Mario Talja, Super Friend and Comrade, Part 2

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews) - The Lumad Mindanawon People’s Federation also praised Mario Talja for his role in the

Mt. Apo flight. “Kauban si Mario nga nibarug sa pagkasagrado sa Apu Sandawa/Mt. Apo. Dili lang siya basta advocate kung dili kauban sa Katawhang Lumad through thick and thin struggling of identity, land and self-determination.” (“Mario was with us in our fight for the sacredness of Apo Sandawa/Mt. Apo. He was not just an advocate but a comrade, accompanying us through thick and thin in our struggle for identity, land, and selfdetermination.”

Mae Ocampo, also from LRC and now based in the Netherlands, remember the gift of song Mario gave us:

“Rest in power dear Mario J B Talja. You will always remain in my heart, Mar. I’ll never forget your quiet yet solid presence and the advises you gave me as a young learning activist (including your ‘kanchaws” (teasing) as I slipped on rice paddies visiting communities). Back during our LRC days, you always gave me gentle encouragement when I felt down and confused and always whipped your guitar and would say “ikanta muna natin yan tapos iproseso natin” (let’s just sing about it first then lets process it). PADAYON, MAR!”

Another colleague France Begonia, now a Regional Trial Judge, shared a similar tribute:

“I wish I knew you more, wished I did more to crack that shield of yours that kept you close, but not too close to the people who worked with you, people who loved and cherished you more than you could ever know or words could ever convey. You were my rock in those field visits in the farthest and different parts of communities where injustice and hunger festered. You were always reassuring, towering, brotherly presence. You knew instinctively how and when to dissipate tension, how to steer a conversation

back to calm waters. I regret that I wasn’t there for you in your tribulations. I regret that for the most part, you my dear friend overtime became a distant memory. I regret I did not keep in touch over the years and gave you friendship and comfort the same way you did many years ago. I remember you as one of the kindest, gentlest people I have ever had the luck of meeting in this life. I thank the Lord for your life. For you service to those who needed it most, for your music, for your jokes. When the going got tough, you never whimpered or complained or shouted back. You just kept to yourself and kept on going. Farewell, Mar. You are and will always be loved by the people you leave in tears now with your passing.”

Last August 4 was Mario’s 53rd birthday. Judy posted this: “I remember you today, with sadness, fondness and with a grateful heart that we met each other, climbed Mt Apo together, got jntroduced to habal habal and skylab through you, learned and unlearned things about community work from you, and remained friends with you despite distance and time.”

In Cagayan de Oro and in Manila, when he died, the friends of Mario gathered, in grief and gratitude, to console each other, to sing and remember, and say goodbye and pay tribute to him. To be continued.

(Antonio “Tony” La Viña of Cagayan de Oro City is former Dean of the Ateneo School of Government. He teaches Constitutional law in Law schools in Manila and Mindanao)