Polibiz
Part of history...
(In memory of the late Atty. Sofronio Mediodia Flores, Sr. I yield this space as a tribute to a great man in the history of Oton)
The late Atty. Sofronio M. Flores is one of the great men who contributed a lot in shaping the town of Oton.
Tyo Ponyong as he was fondly called by his townmates first saw the radiance of life on December 5, 1900 to his parents Tenyente Bitong and Regina Mediodia.
He finished his elementary and secondary education from Oton Elementary School and Oton High School, respectively. He took up Bachelor of Laws at the Philippine Law Center and passed the bar with flying colors.
All of his life, for 50 fruitful years, he dedicated his time in serving the public.
As a Floor Leader in the town of Oton, his wisdom was the source of inspiration of his peers for passing countless municipal ordinances dealing on peace and order; cleanliness and health.
When he was elected vice-mayor in 1967, Tyo Ponyong has constantly been a trusted and close adviser of then Mayor Lazaro "Nene" Zulueta.
During American Occupation he was appointed Governor-General to head the Registry of Deeds serving the city and province of Iloilo until his retirement on December 8, 1965.
He considered it a turning point of his life, when he was elected and sent as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention to ratify the Philippine Constitution on July 30, 1934 until February 8, 1935. His primary interest then was to protect the interest of the farmers and common laborers. He fought and insisted provisions for the welfare of his country and fellowmen. This is one chapter that brings out the truth for the realization of a national law giving the laborers security of tenure.
People had great respect to Tyo Ponyong as a public servant, so was his peers in the government service. Government officials who are corrupt, he considered them his enemies. Seldom one would find a man having this golden principle in his life; you can count them in your fingers if ever there are persons courageous enough to fight back risking their lives in return for the sake of justice.
To prove his worthiness, a publisher-editor of "The Guardian" who only identified himself as Rodillado, wrote an article about Tyo Ponyong entitled "Honest Public Servant" revealing, "In his 30 years as Registrar of Deeds in the government service, not even once did his name was ever tainted with corruption."
On February 9, 1963, another article was published in the Philippines Free Press authored by E. Amante Amparo which also described Tyo Ponyong's honesty.
Another article entitled, "A Good Taxpayer" came out on September 9, 1959, describing Tyo Ponyong as the earliest citizen to pay his taxes at the start of the New Year.
He has been a recipient of numerous awards both from local and national organizations citing his performance and achievements as a public servant.
Tyo Ponyong excelled as a parent. He was married to Filomena Laureano, a native of Bugasong, Antique from a prominent family. He got widowed at an early age. He dedicated his remaining years in taking care of his children.
He believes in an old adage that, "a twisted twig should be straightened while young, as it is hard to stretch it when it grows mature."
That is how strict and disciplined T'yo Ponyong is to his four boys. But he is compassionate and understanding.
According to his eldest son Dr. Vicente Flores, his late father was his guiding light in his life, "if only my father is alive, for sure he would have been involved in the peace process this government is seeking for. He strongly believes that the strength of the nation lies on its citizens. Further, his father also believes on what our late national hero once said, "There are no tyrants, where there are no slaves. And everyone has the right to be treated equally."
"People will be happy and contented if one serves his country with patriotism, honest to his fellowmen and devoted to God," emphasized 1935 CONCON delegate Atty. Sofronio "Ponyong" Mediodia Flores, Sr.
(Note: This article written in Filipino in the late 90s by Ms. Divina Sumalapao came out in Ang Aplaya, a Filipino school organ of Oton National High School translated by NCR.)