Ben Hur

Ben Hur: The banner should serve as a wake up call for Gringo
February 2001

The Don Bosco Technical College 48th Foundation Day celebrations kicked off morning of January 31, with a wreath laying in front of Don Bosco's statue by no less than Mandaluyong City mayor Ben Hur Abalos. The morning event was attended by the entire Educative Pastoral Community--students, teachers, employees, alumni, parishioners and Salesians.

In his speech before the EPC, he said "nakakataba ng puso nang makita ko ang pangalan ko sa streamer niyo sa gate. Regarding Sen. Honasan, I know he is a good man. I hope the streamer beside mine should serve as a wake up call for Gringo." The mayor, also an alumnus of this school, was referring to two streamers that greeted him at the Millennium Gate. One says, "Ben Hur, continue the good fight. Saludo kami sa'yo!" The other says, "Gringo, we're not proud of you."

The mayor went on to tell what transpired during the climax of People Power II last January 20. He said that his wife and his mother were telling him through a cell phone to not join the 50,000-strong march to Mendiola due to angry Pro-Estrada demonstrators waiting for them there. He refused to heed. Instead, he called up the Mandaluyong City Police chief to give the marchers security. He was responsible for detouring the marchers away from Greenhills, San Juan--which is a known stronghold of the now deposed President Joseph Estrada--through Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong.

Referring again to Sen. Gregorio Honasan, one of 11 senator-judges who voted against the opening of alleged prosecution evidence in the defunct impeachment trial, Mr. Abalos said, "We, here, didn't become Bosconians by virtue of our having graduated here. We became Bosconians because we live by the teachings of St. John Bosco, as taught to us by our former teachers and priests. After delivering his speech and acknowledging the cheers of the crowd, he said he's been wanting to talk to Fr. Louie Castaneda, DBTC rector, about his plan of including Bosconians in the city's development. He left the school after his 30-minute meeting with the rector.