In the mind of many, more specially the superstitious, there is some magic to number 7. I recall two groups called “the magnificent seven” and the supposed reason why they were so named. The first was a foreign movie which became the standard of a good western flick. It was the classic film made at the time when it was arguably lucrative to produce a movie showing how killings were decided, not with the kind of treachery used by the vigilantes and on the basis of who the faster draw was. They were the magnificent seven because the seven of them were quicker with their pistols compared to the others.
As a second group, we had our own infamous economic manipulators who reportedly dictated what things to smuggle to our port. They were “the magnificent seven” because they allegedly used bribe money to keep in their control our corrupt customs officials.
Additionally, there was also the alleged preference of the late Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos for number 7. We, then, could recollect of many events in his maligned administration taking place with the figure 7 lurking in the background.
To confess, numerology is not my cup of tea. I do not believe in it because to me, luck, not the number 7 or any number for that matter, is always associated with industry and talent. The more industrious a talented person is, the more successful he gets (meaning, luckier) in his undertakings. Neither do I practice resorting to any number as some kind of security blanket simply because it is both an anathema to my will and, in my evaluation, a decided waste of my precious time.
The other day, however, I tried to assemble talented people. The individuals I am speaking of are whose who, for some time in the not-so-distant past entertained us with their melodious voices. I really had no other reason than to see them in person and perhaps, out of the abundance of the spirit of the season, to greet them. I worked on this gathering some time ago, in fact. The days leading to our meeting, I requested a number of friends to help me reach out to them but, despite great efforts, I was uncertain of the outcome. Each one helping me was unsure of the results of his effort.
I was spurred to succeed in the planned meeting when an event conceptualized by Sir Dodong Gullas with the able support of Atty. Joseph Baduel and Sir Eladio Dioko served as an opportunity.
When the day arrived, all of them were there. Whom did we have? 7 Cebuano singers under whose names we could attach some appreciable degree of fame. I realized their number, rather accidentally, only much later in the evening when I took careful notes of their correct addresses.
Mario Jadraque first arrived. Then came Erlinda Dajao, the lady of Arthur Sayson. She was followed by David Calero, Armistice Abayan, Jaime Salazar, Al Comendador and Novo Bono Jr.
Suddenly, their number had an impact. It was most difficult to understand what but an impact, it was. Yes, these gifted friends may have seen better years. Some of the stories they told were not so flattering. So, the collective feeling that they entertained most of us years ago in the midst of fun and surrender added to the air of sudden melancholy.
An idea surged forth. Why not put together the songs of the old and preserve them for the future? These compositions ought to be an indestructible bridge between these generations. The music of the past carried, in their lyrics, a bevy of that Cebuano kinaiya which makes us a distinct breed of people. That we are humble yet firm in our beliefs is a common lullaby that characterizes the Cebuano.
And, who can be better instruments in this attempt to preserve our culture than with the talents the magnificent 7 singers have been endowed with? Aha, why the presence of the seven of them been so coincidental is not the work of numerology.