By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
EXITS, OFFGOINGS, LEAVINGS, GOODBYES
I said my goodbye to Bishop Abet Uy in last week’s column, and I thought that was all I had to do and to feel. Aduna pa man diay sumpay sa akong goodbye. Here’s my story
I am now a tv mass goer and instead of attending mass with Fr. Tito Caluag (as I used to do), I now start my day with Ted Ayeng’s “Bandilyo” over dyTR. Before his trip to Cebu, I had the chance of viewing Bishop Abet’s goodbye mass at the St. Joseph Cathedral, through livestreaming over dyTR. Thanks to the new technology for this opportunity. But there was no technology to understand my emotions at that time. I regret not having approached him before he left. Wala man lang gyud ko makaduol ug tapad niya bisan kadiyot lang. I regret not having kissed his ring. I regret not having said my goodbye personally,
And when he unashamedly let go of his tears before addressing the people in church, I joined him and allowed my tears to roll down freely on my cheeks. Misamot ang akong kamingaw sa dihang iyang gi-awit ang “What Matters Most”. As I am writing this article, my eyes are blurred especially with that line: “It’s not how long we held each other’s hands.” We miss you Bishop Abet. (Please see the lyrcs of the song printed on this page).
Then, I realized that, indeed, there is something about leavings, about exits, about offgoings, about goodbyes. When somebody leaves, we die a little and we feel the pain of separation. From that moment when Bishop Abet stepped out of the Tagbilaran Cathedral, I followed his journey like crazy. His strides and his way of holding the boat’s handrail are still very vivid to me. His festive arrival in Cebu, Sinulog style, eased a bit my pain. Why? I felt consoled that he was warmly welcomed by the Cebuanos, people who are as capable as we are to give him love, and care, and support for his new endeavor.
A very good friend of mine understood my emotions which I shared with her. She assured me that since she was part of the Cebu welcoming group, she would forward to me some photos of her and Bishop Abet at Casino Español. The photos are also shown on this page. My friend’s name is Nonie Uy, and she is more than eager to support Bishop Abet in Cebu. Nonie Uy is a top person of “Fighter Wine” and “Chateau de Busay” of Cebu.
There is another kind of exit and leaving which to me is equivalent to “good riddance”. These are the exits of those elected public officials who resigned from their posts due to public demand. Their resignation is one of a kind – since as they left, they brought along wealth, assets, which do not belong to them but to the taxpayers of the Philippines. And to think that they still claim they are INNOCENT.
But like what Bishop Abet sang in his “Estorya sa Kinabuhi”, he said “Ang estorya sa kinabuhi, dili gyud matag-an; karon , ugma kasakit, dili gyud masabtan.”
Thank you Bishop Abet, for the power of your pen and speech. I just remember Don Miguel de Cervantes’ words: “Man is never a slave for as long as his mind is free. And never a fool if he clings to his ideals.”
Song by
It’s not how long we held each other’s hand
What matters is how well we loved each other
It’s not how far we travelled on our way
Of what we found to say
It’s not the spring you see, but all the shades of green
It’s not how long I held you in my arms
What matters is how sweet the years together
It’s not how many summertimes we had to give to fall
The early morning smiles we tearfully recall
What matters most is that we loved at all.
It’s not how many summertimes we had to give to fall
The early morning smiles we tearfully recall
What matters most is that we loved at all
What matters most is that we loved at all