21/09/2026
A true friendship by Dingdong Dantes to Governor Dax Cua...
Nakilala ko si Dax Cua sa isang party ng aming common na kaibigan, si Tita Nelly King, sometime in the early 2000s. Nung una, akala ko basketball player. Ang tangkad eh, tapos swabe pa ng datingan.
Pero sabi sa akin, siya raw pala ang pinakabatang Vice Governor sa buong Pilipinas nung panahong ’yon. Sabi ko, “Uy, astig ah.” Bihira kong maisip noon na puwede palang maging Vice Governor nang gano’n kabata. I was around 21 then, at three years older lang siya sa akin. Nung una pa lang, naisip ko na, ang bata pa nito, pero ang layo na ng narating niya.
Nagkataon na magkatabi kami sa isang mesa that night, and we started talking about our dreams and aspirations for the youth and for the country (plus of course basketball and even other stuff) over wh***ey. And I guess that was the start of our friendship.
Kahit noon pa lang, nakita ko na kung paano siya mag-isip at magtrabaho. And through the years, lalo ko lang nakita kung gaano kaseryoso ang hangarin niyang maglingkod. I truly believed that one day, he would become one of the finest, most capable, and most decent leaders of our country.
And I was always hopeful about that.
At a time when it can sometimes be difficult to keep our faith in our public officials, he was one of those people who gave me reason to remain hopeful. I always looked forward to seeing him serve not only his province of Quirino, but eventually the entire country.
But perhaps what many people did not get to see was the person behind the public servant.
Napakabait niyang kaibigan. Napakatotoong tao. Someone you could count on. Siya rin ang ninong ng aking panganay. Sa lahat ng accomplishments niya in public service, I think those of us who knew him personally will remember just as much the kind of person he was when there were no crowds, cameras, titles, or positions involved.
Alam n’yo, marami siyang iniwang inspirasyon. Hindi lamang sa mga kabataang pinagsilbihan at pinaniwalaan niya, kundi sa kanyang mga kaibigan, at higit sa lahat, sa kanyang pamilya at sa mga mahal sa buhay.
And maybe there is something beautifully fitting about the name given to him: Dakila.
Dakila ang kanyang hangarin para sa ating bayan. Pero higit sa lahat, dakila ang kanyang puso.
Dahil sa huli, lilipas din ang mga titulo. Matatapos ang mga termino. Ang mga posisyong hinawakan natin, balang araw ay hahawakan naman ng iba. Pero ang kabutihang iniwan natin sa buhay ng ibang tao, iyon ang nananatili.
Hindi man kami madalas magkita, we always made it a point to greet each other on our birthdays. Looking back at our last messages, nakita ko pa ang usual birthday greeting niya sa akin, at ang usual reply ko: “Hope to see you soon, my brother.”
Every November naman, ako ang bumabati sa kanya. Ang problema, never ko yata natama ang birthday niya. Either two days early or two days late. Somehow, naging little tradition na namin ’yon. Tatawanan na lang namin na mali na naman ang araw ng bati ko.
This November 4 will be different.
Wala na akong birthday na maaaring mamali ng bati. But maybe I can think of it differently now. Perhaps this time, you have a new birthday to celebrate, one that marks the beginning of eternal life.
Paalam, Dax. I was always looking forward to seeing how far you would go. I just never imagined we would have to say goodbye this soon.
Isang matino at magaling na lider.
Maasahang kaibigan.
At higit sa lahat, mabuting tao.
Maraming salamat sa lahat, brader.
