Friday, May 16, 2008
PNP band loses ‘voice’ with death of Butron
By Mia E. Abellana
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
ALTHOUGH they only have half of the ideal number of band members, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Band still manages to play the national anthem, parade music and the PNP anthem every Monday.
But the death of their clarinet player, SPO4 Asterio Butron, has left them another man short.
“Makatingog gihapon mi. Pero muhinay na ang volume (We can still play),” said SPO1 Godofredo Arcilla Jr., the band conductor.
The clarinet carries the melody, Arcilla and colleague SPO1 Ricardo Abellanosa explained. They need three clarinets to come up with a sound equal to one trumpet.
The band holds their practices two hours a day from Tuesday to Thursday. Butron, being the chief clerk and officer-in-charge of the band, always arrived first.
Both Arcilla and Abellano-sa said Butron was like a father to them.
“Mao to’y tingog namong tanan (He was the voice of the band),” Abellanosa said.
They said that during his 27 years in the police service, he has always played the clarinet, a woodwind instrument.
He used to play in the band when he was assigned in Bohol Province before he got reassigned to the regional headquarters.
Aside from music, Butron also had an interest in still photography.
But he could not devote time for this because he got busy with his administrative duties for the band.
His colleagues described him as serious when it came to his work and said that they all thought highly of him, as he never got into arguments.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos personally pinned a Medalya ng Kadakilaan on Butron’s widow, Generosa, and assured that his children Riogen, Ian Roy and Rosel would be able to finish college.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 16, 2008 issue)
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