Good Bye! Roman A. de la Cruz
At dawn of September 3, 2007 at St. Paul’s Hospital, Iloilo City, a great Aklanon joined the caravan of mortals to the great beyond into the cradle of our ever loving God.
Mr. Roman A. de la Cruz happily celebrated his 84th birthday with his loving family on August 9. Neither he, nor the members of his family knew that was his last birthday celebrated with them.
Among the members of the Aklan media, he was popular as Tay Oming or Manong Oming.
He studied in Kalibo Elementary School, Kalibo Institute and Northwestern Visayan Colleges and completed BSE course. He was a war veteran of World War II, English Instructor, Kalibo Sangguniang Bayan member and publisher/editor of Aklan Reporter.
He married the most loving Julita Ilarina of Banga. They have seven (7) children who are Corteza, Marlon, Didecas, Sumra, Hagbong, Amihan and the late Vellyzarius.
The death of Manong Oming is a great lost to the Aklan media specifically the Aklan Press Club, Inc. where he devoted more time of his life and which members sincerely adored him.
In recognition to his valuable contribution to the development and progress of Aklan, the Aklan Sangguniang Pan-lalawigan unanimously approved Resolution No. 07-097 authored by Hon. Plaridel Morania.
The resolution stated, Roman A. de la Cruz is a great Filipino. He is a war veteran with varied intellectual capacities who left legacy for the Aklanons to treasure and emulate. He is a linguist, journalist, literary writer, publisher, editor, historian, painter and sculptor. He is a model citizen, civic and government leader, educator and above all, a loving husband.
In literature and journalism, he wrote 37 stories of World War II, stories of local color, strange and weird. He has two novels which are "Life With The Family" and "City World" which consisted of 234 and 198 pages respectively. He wrote the poem "Song of the Ati-Ati" which consisted of 618 lines and 51 other poems of varied subjects.
Roman A. de la Cruz’ "Town of a Thousand", a 246 page book which traced the history of Aklan’s capital town of Kalibo. Moreover, he authored and published 15 other articles of local historical events.
In religion, he wrote: 1. Concordance on the Triune God, 2. Is Christ God?, 3. Power of Prayer With Praise, 4. The Joy and the Wrath, and 5. Perpetual Virginity of Mary.
His "The Filipino Speaks" was written in response to an article of an American who said. "Nothing respectable has ever come from Filipino people during the entire human history."
"The Hero Who Was Not" was written in behalf of Rosalio Prado of Buruanga, Aklan who died in the hands of the Japanese at Fort Santiago by torture. However, his claim for benefits was consistently disallowed by the United States Veterans Administration for 25 years. The claim however, was finally approved.
The adventures of Umpag and Bonghayan is a 105 page text book DepEd approved for Grade III in Health and Science subject. He wrote 32 eulogies and 24 speeches delivered during community functions.
In the words of Jose Garcia Villa, he said of Manong Roman’s work, "I have chosen three of your stories in the 1940 – 41 Honor Roll for best Filipino short stories."
The late and famous NVM Gonzales said of Roman A. de la Cruz; his story "Alone Along A Lonely Road" leads a collection of 20 pieces, each one as unassuming but as deeply felt, and the book in its entirety is exhilaratingly moving. Their brevity and directness remind us of the Russian writer Isaac Babel, but Roman A. de la Cruz owes no literary debts of any kind. His uncommon realism and compassion lend Panay and its people such claim to our attention and understanding that it is no surprise the book is now on its second printing."
The late great Blas F. Ople said of Roman A. de la Cruz as "One of the most remarkable men I have met…a writer and publisher whose passion is to conserve and develop Aklan’s heritage. He has labored for years over a more than 900–page five-language dictionary linking Aklan language, Tagalog, English, Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon between two covers".
The Aklan SP went far. In its Resolution No. 05–364, series of 2006, it nominated Roman A. de la Cruz to most prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards in Literature and Journalism.
His writings ended with the publication and sale of his noble work, the 930 pages, five languages dictionary.
Mr. Roman A. de la Cruz, you left us but your legacy and memories worthy of emulation and respect will forever linger among us. /MP
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