My cousin Ray
was never been invisible. He loves to be around and do something for his close
friends and relatives. He’s there during birthdays, weddings, reunions, fiesta
celebrations and anniversaries lending a hand especially in preparing and
cooking dishes. Whenever we have visitors from Manila, especially our aunties,
he’s always the designated driver. He knows acupressure and lately he’s into
selling food items including traditional food supplements or herbal medicines.
Riding his mountain bike usually in the morning and his father’s jeep the rest
of the day or simply walking, most of the time we could find Ray practically in
every nook of the town proper each time he’s done with the household chores. He
has friends from all walks of life, from the street smarts of Malvar, the rural
toughies to the town’s intellectuals, businessmen, politicians, artists and
yuppies.
Even without
apparent reason or agenda, he would just appear just to say his hello or bring
something for your kids, or let you engaged in a chat usually over a bottle of
brandy and talk about the good old days and everything under the sun.
Because he’s
the Visible Man, he’s everywhere. That was before and he’s gone now. He was
shot dead by an assailant just few meters away from the newest, the biggest and
the most structurally-advanced municipal police station in the province.
Hours before
his tragic death, together with his girlfriend and a friend, an OFW from Hong
Kong, Ray helped in packing relief items and gifts that are supposed to be
distributed the next day to the Yolanda victims in Brgy. San Agustin. It is New
Year outreach project of the HK-based Occidental Mindoro OFW association.
He’s always
there to lend a hand not only for private occasions but also for such community
cause. He is most of the time in the company of local musicians in their gigs.
He’s an alumnus of Divine Word College of San Jose who finished his elementary
in 1979, graduated in secondary education in 1983 and got his diploma in
Bachelor of Arts in 1988. He was born February 2, 1965. He once ran but lost in
barangay election in Pag-Asa some years ago and he even had a dream of trying
it again in Iling in 2016. Ray’s simple and not so complicated plan for the
future is higher than his desire to be with people always when you need him or
even when you don’t. For him, there’s no substitute for physical presence, for just
being around.
Not anymore.
Our family’s ray of visibility just faded away.
When they
finished packing the relief goods and gifts, he and his girlfriend, along with
a young friend, was waiting for a tricycle along Mabini St. fronting Caimito
Road in Brgy VII when a motorcycle man with a woman riding at the back passed
by then they exchanged words. The guy parked the vehicle nearby and the two
groups again exchanged harsh words and then blows. After the altercation, the
riding couple left. After 5 minutes or so, the man came back alone but this
time with a pistol. The man poked the gun at Ray’s young companion and pulled
the trigger but Ray quickly intervened and he was hit, though indirectly, in
the arm. His girlfriend then turned hysterical while he tried to grab the
weapon from the man. Trying to protect again his companion, the three of them,
Ray, the suspect and his young friend wrestled again and the moment they hit
the ground, another two gunshots were heard. The incident happened around 1:30
in the morning of December 28, 2013 and that was Saturday. It was barely 3
nights before New Year Eve.
Sketchy
reports revealed that my cousin suffered 3 bullet wounds. Each in both arms and
the fatal shot is the last one he caught the right side of his abdomen. The
slug that entered into his torso was not recovered during the autopsy. At 48,
he was 3 years younger than me. He was declared dead on arrival at the St.
Magdalene Hospital. Some says it’s Colt .38 others says its 9mm. Three empty
shells and two slugs were found at the scene including a live bullet along with
other physical evidences like a scarf, soap bar and pair of slippers.
There were two
major accidents that nearly caused Ray’s life before. When he was 4 or so, he
climbed their glass jalousie window wanting to have a clear vision of a chopper
hovering above their place. He fell and got a deep and long ugly wound on his
right jaw. The scar is still visible even when he’s already a grown-up man. In
his late 20s’, he met a motorcycle accident and was airlifted to Manila the
next morning while one of the victim’s legs was amputated. But as far as I
could remember, he’d never been involved in any trouble and he has no criminal
records at all.
With the long
list of unsolved killings happening in my hometown since I was a kid, we are
hoping that Ray’s life would not be wasted by becoming just a small dot in the
galaxy of numbers of unsolved murders in this part of the universe. The list is
endless and it’s still counting.
Ray cannot easily
be angered by people, events or anything. His words were never been wayward or
arrogant specially when talking with people even when under the influence of
bottled spirit.
Ray could have
a chance going out of the country or work somewhere. He preferred to stay here
in San Jose when Yvonne, his eldest daughter, finished her studies and already
got herself a good job. Some may doubt or question his priorities in life but
for him life must be lived each day to connect with people as much as he can no
matter how they feel about him and his presence. He ever cherished doing dirty
works for his loved ones. The man at any time of the day would just appear at
your door just to greet everyone especially during weekends. He loves to stay
around and to simply make his presence felt.
The Visible
Man who just joined his Invisible Creator will forever be missed….
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Today
is the first death anniversary of my cousin Ray and I remember this eulogy I
wrote but I was not able to say it during his funeral for I was on official
travel that time. Instead, I asked my eldest Yobhel to read this in my behalf as
his father’s tribute to his Tito Ray.
The
night before when Ray was murdered, I was with Jhong Lagrado and Mon Paquing at
a watering hole in Aroma Center having a couple of beer. At around 1:00 AM we
went home tipsy.
Very
early in the morning my wife received a call from Jhong while I was still in
bed asking how I was in a very calculating voice. Jolly person as she told him
that I’m still sleeping and after some pleasantries both of them said their
goodbyes. Barrage of messages and calls coming from different people, friends and
acquaintances, came in asking the same question. It was around 9 AM when Jhong called
me. “Sino yung Novio na binaril na dati
raw taga Bikaryato?” There are only two Novio boys once employed at the
Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose: me and Ray. My hands trembled, my heart pumped
hard. I uttered a prayer.
Here
is the latest on Ray’s murder: The suspect to the gruesome killing of my cousin
was arrested in Laguna in another crime and sometime mid of this year, he was
turned-over to PNP Occidental Mindoro. He was arrested by police elements in
Pakil and was transferred to Magbay Provincial Jail last November 17, 2014. The
arrest is made through the PNP e-Warrant System and this database enables the
PNP to easily and quickly verify names of persons with arrest warrants. The
wheel of justice is about to grind.
You
may now rest in peace, Ray…
