Gleanings on the personality of Mandaue's icon - I

One does not pretend as an expert on the life and works of the eminent Sotero Bate Cabahug, popularly deemed as Mandaue's Number 1 or leading citizen, whose personality, stature, and achievements will stand for posterity.

In fact, during the April 22, 2010 celebration of the 119th Sotero B. Cabahug Day, particularly during the 3rd Memorial Lecture with Prof. Melva Java ably doing the honors, one's friend Oping Suico, a retired DepEd home economics supervisor, posed this question in a whisper: "Duna kahay makatupong o makalabaw ni Mano Terong?" In answer, one merely wryly smiled, but meant to be: "It's very remotely possible, but highly improbable".

As a sidetrip in nostalgia, one had the honor of paying tribute to Mano Terong in a similar official commemoration on April 22, 1977. One was awed by the occasion and, had chosen to discourse on one's impressions about the august honoree, viz: 1) Mano Terong's lack of pomposity, or his humility; 2) his honesty in, and dedication to, public service; and 3) his deep commitment towards recognizing intellectual achievement, as capped by the awarding of the Cabahug Medal to the highest graduate or top achiever in the academe annually.

Strangely, of these impressions, it's humility that stands out until now. Like, Pres. Bill Clinton and Hillary, or songstress Pilita Corrales, or Pres. Ramon Magsaysay, mixing with a diverse group, and swapping jokes and light banter sans condescension, or be patronizing to the group.

And to complete the comforting mix is that the jabbering folk does not lose the respect due the noted figure, but behaving without inhibition in making the latter the butt of a joke. Yeah, in a sense, such was Mano Terong whose humility, as opposite of hubris, made him more respected, but not as an object of sheer awe.

Said otherwise: "Si Mano Terong parehas ra gyud nato, way hambug. Ingon man, dili ta suwawan ug magpanuko kay natural man kaayo ang iyang pagtagad nato ug walay tinagoan nga minaot. Ang iyang kagawian dili tininggaan, walay pakapin nga paaron-ingnon".

In Prof. Java's lecture about Justice Sotero B. Cabahug, she touched on some virtues defining Mano Terong's life and public service, like, humility, honesty, and integrity. He started public service as councilor and acting "presidente" of the Mandawe "municipio", and after serving various positions, he rose to be provincial governor. He also was a national legislator, later Secretary of Public Works and Communications, and as Economics Coordinator before his stint as defense secretary, and last as Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals.

Pres. Ramon Magsaysay was mildly criticized for appointing Mano Terong who was no longer young. RM's reason in opting for him was the proven honesty and sincerity of the appointee. As it turned out, Mano Terong allayed the few doubting Thomases as he kept pace with the ever-active RM. His stint at the DND greatly satisfied The Guy.

 Prof. Java, however, chose to discourse exhaustively on two things that then Governor Cabahug was so obsessed to do: 1) The acquisition of a light bomber plane, the "Spirit of Cebu", and 2) the building of the stately Provincial Capitol at its present site.

 The "Spirit of Cebu", acquired at no centavo from public funds, stood for the nationalistic aspirations of the Filipinos with progressive mindset for the unity of the people or oneness of the Cebuanos. Instead of the plane an instrument of aggression, the "Spirit of Cebu" symbolized the united spirit of the Cebuanos when the winds of war in Europe then were becoming imminently ominous as Adolf Hitler was bent in spreading the Nazi hegemony, Mano Terong also authored the law penalizing any disrespect to the national anthem to highlight his nationalistic ethic, anticipating perhaps the Filipino singers who couldn't correctly sing the national anthem. (to be continued)

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