SuperD

“Nakapitong balik na ako ha!” ("I have driven back and forth for seven times!") a six-footer, ‘Batista’-figure man said when I asked him to pick up the envelope from our villa, around 10km away, to the convention hall.

Jomari Lata, father to four young children, in his mid 30’s of age, served as the company driver of Commission on Information and Communications Technology for almost a decade. A week before the First iSchools Congress, one of the staff of iSchools Project submitted a trip request form to our Administration office, stating that the team will be having a-week congress in Angeles City, Pampanga. Due to the tight schedule of company’s cars and drivers, they said that they cannot allow a driver to stay in one place for that long period of time; yet, they still gave us Lawrence Natata, another company driver to drive for us, only to bring us in the venue.

Monday, 7th of April 2008, we were scheduled to go to Pampanga to prepare things for the First iSchools Congress on the 9th until the 11th, unknowingly, that a big problem would come in our way, Lawrence was not available during that day. With a snap of a finger, we decided to call Jomari, who happens to be with his family for quality time. Duty calls! He came to the office, a quarter after noon, without any complains, he drove the Starex to Pampanga and brought the first team safely. And stayed with the team, eventually.

And his journey started as our shuttle service driver/runner/body guard. “Kuya, pakikuha sa Villa 1126 yung printer.” (“Please get the printer from Villa 1126”)
“Kuya, pakihatid itong lunch sa Villa 1098, sa exhibit area yun ha!” (“Please deliver these packed lunch to Villa 1098, it’s the exhibit area”)
“Kuya, pakihatid naman si Prof Salazar sa Clak Airport” (“Please, drive for Prof. Salazar to the Clark Airport”) I said. And after some time, he came back and said “Hindi kita makakalimutan (I won’t forget you) ‘Lucy’ (he used to call me Lucy Lui because of my ‘chinita eyes’), nawala ang phone ko dahil sa paghatid ko sa airport!” (“I lost my phone when I drove for him to the airport”)

If he would count the times he drove back and forth, it would be equivalent to the number of cigarette sticks he took while driving and to the number of villas within Mimosa Leisure Estate.

In every liter of diesel he has consumed, in every heavy boxes and baggage he has carried, and in every miles he has driven, I admire his loyalty and commitment to work, and likewise, I would say, I would never forget him.

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