A Tribute to My Lolo Roger

I just got a text message this morning that the youngest brother of my grandfather passed away.

I spent five years (my college years) in Dumaguete City which is quite far from home (at least 5 hours away by boat). Lolo Roger, together with his wife Lola Nati, was my guardian in the university during those years. He was always there for me. This may be the reason why I felt like visiting them in Dumaguete this summer. I missed them both. Now, I’ll miss my Lolo Roger all the more.

Let me give you glimpse of my time spent with my Lolo Roger:

Of all siblings my grandfather (Lolo Aureo, the father of my dad; he passed away a few years back; I represented all his grandchildren in speaking of our memories of him on the day of his burial) have, Lolo Roger was the one closest to me, probably because he was the youngest and no doubt the coolest of them all.

During my earlier years in college, Lolo Roger worked in the Business and Finance Office of the Silliman University. This means I have somebody inside to grant me “privileges.” He always offered that if I’m going to pay for my tuition or dormitory, he would be happy to tap the cashier on the shoulders to have my transactions done ahead of all those morons falling in line. I can’t remember much but I think I took his offer a couple of times. Then, during my later years in college, he was diagnosed with a serious case of diabetes. Work at the business and finance was deemed strenuous for his condition, so he was transferred to the Multimedia Center (MMC) of the university (this office takes care of any multimedia needs of the students and faculty alike – like equipment for film showing, forums, programs, etc.). At about the same time, I took major responsibilities as a student leader in the College of Engineering (now College of Engineering and Design). This meant there are times I needed to get in touch with the MMC for our multimedia needs. Again, I have someone in the inside to help me out. See, he was always there for me.

But what I will miss most are his stories when he was younger. He has sung in amateur singing contests in Bohol, Cagayan de Oro (CDO), and other places. He has also been a boxer in Bohol. And he always had anecdotes of his escapades as a youngster. One story that I will never forget was his encounter with a police officer in CDO:

He was riding a bicycle with a friend and was asked to pull over by a police officer (a rather dirty one). I can’t exactly remember this part but the cop extorted them for some money. They managed to outsmart the officer and were able to escape. Later that night, Lolo Roger had himself listed for an amateur singing contest at a park. When his turn to sing came, he went to the center of the stage ready to sing his winning piece (he has won several times before in similar contests). But as he started to sing, he noticed the same police officer watching him right in front of him. Scared of the cop, he started trembling real hard. His performance that night became the worst one he has ever had. Right after finishing the song, he left the contest without even knowing who won.

I am not much of a story teller so you might not find my retelling of the story funny. But believe me, when I heard him tell the story over and over again, I was laughing my heart out.

In his younger years, being the youngest, he also stayed with my grandfather, Lolo Aureo for a few years. Lolo Aureo was the eldest and therefore stood as second father to his siblings. Lolo Roger looked after my uncles, aunties and even my dad. For some reasons, my dad and I never really had conversations about his childhood. Through the years, though I never really expressed it, I developed a yearning for such stories. My Lolo Roger became my source of stories about my dad and his siblings. He even had stories about my Lolo Aureo, stories I never heard from my dad, uncles, aunties and grandmother before.

When I graduated from the university and was on my way to being a full-fledged civil engineer, he talked to me about his parcel of land in Guindulman, Bohol. He wanted me to design a guitar-shaped (he loved music) swimming pool for his lot that is situated beside a river. I’ve been wanting to talk to him about it. I still don’t have a design for it though. But if he still wished to push through with the plan (there have been problems with the lot and it’s been more than a year since I saw him last), I will be more than glad to make a design for him (I’ve never designed a swimming pool before or anything this grand for that matter).

I and my girlfriend have been planning to visit the beautiful city of Dumaguete by the end of this month. It is just unfortunate that such sad news would bring me back to the city earlier than expected and she, my girlfriend, will never meet my Lolo Roger.

Lo, I love you. And I will miss you.