in prayer for the repose of his soul.

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