ADOR de Leon was the identical twin of Cardo Dalisay, the protagonist in “Ang Probinsyano,” the long-running telenovela on ABS-CBN.
The characters are both played by former indie actor Coco Martin.
Ador was a respected and prominent official of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Manila when he was shot and killed by Joaquin, a fellow policeman and a batchmate at the PNPA, during the finale of the first week of airing. He left behind his wife Carmen and their son Junior.
Unbeknownst to them and his friends, he was replaced by Cardo, who was a member of the Special Action Force.
Cardo was ordered by their grandmother and granduncle to assume his identity so he could continue the mission the former left behind.
Don’t ask me why Ador and Cardo have different last names or why it took so long for Carmen to find out that Cardo was not her husband. All I know is the show wouldn’t still be on the air if it had plausible explanations for these questions.
Anyway, Ador’s sudden demise sent ripples throughout the newsroom whose inhabitants were forced to watch the show, which came right after the nightly news.
My Facebook status, “Patay na si Ador (Ador is dead),” even prompted an aunt, who was then working in Thailand, to ask if he was a relative from Argao.
Ador was an elusive character only because he had a week’s worth of screen time.
That can’t be said of his namesake, Ador Canlas, the engineer who has been lording over the Department of Public Works and Highways 7 as its director for, I don’t know, as long as “Ang Probinsyano” has been showing, or even longer.
Our Ador has been hogging the limelight because of what his office has done—implemented the underpass project on N. Bacalso Ave. in Cebu City reportedly without a traffic management study that has resulted in monstrous traffic jams in the area—and is about to do—implement a similar structure on U.N. Ave. in Mandaue City although this time it’s called “depressed” (I wonder why) despite the objection of some members of the Regional Development Council 7 and despite the case a businessman filed before the Office of the President.
I have to give it to our Ador, he must really love Central Visayas.
He was supposed to be transferred two years ago yet, but he was able to convince his superiors to let him remain in his post. Another source said that he managed to secure the endorsement of eight local legislators.
Mind you, Cebu has been known to do that to outsiders. Entice them to stay, that is.
So that must be it. Cebu’s allure played a major part in the Pampanga native’s decision to seek his fortune here on our shores.