Thursday, August 30, 2007
Inday Nita remembered for courage, advocacies
NENITA Cortes Daluz, who used her popularity as a radio talent and advice show host to speak up for the victims of Martial Law, died at 7 a.m. yesterday in a Cebu City hospital.
A lingering illness that damaged her heart and kidney ended the life of “Inday Nita.” She was 68.
“Inday Nita died still in the process of fighting for the good of the people,” said Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., who was imprisoned twice in Cebu during the Marcos regime. At times when it was difficult to stand and be counted against the dictator, Pimentel recalled, Inday Nita was always there.
It was rarely easy. The military cut short a public affairs program she co-hosted with Tony Avila, “Kon Ako’y Pangutan-on,” after she initiated a “freedom march” in 1980 to denounce the Marcos administration.
An icon of various street rallies, Daluz was elected as an assemblywoman of the Batansang Pambansa from 1984 to 1986, then served as undersecretary of the then Ministry of Interior and Local Government until 1987 and, after that, as director of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
From 1988 to 1989, she paired with Elias O. Baquero in hosting “Bayan Muna Bago Sarili”, a two-hour program of dyRF radio.
In 2001, Inday Nita moved to Bantay Radio Network (dyDD, dyHH, dyZZ radio) under the management of Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr.
Sanchez said that because he idolized Inday Nita, he did not want her to stop broadcasting even after her right leg was amputated, as a complication of diabetes.
“I know that she had a following that always listened to her. So I installed a studio at her house where she could broadcast from 1 to 3 p.m. daily,” Sanchez said.
Until shortly before her death, Inday Nita was “pro-people and a strong advocate for the promotion of human rights,” Sanchez added.
Champion
Inday Nita was a true source of comfort for the poor and downtrodden, said Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco. “Tagdon ang tanan. Way gibalibaran. Dili gyud siya hitupngan (She never refused to help anyone. No one can compare to her),” Cuenco said.
He recalled how she organized the Sept. 21, 1980 “freedom march” from the Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City to the Plaza Independencia in Cebu City, bringing together such personalities as Jovito Salonga, Eva Estrada Kalaw, Salvador Laurel, Cesar Climaco and Cebuano leaders like Ribomapil Holganza Sr., Eulogio Borres, Valentin Legaspi and Vicente del Rosario.
During that march, Cuenco recalled, they carried a coffin symbolizing the death of democracy. As a result, they were arrested, detained at Camp Lapu-Lapu and charged with inciting to sedition. Radio dyRE, where Inday Nita was the manager, was closed.
During the calls for civil disobedience against Marcos, Inday Nita won the masses’ admiration for her often emotional appeals.
“We deeply mourn the passing away of our beloved Inday Nita, a great leader who served as an inspiration in our difficult fight against the tyranny of the Marcos dictatorship during the darkest years of Martial Law,” said Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar.
Advice
“Inday Nita also distinguished herself as a dedicated and honest public official who unselfishly served the poor and the sick even during the days that she was already suffering from her serious illness,” del Mar added.
Emmanuel S. Rabacal, a veteran radioman who used to manage Bombo Radyo Philippines, credited former president Corazon C. Aquino’s popularity in Cebu to Inday Nita’s support.
One of his earliest recollections of Inday Nita was her hosting, with Danny Desierto, of “Kagahapon Lamang”, a program over radio dyRC that offered advice to people who wrote about their problems. (Desierto later became the ombudsman.)
Edward Abad, president of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Cebu Chapter, said they will honor Inday Nita with a mass during the opening of the Broadcasters’ Month on Sept. 2.
“Despite her humble beginnings, Inday Nita was able to reach high positions in government and stand to fight for the restoration of democracy in the country,” Abad said. (EOB)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 30, 2007 issue)
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