Emmanuele Jobart Gomez, a member of the Christ the King College Youth Symphony Orchestra received the citation for his lolo during the 1st Bahandi Samarnon Award. Here's the text of his speech.
MY LOLO JOSE, AS A FAMILY MAN
Jobart Gomez
Good evening to each and everyone of you.
Three weeks before this occasion, someone from the organizers came to the house of the great man Jose Cinco Gomez asking one of his children to share in public about his life as a father to Mr. Manuel Gomez, my father, as well as a father to my father’s siblings.
With the invitation, Tita Cecilia, Tito Antonio, Tita Virginia, papa Manuel, and Tito Remigio accepted it wholeheartedly and now I am in front of you ready to share what they have dictated me and also to represent officially the family of the great Jose Cinco Gomez. In my succeeding speech, please allow me to use only lolo Jose instead of the great Jose.
Lolo Jose, as my titas and titos would tell me, is a man of virtue, a man of courage, a disciplinarian, a generous person, and a loving father. He never neglected to snoop for a moment his sleeping children in each of their room before he slept. He always emphasized honesty and integrity. The late Tito Mariano, the third from the eldest, told his siblings about the following story: a man came from Brgy. Dagum who borrowed a small amount to lolo Jose with a piece of paper serving his property as collateral. Out of compassion, lolo Jose gave that man the amount he needed. Month came; the man came back asking for a little time to pay for the exact amount that man owed my lolo. What my lolo did was he tapped the shoulder of that man and gave back the piece of paper telling him not to worry disregarding the amount he owed.
A disciplinarian. When the church bell stroked at 6:00 o’clock in the evening, my titos and titas must be at the dining table on time. If any of them was not present during those times, he or she was locked up outside the house and fortunately, it was my lola who intervened for reconsideration.
The most painful blow on my lolo’s life, on my family’s life, was the death of his three sisters Josefa, Francisca and Trinidad who were captured in Bobon, Northern Samar
Refusing to reveal his whereabouts, they were tortured and killed by the Japanese soldiers
After the war, the leadership of my lolo Jose had illustrated had earned him an award. He was appointed Chief of Police by Mayor Pedro Pido until 1953.
He revived the Cecilian Orchestra which became the only guerilla band probably in the country at that time. With the revival, they had the opportunity to perform in Malacanang in honor of the former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. The group was renamed the Calbayog Cecilian Cultural Group.
Being a religious person, he composed songs for the masses with lyrics in English, Spanish and without charging even a single centavo.
Then came the Paligsahan sa Musika Songwriting Competition in 1974 and my lolo was the winner in the entire Region 8.
In my lolo’s life, not all were beautiful tunes and melodies. When he heard the verdict of his defeat in “Ahay” case against the Mabuhay Singers sponsored by no less than the former First Lady Imelda Marcos, he was stunned and aggrieved.
He was brought to Manila for medical treatment. His son Antonio, second from the eldest, and a medical representative at that time brought him to the best doctor at Far Eastern University and while undergoing treatment, my tito Remigio found him irritable and insisted in going home believing he would recover in Calbayog, a place very dear to my lolo and also to all of us.
With the permission of the doctor, he came home in January 1975 but early morning of February 2, the month he was born 63 years back like in the wink of an eye was the end of the beautiful song in Calbayog that was the life of my lolo Jose.
Whatever purpose this speech may serve from this day onwards, I pray that my lolo Jose’s love for his family, for music and most especially for his birthplace Calbayog City be remembered not only in memories but also in action: for the benefit of the greater good, of Calbayog City, and of every Calbayognon, young and old
Thank you everyone and mabuhay po si Jose Cinco Gomez, tayong pong lahat na naririto pati na rin ang mahal nating Calbayog City.
Once again, thank you and good day.
