LOOKING BEYOND THE CLOUDS OF UNCERTAINTY

The Romanito B. Maquiling Story

by: Norberto Betita

Romy at Hamilton New Zealand

The cold breeze soothingly blowing from the Philippine Sea connecting the rim of the Pacific created beautiful heaves of sparkling blue waves moving forward into the crystal clear sea water along the shoreline. The whoosh and whizz of the easterly winds created a beautiful symmetry of the coconut folios and leaves laden twigs of trees as they moved in sequence of common direction. The clouds of silver and of gray moving in succession from the background of the far blue eastern sky gave beauty and grandeur to the horizon. As the rising sun spreads the wings of its gleaming light into the evergreen scenery, the place turned into a panorama of verdant radiance and majesty. The natural wonders of rivers and hills and caves and the lush of rainforest created a promise of a potential future. Such was the wonderful place of his birth---Lanuza, Surigao del Sur. Yet the gloom of poverty and the pinches of quiet sadness provided an unfit setting for the birth of an infant boy---ROMANITO B. MAQUILING on October 29, 1954. However, the stings of early deprivation never at any time dimmed or restrained his positive outlook for an abundant life.

During his youthful vim and vigour he determined to cross the seemingly unnavigable infinite ocean of tribulations which divided his present struggles and the undefined and unknown future. With visions high above the clouds of uncertainty, he packed the badge of his destitution and carried his only hopeful rudder---a high school diploma in his voyage to the unfamiliar seaboards of life. Perhaps in his young mind were the glimpses of Mark Twain’s words, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” So he sailed his life’s seas ever yearning for the storms to help him become an able navigator. He then knew that no matter how bad the storms, there is sunshine hidden above the darkened clouds. 

His journey brought him to Surigao City. He stayed with a close relative and started to navigate his life’s thoroughfare and explored the road less travelled in accord with his inadequate qualification. The door of opportunity slowly opened for him when he was employed as Janitor in the National Service Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippine National Bank. From such a modest employment, he saw a light of hope gleaming bright into the future. The dirty work and the daily burdens of waking up earlier than everybody and staying late in the night, and the very meager compensation that it provided helped him realize that he needed to strengthen his anchors. He knew that the intensity of the winds and the waves of life will eventually make him a skilled sailor.

He dreamed and again looked beyond the clouds of uncertainty then set an achievable and realistic goal. He formed a plan to get to the top of his modest aspiration of attaining a college degree. Thenceforth, he started to move ahead to sail the vast and endless sea of his journey. He knew “the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean (John Locke)” he is bound to traverse. Yet he counted the cost and was determined to reach the impossible. He understood that he need not have to be an achiever to be able to start. Rather he needed to start in order to be an achiever. 

In due time, he enrolled at the Northeastern Mindanao Colleges for a course leading to a degree in Commerce major in Accounting. He invested his very limited income and vacant times between work schedules to take up college subjects as a working student. Hard times followed; making both ends meet became a seemingly insurmountable challenge. He was motivated however with the knowledge that he need not have to be imprisoned in the realms of difficult life while the immense door of opportunities is wide open. He struggled, he sacrificed, and he endured and eventually discovered the sweetness of attaining victory. In his achievement he understood best the words of the legendary Socrates, “The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” With a college degree on hand, he was equipped with an even stronger armor to face his battles of life. 

While thus in the process of beholding future prospects his eyes caught sight of a woman stationed under a common work confines. With their positions at variance, he found it difficult to even approach in sincerity. Hence, he expressed his feelings secretly by placing a rose each morning on the table of ZITA DELA PEÑA, the woman subject of his deep admiration and love. Time finally afforded for them a wondrous scenery upon which to create their fairy tale “they live happily ever after” kind of a love story which was eventually tied by a knot of marital bond. Four wonderful children were treasured gifts which in time came into their married life.

He was eventually absorbed into the regular ranks of the Philippine National Bank (PNB) after passing the required qualifying examinations. He grows from a Bank Clerk to various other positions. His employment at PNB became his best preparation for his growing family. Yet his work was not without challenge. In my long association with him as a fellow Philnabanker, I found him to be one kind of a worker whose efficiency is exemplary. He had the ability to handle almost all available positions in the branch. In the absence of anybody he is well ready to replace. He acts as cashier/sales and service officer; sales and service head; from the position of new accounts clerk to analysts, name it and he could handle any assignment. His marketing ability was a potential which was never given a break. For reasons only known to the recommending officers, I found him discriminated in promotions. Yet he remained sober and uncomplaining. Instead he utilized his marketing capabilities in part-time sales outside of employment to supplement his income to meet the growing needs of his children. Humorous ridicules are sometimes thrown on him for not being able to send on time his children’s allowances. But he stood with pride for having sent his children to study in one of the best universities in the country two of whom were already graduated and licensed. The third graduated from a local college after he surrendered from the rigors required in his university of origin. The fourth is still battling for a degree.

With his wife immediately after the blessing of their
brand new Isuzu

As he left the thresholds of his beloved institution---The Philippine National Bank which has been the emblem of his life’s successes, he carries with him the thought that, “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable…and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire…” (Orson F. Whitney, quoted by Spencer W. Kimball, in Faith Precedes the Miracle (1972), 98). As he sits on the couch with his most beloved wife Zita and reflects on the modest accomplishments they together attained---a humble yet comfortable home, a second hand car and and a brand new Isuzu, a vacation in Hongkong, Thailand and New Zealand, which he never once dreamed---his heart overflows with expressions of silent gratitude to God for the blessings. 

                                                                 
Looking back with thoughtful introspection when he first sailed his life’s seas, he discovered that the clouds of uncertainty were ever present in the journey. However, he found through his years of experiences that as he followed the flickering light of hope beyond the darkened clouds, the channels were made continually clear and safe for the weary traveler.