By Alfredo C. Garvida, Jr.
The
province of Ilocos Norte has produced
notable people who have become part of Philippine history. Of the 16 presidents
we have had, 3 of them, or 18.75%, come from or trace their roots to Ilocos
Norte: Ferdinand Marcos, who was from Batac, Fidel V. Ramos, whose mother was
from Batac likewise, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, whose mother's roots were
from Bacarra. Of course we have the two Luna brothers, Antonio and Juan, coming
from Badoc; Gen. Artemio Ricarte and Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, the founder of
the Philippine Independent Church, both from Batac; Josefa Llanes Escoda, the
founder of the Girls Scout of the Philippines who was executed by the Japanese
Army during World War II for spying for her native country, from Dingras;
Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred Ruiz Castro, from Bacarra; and adding flavor
to the notables that are now etched in Philippine history are the five Armed
Forces Chiefs of Staff coming from the province, namely, Gen. Fabian Ver from
Sarrat, Gen. Fidel Ramos from Batac, Gen. Segundo Velasco from Bacarra, Gen. Roy
Cimatu from my hometown, Bangui, and Gen. Ricardo Visayas, the current AFP
Chief of Staff, from Bacarra.
These people are all
considered heroes in our country for their varying contributions to the
socio-political evolution of the Philippines and their names will live
eternally in our history book. Unbeknownst to most Filipinos, living here and
abroad—except in the paradise island State of Hawaii—an Ilocano, described as a
" diffident, soft-spoken man with a reputation for the highest integrity
" has made waves in the 50th state of the United States of
America for his contributions in social, political and legal endeavors for and
in behalf of people living in Hawaii.
His name is Artemio C. Baxa,
a retired judge of the 2nd Circuit Court of the State of Hawaii, who
had gone through multitudes of challenges in life before getting to the
pinnacle of his career. Judge Baxa, "the first Filipino-American of
immigrant roots to become a judge in the State Circuit Court," was born in
Barrio Teppang in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte on December 16, 1937 to humble farmers,
Juan Eda Baxa and Maria Constantino Baxa. His grandparents never went to school
and his parents " barely attended the primary grades."
Artemio came to learn the
values of hard work and independence at a very tender age, when, in 1946, his
father left for the United States to work in the sugar plantations in Hawaii.
He suffered the first setback in his life a year after his father left when his
mother died, which left him and his only sibling, a brother, put in the care of
their aunt. At age 15, he composed an Ilocano poem, Nailet A
Dalan, which the Bannawag published in 1953 and reprinted in its
publication in February, 2008. The poem conveyed the message that "
if man has the power of will and choice, he must choose not the narrow path and
dark side of life, but the path of the beautiful expanse before him, just as
the bird chooses its freedom in the wilds rather than to be a prisoner in a
cage."
His poem must have served as
his beacon light towards becoming what he has become. After graduating from
high school in 1954, he took up pre-law at the University of Santo Tomas and
took his proper at the Ateneo de Manila where he graduated in 1960 and passed
the bar exams in 1961. The expanse of his future was not left un-minded by him
that in 1964, he went to Chicago to complete a master's degree in Comparative
Law. He came back to the Philippines and practiced law until 1967 when he moved
to Hawaii and settled in the Island of Maui with his brother to join their
father.
Yes, he was a practicing
lawyer in the Philippines and a master's degree holder in Comparative Law, but
he could not practice his profession in the State of Hawaii. To start from
scratch, therefore, was his only option to blaze his own trail in the vast
expanse of opportunities laid before him in the so-called land of milk and
honey. His first job in Maui was that of a bellhop, and sometimes a yard man.
His laborious experience in the rice and tobacco fields in his native town, Bacarra,
during his formative years had made his new jobs in Maui easier for him to
undertake, despite his law degree. His only fear during that time was the
thought that his father might have thought that he was a failure, given the
educational attainments he had under his belt. All he did then was to
"gather strength and fortitude, . . . and walked the untraveled road
and confront the reverses of fortune," for, in the judge's introspection,
" the test of a man is not revealed in the triumph that comes at the end
of the day. Rather, it is how he tries to confront the setbacks that come his
way."
After the bellhop job, he was
employed as a community aide in an anti-poverty agency, which enriched his
"perspective to his understanding of American life… and a broader
understanding of poverty and social deprivation." During this time, he was
awarded a grant with combined funds from the County-State-Federal offices to
study in the University of Hawaii Urban and Regional Planning Program.
Accordingly, he helped to design a countrywide survey for Maui County on the
problems and needs of the Filipino immigrant, which helped him as well in
drafting a comprehensive "Report on Filipino Immigrants and Social
Challenges in Maui County," that later became the basis for the implementation
of the Maui County Immigration Services Program where, fittingly, Judge Baxa
became the first employee to be hired under it.
Artemio was insatiable for
advancement, however. Because his first love was law, he and his wife decided
in 1975 to move to Oahu, Hawaii's biggest Island where Honolulu sits, to enroll
in law at the University of Hawaii. At law school, he was made to
translate from English to Ilocano," The Report of the Maui Commission and
the Proposed Revised Charter of the County of Maui," This was very
significant to Artemio as the translation had to enable the less
English-literate Ilocano Filipino-Americans in Maui understand and participate
in " the greatest political process of American democracy," that is
the right to vote.
He moved his family back to
Maui and practiced law for five years until he was appointed--for one year--in
the Department of Corporation Council. He was later appointed as director of
the Department of Human Concerns, then as deputy prosecutor for the County of Maui.
With sheer fortitude and industry, his career continued to move up until he was
appointed as judge of the 2nd State Circuit Court by then Gov. Benjamin
Cayetano, himself a Filipino descendant. This appointment carried historical
significance being that he was the first naturalized American and first
American of Filipino ancestry to hold this position.
In 2008, he was appointed as
a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, perhaps the most
prestigious position he has ever held throughout his career. The Board of
Regents is an unpaid nonpartisan body of 15 members comprised of community
leaders of impeccable background to manage the affairs of the university and
decide on major policies. His vast experience in public service and "gift
of speech and solid grounding in the world of ideas" had to be his
credentials to this prestigious position. It is in this position that opened up
for him the opportunity to ensuring that "education is not alone the
prerogative of the few."
Judge Baxa's sterling career
was always entwined with his noble principle that no matter where you situate,
you have to give something back to your community. He has held numerous jobs in
and out of government, from a bellhop, to a yard man, to a simple County employee,
to deputy prosecutor, to judge and to a college Regent, but his heart is always
open to people in need.
Fittingly, Dr. Elizabeth
Ayson wrote of him, thus: "We thank Judge Artemio C. Baxa for his quite
service to the people of Hawaii, for his continuing desire to communicate
clearly both in written and spoken words of prose and poetry, for standing up
as role model for Filipino-American achievement in an internationally admired
democracy and most of all, for his dedication, devotion and ongoing practice of
being a student of life for his lifelong commitment to be our voice for
justice."
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