eulogy

first, i would like to greet all my family, relatives and friends who are here with us, and in spirit, during this trying occasion.

i will be the first to tell anyone how much i would like to be here right now, and not recording this to be played at the funeral. unfortunately, these kind of circumstances cannot be projected or scheduled. it will be something i will always remember with regret, that i am not here with the family.

when my dad had his stroke three years ago, we all thought we might lose him there and then. it was then fortunate that i was able to still see him, that he waited for me to get home, that despite his injuries, he was still able to recognize people, that we were able to spend a good three more years with him before last week.

i do not have my Dad's gift for writing and talking. i should know, he used to write all our school speeches when we were growing up. he wakes up at 3 in the morning to write something, anything, even if its just a laundry list of things to do for the day. he loves to talk to people, talk in front of an audience, to tell stories. he's a politician who didn't want to be a politician.

and when his stroke robbed him of his abilities to write and to talk, i believe, that was the saddest blow he ever had. can you imagine if, in the last three years, he was at least able to speak and write? he would probably have finished an autobiography out by now (published by Armvet, no less).

Dad was the type who never aspired to be rich, and for some reason, life wasn't really always that generous to him. but his generosity to others sometimes approached the bounds of the impractical, which is strange because he's more likely to cut costs, especially on things for his own benefit. when he retired, he could have used some of his retirement money to travel around the world, but no. he put up a school, to help the community's youth, and give them a chance at a better future. the long term gains of this endeavor is neither here nor there, but i am proud to say that he has indeed helped a lot of young people in Aparri, a place which is not even his adopted hometown. i hope, in their hearts, they will remember his contributions as long as they live.

and for the record at least, on our insistent prodding, he has managed to travel and visit me and our other relatives abroad back in 2003.

for someone who had the insight for long-term returns, he sure liked to live on a day to day basis. i used to give him a hard time because he stubbornly refused to hand over the domestic budgeting to my mother. Dad likes to consider himself a businessman, which gave the rest of the family a lot of concerns. i still think he should have asked for and listened to better advice.

he had at least made better decisions with his choice of partner in life. i cannot even imagine repaying someone like my mother, who has managed to bring up three children (and me not even her own), shepherd us through school and work, keep a job, and tend to him during his last years here on earth. Mom, i hope Dad will ask heaven to bless you with an easier time in the next chapters of your life. Dad, can you please do this as a final request?

we all have our own memories of him, but i would think a lot more is lost through the years. at this point, i would like to ask each and everyone to recall and remember the one best memory you have of my father - and keep it in your heart forever. in this regard, he is rich and wealthy. may we all be as fortunate when we pass on.




in closing, I would like to thank all the people who have stood by us in recent years, and have given generously, not in just material terms - Bapang Meng, i will forever be indebted to you, Tita Mely and my three favorite cousins and their families, the Del Mundos, the Tius, the Tiglaos, the Lacsamanas, our kin in Mabalacat whom my Dad never failed to visit when he was still healthy, his friends who have in one time or another gave him just a little bit more reason to live, and last but not the least the Perez clan on my mother's side, whom i have come to love as family since 1983. thank you for your generosity and kindness.



It is with great sadness that i humbly bid goodbye

to my Father

your Coya Bel

your Attorney Adriano


Ing Ginung Dios atiu Queca.