The Passing On of A Good Man

With deep sadness, I would like to dedicate this column to a good man and a great Bicolano who has passed on to the Great Beyond. Nilo Aureus was not only a personal friend of many years, but a friend of the family as well. He left us the legacy of decent, trustworthy and responsible journalism, and his death creates a void in the field of local journalism that can never be replaced. My ties with his family goes all the way back when I was just a neophyte lawyer and I would spend time with local newpapermen as a member of the Naga Press and Radio Club (NPRC) then.

Nilo was a good and humble man who possessed such a kind and gentle heart. He started off in his career with the AMS Press as proofreader, assistant manager, until he eventually became the manager of the said printing and publishing house. He stayed on for 15 years, and in 1990 he founded his own publishing house which we now know as Goldprint Publishing. He carried on with the mission of his Uncle, Bicol Mail founder Leon SA Aureus (who was the brother of his father Tomas), in sustaining the publication of the local newspaper and its commitment to raising community consciousness on local and national issues. His quiet dedication to this commitment brought the Bicol Mail to hurdle many difficult challenges and saw its elevation into one of the best, if not the best Regional newspaper in Bicol.

Nilo was a man of passion and ideals. Back in my active days as a member of Jaycees international, I recall Nilo taking the lead as Project Chairman in the Search for Three Outstanding Policemen of Naga City. I was then invited to become one of the judges in the search, a noteworthy undertaking that uplifted the honor of our police force in Naga City. He was also a member of what was then the Naga City Chamber of Commerce and Lions International. His civic involvements manifest a man who wanted to live his life making a worthwhile contribution to humanity.

A few months back, my wife and I had a chance encounter with him in one of our visits to the doctor. He was there, too, waiting for his turn outside the doctor’s clinic. Little did I know that this would be the last time I would ever see him alive. I will keep in my heart the many kindnesses this good man has shown me in all the years of our friendship, including the thoughtful gesture of making surprise visits at my house now and then.

Take your well-deserved rest now, my friend Nilo, in the loving arms of the One who has created such goodness in your heart.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“Nothing deters a good man from doing what is honorable.”

— Seneca the Younger

FOR OUR WORD OF LIFE:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”

Galatians 55:22