in memoriam

he drank his coffee black. no sugar. "bakla lang ang nag-aasukal", he used to say.

he could exist on cheese and crackers alone, and surely wouldn't mind if he could have a glass of wine with it. his ways seem very european, so cultured. only much later would we learn that it was because he had stayed there for more than a decade.

he would invite us to malate but instead of hanging out in one of the numerous bars, we would be in a corner store where beer is sold cheap. once, after a few rounds we passed by a videoke bar and decided to sing a couple of tunes. i've never seen him sing with so much abandon (though he was not really singing. it was more like just mouthing "watermelon. watermelon.") especially at a place where you could easily get killed if you sang an unsatisfactory version of "My Way".

his pirated cd and dvd collection could rival any film buff's. i doubt if he listened to anything but classical music. although he would gamely watch a rock concert (whether free or for a cause) as long as there's beer and good company and smoking allowed.

he knew so many people and the ease with which he could adapt to whoever he was talking to - from peasant to executive or high profile personality - was quite amazing.

he talked little of his family or their influence, and their wealth (which he had turned his back on, like an heiress to an unwanted fortune). and for our part, we never asked. for he offered a friendship that required none of that. it didn't matter who you are, where you came from, how much money you made (or didn't).

it's been a little more than a year since he succumbed to cancer. we miss him a lot and are reminded of him in several occasions - what he would say if he were with us today, in this gma*-infested times. my guess is, it would be a succinct, "'tangna nya".

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sonny evangelista
dec 2, 1941 - april 10, 2005


*gloria macapagal-arroyo, cheat executive of the philippines