Arnel R. Villanueva (Herrie Rivera)
ARNEL R. VILLANUEVA
I am almost in shock by the sudden demise of my good friend Arnel. He was my childhood chum, by teenage buddy and the brother that I never had. When I last talked to him, though he tried to show me that he was doing fine & was in high spirits, I felt that somehow he was hurting, not physically but emotionally. Though I knew that he had found the strength from his renewed faith & love for God, I knew he was missing something. I knew that at the back of his mind, he was worried about his wife, his Mom & Dad, his Lola Asyang, his sisters and I am 100% sure, us his good friends.
Days before he left for Canada, he brought his family to my office to say goodbye. He was in high spirits because he knew that he had a great future ahead of him in his new adoptive country. He told me to process my papers immediately so that I’ll have the chance to horse around with him & another good friend Bernard who went there years ahead. Though he knew I am eyeing Vancouver, & he was going to be based in Toronto, he made it appear so easy for us to meet up. I guess that is how friends are, no distance or barriers can really split you apart.
From time to time, Arnel would call me to say hi & give his regards to our other close friends Loy, Benjie & Glen. When I would ask about his job, he would normally say he is doing fine but I did not realize that actually, he was doing GREAT! He had a good paying job, a pioneering status & trusted & respected by his peers. In fact, he was able to buy his own house & car within four years time, a fete that even oldtimers in Canada would take decades to achieve. That is Arnel, ever humble & low profile. He is not the type who would talk about his accomplishments or his achievements. The only time that you would hear him brag is about his kids. He said his boy is quite naughty (pilyo) & brave (matapang) while his girl is bright. I would always remind him that the chromosomes from being brave actually came from my Kumare who is “matapang”. To that we would have a hearty laugh. Indeed we love making fools of ourselves when we talk about our wives!
One time, he called to thank me when he heard that I hired his cousin Claire in our company. I told him there is really no need to be thankful because Claire was qualified & smart. Though it just so happened that Claire was her cousin & it was to her own merit that I hired her, he still believed that his being my good friend was a factor. I realize that the reason why he insisted is because that was how he would have acted if he had the same opportunity that I had. I have heard that he helped our dear friend Bernard transfer to his company. Somehow, he always wanted to help others. I remember when I was with another Japanese company, after arriving from Singapore, he would visit me in Clark. When he heard that I will be sending trainees to Japan, he was back the next day & brought along two (2) resumes. One was his cousin who eventually went to Japan & trained for 3 years & his brother in law. He wanted me to give Jen’s husband a break. That is the kind of brother that Arnel was to his sisters, very caring & compassionate. To him, his success is not complete if not everybody in the family is equally successful.
Since he was my friend from kindergarten, I could remember that we had our share of misunderstandings. The first one was when we elementary varsity players for our basketball team. We were second stringers. We were the type who were taken into the team not because we were athletically gifted but because we were tall though. When the game against Don Bosco Academy was developing into a blow-out & a picnic for the Bosconians, our coach, Joy Nuqui brought us in as a way of throwing in the towel. Arnel was the point guard & I acted as a center/forward. In the dying seconds of the game, he passed the ball to me, but I passed it back to him because I knew he was a better shooter. When I was preparing to cut in for a rebound, he instinctly passed the ball back to me smack into my face. No it did not hurt much but boy was I embarrassed…”liklak ne ing bola ngada pin”. I covered my face I tears started drifting from my eyes. I was taken out of the game & Arnel profusely apologized because he thought I lost my front teeth. No it did not hurt much but boy was I embarrassed…”liklak ne ing bola ngada pin”.
The second misunderstanding that we had was in 3rd year highschool, when we were both monitors (tagalinis). Well, he wanted the “bunot” & I wanted it too. So, words were exchanged and a shouting match ensued. Our class adviser then, Ms. Ann Angeles mediated. I was furious & so was Arnel. “Mapali ke pu buntuk”…A makanyan, Ms. Angeles got a glass of water & poured it over our head. She literally de-steamed us. After that, we shook hands & laughed at the manner on how things were patched up between us. I guess it is always quite simple to fix things with friends.
Just like any teenage boys, we had our own crushes. We had our share of hormonal overload too. Arnel was always secretive. He did not want others know who his crush was. But I knew her. She was Blanca Blanco. This is one thing that we also had in common, somehow we always felt that our crushes did not like us back. We always felt that we were ugly ducklings, unattractive & awkward. As the years passed, with all due fairness, we turned out to be very good family men…. Sorry na lang kayo di niyo kami natikman….that we would always say!
Yes we also had our swashbuckling & wild days. We literally drank like pigs. We started out with ambula in Barangay, then we would consume bottles of beer. The funny thing is we would always make sure that we all went home in good & safe condition. We always had a designated driver, Benjie, who was allergic to alcohol. The problem is, somehow, we always brought Benjie home first; talk about safety! So one day, the expected happened, I tore my tendon of Achilles when the car or was it a van…I guess it was a semi truck of Loy hit the wall infront of Benjioe’s house. Thank God our drunken days were over!
When we were busy charting our young careers, we would check on one another. Arnel spent his early professional years working for government while I resorted to having my own business. From time to time, he lent me his jeep when I had deliveries. When I joined PAGCOR, he went to Singapore. When I joined a Japanese company, he was on his way to Canada. Come to think of it, we almost always had opposite career paths but we always found ways to see each other, call or say regards to each other….Well that is friendship.
Arnel is always generous. I remember he gave me his sandals when he came from Singapore in exchange for my old sandals. One time when he visited me, he gave me a Singapore dollar because he forgot to buy me pasalubong. He always wanted to please his friends. He always wanted to share his blessings. When our town Bacolor was devastated by lahar, being the only boy in the family, I had the gargantuan task of extracating all our salvageable belongings. Since all my cousins were likewise busy evacuating, I had nobody to help me out. I brought along my girlfriend & her sister and that was it. I was all alone. I saw Arnel in the town proper. Though htheir house was also devastated, he gladly heeded my request for help when I told him about my predicament. He helped me the whole day. It just shows that he would always think of others before himself.
When I got married, I made sure that he was in my entourage together with my close buddies, Loy, Benjie & Glen. And when he got married, he got my son as a ring bearer. We are also Godfathers of our children. One day, he brought his son to my house. We always hoped that our children would continue our friendship, the same way we continued the friendship of our parents. Alas….our kids were fighting each other after only five (5) minutes. We could only shake our heads.
Our wives are also close to each other. Maybe they have heard about our escapades, adventures & misadventures. I am sure they have heard about our trek to Arayat…..how we re-arranged traffic signs in Bacolor, Octagon, Odeum etc…etc… These are but some of the happy moments that we spent with each other. We could go on and on laughing about our adventures & misadventures. I am sure Arnel carries these memories with him in the great beyond.
The last time I talked to him, he was about to undergo chemotherapy. He apologized for not informing me immediately. When I encouraged him to hang on and it is “chicken feeds or just a pulled hamstring” he was frank enough to say that it might not be good because they spotted lumps in his liver. When I told him to stay bad because “bad grass never dies”, he said he has accepted God’s will & is happy to be part of his plan. When I encouraged him to stay healthy, he advised me to maintain my annual check-up. The funny thing is he kept comparing himself to Saul & he kept saying if he makes it, he will testify on the greatness of God. Now, he can testify no more. I am. This is not my eulogy for him but my testimony on the benevolence & kindness of Arnel. He doesn’t need to compare himself to Saul….he himself is a hard act to follow.
Goodbye old friend…. We will miss you and your amiable demeanor. To my kumara, you are very lucky to have had such a wonderful and caring husband. To his children, make the dreams of your Dad happen….he is watching over you. To Indang Peng & Tang Jose, you brought up a very good man that will be remembered by all the people he had touched with his grace. To his sisters, help his family & children.
To Pareng Arnel, the great beyond becomes vibrant when you finally enter HIS kingdom. Pare….watch over me. Whisper to me when I can no longer hear the shouts of the Binggo Master….Lubricate my knees when I cannot go ballroom dancing with Irene due to Arthritis….Knock some sense into my brain when I keep forgetting the names of my children or grand children due to Alzheimer’s….. Let me remind you though…..DON’T EVER NEGOTIATE in my behalf with the Almighty for renewed LIBIDO …..let VIAGRA do the work!!!
It was a pleasure writing this…..
HERRIE RAYMOND H. RIVERA “BOK”
07 August 2007
I am almost in shock by the sudden demise of my good friend Arnel. He was my childhood chum, by teenage buddy and the brother that I never had. When I last talked to him, though he tried to show me that he was doing fine & was in high spirits, I felt that somehow he was hurting, not physically but emotionally. Though I knew that he had found the strength from his renewed faith & love for God, I knew he was missing something. I knew that at the back of his mind, he was worried about his wife, his Mom & Dad, his Lola Asyang, his sisters and I am 100% sure, us his good friends.
Days before he left for Canada, he brought his family to my office to say goodbye. He was in high spirits because he knew that he had a great future ahead of him in his new adoptive country. He told me to process my papers immediately so that I’ll have the chance to horse around with him & another good friend Bernard who went there years ahead. Though he knew I am eyeing Vancouver, & he was going to be based in Toronto, he made it appear so easy for us to meet up. I guess that is how friends are, no distance or barriers can really split you apart.
From time to time, Arnel would call me to say hi & give his regards to our other close friends Loy, Benjie & Glen. When I would ask about his job, he would normally say he is doing fine but I did not realize that actually, he was doing GREAT! He had a good paying job, a pioneering status & trusted & respected by his peers. In fact, he was able to buy his own house & car within four years time, a fete that even oldtimers in Canada would take decades to achieve. That is Arnel, ever humble & low profile. He is not the type who would talk about his accomplishments or his achievements. The only time that you would hear him brag is about his kids. He said his boy is quite naughty (pilyo) & brave (matapang) while his girl is bright. I would always remind him that the chromosomes from being brave actually came from my Kumare who is “matapang”. To that we would have a hearty laugh. Indeed we love making fools of ourselves when we talk about our wives!
One time, he called to thank me when he heard that I hired his cousin Claire in our company. I told him there is really no need to be thankful because Claire was qualified & smart. Though it just so happened that Claire was her cousin & it was to her own merit that I hired her, he still believed that his being my good friend was a factor. I realize that the reason why he insisted is because that was how he would have acted if he had the same opportunity that I had. I have heard that he helped our dear friend Bernard transfer to his company. Somehow, he always wanted to help others. I remember when I was with another Japanese company, after arriving from Singapore, he would visit me in Clark. When he heard that I will be sending trainees to Japan, he was back the next day & brought along two (2) resumes. One was his cousin who eventually went to Japan & trained for 3 years & his brother in law. He wanted me to give Jen’s husband a break. That is the kind of brother that Arnel was to his sisters, very caring & compassionate. To him, his success is not complete if not everybody in the family is equally successful.
Since he was my friend from kindergarten, I could remember that we had our share of misunderstandings. The first one was when we elementary varsity players for our basketball team. We were second stringers. We were the type who were taken into the team not because we were athletically gifted but because we were tall though. When the game against Don Bosco Academy was developing into a blow-out & a picnic for the Bosconians, our coach, Joy Nuqui brought us in as a way of throwing in the towel. Arnel was the point guard & I acted as a center/forward. In the dying seconds of the game, he passed the ball to me, but I passed it back to him because I knew he was a better shooter. When I was preparing to cut in for a rebound, he instinctly passed the ball back to me smack into my face. No it did not hurt much but boy was I embarrassed…”liklak ne ing bola ngada pin”. I covered my face I tears started drifting from my eyes. I was taken out of the game & Arnel profusely apologized because he thought I lost my front teeth. No it did not hurt much but boy was I embarrassed…”liklak ne ing bola ngada pin”.
The second misunderstanding that we had was in 3rd year highschool, when we were both monitors (tagalinis). Well, he wanted the “bunot” & I wanted it too. So, words were exchanged and a shouting match ensued. Our class adviser then, Ms. Ann Angeles mediated. I was furious & so was Arnel. “Mapali ke pu buntuk”…A makanyan, Ms. Angeles got a glass of water & poured it over our head. She literally de-steamed us. After that, we shook hands & laughed at the manner on how things were patched up between us. I guess it is always quite simple to fix things with friends.
Just like any teenage boys, we had our own crushes. We had our share of hormonal overload too. Arnel was always secretive. He did not want others know who his crush was. But I knew her. She was Blanca Blanco. This is one thing that we also had in common, somehow we always felt that our crushes did not like us back. We always felt that we were ugly ducklings, unattractive & awkward. As the years passed, with all due fairness, we turned out to be very good family men…. Sorry na lang kayo di niyo kami natikman….that we would always say!
Yes we also had our swashbuckling & wild days. We literally drank like pigs. We started out with ambula in Barangay, then we would consume bottles of beer. The funny thing is we would always make sure that we all went home in good & safe condition. We always had a designated driver, Benjie, who was allergic to alcohol. The problem is, somehow, we always brought Benjie home first; talk about safety! So one day, the expected happened, I tore my tendon of Achilles when the car or was it a van…I guess it was a semi truck of Loy hit the wall infront of Benjioe’s house. Thank God our drunken days were over!
When we were busy charting our young careers, we would check on one another. Arnel spent his early professional years working for government while I resorted to having my own business. From time to time, he lent me his jeep when I had deliveries. When I joined PAGCOR, he went to Singapore. When I joined a Japanese company, he was on his way to Canada. Come to think of it, we almost always had opposite career paths but we always found ways to see each other, call or say regards to each other….Well that is friendship.
Arnel is always generous. I remember he gave me his sandals when he came from Singapore in exchange for my old sandals. One time when he visited me, he gave me a Singapore dollar because he forgot to buy me pasalubong. He always wanted to please his friends. He always wanted to share his blessings. When our town Bacolor was devastated by lahar, being the only boy in the family, I had the gargantuan task of extracating all our salvageable belongings. Since all my cousins were likewise busy evacuating, I had nobody to help me out. I brought along my girlfriend & her sister and that was it. I was all alone. I saw Arnel in the town proper. Though htheir house was also devastated, he gladly heeded my request for help when I told him about my predicament. He helped me the whole day. It just shows that he would always think of others before himself.
When I got married, I made sure that he was in my entourage together with my close buddies, Loy, Benjie & Glen. And when he got married, he got my son as a ring bearer. We are also Godfathers of our children. One day, he brought his son to my house. We always hoped that our children would continue our friendship, the same way we continued the friendship of our parents. Alas….our kids were fighting each other after only five (5) minutes. We could only shake our heads.
Our wives are also close to each other. Maybe they have heard about our escapades, adventures & misadventures. I am sure they have heard about our trek to Arayat…..how we re-arranged traffic signs in Bacolor, Octagon, Odeum etc…etc… These are but some of the happy moments that we spent with each other. We could go on and on laughing about our adventures & misadventures. I am sure Arnel carries these memories with him in the great beyond.
The last time I talked to him, he was about to undergo chemotherapy. He apologized for not informing me immediately. When I encouraged him to hang on and it is “chicken feeds or just a pulled hamstring” he was frank enough to say that it might not be good because they spotted lumps in his liver. When I told him to stay bad because “bad grass never dies”, he said he has accepted God’s will & is happy to be part of his plan. When I encouraged him to stay healthy, he advised me to maintain my annual check-up. The funny thing is he kept comparing himself to Saul & he kept saying if he makes it, he will testify on the greatness of God. Now, he can testify no more. I am. This is not my eulogy for him but my testimony on the benevolence & kindness of Arnel. He doesn’t need to compare himself to Saul….he himself is a hard act to follow.
Goodbye old friend…. We will miss you and your amiable demeanor. To my kumara, you are very lucky to have had such a wonderful and caring husband. To his children, make the dreams of your Dad happen….he is watching over you. To Indang Peng & Tang Jose, you brought up a very good man that will be remembered by all the people he had touched with his grace. To his sisters, help his family & children.
To Pareng Arnel, the great beyond becomes vibrant when you finally enter HIS kingdom. Pare….watch over me. Whisper to me when I can no longer hear the shouts of the Binggo Master….Lubricate my knees when I cannot go ballroom dancing with Irene due to Arthritis….Knock some sense into my brain when I keep forgetting the names of my children or grand children due to Alzheimer’s….. Let me remind you though…..DON’T EVER NEGOTIATE in my behalf with the Almighty for renewed LIBIDO …..let VIAGRA do the work!!!
It was a pleasure writing this…..
HERRIE RAYMOND H. RIVERA “BOK”
07 August 2007
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