MORE than just a mentor, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president and Panadtaran Barangay Captain Ricardo "Nonoy" Reluya Jr. was a second father to 16-year-old Jernuel Basco.
A teary-eyed Basco recalled how Reluya, without hesitation, helped their family on several occasions.
"He was very kind and generous to everyone, especially my family. We owed him a lot. When my older brother got injured, he was the first to help. When my brother also took the board exams, he was also one of the people who helped us financially," he told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano.
But more than the financial help, it was the moral support that Basco got from Reluya that is forever etched in his heart.
"Sir Nonoy," as what the townsfolk of San Fernado fondly called Reluya, gathered a group of youngsters to train them into motocross athletes.
Among his apprentices were the Basco brothers.
On Sunday, Jan. 27, the Bascos joined the motorcade that brought Reluya’s remains from the San Isidro Parish church to the municipal sports complex where it will be open for public viewing until Jan. 30.
Motocross dirt bikes with the number "98" written in black, bold letters led the convoy in tribute to the late village chief.
Reluya was a known motocross racer and his lucky number was 98.
When he was 12 years old, Basco used to spend hours playing online games, but it all changed when Reluya introduced him to motocross racing.
"I won’t forget what he once told me. He said that while I’m still young, I should focus on worthwhile endeavors, and not on vices and mischief," Basco said.
Unlike most athletes, Reluya started late.
He was 35 years old when he pursued his childhood dream of becoming a motocross racer.
This, though, did not stop him from pushing through with his exhilarating exploits and eventually making a name for himself in the field.
Basco said that it was Reluya’s fatherly admonition that he will miss the most.
"I will miss him. Even if we’re not his children, he treated us like his own kids,” added Basco, whose parents work under Reluya in the barangay hall.
Despite Reluya's untimely demise, Basco said he and his colleagues in the motocross community that the official organized have agreed to continue their endeavors.
"We will continue this because this was his dream for us, this was his sport,” Basco said.
The motocross group displayed Reluya's blue bike beside his coffin as a way of paying tribute to him.