WE RECEIVED with sadness the news that our close friend and former colleague at Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. Rossano “Ross” Luga died yesterday at 5 in the morning.
Ross was suffering from a kind of cancer that was diagnosed in him sometime in the first quarter of 2023. Ross assumed as head of the department, which came out at the power firm after higher management decided to merge the Corporate Social Responsibility Department (which we headed then) and the Corporate Communications Department. The new unit became what is now called the Reputation Management Department (RMD), where Ross eventually was promoted to assistant vice president.
After 30 years in service, he was extended for about three years before he finally retired. We, and perhaps our other colleagues at the company, did not possibly expect Ross to contract the deadly infirmity. He was one active person, a gym aficionado, a mountain climber, and active in socio-civic activities.
In fact, before we learned of his being diagnosed with the big C, we were planning to see each other, with us visiting him first and he making a return visit after he comes back from an official trip in Bacolod City to represent the cooperative of Davao Light employees.
“There is a time for everything; a time to plant and a time to harvest; a time to live and a time to die.”
ecclesiastes 3:1
We were unable to make good on our promise to pay him a visit first because during that time, we were also restraining our movement after we went under the knife a few months back.
Then came the shocking news from our former fellow employees and retirees about the cancer thing. As we said, we were sad, but we were certain then that Ross’ immediate family members, his wife and only child (only daughter) were devastated.
Between that time and yesterday, Ross was reported to be in and out of the hospital with his wife, Jo, and daughter, hoping that he could still recover. But his case was already terminal, and checking in at the hospital was one battle that merely manifested a desire to hope that modern medical intervention could result in a miracle.
Unfortunately for Ross, the miracle did not come. Neither did the effect of medicine save him from death.
As of this writing, we still do not have any details as to his wake and date and time of his burial. All we know is that his wake may be at a funeral home along Torres st.
Again, our family’s condolences to our friend’s family at this time of their deep sorrow over their loss.
And if we may be allowed to quote some lines in the Bible’s Ecclesiastes, “There is a time for everything; a time to plant and a time to harvest; a time to live and a time to die.”
We are happy to have shared with Ross that “time to plant and harvest” when we worked together and got our monthly pay and benefits at the power distribution firm.
Unfortunately for our friend, his “time to die” just came ahead of ours. But there is no doubt our own time will come sooner or later. And when that happens, we may have the opportunity to be together again. In what manner, we have no idea, not even an iota of it.
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From what we heard lately, the takeover by Davao Light of the electricity distribution in Davao del Norte is “smooth sailing.” The majority, if not all, of the officials of local government units in that franchise area of the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (NORDECO) are reported to be strongly in favor of the assumption.
But it is a different situation in Davao de Oro, the other province served by the electric cooperative. According to sources, the local officials, including the province’s representatives to the Lower House, are “indifferent” to the change of power supplier.
Even the governor is reported not to be favorable to the coming in of the Aboitiz-owned power distribution firm.
But will their disapproval of the takeover that is authorized by a law granting Davao Light to expand its franchise to the provinces served by NORDECO prevent the change? For certain, it will not. But what we can be sure of is that the local officials concerned will definitely do everything within their power to support whatever move by the electric cooperative to stall the takeover, or possibly, to stop it totally.
The question that is worth answering with honesty is whether these officials be able to sleep soundly while the development of their province is stalled because of the reported poor quality of electric service delivered by the present distributor?
Will the people in that province prefer to keep their complaints muzzled because their leaders would rather have the status quo?
For certain, the public will know about it sooner or later.
