An unfortunate segue

GOING in to the office yesterday, I thought I knew what I was going to write for today’s column. You see, Filinvest Land Inc.’s PR and Communications consultant Cerwin Eviota had invited me to the launching of the property developer’s “I Own My Dream” advocacy at the Amalfi showroom at Grand Cenia Residences. After the luncheon, there was a question-andanswer portion with Tristan Las Marias, senior vice president and Visayas and Mindanao Cluster head of FLI, and “dream advocate” actor Richard Yap.

I was quite intrigued because I don’t normally associate advocacy with a property developer, but FLI is doing it.

According to its media release, the “I Own My Dream” advocacy “aims to empower Filipinos to work hard to achieve their dream of a better life and a brighter future for their loved ones to show its commitment to fulfill more Filipino dreams.”

But who am I kidding, once the requisite questions were asked, all eyes were on Yap. I’m sure Las Marias knew, too, that members of the local media and Cebu’s blogging community weren’t there to grill him about the company’s “dream-building” mission. I, of course, was the exception.

I was there because, although FLI, which is a subsidiary of Filinvest Development Corp., is based in Metro Manila, its founders, Andrew Gotianun Sr. and his wife Mercedes, are reportedly Cebuanos. In fact, they built their first residential subdivision here in Cebu in the 1960s, the St. Michael Village in Banilad.

That Yap also happens to be a true- blue Cebuano was just added bonus.

Yup, people, Yap went to Sacred Heart. He also studied pre-med in Velez College before transferring to La Salle in the capital when he was 18. When asked about his favorite movies, Yap revealed he used to frequent Vision Theater on Colon St. as a kid to watch Chinese kung fu movies.

He gamely answered questions both in Cebuano and English. Las Marias referred to him as the epitome of what FLI’s advocacy aspires to “because he represents the Filipino dreamer who is enjoying great success because he dared to pursue his dreams.” Yap, Las Marias said, “is definitely an inspiration that you can carry on a dream at any age.”

I don’t know how old Yap is, but he’s definitely older than me. Uhuh. He must be in his early 40s.

Anyway, I was going to write about how Filinvest was touching base with its Cebuano roots and investing bil- lions in the province in the process that is until I arrived in the office.

The TV in the newsroom was on. But it was unusually quiet for an early Saturday afternoon. There were no guffaws from watching the silly antics of Lola Nidora, not that the reporters and the editors do. Guffaw and watch, I mean. The kalyeserye on Eat Bulaga, that is. Not us. We watch CNN.

And there it was. Breaking news. Some 128 people dead in terror attacks in Paris, the capital of France, the city of lights. The number of dead is expected to rise.

The gunmen and suicide bombers who have yet to be identified (as of this writing) struck in six different places last Friday night (Paris time): the Bataclan concert venue on 50 Boulevard Voltaire in the 11e arrondissement; Stade de France in St. Denis just north of Paris; Le Carillon, a bar on 18 Rue Alibert, and Le Petit Cambodge, a restaurant on 20 Rue Alibert, both in the 10e arrondissement; La Belle Equipe on 92 Rue de Charonne, 11e arrondissement; and La Casa Nostra, a restaurant on 2 Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 11e arrondissement.

The deadliest attack took place in Bataclan, where gunmen opened fire on concert-goers. Some 80 were reportedly killed there. One survivor described the scene as a “bloodbath.”

According to some witnesses, there was no method in the attackers’ brutal madness. They just shot indiscriminately, trying to inflict maximum damage, with no regard for their own survival.

With that, I’d like to end this column with a silent prayer for the victims.