Today’s my birthday. I know. Yet, it seems like I’m writing this blog
now NOT in honor of what I have done for myself all this time, but
rather, a reflection of the great influence my dad has had on my
formative years.
I wrote the poem 11 years ago. July 22, 1996. Yep, a day after a birthday.
haha. I wrote the essay 3 years later as a college freshman in Ateneo.
I
read them a while ago and I couldn’t help but notice how childish they
sounded. To think that I thought I knew EVERYTHING back then. It even came to the point that I thought I was a pretty good writer. haha.
Sometimes, it’s better that you don’t actually see past works so you
can pretend that you had a pretty solid stretch of writing good pieces.
hahaha.. oh well 
Disclaimer:
I really wanted to edit both works, but I thought I’d only be cheating
myself. So here they are as I originally showed them to my father (the
poem) and my English Professor (the essay).
So, I hope you enjoy them nontheless
————————————————————————————————————————
july 22, 1996
THE FATHER YOU ARE
You’re the kind of father everyone would like to have
The kind who gives everything from money to love,
We’re fortunate to have you, believe me we are,
Please Papa don’t change, we love you as you are.
You may have your shortcomings,
but who keeps track of those,
Certainly not us, with whom you are close,
You’re just too perfect, especially for me,
But I no doubtfully speak
for those who are your Family.
You give your best to support me and my siblings,
But what do you often see, constant arguing and fighting,
I know I have not achieved what you hoped for,
But I swear to God, I’ll try my best and knock on every door.
This is not all what I want to say,
about what you’ve done, to guide me towards the right way,
No matter how short, this poem may be,
I hope you understand that you’ll always be my friend and buddy.
__________________________________________________________________________
September, 1999
Who
is the man of the year? Who is the man of the century? Let’s get to it.
Who is the man of the Millenium? Well, according to Time Magazine, that
man is Albert Einstein. It was he who steered the human mind’s
evolution to greater heights with his simple yet enigmatic equation: E
= MC squared. Well, whatever.
I have no qualms about giving him the title of the so-called “Man
for all times”. I mean, I won’t even be affected. I don’t know him. He
doesn’t know me. Our only communication was through the high school
textbooks. Simply not enough means to gauge him otherwise. So indeed,
let him be “The Man” for every one of you. I only need one in my life.
And I’ve been living with him ever since the day I was born.
I have always been a skeptic all throughout my life. This may partly
be due to the fact that I have an above average intellect, if not
superior to that of most of my peers. Only one person gained my utmost
respect. And it was no easy task on his part to keep me in my place all
this time.
Growing up, i have thoought of him as an invincible being, capable
of solving every problem that came along. It was because of him that I
gained confidence in myself for I knew that I’d have someone to lead me
back in case I stray. He was Superman coming to my aide whenever the
world seemed too heavy to carry. He encompassed everything I hoped for.
He was a reality in a world where facades were the norm and where
nothing was what they seemed to be. I was lucky to be the kid God
blessed with having him as the father.
I’ve grown considerably. Not only in what’s evident such as age and
height though. I can say that I’ve matured somewhat too. Well, I no
longer blindly believe everything he tells me. I no longer think he’s
invulnerable to pain as well as being above making mistakes. No, I’ve
gone past that stage. I don’t think he’s a perfect human being. I’ve
realized that there’s no such thing. However, he to me, will forever
remain the closest to being one.
He was born of the typical 50’s family; big, hardworking, but
nevertheless, not so well-off. Being the second of eleven children, it
came as to no surprise that he was groomed to help support his family
at such an early age. It helped a lot that he was a natural genius. It
came to the point that he was becoming so far advanced from his age
group that he had to stop schooling for a while just so he would remain
in his batch. As it turned out, it wasn’t really that effective. He
graduated highschool among the highest in his class and two years
younger than most of those he graduated with.
He finished College and got a degree in Accounting. A few months
later, he passed the board exams and became a Certified Public
Accountant. He didn’t stop there. He took up law school to supplement
what he had already attained as a CPA. Unfortunately, his family fell
on hard times and as much as they tried to ignore it at first, he soon
realized that something had to be done.
So he worked even while he was studying.
I cannot over-emphasize the greatness of his sacrifice of time and
energy just to help support his siblings. His grades dipped at the
start but he compensated for it by studying and working doubly hard.
After four years, he once again graduated near the top of his class.
He was then a CPA lawyer. And he was determined to test how far he
could go, carrying an overabundance of talent, a great mass of patience
and a heart full of confidence.
Soon, he found himsself a home in the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Working in the BIR proved to be one of his best professional
decisions as he soon rose through the ranks at an unprecedented rate.
From examiner, head supervisor to regional district officer, he climbed
the arduous trek while shrugging off sticks and stones thrown at him by
lesser people. The name-calling and the backbiting never ceased to
follow him as he moved up in positions held.
It was a difficult undertaking, having to go through bureaucratic
red tapes and political pressuring at every turn. Nevertheless, he
aggressively pursued his dream of reaching the upper echelon of the
ranks in the BIR.
I assumed that destiny had a hand in his presidential appointments.
As fate would have it, he became the youngest Assistant Commissioner at
the age of 41. Less than a year later, he became the youngest Deputy
Commissioner… twenty years after he first entered the government.
He achieved his current position without any politically-connected
friends. This alone can be attributed to his skill and fairness in the
face of the bad image which the BIR has for so long carried (most of
the time with good reason, due to the corruptness of a lot of its
officials as well as examiners).
His name is all around the country. He is now a known personality in
the business community. As part of his duty as a public servant, he
continues to help improve the economic status of a struggling state. He
never once let the perception of having the thankless job of being a
tax collector, enter his head. Why? Because he follows the gallant, if
not naive saying: “If I won’t do it, who will?” It remains to be a
picture ever so remarkable.
As much as he is successful in his work, I cannot think of a single
person who loves his family as much as he loves us. Of course, almost
everyone would like to contest this notion. But few can back it up as
his actions do.
My dad has been my mentor, my guide and my role model from the beginning.
It would have been easy for him to forget my schooling in my early
years. I was an able child who easily grasped concepts and ideas taught
in class. I was always very attentive and was someone who participated
actively and he didn’t have a reason to pay extra attention to me. Yet,
he did. He was there in my formative years. At that time, the things he
did seemed small and inconsequential. He taught me lessons in a manner
I could most easily relate to, and thought of as “play”. Looking back
though, it seems to me that the greatness lies in the effects of what
he accomplished in me. I grew up knowing I am blessed.
I thought he would stop being actively involved in my life once I
reached my early teen years. I was wrong, and I am thnakful that I was.
He was there to shape my ideals and moral beliefs. He played the good
cop-bad cop act on me to perfection. I followed his examples and tried
to emulate his ways in dealing with people. I did those, not because I
was scared of him. It was because I respected him above all else. Such
was the basis of our relationship then, and even more so as I grow
older.
As I come closer to adulthood, my dad’s role in my life takes on an
even more complicated phase. He no longer does everything for me. He no
longer gives the answers to all my questions. He no longer knows
everything in the universe. But he’s there next to me when I am feeling
lost. He’s still there comforting me when I’m smarting from a painful
experience. He has become my companion in life as I start to choose the
roads to take for myself.
Love takes on different forms for different people in different
times. For me, it is the actions and feelings expressed by the perfect
father.
One may make a case saying my dad could never be an Einstein. I
agree. But then again, Einstein never got close to being like my dad.
—END—
_______________________________________________________________________________
It
has been 8 years since he has resigned as a Government officer. In a
way, I’m glad that he did, since the establishment of his law firm has
made us more financially stable. Nevertheless, I can’t help but hope
that one day, he would get the chance to hold the only position that
has eluded him all this time.
But, it’s a politically-appointed government position and there are other individuals who can ably hold that position.
On the merits though, there is none better.
Agreed?
Sinabi sakin ito ng mom ko. 