Bert “Tawa” Marcelo at San Miguel, buhay na buhay pa ang samahan

HINDI na inabutan ng yumaong si Bert “Tawa” Marcelo ang pagbabago ng kompanyang gumagawa ng paborito niyang beer. Pero tiyak na matutuwa ito, ayon sa anak niyang Gerard, kapag nalamang nakaalala ang San Miguel sa kanyang ama at magtatayo na nga ng paliparan sa Bulacan.

“He would have loved to meet Mr. Ramon Ang, the San Miguel visionary who led the diversification. He would have given him butong pakwan ni Mentong or a box of chicharon from Bulacan, his usual pasalubong to friends,” anang 47 taong gulang na si Gerard na isa sa apat na anak ng komedyante na hindi na pumasok sa showbusiness at may kanya-kanya nang larangan o karera na pinagkakaabalahan.

Sinabi pa ni Gerard na malapit ang kanyang ama sa yumaong SMC chairman na si Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.. ”I remember, when Boss Danding wants to have a good laugh, he will call my father and tell him to deliver Boss Danding’s favorite joke.”

Maliban sa mga boss, malapit din si Bert sa lahat ng empleado ng San Miguel at proud siyang naging brand ambassador nito mula 1971 hanggang sa kanyang pagkamatay noong 1995. Idinaos ng San Miguel Corporation at sangay nitong San Miguel Brewery, Inc. ang kanilang anibesaryo noong Sept. 29 at Oct. 1.

“My father was close to San Miguel people from its truck drivers up to the Chairman. He can relate to them. He talks to everyone since he is easy-going and has a friendly nature. His jokes were snappy and non- lethal,” kuwento ni Gerard.

“He lived that value of friendship over money. He would do San Miguel shows for a minimal fee like the Balikbanda shows and appear in their Baguio summer shows yearly in the 80s. He did shows for San Miguel executives and friends for free. He also lived the SMB value of ‘Iba ang may pinagsamahan,’ another San Miguel Beer tagline,” dagdag pa niya.

Kapansin-pansin na noong lockdown ay maraming Filipino ang nanood muli ng mga lumang TV commercial ni Bert Marcelo sa San Miguel sa Youtube at nag-share nito sa Facebook. Isa sa mga paborito ay may tema na naniningil si Bert kay Bruno na isang karate expert na kasalukuyang may ka-sparring na pinatumba. Sa gulat ni Bert ay inaya na lang niya si Bruno at sinabing, ”Mag beer muna tayo” na may puntong Bulakenyo.

May mga pagbabago na nga sa San Miguel nitong mga nakaraang taon dahil mas marami na itong negosyong pinasok. ”But my father would be happy that Ramon Ang is investing heavily in the country to help our kababayans by providing employment and improving our country’s infrastructure. His big investments are helping the country’s economy,” sambit pa ni Gerard.

Matibay pa rin ang samahan ng kanyang ama at ng San Miguel na tiyak na matutuwa sa pagtatayo ng airport sa Bulacan. Ang kanyang ama ay tubong Baliuag.

“Yes, definitely he will be happy and proud with the development. My father was a proud Bulakenyo. As Jose Guevarra also said, ‘He was one of the two men that the province of Bulacan can be truly proud of. He placed Bulacan on the map.’ The other one is Blas Ople, the serious one,” ani Gerard.

Ang airport ay kayang tumanggap ng hanggang 100 milyong pasahero kada taon at nakikitang gagawa ng 30 milyon na trabaho sa turismo maliban sa mahigit isang milyong hanapbuhay para sa mga residente ng Bulacan at karatig probinsiya. Makatutulong din ito sa mga Overseas Filipino Workers na nawalan ng trabaho at napilitang bumalik sa bansa.

“Central Luzon has the most number of OFWs too outside of NCR. With this development, his kababayan will benefit with the airport in the province. This will put Bulacan on the world map now with foreign tourists arriving in a world-class airport built by San Miguel Corporation in his hometown,” paliwanag pa ni Gerard.

Dagdag pa niya: ”Because of the Covid19 pandemic, our economy is hit for the next two years. We hope this airport will provide employment to Bulakenyos and also help in the recovery of tourism nationwide which was severely affected by the pandemic.”

Dahil sa pagtatayo ng paliparang ito sa Bulacan, nanatiling matibay ang samahan ni Bert “Tawa” Marcelo at ng paborito niyang beer.

SHOWBIZ KONEK
ni Maricris Valdez Nicasio