The great former governor Rene Espina and the humble son

I asked an apology over a phone that I couldn’t come on time. I got something else to do plus I also consider the mild traffic in Cebu city, so I replied to come and meet the person at 3 p.m. at Treat Street Cafe in Ayala Mall.

From Rustan department store, a security guard helped me find the cafe that I and this strange person I was texting with agreed to meet. I thought the place was so hard to find the same with this stranger that I didn’t know why I gave my trust to come, but I was there, confident to face an unknown someone. Then a voice from an old man I passed by caught my attention when he called, “John, Are you, John?” I turned to him and said yes. The man was wearing an army green cap, thick glasses, and a checkered polo. I gave my hand to introduce myself and he did the same. He said, “Hi, I’m Erik, have a seat.” A woman who was younger than this man, Erik, approached us. He introduced her name to me and I got an impression she was his secretary, a sister, or just someone working for Mr. Erik. They grabbed me a black hot coffee and we started our discussions.

It was a long conversation about politics, culture, history, views in life and about Mr. Erik’s father. He shared to me a quick story about him and I found myself in awe when I learned that his father, Mr. Rene Espina, was the first lawyer in their family and in their province despite the financial struggle, he also became a governor in the province of Cebu in 1963-1969 and a senator in 1970-1973. I got more attentive to his stories when he continued to share his father’s contributions. He said that his father became an instrumental someone for the construction of the Sergio Osmeña Bridge and for the cementing of roads of Mango Avenue if my memory serves me right.

I found myself so behaved that what I’d like to do that time was to listen to this stranger who little by little I couldn’t still recognize. The woman next to him was also listening like it was her first time to hear those stories. Looking around, there were few people in the cafe who took a glimpse of us talking. I said to myself that this man I think should be a famous one or maybe a movie director.

On our table, were a book and a newspaper, where I had a chance to ask Mr. Erik if he also writes because our scene was truly like what I saw in a movie when someone, a writer has to go downtown to catch essential thoughts and he has to hide with a cap, a coat, or glasses for self-keeping. He said he’s writing a book and a column in a national press. He even shared to me his opinion about a particular ideology which made me think that I got a lot of things to read, to observe, and to experience in life as a writer and as an aspiring columnist.

I went home that day and felt embarrassed in my room when I learned late after I searched on the internet that the man I was talking to over a coffee, Mr. Erik Espina, was a former Cebu City councilor this year.

Few weeks passed, I was saddened by news about the death of the late Governor Rene Espina. I didn’t meet him nor had a chance to talk to him but I had a sense of his greatness through his son’s stories and humility which I’m sure he learned from his great father whom we pray now for his peaceful life going back to his creator.

Edmer John Caballes

Cebu City