A Memorable Ting

Tito Ting is the eldest among the Dad's siblings.

My first memory of Tito Ting is when we first visited Bicol as kids. He lived in this super cool house in the middle of a sprawling garden. When we stepped in to meet him and my cousins, it was easy and clear to see that he was the patriarch of the family.

He was well-dressed like gentlemen of that era. He spoke Spanish fluently. His voice was very firm and authoritative. He looked strict and stern, but as we knew him more, he was also mild-mannered and very gentle.

Tito Ting, as well as Tita Dolly, were very active in church. He was a lay minister at the big church in Bacacay. One of my memorable childhood moments in Bicol was when we heard mass in Bacacay along with Tito and Tita. 

After mass, we all went to the priest's home inside the church compound so he could introduce us to the Parish Priest. It was huge home, filled with antique, wooden furniture. While we were waiting for the Priest to arrive, I saw the huge dining table with a basket of fruits in the middle. Feeling "at home," I took a piece of banana and started to eat. 

As I was taking a bite, I was told that I wasn't supposed to get food from the table because it wasn't ours. I'm not sure now if it was Tito or Tita who called my attention, but after they did, I stuffed the whole banana in my mouth and placed the banana peel in my pocket to hide the evidence. 

That's just one of the many memories with Tito Ting and family. The others include our usual sleep overs at their house in Bacacay during summer, or our beach bonfires at Lolo's beach. My cousins and I would also go to Tito Ting's property in the same area where there was a mangrove plantation. We'd usually get mangroves and turn them into rifles for our "army play" with the cousins.

Another memorable moment was when there was a big party at Tito Ting's house. In the middle of the revelry, a huge gecko appeared on their glass door and made a huge "tuuukooo" sound. Being kids from Manila, this freaked us out. Papa Jack - Tita Dolly's brother - saw the panic in our eyes and he brought out a gun and shot the gecko. Of course, the glass door shattered, but so did the gecko. After that incident, everyone went on with the party as if nothing - not even a shooting - happened.

Last time we visited Tito Ting in person was in Bicol was in April 2019. The first time we dropped by, he wasn't there because he was doing his lay ministerial work at the prison in that area. Yes, at 80+ years old, he was still an active lay minister.

The last time we saw him virtually was in April of this year when they were all in San Roque to celebrate Tito Hector's birthday. They had a video call and we got to see and say hello to Tito Ting.

Yesterday evening, Tito Ting was given his angel wings and joined Lolo Iking and Lola Dita in heaven. Now, we won't see him physically the next time we visit his cool home in the middle of that sprawling garden in Bacacay, but we know that he'll be watching us from above.

Vaya con Dios, Tito Ting.