The story of John P. Virgino

E·N·Q·U·I·R·Y
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL

The story of John P. Virgino
Sunday, 07 06, 2008

Lawyer Johnas Lamorena sent me this essay by John Virgino, Senior Legal Manager of TeaM Energy Corp., a company engaged in energy generation:

“When I was offered a job in this company, I asked for a sign whether to accept the offer or not. As I had a lot of things in my mind, I accidentally slipped on my way to submit my acceptance letter. The fall was inevitable: my hands and legs touched-base, then my cheeks and my nose kissed the ground. I stood up, putting a brave face, hiding the embarrassment, as I saw pieces of my dignity scattered all over. I never knew how bad it was, until I realized people giving me the stare. I was bleeding all over. I cleansed my face. I did not appreciate the humor of the universe that day, and realized how stupid I was to let the alignment of the stars decide my future. I stopped believing in signs. I submitted my letter, bandaged and all.

“After two years in the company, I could say that transferring was the smartest thing I did.

“The incident never surprised me, as I am used to not immediately getting what I want. I am a veteran to hardships. My life has never been easy. My mother, a single parent, struggled to send me to a private school, at a measly government employee’s salary. When she retired, the money she received was used to pay off our debts. In school, I remember missing out on exams because I did not have the money to pay my tuition. I was on top of my class but I could not take the exams! I remember pawning our appliances, one by one, and moving from house to house because we could not afford to pay the rent. During PE classes, I was mocked while I tried to play basketball in my leather shoes because I could not afford to buy a pair of rubber shoes. I did not lose heart. I concentrated in academics, because I knew that it will be my only ticket out of poverty. I assured myself that it was only temporary, and things will get better. I tried my luck in scholarships, and I got into UP. Despite the low tuition, I still found myself struggling. The scholarship money I had was given to my mother for rent. Whatever little I had left was spent for photocopying school materials. When asked to join my classmates for lunch, I would make up excuses. In truth, I was very hungry. I sought refuge in the library, feeding my intellectual hunger instead.

“I look back at the hard life I had, and I have no regrets. It gave me character, to face adversity, to never quit. We all have the unique and amazing ability to weather the most difficult circumstances. Surviving is ingrained in us. It is not my intention to romanticize poverty; I am still grateful, for it has given me the maturity to view life's adversities. I never allowed myself to be a burden to anyone. I learned early on to be pro-active, and my personal philosophy is that, ‘those who were given less, should strive for more.’ I never took pity from anyone, because I did not deserve any. Life is what you make of it. I knew that I will be the product of the choices I will make in life. I dreamt of a solid future. I know I have the power within me to change my future and to create a better life for myself and my family. I just need to make the most of the cards that I was dealt, to play with my strengths, my weaknesses and to learn from my failures. I remained positive and believed in myself. I did not listen to those who doubted me - their doubts just fueled my drive to succeed. I knew my worth. I persevered. I graduated with honors. I decided to pursue further studies and was fortunate to have been selected for an international scholarship.

“I look back to my past with gratitude. I could have chosen another path and my life would have been completely different. I am a professional now, a far cry from the impoverished scrawny kid that I was in La Loma. Even as I now wear leather shoes only for work, now I own several pairs of rubber shoes and I run marathons here and in Asia. The stability in this company has given me the opportunity to grow as an individual, to pursue other things and enjoy life.

“As a runner, I use the solitude to collect my thoughts. Running itself has been my metaphor for life. We need to live our own life, run our own race, at our own pace. No one, but ourselves, will bring us closer to the finish line. Each step forward is a step to realizing our potential. We just need to carry on and let not the hardships break our spirit. We just need to carry the distance no matter how daunting. The difficult choices and the sacrifices we make along the way will, in the long run, prove to be most rewarding.

“This is my story.”

This was the winning piece of John for his company’s anniversary celebration.

I used to work with John and Johnas for Senator Edgardo Angara. John graduated from UP Manila magna cum laude and from the UP College of Law in 2000. He left in 2003 to pursue a masteral law course at the American University. His thesis, “Power Without Accountability: Unbundling the Moral Hazard Problem in the Philippine Power Market” won for him recognition, meriting an unabridged publication in the UP Law Journal. John is an expert in the field of utilities regulation.

Congratulations, John! You have come a long way, running away from those lean days in La Loma.

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