16th of a series
Romy’s Influence and Legacy: The Journey of Rey Paras to Board Member in Laguna’s 3rd District
To realize the goals of the group, Romy pushed Rey Paras to run for Board Member in the 3rd District of Laguna which the latter accepted after consultation with his family. Romy as a Barangay leader and Fiscal Ante used their political acumen to help Rey garner more votes from the Barangays. The seminars-workshops previously conducted gave Rey an edge over the other competitors. He eventually won the race and the rest is history.
In 2005, Romy went to Dubai, UAE again to attend the wedding of his daughter Roreen. It was a beach wedding attended by close relatives, friends and churchmates. I was left behind due to the demand of my work at the Regional Trial Court but I was furnished with a copy of the video. There’s one portion in the video that made me laugh out loud – that part when Romy, the father of the bride, pulled the edge of the tablecloth to wipe his lips after eating! That was slapstick that everyone in the family enjoyed watching.
Back to his work as casual employee at the City Hall of San Pablo, Romy was temporarily assigned to the office of the late Councilor Dr. Edgardo “Egay”Adajar. It was during this time that the Seven Lakes Press Corps (7LPC) was organized with the late Ernani Cortez as President. I was Treasurer and Romy was Chairman of the Board. Because of his many obligations at work and at home, he was called by his children as “The Great Vagabond; The Astogation; and the Chairman of the Blue Waters’, whatever that means.
Romy or Palasig to many was not perfect. As a normal human being, he had his flaws and idiosyncrasies – some funny, some annoying, some spilled beyond the walls of decency and morality but that is not to be tackled here because those are personal matters exclusive for him and me alone. I’m sorry I cannot share it with you. Just let it rest with him in the grave!
The good thing with Romy’s kids is that they loved and idolized the old man so much. When his grandson Francis Ferdine finished Aeronautical Engineering, he named the replica of his project airplane after his Lolo – RME Flight No. 010139 signifying Romy Malaguit Evangelista born on January 1, 1939. How Sweet! The miniature plane is still with me safely kept inside my cabinet at home.
In 2008, we had another visit to the UAE to see his children who are all there except for Ruth and family who migrated from the United Kingdom to Canberra, the Capital City of Australia. We stayed there only for a few days because I was only allowed 15 days vacation leave by the Supreme Court.
(To be continued)
Melinda Bagsic Evangelista
I was born to write and I believe that’s my calling. I love writing because it brings me to the realm exclusively of mine. It is also my opinion that “immortality” can be achieved not by searching for the Holy Grail and drinking from it but by living your life worth-writing or writing something worth-reading. Since I cannot promise you a life worth-writing, I keep myself busy writing something worth-reading. I am thankful to God for giving me the talent and skill to see life in different perspectives not seen by many and the courage to share it to my readers. This first ever Tutubi Digital News Magazine is a perfect avenue to bring you the many facets of life that you can ponder upon in this time of the pandemic. Enjoy reading all the articles.
