Remember Typhoon Habagat? Yes, of course. That was the extended weather disturbance that hit Northern Luzon in the past three weeks. Not spared is our beloved City of Pines and the nearby province of Benguet. In our place, that part of Benguet between the majestic boundary ranges of Tuba and Itogon, this Habagat dumped so much rain that tested the newly-built open spillway of the tailings storage facility of Philex Mining. Gone were the penstocks, an old system of draining clear water from the tailings storage facility towards Balog Creek and then to its final destination, the Agno River. Touted by the technical people of Philex Mines, the open spillway is the most efficient and safest way to drain water away from the tailings. Indeed I can attest to it because being part of the Emergency Preparedness Team of Philex Mines, we are monitoring closely how the said new engineered facility respond to the changing weather. Unlike the old penstocks monitoring personnel can see clearly what is happening to the facility and can immediately layout and implement established procedure depending on how it is already behaving. In doing so, prevention is the key of the whole process. At this time, we all need to be prepared; we need to determine all the risks present in each work area and scenario. Kwidaw nga kanayon!
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Speaking of “kwidaw nga kanayon,” a sudden and an unfortunate event happened to a dear relative in the serene and quiet town of Ballesteros, a town in Cagayan. A ten to twelve-hours ride from our place. The shocking information was received about lunch time when my family and I were having a siesta after a sumptuous lunch of assorted veggies, freshly harvested from our La Presa garden – our Manong Abe is gone – forevermore! Manong Abe and Manang Emy and their children Eva and Lyn were so close to me and my family. They, together with Manong Caloy and Manang Doring were my immediate family when I was about to be united with my beautiful and loving Dolly in Philex Mines. I have no family or near relative that I know of in the Camp when I entered Philex. I will always remember Manong Abe to be a simple and unassuming, always smiling and jolly person with his very ideal height which is not the normal height to average Filipino like me. Even Manang Emy is not far behind in height, and built. Manong Abe, being part of the security force of Philex Mines for a long long time before he retired from the service was always a good soldier, so to speak, because without hesitation he always follow orders from his superiors to report to his assigned post or assignment, be near or far from his home, inconvenient or not. But if there is a post which Manong Abe dreads to be assigned is Post No. 6.
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Post No. 6 is the area called Admin Compound of Philex Mines. While the said post is convenient with a guard house secure behind the bulky steel gate, it is one of the busiest post in camp, and critical at that. In the said compound were the various offices of Personnel, Finance, Geology and Exploration, Internal Audit, Electrical and Mechanical Group, Tailings Storage Facility, and of course, the office of the Resident Manager. Why does Manong Abe not want to be assigned to the said post? It is because he does not want to always raise his hand and always salute key staff and personnel of the Company. To be assigned in Post No. 6 requires the most steady and snappy actuation of a guard. The guard assigned therein is always visible and animated, compared to other posts where one can sit, recline, relax, and sometimes take a nap. Mabannog kano nga ag-saludo isuna! Ken, ma-erase kano ti kiday na! Everytime I see him, I always tell him (in jest of course) that I will ask his CO to assign him to Post No. 6. And he will always plead to me not to tell his CO. That was his simple wish, to be posted anywhere but in Post No. 6. A simple wish that he cherished. In my stay in Philex, I never saw him really assigned in Post No. 6. His simple family, ever supported by his able wife, Manang Emy, who cooks different foods and snacks to be sold during recess in the nearby schools, always finds time to invite us in their room for simple salo-salo. We will surely miss our Manong Abe.
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The ever-ready Manong Abe that he is, he was no match to the suddenness of the fatal blow of a knife from his assailant. A debatable case of murder or simple homicide. But why should a life be lost only because of coconut fruits being harvested? How much is the value of the coconuts compared to the lost life of our Manong Abe? He was just there to remind few persons to stop what they are doing, and told them that will just discuss things first being the owner of the land. But from nowhere, his assailant came and confronted Manong Abe and without any hesitation wielded two quick fatal blows. Our helpless Manong Abe dropped to the ground motionless gasping for his final breath. He was gone even before the police came to the rescue.
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We say goodbye to our dear Manong Abe. May your soul find the eternal peace in the place prepared by our Lord for us there in heaven. Please pray and intercede for your family on earth. Adios!
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The lesson I learned from this tragic event is to always be ready and mindful of all what is happening within your immediate area. Do not allow your emotions cloud your thinking. In other words, we should always have the presence of mind.
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Speaking of preparedness, the “shake drill” that was conducted by the MMDA in Metro Manila this week is impressive. While there are still others who took it lightly, somehow, the exercise sent to the majority of all the residents in the metropolitan area to prepare for the unexpected. No one is spared at the struck of a calamity! Be counted kapatid!
