The Wisdom of Sir Mon
By Lino Soriano
Editor’s Note: This is the second of creative feature articles written by Mr. Soriano which was published at People’s INSIDER Magazine from 2001-2004. It was chosen for the Website smartpinoysatbp.com to teach campus journalists and aspiring writers on a different approach to interview writing. Because DJ Mon or Solomon was named after King Solomon, it is just appropriate to use on the first two paragraphs part of the following story from the Bible.
THE story of two women, fighting for the custody of a baby, each one claiming to be the ‘real’ mother, could be a formidable test case for any student lawyer.
During Biblical times, King Solomon ruled to divide the baby into two and give each woman her share. The real mother strongly opposed this and quickly decided to give custody of the baby to the other woman. Of course, the king eventually ruled against the latter.
Like any bachelor
AFTER graduation from a very prestigious law school in Manila next April, and possibly passing the 2003 Bar, Sir Mon or Solomon M. Villanueva in real life may be faced with a similar case. He may not be the judge, but as a lawyer, he will have a chance to defend the rights of his clients, using facts, reason, logic and, of course, wisdom.
Unlike the other law students or neophyte lawyers we have met, Atty. Villanueva does not always talk jurisprudence, or a cite passage from Lex Libris, or ask incontrovertible proofs when you need to convince him about something. He’s just like any bachelor who wants gimmicks whenever he’s free, which is rare because at, 6-9 a.m. daily, except Sundays, he is the jolly Sir Mon, host of Kool Energy, one of the most listened-to programs at Kool 106, the FM station of ABC 5.
WE learned that before Solomon was born, the Villanueva patriarch, Rodolfo Sr. wished that his child would become a lawyer like him.
Solomon was one month old when his father died of cancer. But this did not prevent his mother Norma from seeing to it that her husband’s dream for his son comes true. The working student is studying hard in pursuit of that dream. He spends almost seven hours a day immersed in his lessons aside from attending classes.
He will take the Bar Examinations in September, “I wish I could be one of the top finishers, and with God’s help and hard work, sana I can make it,” he says.
Even as the 5’11” jock regrets spending his formative years without a father, he considers Rodolfo Sr. as role model. Based on the accounts of Mon’s mother and relatives, the Villanueva patriarch was a disciplinarian, but loving and compassionate.
Youngest Jock?
AT 16, Mon applied to be a jock at GMA WLS FM, when the station was going into 24-hour broadcast.
He recalls that 200 auditioned for the job. The number was trimmed to 10, then five and, finally two. The guys at the station thought Mon was too young to be a jock, so another applicant was taken in.
This did not discourage him from applying at other FM stations. His baptism of fire as a jock happened in 1993 at Magic 89.9 FM. Like most neophyte jocks, he committed some mistakes while on the board. One was he played the wrong cut of a CD, and another was when he talked with a friend on the phone while the mike is on. Of course these taught him a lesson.
Mon started at Kool 106 in March 1997. But he quit a few months later because of the pressures of law school and upon the insistence of his mother. When he hurdled the more stressful part of his studies, he returned to the station early this year. He cannot tell how long he’d be a jock, but after (hopefully) passing the bar, he plans to work as a lawyer-broadcast journalist.
Favorites
MON plays volleyball and table tennis. His mild scoliosis had prevented him from taking advantage of his height to play basketball actively. He likes blue, yellow, and red colors; and Pinoy, Italian and Japanese food. He is an avid fan of Janno Gibs, Jaya, Boys 2Men and Brian McKnight. When it comes to music, Mon goes for classical and R&B.
“Classical music relieves me of stress and helps me get focused,” he explains. He likes playing the piano – which he learned at six years old – and singing standards and ballads.
Issues
MON laments the periodic travel advisories being issued by the United States and Western countries against the Philippines and other Asian nations. He says we must consistently and aggressively promote abroad out tourist destinations, putting emphasis on the fact that the country is like a big pie, of which only an insignificant slice has problems, “Even the US and the UK are not safe from terrorists,” he adds.
When it comes to laws, Mon says we have so much of these and that what we lack is implementation, especially of laws on taxation. Nightmarish traffic jams impede the economy, while graft and corruption turn away foreign investors. He believes that our dreams for peace start with the strict implementation of laws, without fear or favor.
Still looking
MON is still single. His ideal woman is one who is intelligent, has pleasing personality, and will love him deeply and try to understand his work.
As for looks, he is not choosy – as long as the girl has a ‘close-up smile,’ nice hands and feet (or legs?).
Editor’s Note: This is the second of creative feature articles written by Mr. Soriano which was published at People’s INSIDER Magazine from 2001-2004. It was chosen for the Website smartpinoysatbp.com to teach campus journalists and aspiring writers on a different approach to interview writing. Because DJ Mon or Solomon was named after King Solomon, it is just appropriate to use on the first two paragraphs part of the following story from the Bible.
THE story of two women, fighting for the custody of a baby, each one claiming to be the ‘real’ mother, could be a formidable test case for any student lawyer.
During Biblical times, King Solomon ruled to divide the baby into two and give each woman her share. The real mother strongly opposed this and quickly decided to give custody of the baby to the other woman. Of course, the king eventually ruled against the latter.
Like any bachelor
AFTER graduation from a very prestigious law school in Manila next April, and possibly passing the 2003 Bar, Sir Mon or Solomon M. Villanueva in real life may be faced with a similar case. He may not be the judge, but as a lawyer, he will have a chance to defend the rights of his clients, using facts, reason, logic and, of course, wisdom.
Unlike the other law students or neophyte lawyers we have met, Atty. Villanueva does not always talk jurisprudence, or a cite passage from Lex Libris, or ask incontrovertible proofs when you need to convince him about something. He’s just like any bachelor who wants gimmicks whenever he’s free, which is rare because at, 6-9 a.m. daily, except Sundays, he is the jolly Sir Mon, host of Kool Energy, one of the most listened-to programs at Kool 106, the FM station of ABC 5.
WE learned that before Solomon was born, the Villanueva patriarch, Rodolfo Sr. wished that his child would become a lawyer like him.
Solomon was one month old when his father died of cancer. But this did not prevent his mother Norma from seeing to it that her husband’s dream for his son comes true. The working student is studying hard in pursuit of that dream. He spends almost seven hours a day immersed in his lessons aside from attending classes.
He will take the Bar Examinations in September, “I wish I could be one of the top finishers, and with God’s help and hard work, sana I can make it,” he says.
Even as the 5’11” jock regrets spending his formative years without a father, he considers Rodolfo Sr. as role model. Based on the accounts of Mon’s mother and relatives, the Villanueva patriarch was a disciplinarian, but loving and compassionate.
Youngest Jock?
AT 16, Mon applied to be a jock at GMA WLS FM, when the station was going into 24-hour broadcast.
He recalls that 200 auditioned for the job. The number was trimmed to 10, then five and, finally two. The guys at the station thought Mon was too young to be a jock, so another applicant was taken in.
This did not discourage him from applying at other FM stations. His baptism of fire as a jock happened in 1993 at Magic 89.9 FM. Like most neophyte jocks, he committed some mistakes while on the board. One was he played the wrong cut of a CD, and another was when he talked with a friend on the phone while the mike is on. Of course these taught him a lesson.
Mon started at Kool 106 in March 1997. But he quit a few months later because of the pressures of law school and upon the insistence of his mother. When he hurdled the more stressful part of his studies, he returned to the station early this year. He cannot tell how long he’d be a jock, but after (hopefully) passing the bar, he plans to work as a lawyer-broadcast journalist.
Favorites
MON plays volleyball and table tennis. His mild scoliosis had prevented him from taking advantage of his height to play basketball actively. He likes blue, yellow, and red colors; and Pinoy, Italian and Japanese food. He is an avid fan of Janno Gibs, Jaya, Boys 2Men and Brian McKnight. When it comes to music, Mon goes for classical and R&B.
“Classical music relieves me of stress and helps me get focused,” he explains. He likes playing the piano – which he learned at six years old – and singing standards and ballads.
Issues
MON laments the periodic travel advisories being issued by the United States and Western countries against the Philippines and other Asian nations. He says we must consistently and aggressively promote abroad out tourist destinations, putting emphasis on the fact that the country is like a big pie, of which only an insignificant slice has problems, “Even the US and the UK are not safe from terrorists,” he adds.
When it comes to laws, Mon says we have so much of these and that what we lack is implementation, especially of laws on taxation. Nightmarish traffic jams impede the economy, while graft and corruption turn away foreign investors. He believes that our dreams for peace start with the strict implementation of laws, without fear or favor.
Still looking
MON is still single. His ideal woman is one who is intelligent, has pleasing personality, and will love him deeply and try to understand his work.
As for looks, he is not choosy – as long as the girl has a ‘close-up smile,’ nice hands and feet (or legs?).