THOUGHTS ON TATAYBy JUDITH MIADO- FRESNIDO

Mayad nga hapon kaninyo nga tanan. Ako si Judith Miado-Fresnido, ang ikaduha nga bata ni Alfonso Miado.When I was a very young girl, I had this concept that my father was a big man. In my mind, he could do everything, make things happen. With the coming of age, I had seen that he was not as big as I first thought. Indi manigar, putot gid man si Tatay. But in other aspects, my awe and admiration of him have never diminished, only deepened. Indulge this daughters random recollection of her father. For us his children, Tatay personified the consummate family man-husband to Nanay & father to us all. In their almost 65 years of marriage, his love and devotion to Nanay and to us have been felt in small and big matters. We witnessed how he had traversed the long hike to and from Layug to be with us everyday. We saw how his eyes shine everytime we made milestones in our lives-graduations, promotions, marriages. Also his real and concrete support when we failed and in crisis situations. He walked the talk. He has a special lullaby for each of us to put us to sleep when we were babies. In our deepest consciousness, our signature song is echoed. Maybe that made us connect with him- in our deepest needs we turn to him. He listened, didnt dictate but supported us I all our causes and advocacies, oftentimes not so popular and practical. With Nanay, he was our greatest cheerer in all our endeavors. In times I was allowed to tag along with him to Layug, he would use the time to teach a 4 year old math by telling me to pick a stone everytime we pass a river. I would count the stones when we reach our destination. I questioned why the last time it was 20 stones, then later it would be less. He would then explain to me that in dry months, the river dry up and there would be no water. I would later learn that there were actually 2 rivers (Tagum & Salog) and they just crisscross in our paths. He would also slow down his pace to accommodate my slower walk and allow me to pick flowers along the way and answer my endless questions about the wonders of nature. It was our traditional bonding. It must have cost him a lot because I was told later he would time his walking to 45 minutes, but with me it would double his time.

He would tell me that he was a farmer at heart. He loved plants and animals. How we have enjoyed the fruits of his exotic fruits like sweet santol, lemon, grapes, Davao pomelos, lanzones, rambutan, golden papayas, chesnut and countless other plants. His trademark wherever he was assigned was the plants he left behind. We hope you will remember him as you enjoy these fruits. I had a running battle with him against his cats and dogs he loved so much. Popeye, Brackstone Chickie and Rambo were just some of the dogs that were part of our family life. In our family, education was a given. With Nanay, Tatay had a vision that his children would finish their chosen courses, no question about that. With the meager salary that they had they unfailingly supported us with our schooling. We scrimped on other things, like luxuries, but we had never experienced having to suffer on paying for tuition. They basked on the fact that they had produced 3 mechanical engineers, one accountant, one architect, one doctor, one agriculturist, now economist and a college professor. What we made of the opportunities they opened for us depended on us. The work ethics he had left to us are things we live in our daily life. Love your work, he would say, it is the only constant in the ebbs and flows of fortune. Money is important but never an important consideration in making our decisions. In everything we do in our profession, we are guided by this rule of thumb: Can we tell Tatay about this with pride? That is our guiding principle. How Tatay glowed when an acquaintance will tell him: Your son took care of me when I was hospitalized, when I made transactions in the bank, when I need help in this or that. Those were his greatest pride. His legacy will leave on. We, his children and grandchildren, had been taught by a man who has dedicated his life to making us human beings with deep fear and love for God and fellowmen. Thank you, Tatay and may the Lord reward you with eternal peace.