Aaron Neri, Teting Delegencia: Two kind souls

Myself (second from left) with Barangay Macasandig Captain Aaron Neri (left) 

By Susan Palmes-Dennis

Rockingham, North Carolina--When I learned that Atty. Mateo Delegencia and Macasandig Barangay Captain Aaron M. Neri Sr. died,  I told myself to just pray for the eternal repose of their souls.  But I couldn’t keep silent about the stories I can share about them, two kind souls who, sadly, I cannot meet again.

Both men died of COVID-19 complications based on what I read from the Facebook posts. Due to the quarantine restrictions in Cagayan de Oro City, their wakes and funerals will be limited to their immediate families and close friends.

My friendship with them goes back many years. Atty. ‘Teting’ Delegencia was my law professor who handled subjects like Obligations and Contracts and Insurance Law. His law office before was at the ground floor of the Almirante building at Don Apolinar Velez street.

My uncle Mauro Naelga rented the first floor of the Padero house and I stayed there, thus making us neighbors. After the first examination, Atty Teting summoned me to his office and I saw for the first time in my life many books on his bookshelves. I wondered that time if he read all those books.

I was both awed and humbled because he asked me to check the examination booklets of our class and other sections except of course my own paper. But he never gave me preferential treatment. Instead he would call me first for recitation and give me a hard time.

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Maybe he tested me that time. Later in life when I worked in the judiciary we met and talked like old friends. He encouraged me to take the bar exam again. After I joined the local media in Cagayan de Oro City, every time we met during events he would tell his friends that I was his ‘smart student.’

I was embarrassed of course but took it in stride. I last saw Atty. Teting in 2019 at the Hall of Justice and he still looked good for his age. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, I saw a notification on my Facebook feed indicating that he watched my ‘Barangay S’ program aired at Facebook Live over Way Kurat Bay Radio of Balingasag town. Atty. Teting was a loyal follower of my program.

As for Macasandig Barangay Captain Aaron M Neri, Sr., we used to be neighbors at Tagoloan town, Misamis Oriental province. His home is less than a meter away and I knew Neri’s parents and siblings. He was ahead of me by two years in school and we graduated at the same grade school and high school.

When I joined the Cagayan de Oro City media, I had a direct line to then Barangay Kagawad (village councilman) Neri.

If I’m not rushing to beat a deadline, we talked about mutual friends and neighbors. We bantered a lot and no one knew then that Aaron and I went back a long time. I was always thankful that Neri can facilitate the processing of permits for events sponsored by RMN dxCC when I worked there.

He served his constituents well and I knew they loved him. We remained friends even when he was close to the late Cagayan de Oro City mayor Vicente Emano whom I frequently criticized.

Anyway to these two men who succumbed to COVID-19, may you both rest in peace. Maybe they don’t want the fanfare once they passed away to the Great Unknown. RIP, Mateo Delegencia, RIP Aaron M Neri, Sr