BY:DONALD SEVILLA
CHERISHED MEMORIES
Come July 18, family and close friends will commemorate the anniversary of a man’s passing, who left a legacy of humility and character in public service.
Not one to bask in the limelight of accolades and recognition, his life both in and out of politics reflected the true spirit of a son of Dagohoy, living in the tradition of the austere and frugal shadow of a true Boholano public servant, the late Carlos P. Garcia.
The late Governor, Atty.Rolando Butalid G. was not one to revel in the spotlight despite his illustrious political career.
For those who don’t know, he was if I’m not mistaken, the only one to have served both as City Mayor of Tagbilaran and Governor of our beloved province. He was City Mayor from 1972-78 and continued on to serve as Governor from 1978-1986 until the ouster of the Marcos presidency during the EDSA revolution and his replacement by the late OIC Governor Atty. Victor de la Serna, another prominent Boholano.
This was no ordinary feat but to a guy who kept a low profile and shunned the limelight even in his retirement years, he greatly deserves a place in the annals of our province’s history.
Do we know for a fact that it was during his incumbency as Governor that Bohol opened its doors to global tourism through the late Anos Fonacier who established his resort, the Bohol Beach Club? It was also during his time that the Philstarch Corporation cassava mill plant, was set up in Carmen town that could have made a big difference in our agricultural economy had it not fallen victim to competition from cheap agri-imports, an offshoot of globalization.
RBG’s career in politics was spared from the tinges of corruption as he led a modest and simple life. Even to his death he continued a life of public service and distinguished himself as a driving force behind the Jaycee movement, a premier civic and leadership training organization in our province, having taken over the task from the late Atty.Doy Gallares.
In keeping with the spirit of Boholano patriotism and in memory of another great Boholano scion, Carlos P. Garcia, when I was a young boy, I was enthralled by his towering presence when sometime in May 1971 he came to visit the wake of my grandfather at my aunt’s residence in Quezon City. I remember a dark -skinned regal bearing statesman with a resounding voice in his typical white “americana” exchanging pleasantries with my aunts and uncles and a then young lawyer named Rolando Butalid.
As a 10 year old kid those images stuck in the back of my mind and so were memories of those sad moments in time. Little would I know that a few weeks later Carlos P. Garcia would have left this world after having been elected as President of the 1971 Constitutional Convention.
To my fellow Boholanos as we move forward to another chapter of our journey as a province and its current political leadership, a little bit of history helps to revisit our roots and look back into the past to find inspiration for the future. We are not lacking in illustrious forebears and role models to look up to.
We just have to emulate and remember them.