Kaban ni D_BystandeR: KINSA SI TONY AVILA???

If not for this news item I would not know any information about this popular radio broadcaster, Tony Avila, whose name I remember was the byword in every Cebuano household many years back. I lost tract of listening to his radio broadcast since I left the country to go to the land of "milk and honey" in the US a dozen of years ago.

I could still vividly picture him in my memory during the "heydays" of the ever popular Inday Nita Cortez Daluz, who rose to prominence in her political career when she was elected to become "Mambabatas of the Batasang Pambansa" (towards the dwindling years of the Marcos regime) together with an equally popular radio personality, Talyux Bacalso dubbed as, "Ang banggiitang komentarista sa tibuok Kabisay-an ug Mindanao." Tony Avila's radio program was my favorite pastime many years back and how I longed to recall his hard-hitting commentaries during the martial law regime of that dictator Marcos. He was fond of wearing his yellow T-shirt and I could always easily see him in that attire especially with his stocky built in many political gatherings where color "yellow" was popularly associated with the Cory administration. To think that he is still in the radio business after 50 years is amazing! I remember there was a time where he tried his luck in composing a song but it did not last long and it miserably floundered. For quite sometime it looked like he was using it as his "official song" in opening his morning radio program - the title of the song, if I remember right is: "The Song of Proto Taloy." Prominent among the unforgettable events associated with him was when he acted as the emcee of that "historic" launching of Inday Nita's candidacy in Danao City of the 5th District right after Cory was elected to the presidency in 1986. In that political scenario, many independent political observers considered her situation as being critically pitted in an "uphill battle" against the personalities of the ruling dynasty of a place known to many as the "Durano Country." And that was the first time I saw in personal appearance the vibrant, youthful and popular Kris Aquino who was airlifted by helicopter to Danao City to grace the occasion. 

And now knowing that his "source of livelihood" is hit by the city's political squabble is lamentable considering that he was in a tight fix to thread on a very delicate line between two opposing political parties in a "mortal combat" against each other, to find out, "who is who?!" And it is easy for us to conclude that Tony Avila is a victim of what we hear in military parlance as, "collateral damage."

(Bug-os ang  pasalamat sa KAHAYAG ngadto sa nagsulat niining  paambit   nga si JOHNNY LOVE. Nagtakuban siya sa pangalan, "D_BystandeR".  Natawo siya sa Sugbo apan anaa na karon manimuyo sa Illinois sa tinipong nasod sa Amerika. Ang kusog nga koneksyon sa kasayuran pinaagi sa internet kanunayng naghaling sa iyang kadasig  pagtuki sa mga nagbukalbukal nga hisgutanan dinhi sa atong nataran. Usa siya ka magsusulat nga gradwado sa kursong komersiyo padulong sa pagka accountant sa University of San Carlos kaniadtong tuig 1961.  Nahimo siyang miyembro sa usa ka hugpong sa mga batan-ong magsusulat nga gitawag ug STUDENT PRESS.  Nahimo usab siyang   Associate Editor sa basahon  USC-JPIAN sa tuig 1962-63. Magtatampo usab siya isip magsusulat sa nasudnong magasin,  "Philippines Free Press" ug sa mga nag-unang peryodiko dinhi sa dakbayan sa Sugbo sa lunhaw pa ang iyang pangedaron. Nahimo siyang mamumuo sa usa ka pribadong kompaniya sa dakbayan sa Sugbo, ESCANO LINES, sulod sa napulo ug duha (12) ka tuig  dayon niyang tapon  ngadto sa NAPOCOR  ug nahimong kawani sa kagamhanan  sulod sa bayente dos (22) ka tuig. Niadtong tunga-tungang bahin sa tuig 2000, nilalin siya ngadto sa tinipong nasod sa Amerika ug sulod sa napulo (10) ka tuig, nagtrabaho siya sa  buhatan sa kagamhanan sa nasod sama  sa  UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE (USPS).  Karon sa pangedaron nga 67,  gihuptan gihapon niya ang walay pagkutat nga kadasig ug walay busganan nga kaikag sa pagpaambit sa iyang nahuptang abilidad  ug kabatid sa panulat.  Dili niya mapugngan ang kaugalingon sa pagpaambit sa iyang mga hunahuna labi na kon molambigit kini ug hisgotanan nga makadani sa iyang mga mata.) 
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