Vic Sai and Gil Abarico now writing

under the universe’s best editor

Councilor Peter T. Laviña

Privilege Speech, March 25, 2008

Madam President, colleagues …

Sad news. In a span of one week, Davao City lost two hardworking and committed newspapermen.

Victorio “Vic” Sai, passed away on March 16. He had cardiac arrest while asleep and did not wake up to witness Manny Pacquiao’s bout or the parade that closed the 71^st Araw ng Dabaw festivities.

Angelo “Gil” Abarico, suffered the same fate via cardiac arrest Sunday. He will miss hosting the famous Club 888 media forum tomorrow at Marco Polo.

Vic was 62 years old; Gil, 68.

Vic Sai was sports editor and columnist of the Mindanao Daily Mirror spanning close to four decades. He was an indefatigable organizer of sports events not only in the city, but in the whole of Mindanao. Name any sports discipline, Vic, in one time or another, had his hands full in it. Football, table tennis, basketball, track and field, chess, etc. His partners were a long list of who’s who in sports sponsorships in the country – Milo, Adidas, Nestle, San Miguel, Cherifer, Primovit, to name a few.

Vic left behind two popular sports institutions in the city and the country - the Davao City Sports Council, Inc., one of the oldest sports organization in the country recognized by both the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission, - and the So Kim Cheng Awards, one of the most prestigious and second-longest running in the country after the Philippine Sports Awards.

Vic was big loss to the media and sports communities of the city and the whole of Mindanao.

Gil Abarico was as industrious as Vic Sai.

Name a position in the editorial staff box of a newspaper or a media organization and Gil had practically filled them up.

He was a campus journalist and officer of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines. He was a cub reporter and editor of a several community newspapers. He was a stringer and later chief of a news wire agency (Philippine News Agency); he was a correspondent for a national broadsheet (Manila Bulletin), host of media talk shows and weekly fora (Club 888 at Marco Polo for one) and a syndicated columnist.

He was an officer of many local, regional and national press associations, including the influential Mindanao Press and Radio Association or Minpra, and the National Press Club.

He served as city press secretary (under Mayor Elias Lopez and Rodrigo Duterte) as regional director of the national government’s information agency (Office of Media Affairs/Philippine Information Agency), and media foundation chair.

He was also active in many civic organizations and one of the originals in the CCOD, the pre-martial law era Coordinating Council of Organizations in Davao, forerunner of today’s City Development Council.

His long career in mass media was recognized two years ago when he was named as one of the members of the Presidential Constitutional Commission or Concom representing the Fourth Estate.

Both Vic and Gil left behind legacies of outstanding work in media and their other fields of endeavor. Both are my friends, mentors and close colleagues. We surely will miss their lifelong dedication to our city and our people.

May they continue their work in their new publication in heaven, where God, the universe’s best and omniscient editor, resides.

Our deepest condolences to their respective families.