Fwd: Speech delivered by Yvette Fernandez Ferreol at the Rotary Club of Makati

[Pietro E Reyes, III]

a.. Hi All!

Thought I would send you the speech delivered by Yvette Fernandez
Ferreol at the Rotary Club of Makati. The family was there in full force,
finally complete after more than four years (except for Marc, Yvette's
husband who could not take his leave). It was supposed to be a complete
surprise but the cat was let out of the bag when Ace went to his office the
day before and saw the faxed Rotary advisory to members that Yvette was a
guest speaker talking about Perspective from New York. He called my
attention and asked if I knew but I pretended not to hear him:) The rest of
the talk about her Dad was also a surprise for me. She did say she was going
to include her dad in her topic but I had to wait for the day itself before
I actually heard that part of her speech.

b.. The audience was in tears at the end, paticularly since it was
Ladies' Day and most of the women, including me, cried. When asked to give a
response, Ace said it sounded more like his eulogy but that he was at least
present to hear it and that drew more laughter and tears.

Read on!

Speech Delivered at the Rotary Club of Makati by Yvette Fernandez
FerreolProducer, Bloomberg Television, New York Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Rigodon Ballroom, Manila Peninsula Hotel.
c.. Thanks Tito Tito, for that introduction. In the past few days that
I've been home, the only thing people seem to know about me is that I was
the maid-of-honor at Lea Salonga's wedding.
d.. Anyway, when we were little kids, Tito Tito was one of our favorite
uncles because he would spend time with us telling us such interesting
stories.
e.. I would like to thank President Rene Benitez, and Ramon Gonzalez of
the Programs committee, for giving me the opportunity to speak before you
today.
f.. I last spoke before your group over 15 years ago, in October 1987.
It was Youth Day, and I spoke to you in my capacity as founder of The
Dasmarinas Village Youth Organization. It's great to see that after all
these years, most of you still look exactly the same!
g.. I know I'm older though, because I see members of my peer group on
your roster of members: including Ferdie Ordoveza, who was a member of the
DasmaYouth back then.
h.. I also miss a couple of faces: including Cady Dominguez, a good
friend of my Dad's, whom my Dad admired and laughed with a lot.
i.. I love a good story. That's why I became a journalist. To listen
to other people's stories and to share them with still others through either
the written or the spoken word. I'll be telling you some stories today.
j.. Rene and Ramon asked me to start out my talk today about the
perspective from New York. As a TV producer at Bloomberg, I'm at the
frontlines when it comes to picking people's brains about what they think
about things like interest rates or the price of oil or gold, or where to
invest their money. I talk to them for maybe about half an hour at a time,
and then I figure out what we're going to talk about for the three minutes
they will be on television.
k.. I talk to economists, currency strategists and analysts of all sorts
on a daily basis. The portfolio managers I speak to manage funds of at
least half a billion dollars.
l.. Every time I speak to them, I always try to put in a good word about
the Philippines, hoping that maybe they'd allocate some of their portfolio
into Philippine holdings.
m.. The bad news is that so far, I haven't seen any interest in
Philippine stocks. The fund managers think the Philippine stock market is
too small, that it's too easily manipulated.
n.. They don't trust our government. They don't trust our legal system.
They think it's too risky to put their money into Philippine equities. Or
that it isn't worth their time.
o.. When they think of Asia, they think of Japan, China and Korea.They
dabble in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Unfortunately they
don't even think of the Philippines.
p.. That's their perspective of the Philippines on a macro-level.
q.. On a micro-level, the good news is that every single person I talk
to knows a Filipino they can say something good about.
r.. They have Filipino colleagues, for example, who impress them because
of their intelligence and hard work. They have Filipino next door neighbors,
who have introduced them to Filipino food and hospitality.
s.. The day I was hired by Michael Bloomberg ten years ago, he told me
his daughter had a Filipino nanny. She was a smart girl, he said. I said,
yes, she probably had been a school teacher back home.
t.. Our HR person says Filipino nurses at a New Jersey hospital have
been taking such good care of her mother.
u.. Lehman Brothers' chief economist Ethan Harris says his life would be
in disarray without his administrator, a woman named Gigi Macatangay.
v.. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while on a macro-level,
people abroad are not interested in the Philippines as a whole, they are
impressed by the individual Filipinos they meet. Each Filipino overseas who
does a good job is an ambassador of sorts for the Filipino people.
w.. It's difficult being away from home and seeing the Philippines in
the news only when it's negative news. For the average American abroad, the
only things they know about the Philippines are Imelda Marcos and her shoes.
Mount Pinatubo. The Abu Sayyaf beheadings and the Philippine links to the
Al Qaeda network.
x.. I can't blame the American media for showing only these stories
about the Philippines. That's what the media does. They look for the quirky,
the unusual, the unique. That's what makes a news story. A mountain of
garbage collapsing on a community of shanties in the third world. That
definitely made the headlines in the US. Is your family safe? My colleagues
asked me back then. The same colleagues who told me when they first met me,
you speak such good English.
y.. Nowadays, when Caucasians tell me, wow, you speak such good English,
I look back at them and say, "thank you. And so do you."
z.. Many times, when my Filipino friends in New York and I get together,
we express feelings of frustration about being so far away from home, and
not being able to make as big a difference as we'd hoped to back when we
were young and idealistic. But I'd like to think that in our own individual
ways, we are doing our little bit in helping improve the image of our
country.
aa.. Take my friend Isa Lorenzo, youngest sister of your Rotary First
Lady Bettina Benitez, for example. She's currently exhibiting some of her
photographs of Philippine landscapes at a gallery in Chelsea. The
breathtaking photos are titled "Filipina." Isa shares the beauty of our
islands with every visitor who drops by the gallery. Another of Isa's
photographs, that of a peaceful Mindanao was presented the Philippine
Department of Tourism to US President George W. Bush during his visit to
Manila last October.
ab.. Former anti-Marcos activists Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa run a
Philippine restaurant called Cendrillon in SoHo which New York magazine
named the Best Pan Asian restaurant in the city a couple of years back.
Cendrillon also showcases the work of various Philippine artists on their
walls. Years after their days of marching on the streets in Manila making
people aware of their cause, they are still making people aware of the
Filipino people and their culture, this time through their stomachs.
ac.. There are Filipinos like Rafe Totengco of Bacolod whose bags and
shoes are the toast of downtown New York.
ad.. Art gallery owner Rina Adapon brings the paintings of budding
Filipino artists to her space in Greenwich Village.
ae.. The group Ma-Yi headed by executive director Jorge Ortoll shares
with the American public stories of the Philippines through the magic of the
theatre.
af.. Each one of these Filipinos I mentioned is someone to be admired.
Each one is, in his or her own way bringing good news about the Philippines
to the people of New York, somehow giving them a more positive perspective
of the Philippines.
ag.. If you have any questions about New York, or the US media, or even
Lea Salonga's wedding, or anything I could help you with, feel free to ask
me during the open forum after this, or talk to me after the meeting, or you
can send me an e-mail at mailto:yfern...@aol.com
ah.. At this point, I'm going to go completely off tangent and tell you
still another story, about the person I admire most in my own life. I'm here
in the Philippines this trip to spend some time with my Dad, Ace Fernandez.
And today I'd like to spend the rest of my talk telling you the story of my
Dad and our family.
ai.. When my sister Jackie and I were little, we would fight over who
would grow up and marry our Daddy. He was the smartest, the strongest, the
handsomest man in all the world. He was our Dad.
aj.. My Dad taught me how to read my first words, ride my first
bike,drive my first car.
ak.. He taught me how to signal a turn way before I made a turn, how to
stop at every stop sign. Even in the middle of the night. My Dad made sure
I followed every traffic rule and law. He's like that. He says rules are
made to be followed, that no one is above the law. No exceptions.
al.. One day, a traffic cop stopped me for making a wrong turn. I don't
remember doing anything wrong, there hadn't been a sign or anything, but the
cop took my license and started writing out a ticket. "Should I pay him?" I
asked my Dad who was sitting next to me. No, he said. If he takes your
license, we will go through the proper channels to get it back. We will
line up for hours if we have to. We will not bribe a policeman.
am.. I didn't realize I made a wrong turn, I told the cop. But if you
need to take my license, take it. And let me know how I can get it back. He
shrugged, returned it to me and said, Miss, don't do it again.
an.. My Dad knows how difficult it is to enforce law and order. Every
year, on Christmas Day, he would gather up boxes of food that had been given
to us as presents. We would drive over to the Makati police headquarters
and drop them off for the cops. He never left his name. He just handed over
the goodies and said, "Merry Christmas. Keep up the good work."
ao.. My Dad always treats people with respect, and the dignity that
every human being deserves. Gas station attendants, janitors, just about
anyone he meets. "Boss!" he says to them. "Kamusta kayo, Boss?" He asks
them where they're from, about their children, whether they enjoy their
work. People love talking to my Dad.
ap.. My Dad is a nationalist. In September of 1972, Marcos declared
Martial Law. People tried their best to get out of the country, to flee. We
were in the US at the time. My Dad had two master's degree and a Ph.D in
engineering sciences. Harvard University invited him to do post-doctorate
studies with them. But he decided it was time to give back what he could to
the Philippines.
aq.. Two months after Martial Law was declared, my parents gave up their
US green cards, and we moved home.
ar.. He had a large Philippine flag in his study at home, and a little
one on his desk. On June 12 every year, he would put the large flag out on
the balcony for all the passersby to see. He would wear a little flag on his
lapel. Decades later, this became trendy. But back then, it was quirky. It
didn't matter to him.
as.. He never openly supported any political party nor got involved in
politics himself, but he believed in the strength of the Filipino people. We
would overcome any adversity, he said. We were a nation of heroes. He still
believes that.
at.. I distinctly remember one day about 25 years ago when he came home
with his first Rotary newsletter.
au.. It had his photo in it, and was announcing the new Baby Rotarians.
And there he was... Baby Rotarian "Ace" Fernandez.
av.. Ace? Where did he come up with that name? He just liked it. 25
years later, I cannot imagine him being called any other name. It's him.
He's Ace.
aw.. He loves the Rotary Club. Every time he goes out of the country,
the first thing he looks for is the nearest Rotary Club. He looks for clubs
in America, in Eastern Europe, in Africa. He attends their weekly meetings,
and then proudly brings their little banners back to his home club. He's had
perfect attendance at Rotary for over 23 years.
ax.. My Dad is a perfectionist of sorts. When we were growing up, he
would read the dictionary during his spare time. He was constantly looking
up new words, making sure he learned the proper way of pronouncing them. He
always wanted to use the right word in the right context. Like in everything
else,"Okay" or "puwede na" isn't good enough for him. He wants things to be
done properly, and in the best way possible.
ay.. My Dad is the most knowledgeable man I know (actually, it's a toss
up between him and my brother Joey). He's eternally curious, forever asking
people questions, reading up on the most obscure topics, opening things up
to see how they work.
az.. The one time I saw my Dad get upset with my Mom in their 37 years
of marriage was when she put away a pile of newspapers he had yet to read
from cover to cover.
ba.. I'm not saying my Dad is perfect. He too has his share of quirks.
bb.. Sometimes his curiosity gets the better of him, and he embarrasses
us with outright questions he asks people. Or he makes honest comments that
would have been better kept to himself. Many times he makes jokes that are
clever, yet tactless. He's gotten his fair share of dirty looks and awkward
laughter.
bc.. My Dad doesn't like to spend. He's never liked flashy cars or
fancy clothes. He never gets us presents. Well, Santa Claus used to get us
presents, but that was a different story. He doesn't give us birthday
presents nor Christmas presents. It's a good thing we had his sister, Tita
Merce, who lived in Wisconsin, and would bring us all the hottest toys when
she would come to visit us every year.
bd.. No presents from our Dad, but every day, from the time we were
little, he would answer all our questions about what things were and why
things happened in the world. He would drive us to school, help us with our
Math homework, patiently explain how things worked in every aspect of our
lives. He would give us big hugs everyday and tell us how we were the best
kids in the whole world. How we were number one. And champions. He would put
us up on his shoulders, and raise our arms up high. "Champion!" he said. And
we believed him. We knew that to him, we were the best kids in the whole
world.
be.. Every morning, for 37 years now, when my Mom wakes up, he gives
her a kiss and says "Good morning, Mahal. You are so lovely. My wife is so
lovely. I am so lucky." And she believes him. She knows that to him, she is
the loveliest woman in the world.
bf.. My little sister Lara was badly burned in an accident back in 1988.
She was a little angel in a school play, and one of her classmates burned
her wings. She was ten years old, had third degree burns on her arms and
back, and was in the hospital for many months. At one point, they didn't
think she would make it. But our Dad sat next to her and whispered in her
ear, "you're the best big girl in all the land. The strongest and the
bravest of all. You're going to beat all this. You're the champion." He had
a sign outside the hospital door that made sure people smiled when they came
in. If anyone showed any anger towards the school, he would quietly ask
them to leave. Lara says it was our Dad's optimism that helped her conquer
her pain. She was in bandages and a burn suit for years afterwards, and she
went through many months of painstaking physical therapy, but she always had
the most beautiful smile on her face. Every night, my Dad would put the
salve on her back and arms to help them get better. He and Lara named the
scars on her back, and she would fall asleep as he rubbed them down.
Fifteen years later, Lara is the most confident of all my siblings. And
she's made the most of the gift of her hands. She graduated cum laude from
UP with a degree in Architecture. She does interior design. She paints, she
sculpts, she climbs rocks and plays tennis, and she even does print ads and
TV commercials.
bg.. About six months ago, my younger sister Jackie had just finished a
research fellowship in ophthalmology at Harvard and was here in Manila on
holiday when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her husband Bobbit and
my parents were with her for her first surgery in Manila. And my parents
were again with her in Boston when she went through her second one in
October. My Dad even shaved his head to be in solidarity with his daughter
as she went through her chemotherapy. They were smiling twins. At one point,
the doctors there refused to do the second surgery. Too dangerous, they
said. There was nothing they could do. But Jackie is a fighter. She found
another doctor and she insisted that she go through it. She survived the
surgery, recovered quickly, and is continuing chemotherapy in Boston. My
Dad says she is not a cancer victim, nor a cancer survivor. She is a cancer
conqueror.
bh.. Jackie's husband, Bobbit Suntay, is in the process right now of
putting up a cancer wellness center here in Manila, to help disseminate free
information about cancer to cancer patients and their families to help other
families conquer cancer. Stay tuned for that.
bi.. A few weeks after Jackie's operation in Boston, my Dad came home to
Manila, and found out that he, too, had cancer. Two surgeries later under
the competent knife of Dr. Sammy Ang at St. Luke's Hospital (hello Mr.
Robert Kwan), and currently under the care of oncologist Dr. Gary Lorenzo,
we know that he too is a cancer conqueror. My Mom says he came out of
surgery giving her a big smile and two thumbs up. It was tough being away
while all this was going on, but at least I would get to talk to him on the
phone a lot. He kept reiterating the lessons he would teach us from the time
we were children: Remember what's most important in life. Love your husband.
Take good care of your family. Think positively. Eat healthy. Exercise.
Always do what is right. Help other people. Share. And always remember to
pray."
bj.. Sometimes I think about what would have happened if my Dad did end
up at Harvard. He would have probably been an academic, a professor or a
research scientist maybe. We would have probably never moved home.
bk.. But he didn't. We packed up and moved home to the Philippines. He
left the engineering sciences and went into technology. Three decades later,
he does not run a Fortune 500 company, nor is he a top official in
government. He will probably never be on the cover of Time nor or Forbes
magazine.
bl.. But he's lived a good life and raised a good family.
bm.. And in my eyes, and in the eyes of my Mom and my two sisters and
brother, he is the greatest man in the world. We are very proud of him: of
his love for his family, of his love for his country. Of his intelligence,
and his integrity. Of his optimism and belief in everything that is good.
And we love him very, very much.