BY DON ALFONSO TAN
IT IS MY privilege to have been invited to honor a man I fondly called “IDOL” and “ROBIN HOOD”.
Some 10 years before Danny Fajardo passed away, upod kami kada aga ga kape sa Hotel Del Rio. Everyday. Every morning. No miss. During that period, nakilala ko gid si Danny, iya character and the kind of person he was.
I called him “IDOL” and ‘ROBIN HOOD” and please let me explain why. Danny was a very very good friend to me. Wala gid ako sang malain mahambal sa iya.
Dec. 24, 1945 – Sept. 10, 2018
He founded Panay News 40 years ago in April 7, 1981 as an alternative press. “Journalists should stay courageous in upholding press freedom and telling people the truth. They should not be cowed. That is the philosophy of Panay News,” he said.
Siguro para sa iban bad boy si Danny, pero para sa akon he was one of the good persons I have known. Sa amon pag upod sa kapehan adlaw-adlaw, nakita ko with my own eyes how friendly and caring he was sa iya pamilya, to his friends, and to his fellow mediamen. He was very generous, especially to the poor. Mabulig gid siya especially sa pigado nga mediaman, even to his last centavo.
Personally seeing that, I started calling Danny, “IDOL”. Tungod sina, some called him the “Godfather of Iloilo Media”. Pero for me, I started calling Danny “IDOL” because I liked the character he showed. He was a true, modern day Robin Hood. A BAD BOY with GOOD HABITS.
Hambal nila, “any man can help make a child, but it takes a special man to raise a child.” Danny had six children, namely Abdiel, Mae, John Dan, Strawberry, Daniel Jr., and David. They each have become successful in their own right, having helped the success of Panay News and carried it on after the passing of Danny, one becoming the national president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and another an independent councilor sang banwa sang Pavia. Ga pati gid ako that how the child was raised contributes to their success. Sa ini nga bagay, good job, IDOL!
A day before the surgery of IDOL Danny, nag kadto ako sang aga to Manila to visit him at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center at Ayala-Alabang and balik to Iloilo sa hapon. I wanted him to know I was there for him. Pero I did not realize that it was the last time we will see each other. Like many of his friends, I was surprised and saddened with his passing.
To IDOL Danny, rest in peace my friend, knowing that you have done well to your family, your country and your fellowmen./PN
