Lolo Ego and Lolo Bino
I have the
distinction and good fortune (through no merit of my own) of having not one but
two distinguished grandfathers, who served the Filipinos in earnest as senior
government officials at the relatively early stage of our nation’s quest for
self-determination. I find that the easiest way to brag about this
(though, once again, I can’t claim any credit) is to show a picture of a
historical plaque at the site of our national monument, the Rizal Monument
(the Philippines'
equivalent of the Statue of Liberty).
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| Rizal Monument |
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| The First Cabinet and the First Supreme Court Justices |
The plaque, on the
upper half, enumerates the first cabinet of the so-called Third Republic of the
Philippines (i.e., after the Commonwealth era of the Philippines under the
sovereignty of the United States), which includes the Honorable Manuel V.
Gallego, then Secretary of Public Instructions (that’s Lolo Ego), and, on the
lower half, enumerates the first justices of the Supreme Court, which includes
the Honorable Sabino Padilla (that’s Lolo Bino). They were indeed
honorable men at a time when public service in the Philippines was not yet wrought
with corruption and incompetence.
The exemplary public
service of both my Lolo Ego and my Lolo Bino were remembered on the year of
their respective birth centenary through the Great Filipinos series of
commemorative stamps issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation.
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| Lolo Ego |
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| Lolo and Lola Ego |
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| Lolo Bino with Family at Supreme Court |
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| Lolo Bino with Mom before Wedding |
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