I first met Nueva Vizcaya Governor Carlos Padilla in 2004 when he was still a congressman and the lone senatorial candidate of then presidential candidate Senator Ping Lacson.
At that time, I was in charge of the advance teams and was a field marshal for the presidential campaign. I had orders from campaign headquarters to take care of Cong Caloy, in addition to Senator Ping.
He was a tireless campaigner, grabbing the microphone or megaphone, whether on an open-roof vehicle in a motorcade or marching through market alleys.
I fondly remember the few times we passed cemeteries during his campaign and he would say, “Those who lie there, please do not vote!” We always laughed to ease the strain of campaigning.
I was always on guard when our missions ended because he would usually sneak out to mingle with the crowd and go to other places. Often, Senator Ping’s helicopters would wait for him for a few minutes because he was still campaigning.
Our campaign in Nueva Vizcaya was quite memorable because at that time Cong Caloy and then Governor Banti Cuaresma were still under one party when our campaign was suddenly interrupted because Senator Lacson had to travel back to Manila for a very important meeting.
We were waiting for the senator to return, not eager to continue campaigning, but excited to be informed of the outcome of his meeting with presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. on the initial unification talks.
Once, when we were campaigning in the mountains of the Cordillera, we arrived by helicopter in Bontoc, Mt. Province, and then went to Baguio City. That was one of the scariest helicopter rides I have ever experienced because the air turbulence was terrible from the moment we took off until we touched the ground.
It seemed that the air trapped by the mountain ranges would not allow a smooth ride, so our helicopters flew as high as they could, but strong winds also made our machines dance constantly.
During these rides, I noticed that Cong Caloy was as calm as the morning ocean waves, not a trace of nervousness or dizziness as I had shown. We were in the same helicopter while Senator Ping was in the other. When we landed at Loakan in Baguio City, I said to him, “Believe ako sayo Cong, di ka man lang natakot!” To which he replied, “Agkarkararag ak, mabuteng ak met, ngem agkarkaragak launay.” (I prayed, I was also afraid, but I prayed and prayed).
Cong Caloy was no longer in the House of Representatives when I was appointed Undersecretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2016. He was already the governor of Nueva Vizcaya then. He was the first person I consulted with regarding my job because he was the chair of the Congressional Committee on Public Education at the time.
He gave me all his files in Congress, all the budget proposals of the DepEd, and all the materials he had about public education. This gave me my first glimpse of how the DepEd operated. Cong Caloy was the one who told me to take a closer look and refine the general provisions of the Department of Education in the annual appropriations bill, because those provisions would determine the flexibility or limitations in the use of funds according to the needs of the department.
Every time I visited the Cagayan Valley and the North, I felt the urge to see my dear friend and mentor, Cong. Caloy.
We talked and reminisced old times, discussed current political situations, and shared memories of our past. We were both passionate about public education.
When I was in DepEd, Cong. Caloy invited me to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya. During this event, we came up with the idea of transforming the Bagabag Training Center into the Nueva Vizcaya Teachers Camp. There were also special occasions that allowed us to continue meeting, such as at the inaugurations of the Gabaldon Heritage Schools, of which there are many in Nueva Vizcaya. And in some cases, his wife, Mam Ruth, represented him when the provincial government kept him in the capitol.
In 2021, I asked Cong. Caloy for a personal favor. I asked him to help provide security and protection for my aunt, who was going to Nueva Vizcaya to collect the remains of my cousin Rommel.
Rommel was an important officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army in the Sierra Madre mountains. Unfortunately, Rommel was killed during an encounter with the army conducting reinforced operations.
I had warned my cousin about the reinforced operations and tried to convince him to go legal, but his commitment to their cause stopped him.
Cong. Caloy and I talked about the situation of having one family member in the government and the other on the opposite side. He was fully sympathetic to this, having gone through a similar situation himself.
I remember hearing that Cong. Caloy, who may have been in his early twenties, was also part of the First Quarter Storm. Together with former Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones and former Executive Secretary Ruben Torres, they rammed a firetruck outside the gates of Malacanang.
They belonged to the Malayang Pagkakaisa ng Kabataang Pilipino (MPKP), the youth group of the old Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP).
Cong. Caloy also served as chairman of the Supreme Student Council of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), formerly called Philippine University of Commerce (PCC), and he became a leader of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP).
There were a few things Cong. Caloy gave me that I will never forget. The first is a wooden sculpture of the Philippine eagle, which is unique and beautifully depicts the rose head crest of the eagle. He was inspired to make this sculpture after reading my book, Haring Ibong: The Great Philippine Eagle.
The second were the seedlings of ponkans and satsuma citrus plants. Although I was actually looking for perante seedlings, which were not available, Cong. Caloy generously offered me the satsuma and ponkan seedlings that he received from Nueva Vizcaya State University. I hope to grow these citrus fruits and oranges and that they will bear fruit in the future.
Whenever I see the wooden sculpture and the citrus plants, I will always think of Cong. Caloy. I will be forever grateful for his friendship, mentoring and all he has done for me.
Rest in peace, my friend, my mentor. Goodbye, sir!
My condolences go out to Mam Ruth and the rest of his family, his loved ones and the people of Nueva Vizcaya.
