Longtime Inquirer columnist Hilarion “Larry” Henares Jr. —Inquirer picture
MANILA, Philippines — A Renaissance man who was a chilly “kilabot (terror) to loopy politicos and abusive bureaucrats” however recognized to his comrades for his heat, perception and sharp humor was how pals and colleagues keep in mind longtime Inquirer columnist Hilarion Henares Jr., fondly known as “Larry,” who died on Dec. 14 on the age of 100.
Henares wrote a daily column known as “Make My Day,” which was later compiled right into a two-volume e-book of the identical identify. He additionally had a TV and radio present of the identical identify.
Esteemed public figures paid homage to Henares on Saturday, the ultimate night time of his wake on the Heritage Park in Taguig Metropolis.
Amongst them was former Inquirer columnist Belinda Olivares-Cunanan, who was dubbed his “frenemy” and had conflicting opinions with Henares on political points.
In a handwritten observe despatched to the Henares household, Cunanan mentioned: “It’s powerful to think about Larry Henares for he’s really bigger than life. He dominated any gathering the place he was invited, and fairly quickly, his hellish laughter can be heard reverberating all over the place.”
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The veteran journalist continued, “It’s onerous to think about Larry gone however past the hellish [laughter] was an encyclopedic thoughts that would sort out any topic always. He had a profound thoughts that would depart his readers awed. The mixture of wit and humor left his readers in awe.”
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Cunanan, who couldn’t attend the necrological tribute, additionally shared elements of her Fb put up in 2022, when she ran into Henares at a restaurant: “It’s been just a few years since I final noticed Larry Henares, however the humorousness and irony hasn’t dulled in any respect.”
“He nonetheless dishes out that devilish giggle that used to scare politicos whom he makes cruel enjoyable of as solely he may together with his sardonic wit and improbable command of the Queen’s English,” she went on.
Larry’s want
In line with certainly one of Henares’ daughters, Rosanna, it was her father’s want to “discover Cunanan and ask her to present a eulogy when [my] time got here up.”
Recalling her dialog together with his father, Rosanna shared: “He had that lengthy smile and he mentioned, ‘I want I may hear it—Bel being compelled to say one thing good about me. Woohoo! I get the final giggle!’ And he laughed so onerous and he was slapping his knee.”
Rosanna additionally famous how his father and Cunanan—who had been contemporaries within the Inquirer—would typically debate of their respective columns “to the sheer leisure of their readers.”
“My father liked an excellent debate. He would by no means again out of 1 as a result of it was a chance to sharpen his wit,” she mentioned.
For Philippine Purple Cross chair and former Sen. Richard Gordon, Henares was “sui generis,” or a category of his personal, and was a “formidable” man who had a fantastic command of the language as proven by his fiery opinion items.
“I feel we must be proud that in our time, we had been uncovered to a person who was lofty,” Gordon mentioned in his tribute speech.
He deemed Henares as a “firebrand” and who was “fiery and direct” when he spoke his thoughts.
Gordon fondly remembered a banter the place Henares known as him a “machine gun mouth” for “speaking too quick.” To this, the previous senator retorted, “Larry, no. I don’t discuss too quick, you simply assume too sluggish.”
He additionally lauded Henares for being a “completely different form of politician who stood his floor.” The economist who typically espoused nationalism pushed for a “Filipino first” coverage.
Henares needed native companies to “get up on their very own and get the job finished,” Gordon mentioned.
Financial council chief
Henares served as chair of the Nationwide Financial Council (the forerunner of the Nationwide Financial and Growth Authority) beneath President Diosdado Macapagal. A long time later, he turned particular financial adviser to Presidents Fidel Ramos and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Former Sen. Sergio “Serge” Osmeña III known as Henares “hilariously humorous,” who even in his twilight years was “nonetheless sharp, together with his humorousness intact.”
He mentioned Henares as soon as threw a pie in his face, which soured their relationship, however “you possibly can’t keep mad at Larry for lengthy. [He’s] an amiable man.”
However juxtaposed with this comical aspect of Henares was his being a real Renaissance man together with his lengthy checklist of achievements, Osmeña mentioned, noting that on the younger age of 25, he was already a dean of two graduate colleges—the Lyceum of the Philippines College and Feati College.
“He had taught me a lot in his lifetime. And everyone knows he liked his nation. And for all that, he must be known as a statesman,” Osmeña mentioned. “He’ll actually be remembered for bringing life and laughter into our lives.
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Henares is survived by his six youngsters Ronnie, Atom, Elvira, Danby, Juno and Rosanna.
