To the Man Who Helped Me Color My Life

It should have been a surprise reunion with my favorite professor in University of Sto. Tomas but my day turned gloomy upon hearing of heartbreaking news.

It has been years since I visited my alma mater and if not for a client meeting in Morayta which ended earlier than scheduled, I would not have thought of passing by Beato Angelico Building where I spent my college life.

I was excited to see ‘Sir’ whom has been instrumental in my 6-year journey in the College of Fine Arts and Design. If not for his patience and support for working students like me, I will not be an art director today. It was kind of surreal to be back in the school where I built the foundation of my dreams. I saw a familiar face when I entered the faculty room. She’s one of the staff in our college.

We had an exchange of laughter’s and reminiscing for a few minutes which eventually ended with an unexpected sob story. She told me that ‘Sir’ tragically had a heart attack last April of 2017, the day after he collapsed during a 42-km Marathon at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

I was a bit upset that I was not able to pay my last respect to ‘Sir’ whom I am grateful to have met. I have regrets that I could have at least searched him on Facebook or at least tried to contact him after graduation. I became very busy after graduation. I was lucky to land a full-time job even before I got my diploma.

To ‘Sir’ this one’s for you: Thank you for straightening things up when I was broken; adding colors to my day when I am black and blue; and most of all for being a ‘Kuya’ that I never had. You inspired me to be the best that I can be when I doubted my capabilities. Cheers for the good times! Continue with your creative ways in heaven.

Before I left the faculty office, I tried to ask around for the contact details of the family of ‘Sir’. Good thing someone I know is a friend of sister whom I contacted via FB. I just wanted to check how the family is doing.

I found out that “Sir” is a former policyholder of Cocolife Future Savings Platinum since 2015 as he wanted to secure a better future for his family. His plan immediately protected his family from any pressing financial distress.

Though I saw a few negative comments about the company after a thorough research about the organization, I discovered that Cocolife is indeed a Filipino- owned stock life insurance company that fulfills its promises in providing quality financial products among Filipinos.

What happened to “Sir” got me thinking about saving more wisely for the future not just for me but for my family as well. This made me realize that ‘Sir’ continues to be an inspiration and guidance even though he has passed away.