Sharing my eulogy for my late father when we honored and celebrated his life during the memorial service. Today marks the first year of his passing. My heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and comforted me and our family.

Thank you everyone for being here.

With the indulgence of every father in this hall, let me start by saying that my dad is the best father, ever.

To those who may no longer recognize me or know me, my name is AK Refuerzo. Everyone calls me Andy now but before that, I go by Ryan. That’s the nickname my parents gave me.

I am the youngest of the two sons of EP Refuerzo and TA Refuerzo. To his officemates from DILG, I’m one of the two kids they bring to the office every now and then. Ako po yung mas bata at iyakin. Ako po yung mas gwapo at yung isa ay ang kuya ko. Biro lang yun kuya. Pero I’m sure matatawa din si Daddy sa joke na yun, magka mukha kami nyan e.

I am proud to call him my father for he was an awesome man.

He accomplished a lot and wore different hats throughout his life. To name a few things that I know of:

He was a sportsman achieving excellence in golf, championship trophies in tennis, gold medals in various international competition on marksmanship, playing basketball, karate and even running marathons in his younger years.

He was a salesman for Oracle Corporation handling government accounts and later on was able to establish his own successful IT company with him being the President and CEO. He was a consultant for the Department of Foreign Affairs and learned Japanese/Nihongo, an agent of the NBI and an honorary member of the Philippine Coast Guard. At one point in his life, he also held the position of President from our humble Home Owners Association to prestigious humanitarian organizations like the Rotary.

For 20 years, he was a public servant with the DILG achieving the position of Director and being conferred with the title of Career Executive Service Officer (CESO). In some of our private conversations, he would share that only the president can remove him from office – and as an impressionable young adolescent, I’d see him in the same light as with a super hero.

Being able to serve for a greater purpose is core to who he is. To him, it’s an ethical duty and moral obligation to be of service – to be part of the solution and not the problem.

For all the things that he is to other people, to me he is my father. My Daddy.

To our knowledge, dalawa lang talaga kaming magkapatid so wala sanang biglang bubukas na pinto at may sisigaw na “ako ang taga-pag mana!” Biro lang yun Mommy. Love you. At kung meron mang nagbabalak… Kapatid! Hashtag: real talk. Wala tayong pag uusapang mana.

Let me explain.

Mommy and Daddy always said, “wala kaming ibang ipapa-mana sa inyo kundi edukasyon.” They gave us the best education that they could afford; put a roof above our heads; clothes on our backs; shoes on our feet; and food on the table. And then some. And they did that not only to us – their sons – but also to countless people to give them – no, give us – a fighting chance in life. They’re not materialistic or boastful of the blessings they receive. They don’t hoard their fortunes and most of the time end up having just enough for themselves because they had to share their blessings to others. They sacrificed a lot, asked for so little but deserves so much more.

Out of all the things they provided for us, the best one is the positive environment to grow up in. He was my idol. It was through his actions and relationship with Mommy that we learned how to treat and be loyal to a woman and how to be a loving husband. It was through his hard work and sacrifices that we learned how to provide for our families. It was through him that we grew up from being playful kids to rebellious boys to men who conducts ourselves with self-respect, integrity and honor.

I am proud to call him my father for he was an awesome man.

Thank you Daddy for everything. I miss you so so much.