Farewell to a Comrade

Tomorrow,  we bid our final farewell to  a good man with a kind heart and a humble demeanor.  Tomorrow,  we  bid our final farewell to Ernesto Venancio Palencia  Badong.

Last June 23, our comrade passed away in a hospital room with his loving wife by his side.  He has been in and out of the hospital since January when he was diagnosed with cancer.   With the unconditional love  of his family, siblings, relatives and friends,   Ernie bravely undergone the treatment which included chemotherapy  and dialysis.  But the cancer is like the Hydra beast of yore which is difficult to vanquish. It is a real menace that debilitates (physically, mentally, financially)  its victims. There was suffering. There was real pain.

Last Sunday, on Happy Father's Day, our Ateneo de Naga High School Batch 1983 organized a batch mass via videoconference celebrated by classmate Fr Alex Badiola, S.J.  The mass was offered for the healing and recovery of Ernie and other batchmates suffering from serious illnesses. Also in attendance were family members and relatives of Ernie.  Seeing Ernie lying down on the hospital bed, many were sad, some even shocked, at his condition. In our high school batch, he is considered a paragon of good health. Ernie is actually one of the  inspiration when we started the Balik-Alindog Program in 2015 as a way to promote an active exercise lifestyle among our fellow 83neans as we enter our golden years.     

Sad. Shocked.  Negative thoughts that lead to further negative feelings like doubt and dismay.  Why do good  men and good women have to suffer such debilitating illnesses?  One wonders at the wisdom and compassion of an Almighty to let such suffering persists among good people who have been faithful.  To many, like me, this is a puzzle.  This is puzzle that requires the gift of discernment.  This is a puzzle that hungers for a deeper faith. 

But rather than the negative thoughts, I humbly suggest we focus on the positive, which is a trademark nature of Ernie. Rather than dwell on the puzzle that is beyond our mortal comprehension, let us focus on a clear and straightforward reality - that our dearest Ernie is a good man. 

A man who has endeared himself in our hearts as a great batchmate, passionate runner and true friend.

Great  Batchmate.  

Being blessed with a Jesuit education in our high school years, our high school batch, like other batches at the Ateneo de Naga,  seeks to live up to the Ignatian ideals of being "men for others."    Collectively and individually, we all try to do our part in contributing positively to social justice in the  community.  In the case of Ernie, he actively volunteered to be part of our batch outreach activities in many remote areas of Bicol, be it distributing school supplies and joy to public school children in a rural barangay in Buhi which was severely hit by floods in the wake of Tropical Storm Usman or planting mangroves in the  wetlands of Mercedes.  He had the spirit of adventure and this proved infective to other classmates.         

Planting mangrove in Mercedes

Truth be told, we were not close during our high school years in Naga City.  I belong to a different circle of friends. Ernie and his barkada were the cool guys in high school.  The ones with the swag and style worthy of Al Pacino, one of Ernie's idols from the 1980s.  But as we grew older and our batch reached silver status in terms of alumni homecomings, the batch became a more unified tribe with Ernie among the core members.  Never toxic in meetings, gatherings and outreach activities, good things happen for the batch with Ernie present with his infectious smile. 

Passionate Runner

Ernie, Bob, Ed, Fards, Ghibz, Allen, Ric Orly and me belong to the same running tribe affectionately called row5runnin.  It is called as such because most of the row5runners  are slow and  usually finish in the last row among those who successfully cross the finish lines of marathons and ultramarathon. But Ernie is not a slow runner.  He is an accomplished runner and is respected in the local running community, especially in Bicol and the Bank of the Philippine Islands.

On the quest to run 160kms around Mayon Volcano 

While we have varying degrees of running pace and skills, what we both share is the same passion for the sport. Correction, beyond sports, it is a way of life for Ernie and I am a comrade in sole.   We are blessed to have the company of Ernie in many a running adventure in many parts of the Philippine archipelago and beyond. From the roads of Bataan to the sands  of Catarman;  in the shadow of volcanic Mayon to the confines  of the rock Catanduanes; from the largest city in the world - Davao to a city that is a state Singapore, and a city that never sleeps New York,  Ernie proved himself to be an enduring runner that never gives up, whether it a plain vanilla  42km or a 160km smorgasbord. Not aware of any DNFs for Ernie,  he is a runner that starts and finishes a race, no ifs and buts about it. That is passion.  

True Friend.

Friends are plentiful in good times.  And there are the wise words that say - in prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends. 

We were friends already because of our shared passion for running.  And my friendship with Ernie took a deeper significance in light of dark times  that occurred in my family in early 2017.  My sister was unjustly detained.  To this day, Sen Leila de Lima continuous to be persecuted and pilloried by the regime and its minions. But Ernie and many of my batchmates never abandoned me.  In fact, Ernie together with a handful of 83neans visited twice my sister in Camp Crame.  Since 2017, one of Ernie's favorite running gear when joining races is the #OneForLeila shirt.  Our family appreciates such display of solidarity and I will forever cherish that friendship from Ernie.  

Expressing a statement of solidarity  at the finish line of a 60km ultra in Lagonoy

In closing, allow me to quote from a great leader in history, President Ulysses Grant:

"The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity."                          

Ernie is certainly a friend I will cherish most.  He was there in my time of adversity. And I do believe Ernie was also a caring presence in the dark days of many our classmates. It is our  hope and wish that in Ernie's most recent and final  time of adversity, we his friends were there for him till the end.

Farewell Dearest Ernie. Farewell Dearest Comrade.