A Tribute to Moi

I arrived at the venue for the recognition day early. REALLY early...thanks to Mom who kept nagging that I must arrive early to the venue. Well, arrived early I did. And make that almost two hours early.

When I got to my alma mater I was somehow nostalgic, what with all the new buildings, new paint, new and growing shrubs, the works. What used to be empty and open areas for child's play are now classrooms--new bastions of learning and discovery. I just knew it: it has been forever since I last visited my old playground.

What struck me the most was my big-ass name in glaring was-that-gold-or-bronze styrofoam cutout menacingly pasted on the stage in the center of the grounds. Immediately, I realized that this was, indeed, a serious occasion where I couldn't just bullshit my way around.

But what struck me even more, more than the humongous letter cutouts that is, was that ALL my teachers from first grade to sixth grade were still there...all of whom were still teaching their same grade levels. I thought to myself, "They're all institutions here already...at inuugat na sila dito sa Central." That got me smiling to myself as I did my customary mano po to approximately twenty teachers, administrators, and parents of grade school friends. Thankfully, my hair was mercifully matte-waxed and not gelled (otherwise, it would have been mutilated into kingdomcomelandia), and my nose was still fine and non-rhinoplastiedly pointed (otherwise, I would have gone for a back job with a cosmetic surgeon...aaahh, life's little blessings!).

After a while, the event started. Marching, entrance, and settling in our seats. There was the requisite Pambansang Awit, of course, and the prayer, led by one of the schools religious teachers. My classmate-batchmate Rhoda, now a teacher in Central, was the master of ceremonies. After a couple of awards given and a special presentation from the awardees of first to third grade, the one who was tasked with introducing me (my grade school bestfriend Arlene's sister, Anna Marie) was called on to the stage.

Having braved two major (yes, spoken onto the microphone for all audience to hear) assertions that I was a spitting image of Piolo Pascual (one from the school principal and the other from Anna Marie), I sat through the introduction spiel and squirmed on my seat. After having trained and spoken in front of hundreds of multinationals, even of President Gloria Arroyo herself, butterflies all of a sudden found their way into my stomach. I was actually nervous about going up the stage to say my spiel. Whether it was the mortification with forgetting my speech/piece or the thought of telling people I don't look like Piolo but of Sam ("Lagmay po...hindi Milby", I told them later) that was causing my lack of calm, I didn't know.

The speech turned out fine, and the audience seemed to love it...but the spiel read by Anna Marie to introduce me was the speech that wowed ME. I almost--yeah, you gotta believe me here, ayt?--shed a tear or two hearing those words. I had to haul myself back to consciousness and convince myself that it was *I* that she was talking about.

Here was the spiel, as emailed to me by Arlene. Ain't this a happy piece? =)

Kung may magtatanong sa akin kung ano ang kauna-unahang natatandaan ko tungkol sa panauhin natin ngayong gabi, ang isasagot ko ay ito: elementary pa lang din siya noon tulad niyo nang makilala ko siya. Magkaibigan sila noon ng nakababata kong kapatid, at magkaklase din. Silang dalawa ang naglalaban para sa first honor. Pero kahit na ganoon ang sitwasyon, balewala lang sa kanilang dalawa na pinagsasabong sila sa academics. Sabi nga ng mga teachers nila noon, napaka-healthy daw ng competition sa pagitan nilang dalawa.

Natatandaaan ko kung paanong bigla na lang siyang susulpot sa bahay namin. Hindi na kakatok iyan. Basta papasok na lang bigla, dire-diretso at komportable na para bang doon din siya nakatira. Tuwang-tuwa kaming lahat sa ugali niyang iyon. Masaya kami kapag dinadalaw niya kami. Mula noon hanggang ngayon, para sa mga Pascual, hindi siya kaibigan kundi kapamilya.

He was an exceptional student, very intelligent and highly articulate. He was a consistent honor student. He was always chosen as representative of OES in various quiz bees and competitions. Very energetic and undeniably good-looking, he was everybody’s friend as well as the object of many elementary crushes. It was obvious to everyone that an awesome future lay ahead for him.

Patuloy siyang namayagpag bilang estudyante sa University of Santo Tomas noong high school. Dito niya unti-unting sinimulang buuin ang kanyang pagkatao. Paminsan-minsan, ‘pag umuuwi siya ng Bataan, ay nagkikita kami. masuwerte nga siguro ako dahil nakita ko ang paglaki niya—kasama na ang nakatutuwang mga pagbabago mula sa pagiging malikot at masayahing bata patungo sa isang binatang may kumpiyansa sa sarili.

He earned a degree in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, and a cum laude to boot. In the four years he stayed in UP, he became a student journalist, a volunteer, an advocate, and an artist — truly a rennaissance man. Kuhang-kuha niya ang mga katangian ng isang gradweyt ng UP: may kakayahang mag-isip at magsalita para sa sarili, kahit pa ano ang iniisip ng iba; hindi siya maaaring patahimikin lalo na kung makabuluhan ang kanyang nais sabihin; mas kinatatakutan niya ang pagiging dukha ng kaisipan, kaysa pagiging dukha sa materyal na kaginhawaan. Higit sa lahat, ganoon na lang ang pagpapahalaga niya sa buhay, kalayaan, pag-ibig, pamilya, kaibigan at Diyos, kahit pa siguro ikamatay niya ito.

He began his impressive career — get this — as a computer instructor at Jose Rizal Institute. This was followed by a short stint with the Department of Foreign Affairs during the celebration of the Centennial Celebration in 1998. Afterwards, he worked for Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation in Makati as Assistant Manager for Training and Development. Almost three years after that, he went to work in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, USA as a Training Officer for Tan Holdings Corporation. Then in July 2004, he returned to teaching as a Keyboarding and Journalism teacher at Notre Dame High School in Guam. At the same time, he started to work as Corporate Training Consultant for the prestigious John Robert Powers International, an occupation he maintains to this day. He rejoined Pioneer Insurance in March 2005, this time as Manager for Training and Development detailed at the Organizational Development Division.

Ganunpaman, naniniwala ako na nandito siya ngayon hindi dahil maraming lugar na siyang narating. Hindi niya tayo pinaunlakan para silawin tayo sa tagumpay na nakamit niya. Siguro, nandito siya ngayon para ipakita sa ating lahat na para mapanatili natin ang sariling katinuan, para hindi natin maiwan ang totoong tayo, mahalagang hindi natin makalimutan kung paano maging bata. What strikes me most about our guest speaker is that fact that he has maintained an innocence within him that already knows how to trust his Higher Power, to cherish life while holding it lightly, to live fully and simply in the present moment. He continually allows that part of himself to come forward and nourish him as he continues on his journey. People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built. This is how he found his.

I look at him now and I can’t wait to listen to him talk about the things that really matter in life. You should all consider yourselves very lucky because you will hear lessons from a person who has learned so much. I look at him now and I am reminded of lines spoken by actor Morgan Freeman in the movie Shawshank Redemption, “...some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up DOES rejoice....”

As our guest speaker reunites with his elementary alma mater, he lets his own light shine. In turn, he unconsciously gives us permission to do the same.Honorable guests, my fellow teachers, beloved students, ladies and gentlemen, it is with much pride and honor that I now give you one of OES’s dearly missed and most loved alumni, Mr. Benedict Gomez Redulla!