Ben Llanza, Sr. was a good man. He was generous even when he himself was wanting. He was proud, even he was in need and there was no room for pride. He was not a teacher but he has taught me and so many others so much, even when the lessons were incidental and at times buried too deep among stern commands, strict rules, light words and jokes. He armored me with a sense of humor that would see me through rough days such as these. He taught me to laugh heartily and always look at the bright side, and he always eased my worries. He taught me respect and equality, treating all of us, nieces and nephews included, as his children, and the store tambay the same as he did politicians. As his "students" at the "eskuwelahan ni Pay Ben (Uncle Ben's school)" as cousin Manoy Buboy called it during the last night, we are now fuller human beings, some literally, some figuratively. He helped develop our general sense of humor and creative language as we learned iro...