>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Of a guy who called himself Guy I first met him in the hustle and bustle of enrollment in the MIT Doroteo Jose quadrangle in 1960. He said his name was Guy. He raised a mocked up fist and smilingly said, “Don’t laugh.” I told myself I will never like this guy who called himself Guy. After two years, we went on to Intramuros and we became nodding acquaintance although a few times we hang around together in their residence in Project 4. He was able to finish college one semester ahead of us because he enrolled in successive summer classes. After graduation, I was hired in Caltex Refinery. One day I met him again as a newly hired employee but this time, his name was already Bobby. Somebody from HR leaked out the information that he broke the record for the highest IQ in the Refinery entrance exam. Caltex Refinery was in San Pascual, Batangas where we stayed during weekdays. We battled boredom by roaming and having drinking sessions in nearby Batangas City or by playing chess or duckpin at Caltex’ recreation center. I beat him in chess three times in our first three games but I was never able to beat him again after that. On Fridays at exactly 4 PM, we would be on our way to Manila. At this time, I recall they have already transferred residence to Cubao. On Mondays at exactly 4 AM, we would be on a bus headed for Batangas. Then he was reassigned to do Petroleum Logistics in Caltex Padre Faura. He joined chess tournaments there where the format was such that the Group B Champion would have to be elevated to Group A in the following year. Bobby managed to consistently reach every Group B championship – and lose it- gleefully boasting that he is the “defending” Group B Runner Up and vowing he would never join Group A. In bowling tournaments, he proposed that in addition to the Mixed Doubles of a male and female, there should also be a tournament for Mixed Singles. Everybody knew what he meant and expectedly, nobody took it seriously. After a year, he was sent by Caltex to study at AIM as a scholar. I grabbed the opportunity of being assigned to Manila as his replacement in Petroleum Logistics. In our turnover, he familiarized me not only with the intricacies of his job but also with the intricacies of Ermita – the fun place of Manila at that time. He was fond of solving Scientific American puzzles always comparing his solution against the published answer at the back page. One time his answer differed from the published answer and he was very upset. In a subsequent issue, Scientific American published an erratum: Bobby was correct. Once, we met a Norwegian tourist and Bobby regaled her with his knowledge of Norse mythology. In another situation, I watched Bobby had his way discussing medicine with a medical doctor. Upon his return to Caltex after completing his degree in AIM, Bobby was assigned to Product Planning. He was then sent to Caltex New York. I can no longer recall his accounts of what happened in New York except that during winter people will take the elevator reeking of perfume. I think he won some arguments in linear programming there so that upon his return to the Philippines, he was assigned to what was then known as Electronic Data Processing Department. In EDP, he wrote a mainframe simulation program for optimizing freight related costs and inventory cost in petroleum logistics. He would also tell me of a surreptitious program he did for betting on Jai Alai. He said that initially the program worked – and they were winning - until the program assumptions got messed up by changes in Jai Alai rules and by the bias of EDP encoders. Eventually, both of us got married and our respective wives became good friends and – in the years that followed - so did our children. He was the Best Man in my wedding. I witnessed his wedding. He was the godfather of my first born. He raised his family in Cubao where my family was a constant visitor. He also acquired a tree orchard in Pullilan, Bulacan. Since it was spacious, he invited the siblings of his wife and their families to put up their residences there. Whenever we visited the place, it was instant fiesta. Then, I resigned from Caltex. Eventually, I ended up in Jeddah where I had plenty of time to learn Basic programming. Upon my return to the Philippines, I took up dbase programming and System Analysis and Design. Bobby, now Caltex Information System Manager, called me to outsource to me a programming job of a “simple” data encoding system. He manipulated to have me work with his best programmers to establish me as a programmer until the system I was working on became an inventory system capable of generating perpetual replenishment schedules. Eventually, I got hired as Information System Vice President in a group of companies specializing in financial products. And we parted ways again. I heard that he had a tumultuous resignation from Caltex standing up for his department and subordinates before an expatriate boss. He went to the States and stayed there for awhile. We lost contact but I learned he contracted a kidney ailment that required regular dialysis. About ten years ago, he came home with his wife. My wife and I excitedly went to Pullilan to meet them. He was pale and had lost a lot of weight. He showed me his portable dialysis machine and even demonstrated how he uses it in his stomach. Immediately, he asked if I knew of a broker who can sell his Cubao property. It was October and we celebrated his birthday with loud music, flashing lights, garrulous buntings, and food galore. Bobby was in high spirits and danced with us. Back in our residence after a few days, we got a call that Bobby was rushed to Pullilan Hospital. We had an anxious night while we waited in the hospital for developments. He had a severe case of stomach infection. He was then transferred to FEU Hospital in Commonwealth Avenue. We were allowed to see him only on the day before he died. At that time, I stood beside him as he lay in his hospital bed. He cannot speak. But looking at each others’ eyes, we both understood. Bobby knew, as did the doctors, exactly what his situation was. He went home hoping to sell his Cubao property so he can have his kidney transplant. He knew the odds. Octavius Raymundo Estacion always did.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 21:58:52 +0000