A MAN OF SOBRIETY AND GENEROUS DISPOSITION

By: Norberto Betita

PERLITO CRISOLOGO LOPEZ

Even at a young age, his noble character was already evident. Although he lived in the light of his father’s prominence as the Provincial Treasurer of the Province of Surigao del Norte and at the same time the trustee of a unit of the Philippine National Bank prior to the formal establishment of the PNB branch, he and his siblings were living in ordinary humble predispositions. His display of personality traits showed no ostentations. He was just that ordinary high school boy in a devastated public high school where the classrooms were described by one American Peace Corps volunteer, who happened to be our Science teacher in first year, as “worse than a cow’s stable”. He and his siblings could have been afforded comfortable learning environment in a private high school by their parents, but for reasons unknown they chose to be in such seemingly unpleasant classroom atmosphere, the school having been ravaged by the devastating fury of typhoon “Ining” (Louise) in late 1964 with wind velocity of 310 km/hour.

PERLITO CRISOLOGO LOPEZ was among the Surigao del Norte National High School (SNNHS) batch 1969 cream of the crop. He is gifted with intelligence and wisdom which made him consistently a part of our class honor roll. He was that tall and skinny, but best dressed young man in our class. By their financial standing he could have been provided with the best school bag but he instead used a personally fabricated string carrier for his books and notebooks.

With friends and classmates during the Senior's Prom (3rd from right)

He has a very natural calm personality; a very friendly young man, who is no respecter of persons. He loved best the least among his youthful associates. He is not easily provoked; his temperance is impeccable. His benevolence came in display by his willingness to share his family’s abundance to the least of his friends and classmates.

I was privileged to be among his circle of friends of which, in all comparisons, I considered myself the least. Yet he treated me never with imparity. He always made it sure that I am in attendance during his sumptuous birthday celebrations and always made me feel I am no different from his prominent visitors. During recess or class suspensions, he would invite me and some classmates to their home and there listen to long playing albums of popular music of that time, and enjoy treats of salads and cakes and pastries prepared by his very humble mother. He was always our most charitable host. Sometimes during Saturdays and holidays, he would come to our cottage and taught me how to ride his bicycle. I learned cycling through him. His natural attributes merits for him a fitting description as being a man of sobriety and generous disposition. 

He graduated fourth honors (2nd honorable mention) from SNNHS in 1969 and qualified for admission in one of the best and oldest universities in the Philippines and Asia---University of Santo Tomas---one of the world’s largest catholic universities in terms of enrollment on one campus. He pursued his childhood dream of earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

With family--wife Nenita and sons Paolo and Tonton

College life was a lot easier for him in so far as support resources were concerned. His educational needs and other financial requirements were well provided. With his inherent brilliance learning was not so much of a problem. Yet his journey to success was not all ease and comfort. As it is, all those who walked the earthly thoroughfare must experience some unwanted roadblocks and has to face some wiles of adversity along the way. During one of his travels to Manila, while patiently waiting for the connecting trip, his somber countenance, good looks and clean fashioned physical appearance attracted the cunning eye of a devil’s advocate. He was subjected to a guileful ploy and expert maneuver of a seasoned swindler. He was robbed of everything save a short pant, T-shirt, a slipper and boat ticket back home to Surigao City. Such was perhaps his most undesirable encounter in his youthful life which experience earned for him some lessons of life. Since then he was never allowed by his father to ride a boat to Manila while yet a student. 

Eventually, he completed his mechanical engineering degree exactly as scheduled for five years, graduating in March 1974.

Since graduation from college he had an almost uninterrupted career path for more or less 42 years. His first job was with the Pacific Cement Company, Power Plant Department in Surigao City. He was in such employment for two years as Engine Operator. He then joined Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines (PICOP) as Engineer Trainee and resigned in August 1993 as Technical Assistant to the Assistant Vice President for Maintenance and Engineering Division. It was during this employment at PICOP that he met his beloved wife Nenita Palma. They were blessed with two sons.

With his dearly beloved Nenita

Banking on his expertise and long-time plant maintenance experience, he was pirated by a former Maintenance and Engineering Manager to be a part of the Trust International Paper Corporation (TIPCO) as Plant Engineering Manager. He left the company in December 1998 as Project Engineering Manager. 

After a short two months rest, he was again employed on February 1999 with R. Dan and Company, Inc. as Project Manager. He was promoted in the year 2000 to the position of Plant Manager as replacement of a German Expatriate. He is currently in the same position, hopefully until his retirement on November 7, 2017 at age 65. God willing, he is still desirous to work as consultant should the company needs him after his mandatory retirement.

Notwithstanding his very demanding job schedule as plant maintenance and engineering executive, he finds time to keep his secular and spiritual life in balance. He served as Lay Minister in the Sto. Niño Parish, Brgy. Sto. Niño, San Mateo, Rizal. Perhaps, he had been motivated by the popular lines written by Etienne de Grellet (1773-1855) which we learned from our literature class and which was long an inscription on the gate of the Surigao City Pilot School: “I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” He has given almost two thirds of his earthly existence creating a portrait of a career driven life. Now he wanted to paint for himself a masterpiece of a service centered soul.

During the Jr's Prom

He and his wife Nenita Palma-Lopez are also members of the Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life. His wife is a Medical Technologist but stopped her practice when they transferred to Manila after Perlito was hired by TIPCO. She now dedicates her time in service to the community as Barangay Councilor. Their two sons are both married, but they are still longing for grandchildren. The youngest migrated to Australia while the eldest is expecting a baby.

It’s been 48 years since high school graduation and Perlito’s physique remained as it was during his teenage days---slim and pleasingly proportioned. Many of us, his peers, like the idea of being fit but equally desired for more food and so ended up kind-of-fit, semi-fit, and mostly with bulging bellies. Yet more than the retention of his physical attractiveness, he remained to be that humble, benevolent and dignified man; indeed, a man of sobriety and generous disposition. As a friend he stands out in thoughtfulness.

His technical skills and expertise coupled with long years of experience in plant maintenance and engineering may have provided him with greater and more rewarding opportunities abroad, but he chose to stay and contribute his technical capabilities in our country’s development. His career may not have been financially rewarding as it is abroad, but he finds joy and contentment being closest to his family and serving God and His people.