Bautista: EL REY (The King)

Saturday, February 11, 2012

FREQUENT trips here and abroad with my dad were something I have always looked forward to, even as a child. Driving to Sagada, or Legazpi was such a thrill and an adventure. Tagging along in his many meetings and conventions as a “saling pusa” or so I thought was pleasurable. He would involve me and my other siblings at a very young age to take a peek in what he does. Not only did he just want us to be with him, but what he really wanted was for us to see what we may want to take after him when we grow up. He was into all sorts of things from sports to banking and all others in between. All in the guise of traveling and being tourists. Something I only realize now, it was his way of showing us what the world is like. He was a teacher, our tour guide and driver! To others, he is the “boss”. I have witnessed in many ways, when he would ask people to do this and that. Boy, did they all have to move at his command. But don’t get me wrong as to how I may have portrayed him. He is the most patient and gentle. He always knew how to do it right. He had a way of doing things, his way.

I graduated elementary in SPED Center, and realized as I recently looked in my yearbook that it says I wanted to be an athlete. Where did it come from? Maybe from my dad’s dad, Lolo Tatay. I went on to high school where I met my wife, though nothing else was too significant in my life at that time. I can imagine my dad telling my mom to remind me who I was, because I decided to go to UB SCIENCE HIGH, the high school whom he (my dad) founded and not to mention he was the university president at that time. Oh no, what disgrace I could have been with a wrong move that I may make. A glimmer of hope and some sort of joyful tear in his eye was when I passed the exams of UP and PMA. Well modesty aside, I passed in the quota course of Biology! Ang galing pala ng anak ko, he might have mused, to my mom. But then things were not how they hoped it would be, I had to transfer to Psychology. Well, I did better. In class we talked about given names. Then I got the scare of my life, as my teacher told me that there has to be some meaning or reason why my parents chose to give me the same name as my dad. Of course they must have dreamt for good things when I came into this world as their first child. The horror of finally realizing that I may be the opposite of my namesake. My teacher told us that we have to realize the meanings of the names our parents gave us.

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I finally conquered college and tried to make some sort of mark away from dad. Make your own mark as my teacher said. Create your own path; fix my own destiny…though it didn’t work out abroad for me, far away from dad. So I came home and told dad that I wanted to be a teacher just like lolo, lola, mom and him. Of course dad gave me a very unusual stare. I taught from 1993-2005 and together with Lola Rosing, we started the school of International Hospitality and Tourism Management in the University of Baguio. And a few awards to show that I was good and enjoyed what I was doing. Finally! By the way I seldom stayed home that time because I feared my dad would say something about my teaching style or how I was trying to be like him. So I always stayed with my lolo instead. That was the place where I would make my lessons, lectures and check test papers.
One day I came home from Dagupan to tell my dad that I would like to try to make my mark in politics. This was in 1997… the rest is history.

On the 9th day of February in 1996, we were blessed with a baby boy, I asked that we name him after my dad too. Fifty-five years after his original namesake. Now some of the attention to me will be diverted to my son, hoping that in time, I won’t be the only one with the same name of a great man. My son just turned 16 while Lolo Rey turns 71 today. My son with the same name, started to make his mark early. In elementary, he started reaping honors as a medalist in national swimming competitions and was a proud recipient of the Bato Balani National Science Award when he graduated. He represented the country as a member of the PHL TEAM in the South East Asian Age Group Swimming Championship in Vietnam last year. Now in UB Science High, he continues to bring honors to the city by bringing home a few medals…gold included of course, in the Batang Pinoy Nationals in Camsur and the MILO Little Olympics Nationals. He just performed in the school Litmus where he plays the bass guitar with his band. Buti nalang nagmana kay lolo. I believe he did justice to the name he was given and I pray that he continues to do so.

I’m glad my dad is my dad. He has always been with me despite my downs, knowing all too well that he was surely with me in my ups. Today, as he celebrates his birthday, I have to Thank God for him. While I couldn’t be better than him in many ways, this I do know that I run and swim faster than him, and my mom thinks I’m a better cook. So here goes, I gave my son with the same name and I hope that he would be better than me, just as I know my dad prayed that I’d be better than him. But regardless of who is better than whom, it is a great honor to be named after a great Dad. Of course, nobody’s perfect so expect a few embarrassments here and there but everything is a work in progress, and there’s always room for improvement, so long as we keep on doing what we can. Cheers to the chairman, the banker, the sportsman, the chef, the Boy Scout, the ambassador, the statesman, the politician, and yes the King (maker) and my boss… Happy Birthday… DAD!