I found Mrs. Gloria Valdez—a retired high school teacher, a resident of Pacita 2 in San Pedro City—a warm, confident, and refined lady.
I could imagine her resoluteness and coolness at the same time when she was a classroom teacher which showed during my memorial visit to her home during the wake of her son Raymond Valdez recently,
Mrs. Valdez, the mom, was cool in the middle of the family tragedy. “’Yang si Raymond, mahal na mahal ko ‘yan. Kahit na sakit ng ulo ko ‘yan, mahal na mahal ko ‘yan (I love Raymond so much even if he was a headache for me, I love him so much),” Gloria repeatedly claimed in her soft, reassuring voice.
Sing no sad song for her, indeed.
According to the Valdez lady, her son was the youngest among the brood.
Before they settled in Pacita 2, the Valdezes were moving around from one space to the other. “Kasi, ang mister ko, nadestino sa Mindanao. We had to be with him. Tapos, we lived in Sampaloc, Manila. I was teaching at Mapa High School. Naku, ‘yang si Rico J. Puno, dahil graduate siya ng Mapa, lagi siyang nagpupunta sa amin pag may okasyon (It was because my husband was assigned in Mindanao. Then, I taught at Mapa High where Rico J. Puno was a graduate. Oh! Rico, whenever there were occasions in school, he was always around),” racelled Valdez.
“Lagi siya kumakanta sa amin. Sayang nga lamang at wala na siya (He would always sing for us. It’s sad he’s not around anymore),” she added.
Like the passing of Raymond, Mrs. Valdez as a mother and music enthusiast, felt a void in her heart when Rico died.
“Gano’n talaga ang buhay (Life is like that),” she quipped.
Gloria must be echoing one of the songs made famous by Puno, “Diyos ang Pag-ibig (God is Love).”
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