She wants Brod Soc to win in May, but...

It’s “all systems go” for the automated polls on May 10. For a while, I was worried. I thought it was all systems gone.

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Akbayan members gave flowers to Comelec officials here. To show, they said, their trust in the electoral body. The flowers were received by Comelec-7 Director Rene Buac.

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I had fun reading my friend Ben Ypil’s column in Cebu Voice, a new newspaper here. Among other things, Ben (actually a veteran columnist) answered the question of a child about the difference between the Queen City Memorial Gardens and Queensland.

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Ben explained: “Ang Queen City Gardens lubnganan sa patay... Ang Queensland lubnganan sa buhi.” The last word had me heheing.

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A very religious Talisay City matron said to me: “I don’t want Mayor Brod Soc (Fernandez) to lose in the coming election...But I also don’t want Talisay to be ‘owned’ by his troublesome adopted son.”

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(It will be recalled that Joavan, Brod Soc’s adopted son, had reportedly told someone: “Wa ka kahibawo nga akoa ang Talisay?”)

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Many have already spoken about Rogelio “Jingjing” Osmeña who passed away recently. Many didn’t like Jingjing because “estrikto ra kaayo.” But I liked Jingjing. He was strict, yes, as a public official. But I found him friendly.

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Twice Jingjing phoned me and invited me to a Jollibee snack. Twice I excused myself because of pressure of office work. The third time he called he said: “Nit, di na lang tika imbitahon snack, mo anha nalang ko.”

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And he came. His only reason for wanting to see me was to thank me for my support of his strictness in running Citom. No other government official has taken the trouble to see me to say TY for the little praise I said...Only Jingjing, the tough-talking city official some people didn’t like. Rest in peace now, Jingjing.

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I met Nilo Feliciano, an old friend...a long lost friend... at the Sto. Niño Pilgrim Center last Wednesday, Feb. 10. He has been living in Bohol for some years now. Nilo brought his sick wife to Cebu to hear the healing Mass of Fr. Fernando Suarez.

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“Lingering illness kining gibati sa akong misis,” Nilo said to me in a voice that was about to crack. He said he heard on the radio that the famous healing priest was coming to Cebu, so he brought his ailing wife here.

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Nilo was a successful insurance agent when we first met and struck up a lasting friendship... “I’m not complaining,” he said. “I love my wife...Besides, did Christ complain when he took all those beatings for us?”

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