50. REMEMBERING DAD

REMEMBERING DAD

Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano

10 October 2017

May Dad usually use the nickname “Nar” and would even have the letters printed or embroidered in most of his barongs and personal effects. However, since childhood he wore the moniker “Totoy” and is still the name used by fellow Calbayognons up to present. The nickname compliments the pet names used by his sister “Baby” (Manuela M. Cuizon) and husband “Nonoy” (Norberto Cuizon), all referred to as “small or young ones”. Totoy Miano succumbed to severe illness on this day in 2003 but his name and legacy still lives among his neighbors in Barangay Balud, his beloved associates in Gremio, his co-anchor and listeners in Radyo ng Bayan, colleagues in the city government of Calbayog and relatives in the LGU known as the “City of Waterfalls”.

Narciso Miano y Ybañez was the official entry in the baptismal records at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul with Felimon Miano y Capeding and Consorcia Tarrayo y Ybañez as parents. The eldest in a brood of three, he was born during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines on the second day of January 1943. Felimon’s father was Inocentes Miano who was married to Maria Capeding, a one-time hermana mayor, and a relative of the first Senate President of the Third Republic and Presidentiable Jose D. Avelino. The Mianos originated in Tagbilaran, Bohol also in the Visayas. Consorcia was the daughter of Pio Ybañez and Restituta Tarrayo. Pio was the only child of Don Benedicto Ybañez who served as Teniente Mayor of Calbayog during the latter part of the Spanish rule from 1895 to 1896. Restituta was the daughter of Quintina Lentejas and Don Antonio Tarrayo who served as Capitan Mayor of Calbayog from 1894 to 1895.

Felimon, nicknamed Emon, was elected as a one-time Municipal Councilor of Calbayog during the implementation of the Jones Law in 1916 together with cousin Jose D. Avelino. Lolo Emon was only 22 then, two years younger than me when I first served as Municipal Councilor of Cabatuan. He graduated AB, took up law and taught in Calbayog. Felimon was a close confidant of Jose Avelino as the latter rose from being a Councilor, Representative, Senator, Cabinet Secretary and Senate President. Cousins Felimon and Jose Avelino were the founding members of the Liberal Party together with future Presidents Manuel Roxas and Elpidio Quirino. The cousins were witnesses during the inauguration of the Third Republic on July 4, 1946 at the Luneta in Manila. When Calbayog was chartered as a city, Felimon, now a respected jeweller and pawnshop owner in Manila, was in line to be appointed as its first city mayor in 1948. However, death overtook his appointment on March 3, 1947. Consorcia, a widow at a young age, sold their residence in Pandacan, Manila and went home to Calbayog, taught at the Calbayog Pilot School and later remarried to Emilio Enriquez.

Dad studied at the local public school, moved on at Christ the King College also in Calbayog and later in Manila at the University of the East along Recto Avenue where he finished Commerce. He later took up Law at the Ateneo Law School in Makati but reached only second year. He was a member of the Fraternal Order of Utopia.

Dad idolized his uncle Benedicto (not the same Don Benedicto but the younger brother of Consorcia) so much and tried his best to become a lawyer; however, financial problems limited him as he must sustain his growing family of six kids. Benedicto or Biktoy, only sibling of his mother, was a celebrated lawyer in Olongapo City in Zambales and was Municipal Secretary of Makati under Mayor Nemesio I. Yabut during the Martial Law period. Dad told us never-ending stories of the escapades of Atty. Ibañez (originally Ybañez).

Before Martial Rule was implemented on September 21, 1972, Dad together with his younger brother Felimon Jr. and cousin (actually his nephew by blood) Ricardo Avelino, were mainstay in Radyo ng Bayan. After the Declaration, dad was “invited” by the authorities and was “istaked” at Camp General Vicente Lukban in the capital-town of Catbalogan. He was later released and went into self exile in the metropolis where he met my mom, Liliosa, who had the same fate in Isabela province. Liliosa or Lily is the daughter of Mayor Rafael M. Gozum and Councilor Marciana Borromeo Ramos of Cabatuan, Isabela. Their union was blessed with six children: Troy Alexander, Tara Kristine (now Mrs. Zapata), Pamela Ann, Faye Therese (now Mrs. Gallegos), Cherry Concetta and Charisse Marcianne (now Mrs. Candelaria).  

The young Miano family first stayed in Palanan, Makati at the ten-door apartment of Lolo Biktoy and later transferred to Kamias, Quezon City. Dad ventured into the fire extinguisher business. He would conduct a seminar-demo in various banking institutions about fire prevention. Mom and I were also involved in the manufacturing process. We would buy used aerosol cans in Tondo, repaint them and assemble the product. This, though the income was very inadequate, was the bread and butter of the family during the pre-People Power era.

I can still clearly remember my Dad banging furiously an empty drum with a wooden rod outside our rented apartment rejoicing because Martial Law was lifted on January 17, 1981. I was witness when he cried like a child together with Tito Ricky (Ricardo Avelino) in front of a radio set at the latter’s condo unit along Katipunan Avenue upon confirming the news that Ninoy Aquino was shot dead on August 21, 1983. He carried me on his shoulders when we entered the Aquino residence at Times Street, Quezon City to view the mortal remains of Ninoy in its original state on the third night of the wake. We were there during the funeral were multitude attended up to the final resting place of the fallen modern-day martyr in Parañaque.

Dad brought me to rallies conducted by the opposition leaders. Luneta in Manila and Ayala in Makati were the regular venues of the protests. Then came the Presidential Snap Elections, Dad went home to Calbayog City to campaign for the Cory-Doy tandem while mom went home to Cabatuan, Isabela to join a small group for the same intention. Dad dug a foot into his grave when he campaigned for Cory since Calbayog was Marcos country. Aside from being the home region of First Lady Imelda Marcos, the country’s Top 3 man, Jose A. Roño hailed from Calbayog. Roño, Minister of Local Government (1972-1986), was in fact a relative of my dad from the Daguman lineage on his mother side. After the elections, we were all back in the metropolis and on the fateful day of February 11, former Governor Evelio B. Javier, Jr., a staunch supporter of Cory, was martyred in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique while protecting the election returns of his province. We visited the wake of Antique’s Ninoy at the Ateneo since Javier was my Dad’s fraternal brother at the Ateneo Utopia.

I almost cried for waiting too long for my Dad to fetch me at the Ateneo in Katipunan, Quezon City on February 22, 1986 after attending a rehearsal at the Ateneo Children’s Theatre since it’s almost midnight. I found out that he was with Calbayognons in nearby Alta Vista Village meeting and assessing the nation’s situation after Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and AFP Vice Chief Fidel V. Ramos defected from the government of President Marcos. Dad and I were at EDSA in front of Camps Aguinaldo and Crame on the third day of the Revolution. I was brought to EDSA alternately by Mom and Dad. My parents would not risk being there together for Dad believed that if Marcos becomes desperate, he might drop a bomb to disperse the growing crowd and my five siblings and I would be orphaned at a very young age with my twin sisters only almost four years old. Believing that the Marcos family will be out soon, we joined the multitude and inched our way to Malacañang via J.P. Laurel Street in San Miguel. We were able to reach the palace and the rest was history.

The early stage of President Cory Aquino’s administration was the entry of my parents into government service. Dad and the family witnessed the oath-taking of my Mom as OIC Vice Mayor of Cabatuan, Isabela on May 16, 1986. Dad was appointed OIC Mayor of Calbayog City on December 2, 1987 to oversee the first local elections after the People Power Revolution replacing Mayor Godofreda Dean who filed her candidacy for mayor. He was however, replaced by DLG Operations Officer Manuel Lagrimas on January 7, 1987. In his short stint as Mayor, he was able to curve the operation of the 5-6 Queen in the city hall which was a menace among employees for decades.

Dad continued his fire extinguisher business and expanded into other products. He went home to Calbayog and went back to his old passion of being a radio commentator in Radio ng Bayan. He revived the old Gremio de Obreros Stevadores de Calbayog founded by Jose Avelino and Felimon Miano before the Commonwealth and now known as Gremio Services under the Anak Pawis Labor umbrella. He was employed as Community Affairs Officer at the cityhall during the term of Mayor Mel Senen S. Sarmiento  (who would later become Representative and Secretary of the DILG) under the Office of Vice Mayor Gerardo T. Jusayan and contributed the political history segment of the historical development of Calbayog. He served the Calbayognons until his demise due to heart ailment and throat cancer at the age of 60.

Dad or “Nar” which he most preferred to be called, may not be a perfect father probably because he was not molded to be a businessman. If I would grade my Dad’s performance in his chosen field, I won’t have double thoughts in giving him a public service mark of “Outstanding”.