IT WAS IN 1997. I lived in the City of Love after I left General Santos City. Simple life made me love the city life so much. The standard of living was very simple and modest. The city mayor then was Mansing Malabor.
For a year I stayed with the family of McRay Ortaliz who just retired from the telecom company now owned by Manny Pangilinan’s group. He built a modest hotel and I was around to help it grow.
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Along the way I met acquaintances who became close to my life, the likes of Raymund Montelibano, Joemari Moriente, Nonoy Acdol, and Nelson Hipe who were the movers of the Volkswagen Kafer Club.
Then, the SM City mall was set to come about. My guts to look for a job led me to be the advertising supplier of the mall for a year. After that my friend Dong Sarabia got me in to manage his hotel. It was not for long though. I recall making Dong’s Freddie’s Bar a nightly destination among executives and businessmen.
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With my friendships building productively, I asked Raymund Montelibano to endorse me to help manage the 2001 Iloilo Dinagyang Festval. Then councilor Rolando Dabao and businessman Larry Jamora saw sense in my proposal. The festival was a great success and the likes of the late radioman Eddie Laczi saw the growth of Dinagyang. I gave prominence and value to corporate sponsors that made the festivity a living success.
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It was in that year’s festival where I organized the 1st Dinagyang Friendship Golf Tournament. Lando Dabao asked lawyer Jerry Treñas to open the event. Credit also go to golfer-beerman the late Lito Doran for his technical support on the tourney.
Iloilo City gave opportunities to individuals like me.
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It was in last days of that January when my dream to write for Panay News came true. I was at L’Fisher Hotel Bacolod for an occasion. I saw Danny “DF” Fajardo finishing his breakfast with friends. I approached him to introduce myself, saying I am an opinion writer and I was taught to write by my old friends, the publisher of the Philippine Star Max Soliven and by my other friend and lifestyle writer, the late Joe “JQ” Qurino.
DF simply replied, “Welcome to Panay News. You can start anytime.”
And the rest is history. My maiden article was on Feb. 14, 2001.
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That was an election year and the mayoralty seat was won by Mayor Jerry P. Treñas. It was in that same year that then Marikina City mayor Marides Fernando asked me to be her technical consultant for the Marikina Rehiyon-Rehiyon Festival in December.
I invited her to the 2002 Dinagyang Festival and she gladly agreed, with her telling me that Rosalie Sarabia-Treñas was her classmate at Cornell University. Small world, indeed.
So Mayor Fernando arrived with husband Bayani Fernando and some of her department heads. They were all impressed with the Dinagyang festival.
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After six years I left the city after being hired by Bayani Fernando as business consultant until he became Metro Manila Development Authority chairman appointed by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
After my stint I went home to Iloilo City.
What I admired of Mayor Tre ñas’ governance was his instilling discipline on public and private transport. The traffic system highly improved. Kudos to Mayor JPT. Till my next article then.
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This column greets Francis Chu, Nelson Hipe, Troy Camarista, Maui dela Cruz-Espejo, Mary Ann Matiling, Alan Tan, Dr. Mae Panes, Tibong Jardeleza, Jane Javellana, Natalie Lim, Sandra Gomez, Dong Sarabia, Jenni Fong, Harold Geronimo and Red Sarabia./PN
