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Last time I saw FVR

The only time I had a close hand look at FVR ( Fidel Valdez Ramos ) was during that town fiesta when he came to Asingan to promote was called TARAY TI ASINGAN ( Asingan's Run ) ..It was a gimmick to encourage the laid back Asinganians whose only exercise might just be bending elbows for a swig of basi, or maybe to swat a fly while resting under a shady tree in the  backyard during the lazy, hazy days of summer.

So his arrival was announced by the roar of a helicopter crossing over head and landing on the Asingan town plaza. I was ready for him, a video camera in my hand and I posted myself in front of our house. My nephews and nieces were already there with me, jostling about waiting for FVR to appear from Macalong, one of our barrios. Macalong is sometimes the last barangay to visit, and from there, they would proceed straight to the town plaza..

In anout 30 minutes, a boisterous mobile van with a PA system showed up a the corner where the Suratos residence is and unmistakably, we saw the man who would be the President.

He was surrounded by body guards left and right and they were doing a nice gait, not too fast, not too slow..I switched on my video camera and started shooting, zooming the lens on him and pulling the zoom away as he approached our house..As he passed by, I said: "What's going on?..Why is he jogging with a cigar on his mouth? Whats he doing, mixing nicotine with his intake of fresh Asingan air?"

Only after I examined the videocam stills that I found out the cigar was not lighted. It was just a prop. A security blanket like Linus' in the comic strip Charlie Brown..

***

A few days later, Ester my sister, her family and I went to Lingayen to visit the beach. On my way home, we dropped by a furniture shop owned by a retired teacher, Mrs. Villanueva. All her children are already in the US and the furniture shop is her way of keeping herself busy and her mind away from Alzeimers..A big signboard that says VILLANUEVA FURNITURE is on top of her building which houses a number of exquisitely carved tables, chairs, etc.As we chatted, I found out that one of her pupils before was the very young Master Fidel Ramos..

"He was very smart in class, " she said.." and whats more, when there was fighting, he tried to pacify the protagonists. He is a good pacifier, a peacemaker..He has good leadership..I am confident he will win this election.." She predicted when we asked her about FVR's chances in the upcoming Presidential battle...

And so he won, as I have read it in the Globe and Mail newspaper, one of Canada's periodicals which is published coast-to-coast, via sattelite during the Presidential election...I was elated knowing at last an Asinganian became the President of the Philippines..

Annie C. Cano gave me a link to FVRs accomplishments, and it is quite a long list..

http://www.answers.com/topic/fidel-v-ramos

Anyway, he is still working hard, promoting the country in various meetings, conferences etc. both locally and internationally..

Indeed he is one of Asingan's finest...