Friday, December 09, 2022

To a Couple

 Strong as a Molave

There was a man who one day I met
A charismatic guy who can sell
And his tales I could never forget
For in me they really rang a bell.

From the once-large province of Davao
He matured in a big Vic Lumber
Drove a truck and not a carabao
A handsome guy and a great lover.

He crisscrossed Zamboanga del Norte
As lumber was highly in demand
Yet lovely ladies were his forte
While age-old trees abound in the land.

He found somebody to love and trust
From among the molders of the youth
And for a partner, she was a must
So his truck took the less bumpy route. 

Like a Molave, he's firm and strong
To bring her to the altar of love
And he knelt that nothing will go wrong
A message to the great One above.

He poised his vision to the urban
For a valued opportunity
As a worker of the sea and land
He is a man of diversity.

The air trip to the U.S.-Midwest
And his wife was beautiful and bright;
Hugs and kisses and shook hands with guest
That homesickness now was out of sight.

It was time to plan a legacy:
Business and an organization.
The right time called for an urgency
Davao  U.S.A. was in fruition.

The president and founder survived
The grueling test of dire circumstance
His momentous time has not arrived
"Besame Mucho" - he sang; they danced.

Penned for: Ely S. Labja & Edit R. Darcera Labja- lovely couple & best friend
of Greg Intas Caponong Trabanca & Eva Rueles Caermare Trabanca

Ely S. Labja - Founder and 1st President of Davao U.S.A of the Midwest.
Ely sang this song, his favorite, in a Karaoke Eatery on lovely weekend nights.
"Besame Mucho" ( Kiss Me a Lot), a bolero song written in 1940 by
Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velasquez.






Wednesday, December 07, 2022

Induction

 The Making of a Leader

Emerged from a noble profession
Came a humble person at last
"Just be your best," was his confession;
"Defined the future from your past."

I met him at the Phil embassy
Of a meeting among the Pinoys
Indeed it was a necessity
On that forum, each has a voice.

A friendly pedestrian guy he is
Amidst the streams of the middle class
To be humble he tried his best
Honesty is what people trust.

Real Estate: the route for the wise
As he once loves plowing and planting
His hopes spring as he sees the sunrise
That the land's treasure would be lasting.

In his quest he found America;
A force, eternal: Caritas-Love
While there's a group from North Zamboanga
Where there is God, service, and a job.

He tried his best to be generous
To serve more whatever the cost
To toil, to seek, to find what was lost;
There are thorns and perfume in a rose.

A poem for Donaldo Pactol, on the induction as president of ZAMNAI.
The momentous celebration: Gala, Induction, and Christmas Party.

"I expect to pass through this world but once, any good things therefore
that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature. let me
do it now, let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
(Stephen Grellet-1773-1855), 
(By Greg Intas Alcala CaponongTrabanca, former past president of ZAMNAI)