18/04/2026
A heartfelt tribute from MHC Trustee Resti Pitogo in honor of MHC President Atty. Renato Zosimo Bilog Evangelista.
"We were not ready for your passing, Sozing. We are still trying to understand this loss and the vast space your mission has left in our lives."
_______
Nais ko sanang manahimik sa ilalim ng kalungkutan at dalamhati. Isang malapit na tao ang iniwan tayo. Ngunit di maaaring manahimik na lamang para sa mga taong lumikha ng marka sa puso—marangal, matalino, mabuti, at matapat na naglingkod.
Sa loob ng 40 taong tinawag niya akong kuya—marahil sa pangungulila sa isang di-kilalang ama o panganay na kapatid na handang gumabay sa kanya noon—nakilala ko si Sozing bilang matalino, mahusay sa musika, at may mabuting loob. Isa siyang Mangyan na lumikha ng natatanging landas na dapat tularan ng kabataang Mangyan. Namuhay siya na hindi itinakda ng cultural at social bias. Sa halip, gumawa siya ng sariling salaysay na lampas sa naratibo ng karamihan: “Mangyan lang siya!” Hindi nila inaasahan na babaguhin niya ang kuwento ng pag-unlad ng Mangyan.
Sa gitna ng mga nagtatalabang hamon at komplikasyon ng magulong lipunan, lumaki si Sozing na mulat sa mga di-tapos na suliraning bumalot sa kanyang paglaki. Jesuit Volunteer (JVP Batch 6) ako noon, na naka-assign sa Paitan Mangyan Mission. Kapag pumupunta ako sa Calapan, dinadalaw ko si Ms. Casimira “Mommy” Villegas, dating madre at kababayan kong Batangueña. Doon ko nakilala si Sozing—11 taong gulang noon, isang estudyanteng Mangyan, anak ng yumaong Juana Bilog, isang Hanunoo-Mangyan. Naging estudyante ng Holy Infant Academy, Calapan City. Magaling tumugtog ng piano si Sozing. Pinaaral siya ni “Mommy” Villegas, na ipinagmamalaki siya dahil sa kanyang talento, talino, at husay bilang estudyante.
Ilang taon pa, ibinalik si Sozing sa kanyang pamayanan at nag-aral sa Bait (Mansalay) Mission School, na itinayo ng yumaong Fr. Ewald Dinter, SVD. Lagi ko siyang kinakamusta. Nang makatapos siya ng high school, nag-aral siya sa Divine Word College of Calapan at nangarap maging abugado.
Sa tulong ni Mommy, nabigyan siya ng scholarship—hindi lamang sa kolehiyo kundi pati sa pag-aaral ng batas—upang tuparin ang kanyang pangarap. Sa disiplina, talino, at determinasyon, nakapagtapos siya ng abogasya at naging unang abogadong Mangyan—isang patunay na kayang makamit ng Mangyan ang mataas na antas ng propesyon.
Nakapaglingkod siya sa legal office ni Sen. Raul Roco, at kalaunan ay nagtayo ng sarili niyang law office. Naging dedikadong asawa at mapagmahal na ama ng tahanan—isang huwaran ng tahimik ngunit matatag na pagmamahal at responsableng propesyon.
Ngunit higit sa lahat, hinubog siya ng mga pagsubok. Madali sanang lumimot. Sa lungsod, maaari niyang iwan ang kanyang pinagmulan at mamuhay nang malayo sa kanyang tunay na sarili at lahing kinabibilangan. Maaari sana niyang piliin ang mas marangya at maginhawang buhay—tulad ng maraming abugadong naghahangad ng tagumpay. Ngunit pinili niyang manatiling nakatapak sa lupa. Pinili niyang lumingon at ingatan ang mga habilin ni “Mommy” at ng mga taong nagmalasakit sa kanya at sa kanyang pangarap. Pinili niyang maging tapat sa kanyang pagkakakilanlan bilang Mangyan. Pinili niyang pasanin ang bigat ng tungkulin para sa kanyang mga kababayan, kahit walang kapalit na pagkilala. Ipinakita niya kung paano mabuhay nang tapat sa maraming taong umaasa sa kanya.
Sa kabila ng tagumpay, hindi niya kailanman iniwan ang tibok ng kanyang pinagmulan. Ang tawag ng pangangailangang legal ng mga Mangyan ay nanatiling buhay sa kanya. Minsan, dama niya ang bigat ng responsibilidad na inaasahan ng kanyang lahi, angkan, pamilya, at mga institusyong umaasa sa kanya. May mga pagkakataong malalim ang kanyang buntong-hininga sa malalang kalagayan ng lupaing ninuno ng mga Mangyan. Batid ni Sozing na hindi matatapos ang mga problemang ito sa kanyang panahon.
Gayunman, nanatili ang kanyang malalim na adhikain: na magkaroon ang mga Mangyan ng sariling pagtindig para sa kanilang kapakanan, kaunlaran, at susunod na salinlahi. Hangad ni Sozing na makamit ng mga Mangyan ang dignidad at respeto—hindi lamang mula sa ibang lahi kundi maging sa pamahalaan na madalas silang ituring na nasa laylayan ng lipunan.
“Kuya,” sabi niya, “nais ko sana ang isang nagkakaisang walong tribo ng Mangyan—namamahala sa aming nasasakupang teritoryo; isang autonomous administrative region ng mga Mangyan, para sa Mangyan; nangangalaga sa aming lupaing ninuno, nakikinabang sa aming likas-yaman at mineral, at bumubuo ng matibay na kinabukasan.”
Tahimik. Malumanay ang bigkas. Ngunit malalim. Walang galit, walang ingay—kundi isang taus-pusong paghahangad ng kalayaan at dangal para sa kanyang mga kababayan.
Pumanaw siya sa gitna ng kanyang paglalakbay. Marami pa siyang nais gawin—hindi lamang para sa Mangyan Heritage Center, kung saan siya ay naging pangulo. Sa huli, ipinaglaban niyang mabawi ang mga labi ng kanilang mga yumao, papanagutin ang mga nagnakaw nito, at maprotektahan ang mga sagradong kuweba—ang himlayan ng kanilang mga ninuno at mahal sa buhay.
Hindi kami handa sa iyong pag-alis, Sozing. Patuloy pa naming inuunawa ang pangyayaring ito at ang malaking puwang na iniwan ng iyong misyon sa aming mga buhay.
Paalam, Kapatid,
Salamat sa tiwala at sa iyong pag-aalay ng sarili.
Kuya
_____________________________
English translation:
I had wished to stay silent beneath the weight of grief and sorrow. We have lost someone dear. Yet we cannot simply pass in silence for those whose lives have left a mark in our heart—honorable, brilliant, kind, and faithful in service.
For forty years, he called me “kuya”—perhaps out of a longing for a father he barely knew, or for an older brother who could guide him in his early years. I came to know Sozing as a man of intellect, a gift for music, and a deeply generous spirit. He was Mangyan, and he forged a path that many young Mangyan should look to with pride. He refused to live within the limits imposed by cultural and social bias. Instead, he authored his own story—one that rose beyond the dismissive narrative: “He is just a Mangyan.” They did not expect him to reshape the story of Mangyan progress—but he did.
Amid the tensions and complexities of our restless society, Sozing grew up keenly aware of the unfinished struggles that surrounded—and shaped—him. At the time, I was a Jesuit Volunteer (JVP Batch 6), assigned to the Paitan Mangyan Mission. Whenever I went to Calapan, I would visit Ms. Casimira “Mommy” Villegas—a former nun and a fellow Batangueña. It was there that I met Sozing, then an eleven-year-old Mangyan boy, son of the late Juana Bilog, a Hanunoo-Mangyan, and a pupil at Holy Infant Academy. He played the piano beautifully. “Mommy” Villegas supported his education and took pride in his talent, intellect, and promise.
A few years later, he returned to his community and studied at Bait (Mansalay) Mission School, founded by the late Fr. Ewald Dinter, SVD. I continued to ask about him over the years. After finishing high school, he enrolled at Divine Word College of Calapan, carrying a dream—to become a lawyer.
With Mommy’s support, he secured scholarships not only for college but also for law school. Through discipline, intellect, and unwavering resolve, he completed his legal education and became the first Mangyan lawyer—a testament to how far determination and identity can carry a person.
He served at the legal office of Senator Raul Roco and later established his own law practice. He became a devoted husband and a loving father of two—a quiet yet steadfast presence, grounded in responsibility and care.
But more than his achievements, it was his response to life’s trials that defined him. It would have been easy to forget—to choose distance, to let the city reshape his life away from his roots and identity. He could have pursued a life of comfort and prestige, as many in the legal profession do. Yet he chose otherwise. He remained grounded. He honored the trust placed in him by Mommy and by all those who believed in his journey. He chose to remain true to his identity as Mangyan. He carried the burden of responsibility for his people, even without recognition. In doing so, he showed what it means to live with integrity for those who quietly depend on you.
Despite his success, he never turned away from the pulse of his origin. The legal needs of the Mangyan people remained close to his heart. At times, he carried the weight of expectation—from his tribe, his clan, his family, and the institutions that relied on him. I remember his deep sighs when speaking of the worsening condition of their ancestral lands. He knew that these struggles would not end within his lifetime.
Yet his vision endured. He dreamed of a Mangyan people standing on their own—governing themselves, securing their welfare, and shaping the future of the next generation. He longed for dignity and respect—not only from others, but from institutions that had long kept them at the margins.
“Kuya,” he once told me, “I dream of a united eight Mangyan tribes—governing our own territory; an autonomous administrative region of the Mangyan, for the Mangyan; protecting our ancestral lands, benefiting from our natural resources and minerals, and building a strong future.”
He spoke softly, gently—but with depth. No anger, no noise—only a sincere and enduring longing for freedom and dignity for his people.
He passed while still in the midst of his journey. There was so much more he wanted to do—not only for the Mangyan Heritage Center, where he served as president. In his final efforts, he sought to recover the remains of their departed, hold accountable those who had taken them, and protect the sacred caves—the resting place of their ancestors and loved ones.
We were not ready for your passing, Sozing. We are still trying to understand this loss and the vast space your mission has left in our lives.
Farewell, my brother.
Thank you for your trust—and for the life you so generously gave.
