Women's Champ

At Large : Raul and 'Lola Afric'

Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service

THEY called him an "honorary woman," and true to his nature and his advocacy, former Sen. Raul Roco didn't seem to mind it at all, and in fact basked in this appellation.

He may have received the "title" for drafting and successfully pursuing the passage of the "Women in Nation building Act," which laid to rest several gender-based biases in our laws. But even before this and long after it, Roco was a champion of women's rights and equality before the law. I remember the years when the progressive anti-rape bill was going through an excruciating deliberation in Congress; Roco provided valuable advice on ways to "tweak" the draft law and avoid possible pitfalls in the language of the legislation, as well as how to win more advocates. Actually, we couldn't have expected any less from the husband of Sonia Malasarte Roco, herself a feminist, women's rights advocate and educator. For if there was anything truly admirable in their marriage, it was Raul and Sonia's partnership, their mutually supporting each other in their pursuit of each one's causes and dreams.

There could not have been a bigger dream than that of the presidency, which Raul pursued twice, with Sonia proving herself his most ardent supporter. In his first attempt, he did better than most had expected, scoring impressive gains among the youth and demonstrating a solid hold on the loyalty of Bicolanos. But in his second stab at the presidency, despite early impressive showings in the polls and high credibility ratings, his campaign seemed to stumble and stall, crashing inexorably when he left the campaign shortly before the elections on reasons of health.

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RAUL Roco may have been "the best president the country never had," as the Inquirer cleverly, and quite touchingly, put it. But his failure to make it to Malacañang should not detract from a proper appreciation of his role in our political life. From his stint as chief of staff of the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino to his participation in the anti-dictatorship movement and his career as a legislator, Roco proved his commitment to democracy and his enduring belief in the power of the law to right inequalities and address social problems.

Here's to Raul Roco, then. Here's to an "honorary woman" whose championship of women's causes and feminist ideals proved even more solid than those of some "real" women in positions of leadership. Here's to a man of amiability and generosity, despite reports of his having a temper. Here's to a loving husband and father and a doting grandfather. We may never know how the country would have fared under a Roco presidency, but we do know that the country has lost a good man.

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IN 1973, widowed suddenly after her husband, architect Jose Reynoso, succumbed to a heart attack, Africa Valdes Reynoso went into partnership with Hans Sy, son of tycoon Henry Sy, and opened "Sizzling Plate" in the food court of SM Makati.

Though she ran a successful eatery in the pioneering Valleson department store in Escolta shortly after World War II, "Lola Afric" was, at the age of 56, a relative newbie, having spent the previous 20 years as a full-time housewife, looking after her and Joe's nine children. But, her entrepreneurial instincts "unleashed," Lola Afric proved a formidable competitor. She rounded up her household help, dressed them in "civilian" wear and had them crowd in front of the "Sizzling Plate" stall, pretending to point to items on the menu board. In no time, curious diners were lining up along with the house help, launching "Sizzling Plate" as one of the most successful tenants of the SM chain of malls.

As the first enterprise to popularize steaks, which before had been enjoyed only by the moneyed few, as well as to serve the steaks in cast-iron "sizzling" plates, "Sizzling Plate" could be said to have democratized fine cuisine for Filipinos. Lola Afric's domain has since expanded to other eateries, from the "Sizzling Plate" restaurants in Baguio (owned by daughter Edna and her husband Mike Anton), and those in Legazpi City (owned by son Tito; "Steak Escape" (jointly owned by daughter Cecille and grandson Emilio); "Steak Break," a successful chain of "low-end, masa" versions of the steak stalls (owned by daughter Mia Laws); to "Pinoy Toppings" (owned by grandson Mike Anton); and "Steaks and Toppings" outlets of Mike's brother Carlos.

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THE "REYNOSO FLAIR" for good food and cuisine, which her children all attribute to Lola Afric, is likewise expressed in the work of three daughters: the eldest child Leni Reynoso Araullo who commutes from Los Angeles to Manila for regular teaching stints on cake-decorating and sausage-making; Sylvia Reynoso Gala, a well-known cooking instructor, writer and TV chef; and Lorrie, a chef-instructor at the Art Institute of New York who has trained so many chefs in New York's fine-dining establishments that she can book seats at even the most exclusive places at a moment's notice.

To celebrate Lola Afric's 88th birth anniversary, her children, with the indefatigable Edna at the lead, launched last Friday a book, "The Reynoso Flair: 80 Years of Lola Afric's Cooking," which documents, through family stories as well as recipes of Lola's specialties, her life-long affair with food.

At that rambunctious affair, generations of Valdeses and Reynosos, as well as friends from Baguio and Manila, including the book's creative team headed by writer-editor Babeth Lolarga, mingled for book-signing and recollecting.

At the center of it all was Lola Afric, elegant in a piña gown, silently basking in the attention of a clan that has come to love her, not just for her cooking but most of all for the generosity of spirit that animates their family.