A Tribute to Mayor Diego Luces

"Remember man, you are from dust and to dust you shall return." This phrase sums up the life of Mayor Diego M. Luces. Why do I say this?

Well, first, if this phrase means "Life is short, so be thankful to God for it," Mayor Diego was thankful to God for his life. I remember during Ati-atihan while he was the mayor of Kalibo, he would sing "Roll out the barrel" and shout "Viva kay Sr. Sto. Nino" at Magsaysay Park. He would even encourage people to join the snakedance. I also remember that on the feast of our dear Sto. Nino, he would take the lead in the religious procession and shout "Viva kay Sr. Sto. Nino!" He did this without any malice or purpose of publicity. He did this as expression of thanking God for his life. Thus, Mayor Diego was grateful.

Next, if the phrase means "Life is short, be humble," Mayor Diego was humble. In 1998 when he ran for the third time as an administration candidate for mayor, my mother ran against him as a candidate of the opposition. Even then, Mayor Diego never said anything against my mother. He was a gentle politician. Every time my mother and Mayor Diego met, they still had their usual friendly conversation. Perhaps, this was so because they are relatives or it was because Dr. Nestor Luces, his brother, was a very good friend of our family. When Mayor Diego won, he never humiliated his opponents. He remained humble. Though my mother and Mayor Diego belonged to different political colors, they could see eye to eye and talked as friends. In 1998, I do not know if his family could still remember this, somebody maliciously announced that Mayor Diego died. It was rumored that he was dead. Yet, there was no anger inside Mayor Diego's heart against the person who maligned him. Truly, he was humble.

Lastly, if the phrase means that "Life is short, be simple," Mayor Diego was simple. I remember when I was ordained priest in 2001, Former Mayor Alen S. Quimpo and Mayor Diego would fall in line to receive their snacks after my ordination. They never took their seats in our official table as they chose to stay at the side of Kalibo Cathedral. I also remember Mayor Diego every night when he went to Opings Store to buy something, he was the only mayor who would use a motorcycle instead of a car. He was just driving alone. This showed how simple he was even if he was once the mayor of Kalibo.

To end, my dear friends let us thank the family of Mayor Diego especially the Militar-Luces family for the kind of leadership Mayor Diego left us. He was a gentle politician. He was a politician who feared the Lord. 

Mayor Diego, remember you are dust and to dust you shall return. But above all these, your soul will be in heaven to meet God so as to reserve your reward for being thankful to him, for being humble and simple too. Amen.