Atty. John Laylo was here
June 12, 11:28 a.m., via Messenger.
JAL: “Hi, Ma’am! Baka may kelangan kayong health stuff here from the US? Like vitamins/supplements?”
Me: “Asa US ka?”
JAL: “Opo, Uwi ko end of the month.”
Me: “Oo, may kailangan ako na pang calcium sana and also electrolytes. Kunin ko names sa doctor ko.”
JAL: “Sige po. Balik ako sa California sa 21. I can get at CVS.”
MY dear, dear selfless friend, Atty. John Albert Laylo (“Jal”) will be coming home this week, no longer upright as an excited though weary passenger, but in a box, cold and lifeless.
He is the latest victim of violence in the United States, when on an early morning Saturday, hoodlums in a car shot at the Uber vehicle that was taking Jal and his mom, Leah, to the Philadelphia airport.
Police sources say it may have been a case of mistaken identity, with the gunmen chasing the wrong car.
John was in the US for a welldeserved vacation. Had not for that fatal bullet, he would have been a superb addition to my team at the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). I trusted him that much, and saw in him the desire to serve the under-privileged.
When did I become friends with John? It was around 2004 after I left government as head of the presidential speechwriting group when then senator Mar Roxas recruited me to work for him as communication adviser, and later on to be his chief of staff in the Senate. John was a hardworking member of Mar’s staff, and we instantly clicked because of his openness and affable personality.
Jal, as we fondly called him, has a face with a thousand and more expressions. Sometimes, he had this crooked smile that would instantly morph into a frown, depending on the flow of the conversation. He was opinionated, frank but always well-intentioned. He was trustworthy and a man of warmth, kindness and deep spiritual faith. I will miss his laughter, most of all. Unpretentious, this guy, Jal.
Long after I left Mar’s team, John and I kept in touch. He was like my little brother. He was also close to my daughter, Estelle, and to Monica Mitra, another good friend of ours. We may not have met often, but we remained digitally connected. And so, his offer to buy my vitamins from CVS while on vacation in the US was typical Jal behavior.
I asked his uncle, Junie Laylo of the highly respected Laylo Research outfit, about John, and this was what he said.
“Jal was the inquisitive ‘apo’ who would follow his Lola Letty into campaigns during elections. He experienced what it meant to be in the middle of a national campaign at such a young age. He always admired Lola Letty and what she does, coining Jal as her “political apo.” He was always a passionate young man who never fails to stand for what he believes in and with that, being a lawyer came
naturally to him. He stood by his convictions and fought for what he knew was right.”
Junie’s mom, Letty Laylo, used to be the social secretary of senate president Arturo Tolentino and was very active in the political scene. Those childhood memories of Jal with his Lola Letty may have influenced his love for politics and stirred his desire to make a difference in the world.
The gunmen felled a hero, in the eyes of Thea Laylo, the victim’s youngest sister. In a private message to this writer, Thea wrote that it was John who made sure she was okay after the latter received a diagnosis of having a bipolar disorder. John was then studying abroad for a master’s degree. Despite a 14-year age gap, he kept close tabs on Thea, encouraging her always to go for her dreams. He was also a doting uncle to sister Ann Lorraine’s kids, buying them treats whenever he could afford to do so.
My heart goes out to Leah, who was obviously Jal’s favorite person in the world. In her Facebook post, she said: “My son has a lot of dreams, a lot of plans, hopes and everything! He’s gone now. I can’t explain the pain, the heaviness I have in my heart. It took me hours to post this because still I can’t believe this happened!”
To see your child shot by complete strangers and having no power at all to deflect those bullets, would be every mother’s nightmare. It happened to Leah, and it could happen to someone else unless this crime is solved and true justice is rendered. To Jal’s family, especially his parents, we convey our sincere condolences.
Violence is the only road paved with the darkest, vilest intentions. Even in death, Jal had a purpose. He died to remind us all that life is fleeting, and justice must not be allowed to turn cold, like a victim’s lifeless body.
Someone killed Jal that day, but he never could and never will take away the marvelous 35 years that my good friend lived to the max. Atty. John Laylo was here, and he will be loved and remembered, through us, that knew him well.