(Eulogy delivered during the wake of Mr. Rafael J. Dizon, Jr. last July 31, 2009 at the Shrine of St. Therese, Pasay City)
Ninong Boy received but he gave more. He was selfless. He lived with humility, with hands always open to everyone who needed him.
There are so many stories to tell about how Ninong Boy touched so many lives including all of us here, that to tell all of them would be enough to fill a book. Yet some deserve to be told again so that all of us here who were not fortunate enough to know him that well, could somehow bear witness to the kind of life he lead.
To me, Ninong Boy was a boss, confidant, friend, benefactor, kumpare, ninong at higit sa lahat pangalawang ama sa amin ni Monching, my husband, at sa aming tatlong anak: Rj, Ginger and Monique. Magaling siyang makisama. Palagay ang loob at mapag-tiwala. Ang tiwala na ipinadama nya sa aming mag-asawa ay di matatawaran. Ito’y aming pinagkakaingatan at binibigyan ng lubos na pagpapahalaga hanggang ngayon.
Kami ni Monching ang unang inaanak sa kasal nina Boy at Shalene. Ginampanan nila ng husto ang pagiging pangalawang magulang sa amin.
Then, Monching was with Soriamont Trading Corp. and I was with Tierra Factors Corporation. We both had very good and promising careers ahead of us. But when Boy invited us to join him in his business ventures, we did not hesitate. Malakas ang tiwala namin na di nya kami papabayaan.
First, they ventured into harvesting sea cucumber, abalone sharks fin and other seafood products in Tonga and Samoa. But when that venture ended, the working partnership and friendship did not end with it.
Ninong Boy had a brilliant mind in business. He was very good in spotting business potential and opportunities. Thus came into existence Allied Port Services, Inc. (APSI), 7-R Port Services, DASSAD Dangerous Cargo and Warehousing Corp., 7-R Trading, 7-R Disc Lock, 7-R International, 7-R Realty, ATI, Victoria Wave, Panel System, Hyjet Philippines, Victoria Woodworks, Magnificat Ventures to name a few.
But his was not a one-track mind. He had room for experimental endeavors. He valued innovation and ingenuity too. He was the first to fund Mr. Dingle in his attempt to discover water to run car engines. He thought of producing alternative fuel through the use of water lily. He designed lightweight PVC boats, and panel systems. He had brilliant ideas and propositions for waste and garbage disposal, reforestation programs, water transport systems in Pasig River and Laguna Bay, homecare systems for the elderly, retirement homes for priests and many, many more. He would talk to me lengthily about these especially during those times when he was sick and on “house arrest.”
Boy was not a difficult boss. But he could be very demanding. When he assigns something to you, you must prepare and do your homework before facing him. You should never wait for him to follow-up or wait for the deadline. But with demands, came his generous rewards.
I never had difficulty in proposing benefits for the employees for he liked to give the best to his employees. Even with my already “handsome” recommendations, his would be more generous because he believed that a happy and satisfied employee would be the best of employees.
Our company’s compensation and benefit package was one of the best in the industry. But he believed in accountability too. If you had been remiss of your duties or had fallen below what is right and honorable, you could wake up to find your resignation accepted.
He also believed that running a business is like running a family with him being the head. He taught, guided, provided, admonished, and reprimanded but always, with compassion and love.
He was not a staunch advocate of family planning. He loved children. That was why he had so many extended families. To him, all people under his employ were his family. He even prodded us to have a bigger family. And had we not heeded his advice, wala sana kaming Monique ngayon, our youngest.
As an incentive he sponsored our honeymoons to Hongkong and in Singapore. He would check on me monthly kung buntis na ako. He would even ask kung ano pa kailangan para mag-anak pa ulit ako! He even suggested for me to seek the advice of a specialist. And when I finally got pregnant, aside from Monching and I, he was the happiest. Maybe, he was more happy than us!
In his utmost joy, and much to our disapproval, he helped shoulder my delivery expenses. He even asked if I would like to give birth in the States. But I told him I have the best OBGyne in the country, Dr. Greg Pastorfide. Not satisfied, he and Shalene even offered to stand as principal sponsors to Monique’s christening.
Husband and wife were my shoulders to cry on, my confidants my advisors. We laughed and cried together. They let us in their lives without reservations. I could talk to Ninong Boy like a little child to her father. I could make lambing to him. I could always talk to him and even pacify him at times or make him laugh when he is in a bad mood.
We were fortunate to have been invited to almost all their family gatherings that we felt we were already part of his immediate family. It also included even their trips, here and abroad.He also loved food. That is why his sickness was more difficult for him. His love for food was the reason why my son, RJ, whenever we go out, would rather go with him than anyone else including us, his own parents.
RJ believed that with his Tito Boy, food abounded and there was no chance at all that he would go hungry. Ninong Boy never frustrated RJ’s hunger. RJ was encouraged by Ninong Boy to eat as much as he can. Kahit nung araw pa man, uso na sa kanila yung “eat all you can”. Just to ensure that they are on the same page, they even developed a finger sign each for “busog na” and “pwede pa”.
Such was Ninong Boy’s character. He was a very accommodating person. He had a very big heart.
Before, Ninong Boy seldom got sick but when he did it was always diffifcult. In the late 1970’s he had acromegali or gigantism. A decade after that he had encephalitis. A shunt had to be placed in his head to drain the fluid. This was his first initiation to a series of illnesses that would come later.
It was after this near-death experience that he had an epiphany of sorts. He realized that God had allowed him to live because he had a special mission to accomplish.
This was when he became more involved in building and renovating churches, sponsoring livelihood programs, supporting micro-lending facilities, giving educational grants, adopting poor communities, and other philanthropic missions.
He never asked proof of payment, receipts or an accounting of the generous donations he gave. And when asked why, his answer was always “Sa itaas na ang accounting nyan,” as he pointed to the heavens and made a big smile.
The number of people who benefited from his generosity grew in leaps and bounds. These are the same people who became our prayer partners or prayer warriors in his critical moments. They were the ones who bombarded the high heavens with prayers for God to heal him and help him recover from his very serious illnesses.
Throughout these difficult times, his love for Shalene and her love for him also shone through. In Shalene’s tireless care for her husband and his devotion to her, God was able to remind them and even those of us who bore witness, to the reality of unconditional and boundless love. Bagay na bagay sila kasi kung ano ang nilaki ng puso ni Boy, siya namang lawak ng pag-aaruga at pang-unawa ni Shalene. I think Boy also found the strength to go on despite his condition because he felt the unwavering love and faith of his wife and family in him.
The twenty or so years (from 1988 to 2009) that God had given as an extension to Boy’s life was more than one could ever ask for. Ninong Boy was able to fully prepare himself for his date with the Lord for he had accomplished the mission given him and more.
Thank you Ninong Boy for letting us be part of your rich and noble life. Your memory will live on. Thank you to Shalene and to his children for sharing him with us and supporting him in his vision. Thank you for the generosity and for allowing us all to be part and beneficiaries of it.
Good bye Ninong Boy, we will miss you. We love you.
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