MY STINT as a news reporter started way back in 1983 when I chanced upon a road mishap, took pictures of it and submitted a copy to the Gold Ore right after I printed it at my makeshift darkroom. It came out in the pages of said paper with the credit, Photo by Artibal. Back then, we photojournalists develop and print our black and white photos in a darkroom and there were only few of us who does that.
Gold Ore’s lensman Eric de Castro later became the chief correspondent of Reuters, a well circulated or syndicated international news bureau. It was also at that time when I met and befriended newsmen Domecio Cimatu and Jose Nicolas Ilagan, both deceased who were among the most respected editors at that time. The year 1983 was also the time when I covered my first Philippine Military Academy graduation with the late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos as the conferment exercise speaker.
The year is also memorable to me because a photograph of me with the Ilocano President was taken by Ramon Dacawi whose body now lies in state at a St. Peter Memorial Chapel. Manong Ramon, one of the few remaining elders of Baguio’s so-called fourth estate is one example of the proverbial Good Samaritan. He was our mentor in many ways most especially to my wife Helen who always reach out to him whenever she needs guidance being one who came from what we refer to as lowlands. Manong Mon or Mondax has served the city of Baguio as the head of the Public Information Office, a unit under the Baguio City Mayor’s Office and his late brother Jose Dacawi who later became the Human Resource Management Officer of the city was a correspondent of the now defunct Daily Express. I officially became a member of the Baguio Correspondent and Broadcasters Club when the leadership of the club was passed on from one Dacawi to another Dacawi. Part of my initiation then was to make a giant pencil with a microphone as its top instead of the usual eraser to symbolize the gadgets used by writers and broadcasters.
As of this writing, another respected and well-loved man of the cloth is being offered with flowers and prayer cards. Bishop Carlito Cenzon joined his creator a day earlier than Mondax leaving many of us feeling orphaned. News about their departures caught Baguio by surprise at a time when political leadership is also undergoing a major revamp. The bishop and our manong were known as stalwart environmentalists with the later having led many school children to the city’s remaining forest for an experiential and value formation learning and the former having supported anti-tree cutting protest rallies.
In her social media page, Nonnette Bennett narrated how Ramon Dacawi asked her if Bishop could walk down Session Road to Burnham Park with the students from Mabini Elementary School for the eco-walk program of his. Nette asked the Bishop about it and he said, “Please give him my number” which means that anyone can talk to him or text him. Miss Bennet recalls that their walk or tour with the Bishop on their meeting days for the Burnham Park Fencing Committee meetings were delightful for the Bishop. Called Otto by those close to him, Cenzon fought for the protection of Baguio’s pine cover and denounced both illegal and state-run gambling. While leading a fencing program for Baguio’s Burnham Park and joining a peaceful street march with members of ecumenical organizations and diocese to protect the trees, Bishop asked for me to be part of a concert fir a cause to which I obliged as a singer.
Meanwhile, the Society of Outstanding Citizens of Baguio of which Bishop Cenzon and Mondax belong looks forward to receiving nominees and candidates to be recognized on September 1 for the Charter Day Celebrations. With Baguio’s desination as Creative City by Unesco and with the new set of officials at the halls of the city government, we look forward to seeing the Baguioness among the old snd new citizenry of this unique upland city.