LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March Fianza
When
I was still busy tripping over hurdles in bedding the Midland paper after the
strong 1990 earthquake, break time meant a relaxing hot barako coffee at the
Dainty Restaurant, with friends who are willing to update each other with the
latest news, rumor and humor in town.
One
of the fixtures of the old Dainty that I clearly remember was Manong Larry
Fabian Sr who always sat at the last table before the male comfort room. He
would be there almost every break time at around 10 in the morning, sipping
coffee and smoking while fixing jigsaw puzzle pieces of police matters in his
mind.
Manong
Larry was a no-nonsense cop assigned at the investigation division of the old
Baguio City Police Department. We were not formally introduced but became
acquainted because our jobs were in a way related. As such, he would tell us
younger newsmen quite entertaining stories of police work.
After
retiring from police work, he chose to farm at Chatol in his hometown in
Barlig. One morning, he surprised me with a bag of green lemons he harvested
from his farm. I wonder how he came to locate our house at New Lucban. Maybe
the policeman’s instinct in him has yet to fade away.
The
last time I saw him was in 2014 at the Burnham Skating Rink where he was in a
meeting with friends. Incidentally, I was with former DENR Lands Director
Victor Carantes, and so he approached for a little chat and advice about lands.
Director Carantes said manong Larry claimed he was I-Barlig but Ibaloy in
spirit.
Manong
Larry passed on at the age of 75 last Monday after a long battle with diabetes.
An Irish writer said, the demise of a friend or a love one ends a life, but the
relationship remains. A friend and love one will always be missed, but the
memories stay. So long, manong.
********
Don’t
get me wrong but the “mafia” I am pointing to is that wave of Chinese migrants
to Baguio and Benguet who support each other get by and survive in times of
crisis. Although Engr. Kane Chanbonpin clarified that they also help, not only
their kind, but other races as well, especially their host communities.
Proof
of this is the fact that Baguio and certain communities in Benguet hurdled
their difficult infant stages with the help of the Chinese migrants who crossed
the seas to escape from a brewing war in Eastern China in the 1920s. This was
the trend of discussion right after the Baguio-Filipino Chinese Community
Fellowship Night for the “Year of the Rooster” with the Baguio Media at Peter Ng’s Supreme Hotel.
Roland
“Chongloy” Wong of Luisa’s Café clarified that the Chinese who settled and
helped develop the vegetable gardens of Kapangan and the mining community of
Suyoc in Mankayan could have been remnants of Lim A-Hong’s army who fought the
Spaniards in Manila.
All
was well into the night after Fernando Tiong of Mega Pines Realty and
Development, the Spring Festival Committee chair on Ways and Means Spring
Festival 2017 and Executive Committee chair Peter Ng, along with Engr.
Chanbonpin and Chongloy affirmed their commitment to Ramon “Mondacs” Dacawi’s
proposal to come up with a “Dr. Charles Cheng Memorial Marathon” to be part of
next year’s Chinese New Year celebration.
The
late Dr. Cheng was one among, if not one of the most dynamic promoter of the
Chinese Spring Festival or Chinese Lunar Year in Baguio and Benguet since it
was celebrated sometime in 1993.
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