By HERBERT VEGO
IN the wake of the death of former Justice secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. Sunday night, we heard Ilonggos from all walks of life reminiscing the “good old days” with him. Even his political allies-turned-enemies could only count the ways – as private citizen, congressman and Justice secretary – the old man had helped them.
I was no longer close to the man when he ascended the political ladder. But I would like to share with you readers how we had crossed path in the past because of our common passion for journalism. I am sure most Filipinos do not yet know that, aside from being lawyer, politician and Cabinet official, Gonzalez used to be an active newspaper columnist.
The first time I saw his byline was sometime in the early 1970s when he was writing a column for the now defunct “We-Forum”, at that time a hot weekly critical of martial law and President Ferdinand Marcos. Being also a Manila-based journalist, I knew then the bigger risk he had undergone when he stood as lawyer to then Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. who was facing subversion charges before the Marcos-controlled military tribunal.
The first time I saw Raul Gonzalez Sr., he was at the check-in counter of the Manila domestic airport. I sidled up to him and introduced myself as a fellow journalist.
“I’m going home to Iloilo City to deliver a speech before a civic organization,” he said while giving me his calling card.
It would take many more years before I saw him again. I contented myself reading his columns and reading about him.
It came as no surprise when the next President – Ninoy’s widow, Cory Cojuangco Aquino – handpicked him as the tanodbayan in her revolutionary government in 1986. The said new position was the equivalent of today’s ombudsman.
Sometime in 1992 or 1993 while I was holding office as editor of the weekly Visayan Tribune at the Iloilo-YMCA Building, a surprise visitor came in. He was Raul Gonzalez Sr. who had gone back to private life.
He offered an idea I could not refuse. He would write a column for the paper for free.
From then on, he paid me a weekly visit to submit his typewritten column.
More often than not, he was tackling local, rather than national issues, in his columns. He would often criticize the congressman at that time, Rafael Lopez-Vito.
One afternoon, he asked me to list down the names of all the 180 barangay captains in Iloilo City. This done, he issued a check for a year’s subscription of each of them to our weekly newspaper.
Later, he also wrote columns for Panay News, which was still a weekly.
Of course, most of the barangay leaders at that time were identified with the incumbent congressman. But Gonzalez saw this not as a handicap but as a challenge to hurdle.
As president of the Iloilo Press Club at that time, I proposed that he sponsor a bowling tournament to be participated in by the print, broadcast and TV media. That should endear him to the most important people who would boost his image as upcoming public servant.
He agreed to sponsor. In fact, he personally attended our bowling tournament at Saint Elizabeth Center. He footed all the bills and left cash prizes for individual and group winners.
That single act of camaraderie endeared him to the Iloilo media. The news that he would run for congressman against Lopez-Vito in 1995 had gone “viral” in the tri-media.
The late Rodolfo Legaspi, an incumbent provincial board member at that time, predicted that Gonzalez would win.
“If Raul becomes congressman,” he told this writer, “he would be flooded with invitations he couldn’t accept. Now that he is not yet a candidate, please relay my invitation to him to visit Marina Beach Resort.”
Marina, owned by Legaspi, was then a popular tourist resort in Miag-ao town.
When I told Gonzalez that the invitation had come from the owner of Marina, he snapped, “Okay, I will be there on Sunday. I have to find out if the resort would be an ideal place to gather together my political leaders and followers.”
To cut the long story short, he ran for congressman and unseated Lopez-Vito in 1995, in effect sealing his colorful political future.
From then on, he ceased to be a journalist in order to be a newsmaker.
Happy trip to the more wonderful world, Sir!/PN
