Father’s Day is on Sunday and for us who have lost our Dads, the best we can do is to reminisce with grateful hearts as we re-live the happy times and recall the lessons learned from dear departed Dad.
John Gregory “Jigger” Escario, VP-Admin of Cebu Institute of Technology-University, talked about how his late Dad, Gregorio Escario, who was president of the university, cherished his role as an educator. He took pride in the success stories of CIT-U graduates and treated the CIT-U community as family. Jigger said: “Dad was always dedicated to his work and seeing him work hard has influenced me to also give 100 percent. He ingrained in me the values of hard work and generosity and the joy in sharing one’s blessings.”
The importance of family was another thing that Dad Greg emphasized to his only child. “You can count on him to drop everything else for family matters,” Jigs disclosed. Father and son shared a love for sports and their special bonding moments were their regular tennis games and the times they would watch basketball games live and on TV.
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Family and a balanced life—these are the words that Mia Larrazabal Carcel associates with her late Dad, Dr. Potenciano “Jun” Larrazabal Jr. He was a family-oriented man in spite of his busy schedule and immense responsibilities as president and chairman of the board of the Cebu Doctors Group of Hospitals, the Cebu Doctors University, and other family corporations.
When asked about the lessons she learned from Dad, Mia answered, “He showed me through his actions the humble ways of life, the simple joys in life, and the challenges from life.” She also recalled how Dad taught her and her three siblings to be kind, grateful and compassionate to others. Mia’s fond memories of Dad include weekly get-togethers, family celebrations and annual trips.
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This year is the first Father’s Day that Dino Yapjoco will be spending without his Dad, the late businessman Ben Yapjoco who passed on last July 2020. Ben was well-known for his civic involvements where he served as president, among them, the Lions Clubs International, the Philippines Foundation Inc., the We Care Foundation, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
An only son, Dino remembers his Dad as a hands-on father who was a good provider, a ready problem solver and a shining example of unconditional love. He is most grateful for the food processing business that his Dad initiated which he runs today. Dino proudly shared, “Dad was a true gentleman and he imparted to me values of integrity, character and honesty which is what I try to do knowing I could never be even half of what he was.”