Journalist, good samaritan Ramon Dacawi passes on

By Jessa Mardy P. Samidan and Pigeon M. Lobien

BAGUIO CITY -- Veteran journalist Ramon ‘Mondax’ Santa Dacawi will be remembered as the ‘Good Samaritan’ by the numerous individuals with lingering diseases whom he helped using the power of his pen to generate help for the needy.

He passed away at the Baguio General Hospital on June 27 around 7 a.m. at the age of 68 due to a lingering illness.

He had been undergoing dialysis sessions at the BGH four times a week for at least two years.

His body is interred at the St. Peter Funeral Home here along Marcos Highway and will be buried at a date to be announced by his relatives.

Dacawi served the city government of Baguio for 42 years, 36 of which he held the Public Information Officer designation until he retired in 2016.

After his retirement, he continued his advocacy programs in his private capacity as a journalist by writing stories of indigent patients in the hope that good Samaritans will be reached and help will trickle down to the most in need.

Mondax finished his primary education at the Rizal Elementary School where he graduated as class valedictorian.

He took up his secondary education at the University of Baguio Science High where he led the campus paper as the editor-In-chief and was later on given a college scholarship in the same university with the a degree in AB History and English.

He finished his college degree in 1973 with a Journalism Award.

Mondax traces his roots from Hungduan, Ifugao although he was born and raised in Baguio.

His father being the youngest had no inheritance to support his family and so the migration to Baguio walking five days through the old Mountain Trail from Hungduan to find work.

Luckily, his father was taken in as a gardener at Wright Park.

Among the Ifugao’s, the eldest is bestowed the inheritance and the youngest would have to work for a living, Mondax once narrated.

An alien to the culture and tradition of the Ifugao people, Mondax retraced his roots by learning to understand and speak the local dialect of his tribe through his relatives in Sablan, Benguet.

He spent his summer times in Sablan where woodcarvers from Hapao, Hungduan settled and even carved wood ashtrays. His products were sold in Baguio where he earned his school allowances.

He embraced his roots as a true-blood Ifugao but at the same time, Mondax was a proud Baguio-boy.

‘Mondax’ has been his byline in his articles since high school and college.

It actually means “Mon dakes” he told his friends. The love for words, written or spoken has been his bread and butter aside from working as a laborer and as a newsboy while growing up.

He was able to finish his education as a scholar, being the editor of their campus paper in high school. After college graduation, he worked as correspondent for the Gold Ore, Philippine News Agency and People’s Journal.

He also worked as a columnist for The Manila Times; News and Sports editor for the Baguio Midland Courier; and editor of the UB Forum. Obviously, his records showed that he has been a journalist as young as high school up to his death.

He became the president of the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club for four terms advocating press freedom and helped Baguio blossom through media promotions.

He also became president to the Association of Government Information Officers in the Cordillera.

Aside from journalistic works, he co-founded the Baguio Regreening Movement and was once a director for the Benguet Electric Cooperative. He was then the youth director of the Baguio YMCA; regional coordinator to the Philippine Watershed Management Coalition; coordinator to the Pony Boys Day feature of Panagbenga festival; and member of the Baguio Amateur Sports Improvement Council, among others.

Mondax devoted his life in community development and civic works. He was the brains behind the city of Baguio’s Eco-walk Children’s Environmental program focused on environmental protection and the Children’s Urban Heritage Walk Program centered on cultural and historical preservation.

He led the campaign for free dialysis treatment in the country which was recently approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading as House Bill 9156 or the "Comprehensive Renal Replacement Therapy Act."

During the rice crisis in 1989, he initiated with the late Manager Philip Wang of the National Food Authority the establishment of the first ‘Bigasang Bayan’.

He helped establish children’s tree plantations in Tuba, Benguet and in Gonogon, Bontoc, Mt. Province.

He also worked out United Nations Development Programs-supported watershed enhancement project in Sagada, Mt. Province.

During the outbreak of the meningococcemia scare in the city in 2005, Mondax initiated the creation of a media management team to write stories that will refurbish the somewhat stained image of Baguio as the Summer Capital.

He will be remembered with his usual advise to young journalist during campus lectures which was “to become a good journalist, one must not stop reading,” while his parting words was always to “live Baguio’s character of ‘fairness’ in everything.”

Mondax was actively campaigning for free dialysis for kidney patients in the past three years before his death from the same disease.

But daily treatments of five times a week for his ailment saw him too weak to write the past few months.

Dacawi is best remembered for leading the eco-walk program on environment protection, which was recognized by the United Nations.

Dacawi’s eco-walk program was a Global 500 cited program in 2002 from the United Nations Development Program, which until now is being pursued by the city government as a “Best Practice” shared to local government units and organizations who visit the city.

He is also behind the Urban Walk Program on culture and historical preservation.

In both projects, Dacawi had elementary and high school students as targets.

For the first, Dacawi taught children to help battle deforestation with the Busol Watershed, Baguio’s biggest source of water, as the target.

For the second, Dacawi walked around the town with students in tow to teach them the significance of a landmark.

Dacawi has helped many in their battle against kidney problems by organizing concerts for a cause.

He lobbied and met with organizations to get support for the “Free Dialysis” law from Congress.

But then it was the same disease he contracted which prompted him to start the campaign on free dialysis treatment in the country.

Dacawi has also helped the Baguio lady’s soccer team in their campaigns in other parts of the country.

He coined the term Cinderella for the team, who plays outside the city on a tight budget or aboard a borrowed vehicle which he himself was able to procure from friends.

Dacawi worked as field survey representative upon finishing college before getting employed by then councilor Leonides Bautista until the end of 1975.

On Jan. 1, 1976, he was taken in as a clerk with the late mayor Luis Lardizabal, who later named his as city promotions officer.

 In 2002, he was named as an outstanding citizen of Baguio, a year after he received the Lingkod Bayan award to which he was a finalist in 2014.

In her Facebook post, current Baguio PIO head Aileen Refuerzo wrote “wala na ang pangalawang tatay ko, ang sumbungan forum ko, ang Superman ng journalism, environmental, football, dialysis atb pang causes ng Baguio (My second father is gone, my complaint forum, the Superman of journalism, environmental, football, dialysis and other causes for Baguio).”

“Sumuko man ang katawan, hindi nagmaliw ang galing at bilis ng utak maging ang pusong sadyang malambot para sa nangangailangan at isali na rin ang likas na kakengkuyan (Your body might have given up, but your intelligence never ceased to amaze and your heart is soft for those who are in need, beside you being a naturally funny guy)," said Refuerzo who worked with Dacawi for nearly 25 years. 

Mondax is survived by his daughter Veronica, son Johann and wife Rebecca. – With a PNA report