Finding and Losing Someone

by: Mrs. Marivic T. Pangan

In a glimpse, I remember a man I never realized would take a big part in my life.

It was 1993 when I started to work as a Secondary School Teacher in Gen. T. De Leon National High School. I met him, a very casual and ordinary looking man. Yet I knew that despite the simple looks, he exuded an aura of a real soldier of education. At first, I thought I couldn't get along well with his types personality. He had a different way of expressing himself and he had a unique manner of encouraging subordinates to beat deadlines. At the end of the day, he accomplished all the tasks that would have taken others longer time to fulfill. He was professionalism personified.

From left: Mr. Eduardo Pangan, Miss Leonora Jaculbia, Fernando Yabut (SGO President), Mrs. Marivic Pangan, Mr. Enrique Labsan and SGO Officers.

As the years went on, unconsciously, I adopted the work ethics I learned from him. His leadership helped me prove my worth in the department. His wish was my command. I took the opportunity of working with an immediate superior who brought out the best in me.

When I heard the news about his death, I shrugged it off in disbelief. It took time before I learned to accept the truth. Yes I know that death is inevitable. But when someone you have worked with for long period of time dies, you feel a certain kind of emptiness.

I pray that wherever he is, may he find the peace and contentment he longs for. May his legacy of professionalism continue to inspire all educators. His words, “Trabaho lang, Marivic, Trabaho lang” will always serve as my guiding path.