By Ben Contreras
FRANCISCO Camacho Jr. has always been Jun to his acquaintances––Jun when I knew him in Kiwanis and Jun at the capitol where he was head of the Provincial Planning Office. Jun was actually with the provincial government since the time of the then Gov. Concordio Diel.
Who would have thought Jun has another talent hidden which he has been hiding since 1965––sketching? According to Jun, he earned his “merienda” through sketching Marvel characters. But that talent took a hibernation period for quite a while until his retirement. Not to be overwhelmed by ennui, Jun pursued his love for sketching and brought it to a higher level, and water color as new medium.
I have seen some of his water color paintings in the past in joint exhibits with other artists. Though not quite impressive at that time, the potential was certainly there.
On Sunday afternoon, Jun held his solo exhibit at the second level Limketkai Mall. Congressmen Rufus and Maxie Rodriguez were among the supposed honored guests but weren’t there.
Cutting the ribbon were Jun’s lady cousin and his friend Tony Evangelista. Guests included lawyer Bobby Goking, COPC president Jerry Orcullo, Abet Yu, and his wife, architect Richard Tan, neighbors, and co-artists.
I found it very tempting to peep into his paintings. When the papers covering his paintings were blown by wind, I tried to peep inside. I could see vivid colors of yellow, red and green.
The affair started with a brief prayer and a short message from Jun. When it was time to remove the cover, the first to be removed revealed one that turned out to be his best in the exhibit based on feedback. Indeed, Jun has gone a long way to reach this.
His subjects range from flowers to vegetables, to river scenes and seascapes. But it also included a portrait of his daughter Karen.
There is one thing that we differ about art. Jun asked us to see the details to appreciate the beauty. I see the beauty from a far. I look at the painting at close range (one foot) and step backward. If the painting emerges with realism, then that’s my type of painting. Jun’s paintings are just like that.
Congratulations, Jun! You did it like a good wine. It gets better with age.
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Bernie Jamaca sent me this message: “Gighe and Espera freed. We’re facing a blank wall. Why? What happened to our justice system? How about the Jamaca case? Balewala ba diay ang atong survivor witness? Question is, how did the assigned court decided, why did they allow bail to the respondents on the multiple murder and frustrated murder case filed by the family of SPO4 Rolly Jamaca? The witness is alive.”
Honestly, I failed to follow this case. But I know one of the supposed victims survived to tell the story. My advice to Bernie is to get to the bottom of the story, whether Gighe and Espera were indeed granted bail or not, and why? I hope it has nothing to do with the fire that gutted down our Hall of Justice.
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