(A Tribute to Rey Magno Teves delivered during the Necrological Service on November 13, 2009 at the Ateneo High School Chapel, Davao City)

Rey will not like this but I will have to say that he is older than I am.  In fact, much older.  This is one of the reasons why I have always felt so privileged and special to be considered as among those closest to him despite that age gap.  

I am a certified Rey loyalist.

My brief stay in Davao in 1986 after EDSA 1 became the beginning of this opportunity for me to know and be known to Rey better.  It is real privilege, indeed, especially because it comes with the benefit of enjoying Mila’s great dishes.  And Mila knows exactly what my and Rey’s favorites are.

Since then, I have become irreversibly drawn to Rey’s world, to his advocacies and initiatives, to his angst and passion, to his joys, to his celebrations, to his dreams.

In December 1990, TACDRUP organized a Mindanao-wide gathering of NGO leaders that became the founding convention of the Mindanao Congress of Development NGOs and NGIs (MINCON).  A few years after, MINCODE was born, inspired by the success of the earlier initiative.  Rey, who was then a sectoral representative in Congress, was the keynote speaker.  One of his key messages still rings loud and clear in my mind:  He unconditionally offered himself to the work for political parity and economic equity for Mindanao, and for the liberation of the urban poor from poverty and powerlessness.  In his own words, he said:  “Use me.”  Of course, it was delivered so powerfully, the Rey Teves way:  “USE ME” – with matching kurog (trembling) of the lips and chin.

So typically Rey.  So committed.  So selfless.

In 1996, it was my turn to tell Rey my own little:  “use me”.  Inspired by the very successful and promising first Kusog Mindanaw Rountable Conference, I wanted to work fulltime with Rey, particularly on his work on Federalism and with Kusog Mindanaw.  Together with some friends, I was then thinking of establishing Balay Mindanaw that would be dedicated to support Rey’s various Mindanaw initiatives, and to be a vehicle to continue my interrupted work for agrarian reform. 

Rey accepted my offer by giving a young untested NGO the opportunity to play key roles in his various initiatives.  He would then “appoint” (actually, anoint) me as his assistant in various groups like Kusog, MPAC, CMFP, LPM and others.  When he is the Chair, I would be his SecGen, and when he is the SecGen, I would be his deputy.  He has been with Balay Mindanaw from its very conception and inception. 

He guided us in our very first strategic planning conference in 1996.  He is our Vice Chairperson of the Board, insisting that Ibing Okinlay-Paraguya is the most qualified and appropriate Chairperson.  Again, typically Rey – always creating spaces for others.  If you look at Balay Mindanaw’s vision and conceptual framework of Equity, Development and Peace for Mindanaw, the Philippines and the World, they are indeed undeniably very Rey-ish.  Incidentally, one of Rey’s last messages to me was his proposal for the Balay Mindanaw Board to meet as soon as possible.

Yes, Rey is always willing to be “used” and give way to others.  During our trip to Germany and other parts of Europe with Dam Vertido and Ben Aspera sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), we had great time learning and having fun together. One truly unforgettable incident was when we visited a German city and was welcomed by its top officials.  As we were greeted by the Mayor at the reception line, one of us revealed and betrayed how he idolizes Rey by absent-mindedly introducing himself as Rey Magno Teves!.  Rey who heard this whispered to us and gamely asked:  “So who am I now?” Oh, it was a most hilarious day for us.  We almost died laughing.  In the middle of our meetings, we would run to the comfort room just to laugh.  But the meaning is not lost to me.  Rey is even willing to allow people to steal his name.  And he likes it when people become like him in his passion and vision.

We had lunch together last September 24 when he came home to Davao from Manila.  When he heard that I was in Davao that day, he called to invite me to lunch, as he drove to Swiss Deli straight from the airport.  People in his circle always love having meals with Rey.  Rey and I have developed this practice (almost like a ritual) of going to the buffet table separately and later on comparing what’s in our respective plates.  Chances are we would pick exactly the same food.  Lately however, I noticed that he was no longer picking our usual favorites.  He would then reassure me that he is “just trying to confuse the enemy”.  Over lunch of our favorite sausages, he shared with me his latest hope and passion:  the youth, the successor generation. He told me that it’s time to step aside and pass on the torch to the young Mindanawans.

We had our last lunch together in Makati last October 30. Earlier in the morning, we had the usual wacky exchange of Rey jokes at the lobby of Dusit Hotel where we both stayed the night before and in his service car going to the meeting venue.  We were both attending a brainstorming meeting with KAS partners and its new Country Representative, Dr. Peter Koeppinger.  Rey and I kept quiet throughout the entire meeting.  Both of us did not say a single word.  Towards the end of the meeting, he came to me and whispered: “See?  Things can still happen even without us…”  Again, the meaning is not lost to me.  Rey who is a very bright light and an overwhelming presence, has decided to grow dim and pale so others may shine.

One of Rey’s favourites is the poem and prayer written by Archbishop Oscar Romero.  Parts of it read:

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of
the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete,

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No programme accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.

We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

Rey, you are now with the Master Builder.  I am sure He is happy to welcome you to that place you truly deserve to be.

Again, thank you for the privilege.  It is real privilege to work with you.  It is real privilege to journey with you.  It is real privilege to know you beyond you as Mr. Mindanaw and Mr. Federal.  It is real privilege to hear you speak proudly as a loving husband and father, and as a super-loving tatay-lolo.

Daghang Salamat, Rey.  Kitakits… (Kaloy Manlupig is executive director of Balay Mindanaw Group of NGOs).

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