Don’t you find it amazing how death can bring together so many people? Hundreds of individuals that form part of a memory or hold a special place in the heart of a single person come from all over to pay tribute to somebody they hold dear. This day it had to be Ybar’s.
Nothing is as certain as death and taxes, they say. But despite that certainty, that inevitability, when the day finally comes one can never seem to be ready for it. Right now I do not rejoice because he is in a better place. I mourn because he will be missed.
My Lolo who used to jog every morning, practice in his own gym, have his own aviary…My Lolo who enjoyed reading the papers everyday to the point that when he could no longer do it himself wanted the news read out to him. My Lolo who liked boxing, wrestling, and his “cervesa”.
He was the king of his household. Our Lola saw to it that he was. Even after she was gone, their children saw to it that he was never deprived of that pampering . He also ran his town (now a city) with an iron fist. But tough as he was, he was also a very religious man. And without a doubt, he was a good man—a man who lived by his principles. To those of you who knew him, I need not expound on what that meant.
As I roamed through his house in Palanas, I found myself staring at the plaques on the wall. At first glance you can barely mind it coz they look so old and rustic, but when you find time to decipher what is written beneath you’ll find the words “HERO” and “APPRECIATION”. I knew my Lolo was a good & esteemed man but I never knew it was to the point of being deemed as a hero by the nation. After all his good qualities, in the end, it was HUMILITY that became his lasting virtue. That makes him the greatest man I ever have ever known.
Ours is a big family. Numerous as we are may we not forget where we came from and may we find happiness and contentment in where we are going. Lolo Ybar sure did. May his legacy inspire us and his memory remain with us.
He was a good man, a very good man—and good men need not be forgotten.
We love you, Lo…always have, and always will…
