At 20, William Co was my dad’s night editor
I only recently met William Co at a dinner celebrating Bobby Alvarez’s 60th birthday.
We started talking and continued almost all evening, when he told me that he was my dad’s night editor when he was 20. Moreover, he remembers my dad, Dr. Jimmy Go Puan Seng, sharing his faith in God with him.
His eldest son, Van William Co, said in his speech that they call him Pa-Pa, representing Passion and Patience — “the entire blueprint of how he has lived his 80 incredible years.” Van continued to say that his Papa’s patience isn’t just a trait. It is a quiet reflection of Christian forgiveness, steady strength, and enduring love. In fact, the dinner started with a prayer before hundreds of guests at the Gloria Maris in Greenhills.
I thought to myself… my father’s sharing of his Christian faith with a young man of 20 (William Co) has certainly borne fruit, and it touched my heart that night.
It has been a habit in our family that Dad would say grace before each meal, and I try to carry on that practice with my family and even with my friends.
William has four children, ages 46 to 52. His eldest son, Van, is 50. He also has eight grandchildren.
His friend of 52 years, Dr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., said this of him: “Humility never allowed success to change who he is… Hindi ka nagpapayabang. Hindi ka nagpapasikat.”
If my father were alive today, he would be very proud to know that his young employee not only became rich and famous, but that Dad was successful in bringing a young man who worked for him to become a practicing Christian.
Let me close with William’s own words: “Turning 80 is the beginning of another chapter in life.”
Only a true Christian can see turning 80 in that light!
