DUBAI: Over the years, Filipinos have made indelible marks across the world in fields previously thought to traditionally be someone else’s exclusive domain.
From the first Filipino-American commanding officer of a United States aircraft carrier to the first Filipina pilot of a US F-16 fighter jet; an engineer who can transform plastic rubbish into school chairs; and an 11-year-old cello player who wowed the crowd at an Estonia competition.
There are also stories of perseverance in pursuit of an ambition like the twins of a soldier who earned a criminology degree with flying colors; a 64-year-old grandpa who made it through college; and a lad from the hills of Baguio who returned home with a bronze medal following a martial arts tournament in Rome.
Not to be left out is a single mom with a heart ailment who sold fish so that her son could finish medical school.
Commanding officer
Let’s begin with Capt. Ronald L. Ravelo, who made headlines across the world for being the first American of Filipino descent to become commanding officer of not just a battleship but an aircraft carrier – indeed a post coveted by top rank Defense officials.
Ravelo hails from San Diego, CA., and was commander of an amphibious warfare ship, the USS Comstock, when he took the helm of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in Aug. 2014.
Stars and Stripes, an independent military news portal published news about his promotion and so did the Manila-based Rappler, which described the historic event as a “first in the history of the United Stateds Navy.”
Ravelo, son of a retired US Navy chief from the Philippines, was commanding officer till May 2017. His father, Ben Ravelo, was with the Philippine Navy and “left the Philippines to serve in a country whose language he did not even know,” said Rappler.
The younger Ravelo now works for a defense contractor, Scientific Research Corp, as senior program manager, another dream job by most Filipinos.
“It truly saddens me that my tour is coming to an end,” Ravelo said during change-of-command ceremonies for the Lincoln. “This has been the most challenging tour of my nearly 30-year career,” he added.
Ravelo is a 1987 graduate of the University of Southern California, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering.
According to United States Navy records, Ravelo’s personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal. He was awarded the 2007 Commander, Naval Air Forces Navy & Marine Association Outstanding Leadership Award for his tour as commanding officer of the Chargers, or the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14.
‘If men can do it, so could women’
Meantime, meet Capt. Monessa Catuncan of the United States Air Force (USAF) – the first Filipina to fly the supersonic F-16 Fighting Falcon, described as one of the most advanced fighter jets in the USAF arsenal.
Born to Filipino immigrants, Catuncan graduated valedictorian from Mesquite High School in Texas and got her Aeronautical Engineering degree from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado.
Cantuncan, 33, has a very interesting story – one about being driven to chase a dream like most Filipinos.
For one, she’s what the guys will call, “astig!” because she is both “Batang Pasay” and “Batang ‘Gapo.”
The Cantuncans lived in Pasay City and Olongapo City before migrating to the US where they moved to Mesquite.
Monessa is the youngest child of Ramon and Teody Catuncan and, on various media accounts, said she had wanted to be an astronaut, inspired by the1998 film, Armageddon, which starred Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Owne Wilson and Billy Bob Thornton, among others, and which was about a group of deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth.
Following some ups and downs, Monessa eventually made it to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona where she started flying the F16, also known as the “viper.”
In 2014, she saw action in Iraq with the 34th Fighter Squadron as a USAF 2nd Lieutenant. Monessa said she “also carries the Philippine flag in her heart, the pride of the country it represents and the people in it” whenever she flies.
In deserving recognition of her feat, the 16th House of Representatives, on May 24, 2016, adopted House Resolution 2709 honoring Catuncan.
Monessa, the “astig,” is still with USAF.
Plastic rubbish to school chairs
Meantime, call it ingenuity of which Filipinos are known to have no shortage of, a mechanical engineer from Davao City has come up with ways to convert plastic rubbish into school chairs and other furniture.
According to Philippine Information Agency (PNA), Engr. Winchester Lemen and his company, Winder Recycling Co., with its plant in Sasa, processes around 90 tons of plastic trash and transforms them using Lemen’s invention – a thermal heating technology – into school chairs, benches, picnic tables and lounge chairs.
Lemen said the business started in 2001 when he saw the need to recycle plastics which led him to come up with a technology to help in recycling.
“This invention is a product of Philippine ingenuity, I conceptualized it to start reducing the number of plastic wastes in our country. This was my idea to help the country,” PIA quoted Lemen as saying.
A single school chair is made of 30 kilos of plastic or the equivalent of 10,000 candy wrappers or 300 bottles of mineral water. These are common plastic wastes being dumped in landfills or in canals and waterways.
To put things into perspective and provide everyone with an idea just how lucrative a business idea Lemen’s is, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said the Philippines generates about 6,875.84 tons of plastic trash a day.
Lemen said they collect, shred, clean, melt and mold the plastic then assemble, sand and paint the finish product.
Musically-inclined
In the field of music, Filipinos certainly are not a bit less talented than their compatriots in engineering or other skills. In fact, Filipinos all over the world have been making names and one of them is 11-year-old cellist Damodar das Castillo, who recently won top prize at the International Competition for Young Musicians in Tallin, Estonia.
Castillo emerged on top of his category B (age 11-13) in the competition.
Castillo was also the youngest member and soloist for the award-winning Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra last year in Vienna and shone among 15 other contestants from different parts of Europe in the preliminary round to secure a spot in the finals.
Castillo was born on Aug 3, 2007 in Manila. He started playing the cello when he was five years old with his father and then with Anjo Inacay, cellist with the band, Silent Sanctuary.
Castillo’s first triumph was in 2016 when he won second prize at the competition’s Junior Category. This was followed a year later by a first place at the North International Music Competition.
The young cellist has also received two diplomas – for eminent style and for best performance of a virtuoso piece.
Damodar das Castillo is currently under the tutelage of Prof. Barbara Leubke at Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria.
Soldier’s twins excel in criminology
Filipinos are also very much into crime fighting. Take it from fraternal twins Frederick Herman Galang, and Ma. Quennie Anne Kate Galang who obtained their criminology degree at the Tarlac State University with flying colors.
The twins said they were inspired to pursue the college course by their father, ret. Lt. Col. Frederick Galang, who took them with him in military camps where he was assigned while on active duty as they were growing up.
Frederick said taking up criminology and joining the uniformed services was a “natural life course” considering it runs in the family.
The two are up for licensure exams in November. Frederick plans to go to the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) while Kate said she prefers aviation school.
Fish vendor mom sends son to medical school
This is a story of a mom’s unconditional love.
Fifty-five-year-old Nanita Ronquillo would get up at 5am every day to sell fish in the market and earn at least Php1,000, sometimes much less.
Having gone separate ways with her husband years ago after discovering he had been cheating on her and was actually having a family of his own, Nanay Nanita took it upon herself to raise her son, John Nico Ronquillo.
There were twists and turns in the story: Nanay Nanita has heart issues, making it more difficult than usual for her to meet the strenuous demands of her work.
As well, Nico would at times have to quit school and get a job when money would look the other way. He said what kept him going was seeing his mom bending all odds for him.
Nico recently finished medical school and has vowed to not let her mom work again, ever.
‘Bulakbol’ student finishes college at 64
It’s never too late for redemption and 64-year-old Generito U. Yusores is living testament to this: He got his way back to college, which he left for vice and barkada when he was young, and graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English; this, through the Western Mindanao State University External Studies Unit-Molave, Zamboanga del Sur Campus.
Yusores’ was a story of a youth sent to school by his parents but wasted the chance. He was enrolled at Ateneo de Cagayan for a course on Bachelor of Science in Agriculture.
Missed opportunities caused him to end up riding the tricycle for a living and seeing, painfully, old classmates becoming successful in life.
That was till he one day he said he couldn’t take it anymore, faced up to his mistake and went back to school, endured harsh criticisms and proved them all wrong.
