Friday, October 23, 2015

A Salute to My First Boss

“Nasaan ka? I am going to the Davao City Library to inaugurate the Iranian Section. I hope to see you there are 2:00 p.m.”
Wasn’t it barely three weeks ago you texted me this? Now I am full of regrets that I missed this chance to see you. I wish I had known it was to be the last. I thought I we could still sit down together and catch up with each other. I have been looking forward to seeing you on the first week of November to discuss matters ranging from professional to personal. That day was not to come. You left without warning.
Goodbye, Boss Tony. I have not had the chance to see you and I never will. But that short exchange we had three weeks ago carries a very strong message I could not quite fathom yet, but I know will unfold at the proper time.
Rest in peace and be confident that you made a difference to me and to many, Atty. Antonio M. Santos.
(Atty. Santos, Director of the National Library of the Philippines, was my first boss, one of the few who really made a difference and who inspired me to love and be proud of my profession. I first met him when I was a freshman at UP Diliman working part-time as a Student Assistant at the UP College of Law Library. )

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