Libre: Bayani of the year

FOR the fifth year, devotees of the Sto. Niño in the Hamilton Diocese in Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions of New Zealand will hold Pista Señor on Saturday, Jan. 19 with a Holy Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Sinulog Cultural Program at the Sacred Heart College Social Hall. The advance celebration in Hamilton is due to the organizers’ acknowledgement of the bigger Sinulog celebration in Auckland on Jan. 20, more so that it will be its 25th year of observance in the North Shore Events Center.

We have tried to distinguish the Hamilton fiesta through the Parade of Niños and Niñas wherein children wear costumes inspired by the Sto. Niño added to the Sinulog dance presentations from different groups including those from Kiribati and Tonga. This year, the Diocese of Hamilton Devotees of the Sto. Niño and BAYANIZ, the information hub of Filipinos in New Zealand, agreed to incorporate the awarding of the 2018 Bayani of the Year in the program. The inaugural awardee is Angelo Tuyay.

On Oct. 14, 2018, the Tuyay family went on an outing in Hot Water Beach, Coromandel. Tragedy struck. Two of the children who were swimming called out for help as they were having difficulty in the water. Without hesitation, Angelo Tuyay, still wearing jeans and shirt, jumped into the sea to rescue them. He carried the two girls on his shoulders and pushed them over to another responder. Angelo, a swimmer, made sure that the children were safe.

Tuyay was too weak to reach the shore and sank. He had to be helped by another rescuer. An off-duty doctor tried to revive him for nearly an hour, but the effort proved futile. The 59-year old Angelo died at the scene.

Angelo’s selfless and courageous act was not left unnoticed as media, both mainstream and social, reported the incident. The requiem Masses that followed overflowed with people and tributes for Angelo. His second eldest son, Aaron, gave the most profound description of his father: “The way Dad passed was a true testament of who he was as a person. He went to others as if they were his own.”

Angelo arrived in New Zealand from the Philippines in 1989 and resided in Ormiston in Auckland. He fulfilled his dream of becoming a farmer, raising a variety of animals near Ngatea on the Hauraki Plains. As a father and a husband, Angelo served as model, as his eldest son Andrew thanked him “for showing him how to be a good Dad.” As much as he cared for his family, Angelo reached out to the community, being one of the pioneers of the Couples for Christ (CFC) ministry in New Zealand. He found time for Filipino workers in nearby farms, occasionally inviting them to his home.

An individual worthy of emulation, Angelo is a hero to his family, to his colleagues and to the Filipino community in New Zealand.

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