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Farewell Jose “Pepe” Menegdeg III

It was Thursday afternoon, December 1.

It was the “parangal” (tribute ceremonies) for Jose “Pepe” Manegdeg III, 37 years young, who was shot to death by unidentified assassins on November 28, in San Esteban, Ilocos Sur.

Dom-an, his widow, shared how Pepe performed his obligation as the father of their two daughters: Andrea “Kalug-id”, 10 and Geraldine “Dodo”, 6.

I cannot find an exact word for her description but she described him as a responsible husband.

According to her, Pepe did his obligations to the family. He nurtured the family and their relationship as husband and wife. But he is not only a husband and father for his family. While doing his family obligations, he too, was a friend to the people he served. He is really a comprehensive friend – to his wife, family, and the oppressed masses.

I had known Pepe, at least since he and Dom-an – my wife’s niece - established their family. Every social occasion is an opportunity for Pepe and me to discuss family and politics. Every social occasion - like his daughters’ birthdays - was a time for us to partake of his Iloco dishes. He was a good cook.

But what I salute with this guy is how he balanced his obligations to his family and his work. He supervises his children in their studies. Whenever he was in Baguio City, he accompanied them to school and fetched them afterwards. He saw to it that he had picnics with the young girls whenever possible.

His first child Andrea was a consistent honor student from grades 1 to 3 at the Easter College. Even when they decided to transfer Andrea this school year to a well known public school in the city, she continued her fair educational foundation. The performance of Andrea reflected not only the discipline but the foundation Pepe employed to his children.

Andrea was able to share her feelings unto her father during the “parangal.” Despite her tender age of 10, and in-between sobs, she was able to describe the good deeds of her father. Now Pepe is gone and his obligations discontinued due to the assassins bullets that took away a father from his daughters, permanently depriving them of a father’s love. The state through the present administration that supposedly protects the rights of its citizens is silent on the brutal killing of Andrea’s anmd Dodo’s beloved father.

I witnessed how the church people recognized the dedication that Pepe showed in his organizing work within the different religious denominations. Earlier on Wednesday, priests from the Roman Catholic from the provinces of the Cor3dillera conducted a memorial service for him. Fr. Tenesa described how Pepe had been active and available every time they requested him as resource person for their trainings and seminars. He was a good lecturer especially on the Basic Catholic Community Organizing, the priests attested.

Fr. Joseph Requino shared Pepe’s role in organizing church workers. Church organizations served a role in the realization of the church mission among church workers and even the peasants. Pepe is a concrete realization of the bible verse that: “No man has greater life than to offer your life to your people.”

I join the mourners on Pepe’s death in saying:

You (Pepe) might have gone physically
but the principles you died for remain
‘til its realization.
Let your blood and body serve to fertilize
the cause you died for.
Let your death serve as a potent force
for your unfinished struggle.

Let us remember you
the good husband of Dom-an
and kind father to Andrea and Dodo
and a friend and comrade
to those who share and will share your cause.

Let us remember you
for your unselfish commitment
towards change and society
where justice and freedom reign.

Farewell Pepe!
Farewell friend!
May you rest in peace! #

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