Andres Acop Cosalan (1927-2013)

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza

“Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

A farmer, soldier, teacher, lawyer, public servant and a compleat legislator all rolled into one, the best father, uncle and brother anybody could have had, passed on to greater heights on September 9, 2013. He was 86.

In Quezon City where a three-day viewing of his remains was scheduled before being brought home to his house at 108 Rimando Road, Aurora Hill, Baguio City; family friends and co-lawmakers who came to spend last moments with him, left with something common to say: “Andy was an accomplished political leader and a remarkable family man.”

Their statement is relatively true. Andy Cosalan’s time was when the country in general and Baguio, Benguet and the rest of the Cordillera in particular, were in the middle of a “revolution,” between waking up from the confusion and disorder brought about by the Second World War and entering a stage when economy and industry had to be rebuilt. Hence, the guidance by political leaders was very much needed.    

In his younger days, Cosalan worked as a convent houseboy and a sacristan in a Catholic Convent in La Trinidad and at the Baguio Cathedral Convent. He was very independent, choosing to work and earn for his needs and not be reliant of his parents who were considered well-to-do Ibalois from Bokod and Tublay. The Official Directory of the House of Representatives 1965-1973 said, Cosalan also tried farming with his siblings and parents and was once upon a time a timber cutter and miner.

Isabelo Cosalan, retired regional director of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said “I lost a manong and uncle. He was a bright torch and inspiration in my public service. He was a self-made man who did not take advantage of his government office to enrich himself; instead, he lost his resources while serving.”

At age 16, after high school in 1943, there was no other choice but to enlist with the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines – Northern Luzon (USAFIP NL) where he rose from Private to Staff Sergeant, experiencing adverse situations in Camp Utopia, Kapangan then Darigayos, La Union where they established Camp Spencer, the general headquarters and operations center of USAFIP NL. From Camp Spencer, he went to Suyo, Bessang Pass, Cervantes, Lepanto, Halsema, Loo Valley in Buguias, before being discharged from the Army three years later.

Before enrolling at the Baguio Colleges in preparation for a law course, Cosalan was a public school teacher at the Acop Elementary School. To support his college education, he became a member of the staff of reporters of the Baguio Midland Courier. He also got a scholarship grant from the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes then later with the Commission on National Integration, enabling him to finish a four-year law course at the University of the Philippines in 1952. He passed the bar exams in the same year with a rating of 82.4 per cent, and went to private law practice heading the Cosalan, Suanding, Ronquillo and Diaz Law Offices in Baguio.

As a lawyer active in labor movements, he was elected president of the Consolidated Local Unions of Baguio City in the early 60s and a regular member of the Baguio City Rotary Club. Having quite a lucrative law practice that time and as a law school instructor at the Saint Louis College of Law, he was able to finance four political campaigns. In 1965, he ran as representative for Baguio and Benguet and defeated then Mayor Luis Lardizabal of Baguio. From 1969 to 1973, the year President Marcos declared Martial Law, he served his second term as congressman of Baguio and Benguet after beating Governor Bado Dangwa. He won his six-year third term in 1978, but lost to Benguet Vice-Governor Samuel Dangwa in 1984. Cosalan retired permanently from politics and concentrated his efforts as a private lawyer.

As congressman for the Baguio-Benguet District, among his landmark legislations that he co-authored with other lawmakers was RA 4695 or the Division Law that politically subdivided the Old Mountain Province into four distinct provinces; and redistricting the former second congressional district of the Old Mountain Province into two separate districts for Baguio and Benguet. He was responsible in establishing the Benguet General Hospital, the Atok Emergency Hospital, and the Dennis Molintas District Hospital in Daclan, Bokod.

In 1969, he co-authored the law that established ice plants and cold storage plants in Baguio, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Benguet, Kalinga-Apayao, Bontoc, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and Zambales, when these facilities were becoming popular among housewives. Looking at it as something that would greatly benefit food processing and merchandizing, Cosalan wrote in his explanatory note that “building ice plants would play a big role in transportation, preservation and distribution of food, fish, meat and vegetable products that can be distributed fresh to inland municipalities and stimulating commerce in these regions.”

Cosalan was responsible in separating the school divisions for Baguio and Benguet into two, converted the Mountain State College into a Chartered State College, and established the Benguet School of Arts and Trades and the Tublay School of Home Industries. He displayed selflessness in legislative work by passing a law that upgraded the status of the Balacbac Agricultural School in Kapangan Benguet, and changing its name into “Gov. Bado Dangwa Agro-Industrial School” or GBDAIS, even while he knew that the school’s namesake was a potential opponent in politics. He also upgraded and established the Buguias-Loo Agro-Industrial School (BLAIS), and established the Kibungan National High School, and Kamora National High School.

Realizing how Baguio City was finding it extremely hard to collect the realty taxes of nationally owned lands located in the city, Cosalan authored the bill “offsetting the electric power obligations of Baguio City to the National Power Corporation with the realty tax obligations of the national government.” However, this was not followed up by the new set of Baguio officials when it was separated from Benguet as a new congressional district.

Another landmark legislation that has benefited Baguio was the law that released from established government reservations all lots already occupied by illegal settlers in barangays Holy Ghost, Cabinet Hill, Magsaysay and Quirino Hill that were declared by law as official relocation sites. These were only few of the legislative work done by Cosalan as congressman for Baguio and Benguet. At one time, he was also appointed Minister of State for National Cultural Communities by President Marcos.

Andy married Bontoc born Miss Isabel P. Morales, the daughter of a pioneer Ilocano teacher in Mountain Province and former mayor of Banaue, Ifugao. Aside from his wife, the former Baguio-Benguet congressman is survived by six of seven children namely, Ronald, presently the congressman of Benguet; Edwin, a successful doctor and ENT Diplomate; Monsignor Andres Jr.; Lyndenne, a nurse in Seattle, Washington, USA; Marie-Belle, a programmer analyst in Canada; and Annie who works with the UN International Organization for Migration; and grandchildren. Fifth child David who worked in Congress passed on last year.

Cosalan and wife Isabel were special awardees of the Gintong Ina/Ama Foundation who were among only three Outstanding Families in the Philippines chosen by the organization in 1993. – (with notes from the Official Directory of the House of Representatives 1965-1973) -- ozram.666@gmail.com