APOLINAR GONZALES
I can still remember my first job interview. I was fresh out of college and was way too eager to earn a living. He was the department head, the company's Vice President for Collections and Remedial Management. He had a nice smile but had a very hoarse and raspy voice. I later found out that he had a throat infection that has affected his vocal chords. Anyway, the interview went quite well. He asked me about financial statements and, thanks to my terror prof in College, I was able to answer accurately. There were some opinion-based questions that I answered lamely but I think I was able to redeem myself in the end. And so I was hired.
Everyone called him Boss Poly. He was very cheerful and approachable. He loved to joke around, but when it comes to work, he was serious indeed. He was the first manager who believed in me (he IS my first manager). He commended me for being 'articulate', which I never really saw in myself. And I appreciate that he has empowered me by assigning me tasks that are outside my job scope, like handling training and presentations. I looked up to him as a mentor but I also treated him as a friend. I shared personal and family issues with him, which I don't just to anyone. He was a good listener and adviser.
Then I have decided to move to Singapore with Ronald. I gave him a touching resignation letter and he gave me his friend's contact details in Singapore. He might be of help in my job hunt he said.
After two years I found out that he was gone. He suffered from cancer that I never knew he had. It was very shocking for a good man with a wonderful family to leave that early. I was not there in the burial. In fact, in the years that I spent in Singapore, I rarely kept in touch. I found an email that I thought I sent him before but it turned out that it was still in my drafts folder. I visited the office twice but we were not able to chat that long. And that time I told myself that in my next visit I have to give him something special. He appreciated simple things like ballpens, keychains or whatever souvenir or memorabilia. But I never had the chance. And I never will.
FRANCIS EVAN DOLORES
When I was new, the department was brusque-looking, heavily-built male dominated. Amidst that, he was a soft and quiet guy who just came in a few months before me. As I got to know him, I found out that he was sensitive as well. He came from a broken home but was very close to his siblings. He was responsible and quite stingy as he would save up for stuff like his bicycle or his dog. Our department seminar at Baguio was his first visit to the place and he took lots of pictures. He was addicted to photos even when digital cameras were not yet the trend. He was also addicted to basketball, singing and his guitar.
We travelled together in Cebu (work-related) and I remember his good-natured complaints about me being hungry all the time and how long it took me to get ready. On one of our night outs with our Cebuano colleagues, he seriously sung his heart out. We were not really close but when I was already here in Singapore, we'll have a chat whenever we see each other online.
Next thing I knew, he was already a husband and a father. He moved to the Regional Office in Nueva Ecija (I think), which is his wife's hometown. I saw his pictures on Friendster and he looked like a happy dad.
He died in December 2008, just a few months ago. Tin, an ex-colleague, told me and I thought she was playing a prank. It just wasn't possible, he was only a year or two older than me and he just started a family. He was shot on the head by some guys who watched him since morning. His face was unrecognizable they said. Very tragic.
PROF REYNALDO REINOSO
I was a freshman in UP then and as we know, UP is infamous for its weird students, weird professors, weird everything and all in the guise of "academic freedom" . This history professor was one of the living testament to it. He was bias against 'fair-skinned' and/or Chinese students. And though I look very tan now, I was much fairer at that time plus my surname says that I am Chinese. So the math says that I was one of his 'favorites'.
He would usually call me in recitations or just mention my name whenever he talks about China or Chinese. Take note, he calls me 'Julie Ann', not 'Julie' or 'Ms. Cheng', or just 'Cheng' but 'Julie Ann'. He would say that the Chinese have invented the gun powder but instead of making weapons to enforce power, they made lots and lots of firecrackers. And when he says 'they' as in the Chinese, he would say 'ang mga kamag-anak ni Julie Ann' ('the relatives of Julie Ann'). He wasn't really insulting, rather I found him quite amusing or maybe annoying at the worst. Anyway, he barely let me pass his subject though I really, honestly believe that I should have had a higher mark.
In 2007, he died of cancer.
JEMALYN LACADIN
I was an active political student leader when I was in UP. I was convinced of the chronic crisis and the rotten system and that something has to be done. We brought most of our battles to the streets and even to the Congress. But some of us chose a higher level of struggle, with arms instead of placards.
She was the paper's editor-in-chief. She was soft-spoken but her words are of value and substance. She was one year my junior but I learned a lot from her. We used to spend days and nights organizing activities and engaging in educational discussions. And though it was a very tiring and stressful environment, it was satisfying as well, and honestly, a lot of fun.
Then she decided to commit herself to the people's war, through armed struggle. I haven't seen her ever since but I heard that she was still 'fine' and that she was leaving a mark as a political officer among her ranks.
She died in an encounter in 2008. Her face was unrecognizable they said. I couldn't help but feel abashed because as she has risked her life for the ideals that we both believed in, I am now living a rather apathetic life.
LIFE IS SHORT. TOUCH AS MANY LIVES AS POSSIBLE. DO WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN. FULFILL YOUR DREAMS. LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST.
