Rags to riches

The world watched with awe and admiration the televised funeral service for the late United States Senator John Sidney McCain III at the Washington National Cathedral. As Susan B. Glasser of The New Yorker described  the event, there were “fulsome tributes to the senator’s bravery and courage and public service, stark reminders of the torture he endured as a prisoner of war, and of the policies he fought for (and against) in his many decades as a Republican politician from Arizona.”

The high and the mighty of Washington’s leaders were invited to the service – but not the one currently lording sitting in the White House. They sat in the same pew – former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and Republicans and Democrats sang patriotic hymns. Before he died, McCain had personally enlisted two of his closest friends – Obama and Bush – for his funeral service and each of them delivered touching, and often, laughter-eliciting  odes to the American political system they loved. Although they had not named President Donald Trump, he was unmistakably alluded to in Obama’s praising the “rule of law,” and Bush’s saying, “John detested the abuse of power.”

Obama described the divisive way in which the present leadership has chosen to lead the country. “So much of our politics can seem small and petty, trafficking in bombast and insult, in phony controversies and manufactured outrage. It’s a politics that pretends to be brave, but in fact it is born of fear. John called on us to be bigger than that. He called on us to be better than that.”

McCain’s daughter Meghan called the funeral nothing less than “the passing of American greatness: that her father represented, and not the “cheap rhetoric.” She wept as she said, “The America of John McCain does not need to be made great again, because it is already great.” Her eulogy was interrupted by applause – the first time such a thing happened at a funeral.

As Susan Glaser described it, “McCain’s grand funeral – called a ‘civic communion’ – underscored a fact ‘that is often lost about Washington these days. The city is much more bipartisan in some respects, than it has ever been, more united than it may currently seem, in its hatred of Donald Trump.”

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The long search for the 2018 Outstanding Sillimanian Awardees came to a happy close  with the recognition of three alumni at fitting ceremonies at Luce Auditorium on the Silliman University campus on Aug. 28. They are Dr. Celan J. Aloe, awardee for medical research and epidemiology; Mariano C. Lao, for business entrepreneurship, and Dr. Leorey N. Saligan, for cancer research.

All three are distinguished leaders in their fields, but let me focus on Mariano Lao, who epitomizes the rags-to-riches story.

Mariano was born 84 years ago in Amoy, China, but grew up in Catbalogan, Samar. His father sent him to Silliman, which then had the reputation of reforming “irrepressible juveniles” like his 16-year-old son.

Mariano was not a bright student, his grades failing at Silliman’s high school. Fortunately, a faculty couple, biologists Dioscoro and Lina Rabor took him in, instilling in him the values of self-discipline and perseverance. He even joined Dr. Rabor’s field expeditions, mercilessly wading through leech and snake-infested forests to collect specimens for his mentor’s science classes.

Mariano received his high school diploma in 1957, but two weeks after graduation, a big fire in Catbalogan burned his family’s only small business – and his hope of attending college.

But Mariano did not fly into rage and despair. He told his audience at Luce auditorium when he was awarded outstanding alumnus: “Being the eldest among seven brothers and sisters, I decided to leave for Manila and look for a job in order to help my family. I jumped from one small job to another in Divisoria market in Tondo, to earn small amounts of money for food. I washed dishes for a restaurant at night in exchange for food and water for shower. I collected leftovers so I would have something to eat the next day. I also slept on the sidewalk and under a bridge. It was very difficult, but I had no choice.”

He eventually found a job as a door-to-door salesman, and later moved up to industrial salesman for the next ten years. “I was very successful in representing the manufacturer of packing materials to supply industrial company requirements.” His good looks and pleasant personality might have helped him land the job, but without a doubt did his persevering spirit and insatiable drive to become successful.

Not only did he become a source of pride for his family; he also won the heart and hand of a nice-looking woman who would give him all-out support in his endeavors, including starting their own small business. “This was to guarantee the future and security of our family. I started exporting Philippine-made handicrafts and other indigenous products to the European market. I traveled to the southern, northern, and central parts of Europe twice a year for more than 20 years.”       

In 1989, Mariano Lao was awarded the prestigious Golden Shell Award by the Department of Trade and Industry for pioneering the export of Philippine products to Europe.

In 1995, he started to diversify his investments, from manufacturing to import-export, trading stocks, bonds, real estate, and mutual funds.       

In 2007, his classmates  invited him to attend their class 50th anniversary reunion. “Coming back after 50 long  years left me speechless and reminded me of how  much I owe my success in life to the teachings of this great university.”     

He returned to Silliman in 2010 to establish a high school scholarship fund to enable underprivileged yet academically deserving students finish their high school and college education.

In 2016, the Mariano and Lina Lao Student Activity Center was inaugurated. This consists of a two-story concrete building standing on a 700 sqm lot with air-conditioning, lights and sound systems and facilities for students’ extra-curricular activities and for meetings of teachers, conferences and social functions.

Another significant Lao contribution is the Mariano C. Lao ICI technology laboratory. ICI, according to Mariano, stands for Innovation, Creation and Invention. Managed by  Dr. David Marcial, dean of computer studies at the university, ICI houses an array of desktop computers, 3D printers and other latest equipment related to robotic research and development. By January next year, a three-year program fully funded by the ICI laboratory will offer free computer education for senior citizens, faculty members, Silliman employees and underprivileged high school and college students.

“Why am I doing all these?” Mariano asked. “Well, the answer is quite simple. I always believe that a life well lived is a life of being able to give back. That has always been my motto.”

He proudly added: “My life has come full circle: I started in Silliman, left Silliman, and now, I have come back to Silliman.”

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