Former Benguet Gov. Raul "Rocky" Molintas is an everlasting inspiration BaguioConnections16

MY wife Consuelo Sol and yours truly would like to convey our deepest condolence and sympathy to the berieved members of the late Benguet Gov. Raul "Rocky" Molintas' family, who passed away in the United States recently while visiting his loved ones. From any perspective, Rocky is an icon as a provincial officer and as a private citizen. It was during his term as governor of the province when marked community development projects and undertakings were at its best. He was certainly one of the country's most outstanding provincial executives. He was also a journalist at heart!

Happily and significantly, I have had the distinct privilege and opportunity to work with him in a number of projects and undertakings sponsored by the National Correspondents Club of Baguio (NCCB). Among others, my family and I will always remember him for his generosity, understanding, and concern whenever we informed and invited him to grace our activities specially those which were held at the Shrine of the Brown Madonna, along kilometer 7, Asin Road.

Personally, I was very fortunate to be one of the Benguet Province Everlasting award honorees when the province celebrated its 100th Year Anniversary. I was the only non-Benguet Province resident honoree at the time. Apo Rocky, personally was the award presentor.

The award citation reads: "Born on October 31, 1931 to the late Teofilo M. Padilla and the late Leonora Padilla, Narciso "Nars" Padilla, is a distinguished citizen awardee in 1961, is noted for his civic activities. He initiated the placement of the 1990 Earthquake Heroes' Marker in honor of the volunteers and government rescue and rehabilitation units from Baguio City and Benguet Province who extended "Service beyond the call of duty" during the tragedy. He set off the

THIS week, we begin with that late lunch WITHOUT a table. It is had closer to 1:00 p.m. than to noon on 22 February at a spot of the city park now called the Ibaloy Heritage Garden.

My relatives and I are instructed to show up at 9:00 a.m., actually, for a “Dawit” ritual for the solidarity of the descendants of Mateo and Bayosa Ortega Cariño. In Ibaloy manner, we are to also give thanks to and seek blessings from our ancestors. So I am with cousin Joanna, and we hie off to said “garden” which is in truth, simply a section of the park playground we all grew up in.

We refers to my sibs and I, our cousins from the sibs of my father “Andring”: Auntie Nena, Uncle Joe. My father also counted Uncles Philip and Iking as brothers, and Fidelis and Fabie and all the Enrique Juniors and their sisters are definitely our cousins, but of them, only Fidelis also counted the whole old park as playground. So did our Hamada cousins when we all lived on Kisad, where still the old Baguio Midland Courier office stands.

This morning of the 22nd, Joanna and I arrive to see cousins Leo Camilo and Abel Joaquin of the Balacbac side of the family. Their grandmother Kinja, sister of my grandfather Jose, is the youngest of Mateo and Bayosa’s children, and retired to Balacbac with her baul full of titles, so the stories go. Rony Perez is there, too, grandchild of Donato, brother of Kinja and Jose. Of that side of the family too are Gov. Cencio Pacalso and Paz Bernal of Phases School fame.

There too that morning of the 22nd is Toni Hamada and our nephew Mark, descended from Josefa, after whom that school behind the City hall is named. The old Baguio Central stands on land that was “given” for a school by her father. Her picture, cleaned up after many applications of the ever powerful computer, sits watching us from a table. Toni and all my lady cuzzes are in traditional Ibaloy devit: Jona, Jill, Judy, Fidelis, Judith, etc. I stand alone as not being in uniform.

Toni is in black high heels yet, nevermind that we are walking on a clearing with stones. Most are in comfortable shoes, like my flat slingbacks. Judith Strasser Pavia of the Sioco branch is in gold sandals, though low enough, I’m thinking then and there, to be comfy. Of this Sioco branch,