Ben Contreras
I WANT to take a break from politics, and talk about incidents in the past that can make one exclaim, “Wow, what a coincidence!” One against another is common but more than that, it’s bizarre.
After my first year in college at Xavier University in 1968, I joined Ajinomoto, and made my first trip to Malaybalay, Bukidnon. When my sister Lydia came to know of it, she asked me to resign and go to Manila to continue my college studies. She helped me find a job, and I landed one in Divisoria selling fruits like apples, oranges, grapes by the boxes and crates. I enrolled at University of the East.
My father went to Manila for a vacation or something. In the evening of Aug. 1, 1968, the temperature in our apartment (Theresa Building) was unbearable. My father decided to sleep at our little “sala,” on the floor with only a “banig” and pillows.
About 4 in the morning, the building suddenly shook. It shook so hard that I could hear my father panting very hard that I had to rub my hand on his back to comfort him and lessen his fear. The building was like a piece of bamboo stick, stretched to its limit and released. And the result would be like moving back and forth.
When it stopped, we heard sirens of fire trucks and people yelling, “UE (University of the East) is burning!” We rushed to the rooftop and indeed, UE was burning. But the shocking yell was “Ruby Tower is gone!”
Ruby Tower was just a few blocks from our apartment and visible from the rooftop. Indeed, Ruby Tower crumbled to the ground. It claimed more than 400 people, young and old. A newly wed couple, the bride of whom was a sister of our neighbor in the apartment was among the victims. The husband survived though.
Years later (must be some time in 1977), my Kumare Ruby Du sold me a Rotary Club raffle ticket worth P200 before our mahjong session at a common friend’s house. “Bayaran mo na lang kung manalo ka sa mahjong,” she said.
When the draw date came, we were playing mahjong at her residence. Late in the afternoon, Pare Boy barged into the room and said, “We’re going to draw the raffle tickets this afternoon.” I answered back, “Gulong na lang sa akin, pare.”
While playing, I felt strangely uneasy that I had to ask my “kakurambos” to play for me for one game while I make a phone call home. I asked my wife if she had my ticket and what number. She called back and said, “It’s here. It’s 0082.” I thought 0082 is not going to win a prize!
I had a basketball game at 7 o’clock that evening. So I left ahead of them.
At passed 8 o’clock the following morning, my wife (first) came home yelling, “We won a car!” It was really a Volkswagon Beetle at that time worth around P35 thousand. So, what about it?
The Ruby Tower tragedy occurred in Aug. 02. My kumara is Ruby and her birthday is Aug. 2 while my winning ticket is 0082. Weird, right?
And so, my Kumare called me up. “Pare, congratulations! A new job (after having taken in by William Lines), new house (we were building our first house in Buntong, Camamn-an) and a new car,” she said. All were happening successively two years after I lost my job with Ajinomoto.
When there are good times, there would also be bad times. Late in the ’70s, my marriage went sour. And the rest is history. Sigh.
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