Bert Lozada's legions

Swim school pioneer Remberto “Bert” Lozada died of pancreatic cancer last week at the age of 68. It was an uphill battle that friends and family thought he was starting to win. Sadly, it was not to be.

After taking up the sport at 12 – rather late, comparatively – Lozada became a mainstay of the Philippine team, competing in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games. But for the last five decades, he has been more known as the father of swimming schools in the country. As of this summer, the Bert Lozada Swim Schools (BLSS) handles more than 50 branches all over the country, even in the Visayas and Mindanao. According to his children, Bert’s priority was always the children, whom he wanted to experience the joy and independence of being able to swim without fear. Thanks to his vision, the Bert Lozada Swim Schools produced winners like Olympians Eric Buhain, Jenny Rose Guerrero, Timmy Chua, Lisa Danila and Ryan Papa, and handles clubs and public and private institutions.They are the only institution that provides personalized instruction to infants, children and adults.

“He was always thinking of the kids, even when he was sick,” Bert’s son Angelo recalls. “He would always get animated, and even when he was in a bad state, he would sit up and be very serious in reminding us to take care of the students. He devoted his life to them.” Lozada also created several inventions to make the transition to the water less traumatic for little kids. He created a platform for children to stand on in deep water to lessen their fears. He adapted to the times, always innovating in techniques to make children feel safe when their parents forced them to learn how to swim.

“We were among the first to change teaching techniques to suit the needs of the students,” his son Anthony recalls. “We would have lower student to instructor ratios, and even give students individual instruction so they wouldn’t be traumatized. Our father wanted the children to be at home in the water, and not panic.”

Last year, Lozada was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Doctors in the Philippines were at a loss at how to treat him, and gave him up for lost. However, the discovery of a cancer hospital in Fuda, China, gave the family hope, and Lozada one more chance at being around the pools that were his life.

“The procedure was similar to a laparoscopy,” Anthony Lozada explains. “They made a minor incision, inserted this tube, and blasted the cancer with liquid nitrogen to freeze it. It fell off.”

Lozada recovered his strength, occasionally venturing off his wheelchair. Upon his return to the Philippines, he made the rounds, affectionately cracking the whip, so to speak, and giving his instructors a big morale boost.

“It was so heart-warming to see, especially when he went back to Celebrity, which was sort of his home for many years,” an emotional Anthony added. “The parents were so warm to him and treated him with such respect, introducing him to their kids, shaking his hand, even asking to take pictures with him. He was so happy.”

And with his love for sharing his passion for the sport, and giving back to children, Bert Lozada will live forever.

* * *

As part of its 150th anniversary, the Ateneo de Manila University will be publishing a book, “My Ateneo Hero”. A committee selected 150 Ateneo alumni who were each asked to write about a fellow Atenean who inspired them. This writer was honored to have made the list, and chose Joe Cantada as the subject.

It’s been 17 years since Smokin’ Joe died of lung cancer, but his indelible imprint on the sports fraternity remains. I remember when the late Jun Bernardino delivered his eulogy, he read a list of monikers and terms Joe had introduced to the Philippine sporting lexicon. It was three pages long. He added wit and humor to sports broadcasting, with such color that has never been rivaled.

When Olympic great Paavo Nurmi died, Finland’s president said that the world is slightly diminished by his absence, and you could travel the globe and never find another one. I know what he meant. Joe Cantada was one of a kind.

The Ateneo sequicentennial book of heroes comes out in December.