Imperceptibly, Lolo Leoncio passed the torch to his daughter, Asuncion Lopez Bantug, Tita Sony. During the Commonwealth, she wrote a Rizal biography which won the third prize. MBOpinion READ:
Imperceptibly, Lolo Leoncio passed the torch to his daughter, Asuncion Lopez Bantug, Tita Sony. During the Commonwealth, she wrote a Rizal biography which won the third prize. That precious book, product of pains-taking research, has had several enhanced editions since then. Dr. Floro Quibuyen who met Tita Sony when he was a 20-year old Rizal researcher has unforgettable stories about her kindness which I shall tell you about in another column.
At this point, I must mention that the Guerreros, my mother’s family, were admirers of Jose Rizal. My grandfather, Dr. Alfredo Guerrero and his father Dr. Leon Guerrero, the botanist, inhabitants of Ermita, walked to Bagumbayan to witness the execution of Jose Rizal. Lolo Alfredo was only 10 years old then and that experi-ence must have been so indelible, it became a bedtime story for me and my brother.
Suddenly, I was thrust to the forefront. In 1964, I was elected Miss Philippines during a contest sponsored by the City of Manila, after which I was sent to Long Beach, California to compete in the Miss International Beauty Queen pageant, which I also won. Totally unknown and unheard of, I became an object of curiosity as news items mentioned that Maria Rizal, the hero’s sister, was my great grandmother.
Not too long ago, I was invited by Prof. Oggie Medina of the University of Makati to give a lecture on Jose Ri-zal. I accepted the invitation but suggested that he invite some of my cousins, so instead of a stiff lecture, we had a story-telling session with the participation of his pupils. I invited a niece from the Maria Rizal branch and two cousins, great granddaughters of Gen. Paciano Rizal.
It is time for a change of the guard, we have to pass the torch to the younger generation. Last June 4, I convened the descendants and insisted that the younger generation had to attend, it was a Sunday so no school, no work. . We agreed to flock to the Rizal house in Calamba, Laguna on June 19. The mayor, whose surname is Rizal, invited all of us for the wreath-laying ceremony and asked that someone speak on behalf of the family.
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