It’s never a good thing to hear BAD News, especially when it concerns an old friend you haven’t been in touch with for a very long time. Being busy with the tasks of everyday life is no joke. You focus your undivided attention to what is needed to be done for the day, and what lies ahead. When you can spare a few moments, you can either wonder about friends, do some leisurely work, or simply rest your tired mind and body.
Some people touch your life in a very personal way. A Friend you reach for in times of problems. A specialist you consult for your medical needs. Such a friend is Dr. Jose Javier Suntay, or better known to us as Doc J.
We met in a medical mission held in Mindanao many years past. I, together with my teammates, provided technical assistance to the mission. Teamed with some medical personnel and staffers of the PAL Foundation, we flew to South Cotabato for a medical mission in the Tiboli area, which was recently devastated by water rushing from a breached natural dam.
Doc J volunteered to us his professional services for free. I even consulted him concerning some of my medical problems then. What makes it memorable was that we always met at the tennis court behind PGH, never in his clinic. We also went out with our fellow missionaries for food and night-life. The best physical description of him which we can came up with was, “the Al Tantay of Orthopedic, and Judas look-alike during lenten season”. He was a most eligible bachelor then. I do not know if he finally settled down.
As I surfed the net looking for news of Doc J, one can’t help but notice his colorful credentials. There were many thing I did’t know about him. But what I do know is that he was a good friend not only to me, but also to others.
Early in the evening of Monday the 24th news came to me from a friend, that the Doc J we knew already passed away during the weekend in a terrible car accident. I can’t help but put my fingers to my keyboard and surf the net for news articles to verify my doubts. It took me only a moment to confirm the bad news. An Old Friend is really dead.
He slammed into an electrical post while avoiding a early warning device poorly-placed on the road by some electric contractors. Early warning devices, properly placed, should save lives. The irony of ironies what was supposed to warn people of danger caused the loss of his life.
I am writting this article to commemorate his colorful life and also to mourn for an old friend and a friend of Sikap-Bundok, Dr. Jose Javier J. Suntay.
– Ian Santos
p.s.
news article link . . .
