A 46-year-old welder and seafarer is a proud father to his son who topped the Electrical Engineering Licensure Examination this year.
Omar Romulus Arzadon, who hails from San Fernando, La Union is overwhelmed when he learned that his son, King Joshua Duldulao Arzadon, 22, ranked second in the PRC Licensure exam.
“I was overwhelmed and the news was brought to the entire of my crew and all of us here celebrate the first day until now.. we filipinos have a saying that goes in our language like this, sakit ng kalingkingan dama ng buong katawan. Same is true in our victories that we as family are all partakers of the same joy and blessings of any member of the family gains..one for all all for one,” said Omar Arzadon.
Arzadon has been an OFW for more than 12 years. For him, the biggest challenge as a father is being away while his kids are growing up.
“The most challenging part is to fight the battle of loneliness and homesickness the feeling of wanting to cuddle my kids in my arms and sleepless nights dreaming to be with them,” said Arzadon.
But Omar said seeing how his kids are achieving in life, his sacrifices as na OFW are all worth it.
“I decided to work abroad for the reason as to provide a better living and it all paid off but all of this will be worthless if we don’t have the right relationship with God,” said Arzadon.
Proud Father
When asked what is his message to his topnotcher son, Omar Arzadon said that he is a proud dad.
“To my son it’s always been my joy to be a father to all of you not withstanding the shame and pain for my self but my joy to give you all the best not only food shelter money education but most especially the assurance of salvation on how to be a true son of GOD,” said Arzadon.
King Joshua, said that he feels the same. He shared in an interview with The Filipino Times that he can only thank his father for all the hard work that he has put into providing for them.
“Maybe the challenge for having an OFW parent is having quality time with our father due to time differences and the workload he has. I am very grateful for them since they were able to balance their responsibilities as our parents. They were able to provide our needs and see to it that we are in the right path. They did not lack in showing their love and support to all of us,” said King Joshua Arzadon.
King Joshua, a graduate of St. Louis University in Baguio City, said he only prepared for the examination in just three months which is why he did not expect that he will end up as one of the top 10 highest scorers in the examination.
“It is so overwhelming and surreal. I still cannot believe that I have placed that high during our boards. To achieve such feat is not quite easy and for me I had to manage my time very well since I only had 3 months to prepare. I followed the review schedule given by the review center I enrolled in. I also need to answer many problems a day. I was not consistent in it but I always pushed myself to do the bare minimum for my review. Thankfully, all those hard work paid off,” said King Joshua.
Right now, he is enjoying his vacation with his family and is currently processing his work applications.
“This might be the longest vacation or rest I may have before entering another phase in my life,” said King Joshua.
Arzadon said he is blessed to have supportive parents and siblings.
“I am forever grateful of all the sacrifices, teachings, and support you both has given not only to me but all of my siblings. Your characters may be different from each other but they perfectly complement each that makes a wonderful pair of parents for us. Soon, all of your hard work will pay off and one day we’ll be the ones to support you. We love you,” said King Joshua Arzadon.
