Mang Ramon dies days after getting wish
By Erika Sauler
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:51:00 03/25/2008
MANILA, Philippines—A week after Ramon Faner was featured in the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s “Wish Come True” project, the 70-year-old newspaper vendor passed away in his sleep on Black Saturday.
According to his death certificate, Mang Ramon died from cardiopulmonary arrest, myocardial infarction (heart attack) and emphysema.
The Inquirer newspaper granted the wishes of 22 letter-senders on its 22nd anniversary last December. Paulina Miranda, 18, was one of the winners. She got her wish for financial assistance for Mang Ramon and recognition for his hard work.
Just a week ago, the 22 wishes article about Mang Ramon and Paulina was published in the Inquirer. Faner was surprised to see it on the front page.
“Why was it placed on the front page? I’m famous now, I was featured alongside (Manny) Pacquiao,” Mang Ramon was quoted as saying by his only daughter Ghie, who took care of him.
“He was happy, he seemed fulfilled,” said Sr. Maria Faner, Mang Ramon’s youngest sister and a nun in the Order of St. Clare.
Mang Ramon’s death came as a surprise to his family. “It was so sudden. We weren’t expecting it,” Ghie said in Filipino. “But at least, he did not suffer.”
Ghie said her father suddenly had a coughing fit on Wednesday which lasted through Saturday. During that time, he used a nebulizer five times a day to relieve his coughing and wheezing. Before, he only used it twice daily.
Mang Ramon had been hospitalized last year for severe asthma but preferred to stay at home. “It would cost much if I stay in the hospital. And who would I order around when I need something?” he explained during the Inquirer interview weeks ago.
‘He just fell asleep’
Then on Saturday afternoon, Ghie was cooking dinner as her father listened to Voltes V on TV with eyes closed. “I was cooking tocino. I could hear him coughing while listening to the TV. When the coughing stopped, I thought he just fell asleep,” Ghie said.
At around 8 p.m., Mang Ramon’s grandson, Joselito, called him for dinner. He was alarmed when his grandfather did not stir.
“When I saw him, his head was hanging down. And when I straightened his head, I saw that his face was already pale,” Ghie said. She then checked for a pulse in the neck, the chest and then the wrist before she said, “Papang has passed away.”
“We are poor, but I did not expect that he suffered this much. I realize how hard life must be for sidewalk vendors, and my brother was one of them, but you know, he had a strong sense of humor. And he helped a lot of people, including me. He paid for my education,” Sr. Maria told the Inquirer.
The fourth in a brood of seven, Mang Ramon left Negros Occidental in the 1960s to try his luck in Manila.
Assorted jobs
For 15 years, he held assorted jobs to support his siblings. He cleaned toilets, worked in a gasoline station, became a checker and cashier in a grocery store. His favorite job was as property custodian in a pharmaceutical business. But he lost that job in a union dispute.
After that, he sold newspapers, cigarettes and candy along Paseo de Roxas in Makati City. There, he made friends with a lot of people and was especially popular with foreigners.
But the more than two decades of sidewalk vending took its toll on Mang Ramon’s health.
As Paulina wrote in her Youngblood article in the Inquirer: “It struck me how hard Tatang’s life was. A sidewalk vendor attracts a lot of other dangers. Bad sunburn, skin cancer, lung cancer, asthma and tuberculosis are normal risks.”
Since his hospitalization, Mang Ramon would often complain about his difficulty in breathing and standing up. “I often experience shortness of breath. It’s really hard. I do not ask for anything other than to get well.”
Death was coming
Mang Ramon expressed discontent over his condition. “I feel bored being confined in the house. It’s better on the road where I can see a lot of things. But even if I want to go out, I can’t.”
In his last days, Ghie noticed how her father’s arm would rise in his sleep, as if someone was pulling him up.
Mang Ramon had even asked Ghie to prepare the clothes he would wear in his casket.
“I thought, someone was taking him away and he wanted to go,” Ghie said. She recalled hearing him call “Virgie,” her mother’s name.
Mang Ramon’s wife died in 2002 of a heart ailment. The children plan to bury their father beside their mother at Manila South Cemetery. The interment will be on Sunday as they have to wait for relatives from Pampanga.
The world now knows him
Paulina informed the Inquirer about Mang Ramon’s death. She said in a text message:
“Mang Ramon peacefully passed away last night during his sleep. What a timely death. I don’t feel so bad anymore because he was recognized for his beauty and the world now knows about him. Their family and my family are grateful for all your help.”
Sr. Maria said: “I hope Paulina visits our monastery. She will never be forgotten. She proved that not all teenagers only care about their enjoyment, there are those who are concerned with the life of others.”
|
