02/06/2026
Happy Birthday, Sir Al! 🫶🥳
A simple “Happy Birthday” would hardly do justice to a life and career that have touched so many. And so, as you celebrate your 65th birthday and retirement, here is what we wish to tell you:
"𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻."
This will be a little brave but we’re not holding it in, because you are the one who taught us to be brave. 🔥
Sir Al, you taught us that leadership is not about being liked. It is about making decisions that others are unwilling to make and accepting the consequences that come with them. Many saw the strictness and questioned you, but not everyone saw the burden you carried.
✨ You were a mover of people and a mobilizer of ideas, yet you were never one to seek the spotlight. You saw actors and talents where others saw none, where others saw only hopeless cases. You welcomed even the broken, believing there was always something greater within them than their struggles and limitations. More often than not, you refused to believe in limits – pushing for thirty years older that they could still be youth and serve the youth; that when there’s a lack of budget, we can always pursue national grants; that it’s not impossible to bring national stages to the rural communities of Capiz; and that one could immerse himself in a place he was not even born into and come to understand its cultural wealth deeply. And for that, no one can ever contest the love you have for Capiz, nor the depth with which you have come to know it inside and out.
You worked mostly behind the scenes, building connections, inspiring action, pushing people who wouldn’t even jump or take a leap, and bringing visions to life while others stood at the forefront. But the thing is, no matter how much you choose to remain behind the curtain, great work will always reveal the hands and the mind that made it possible.
But if there is one thing we admire most, Sir Al, it is this: you accepted misunderstanding and withstood criticism, even when it meant standing alone, because you knew that preserving culture, strengthening tourism, safeguarding heritage, and promoting the arts required more than applause - it required commitment. And that kind of commitment is not for everybody. It belongs only to those willing to carry a cause greater than themselves. It belongs to those who have the courage to be disliked, and the resolve to continue even when their ideas are dismissed.
You had the courage to be disliked, and the courage to face the unknown, because you believed that protecting the people's identity and heritage was a cause far greater than personal recognition. You worked intentionally and tirelessly because you possessed the foresight to see that the spirit of the greater Capisnon community must endure for generations to come.
Sir Al, Nong Al, Maal, Boss, Tatay Al, to be a mentee under you was challenging, because you yourself were a challenge. Yet it was only after those difficult moments, the trials, the banter, and even the occasional disagreements, that we came to understand one of the greatest lessons you taught us: that 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. And we loved that about you - that you never pampered us from difficulty. You believed that the very conditions that challenged us were the same conditions that would forge us, preparing us to become the safeguards our people would one day need when it counts the most.
It was you who reminded us that we are not working for you…that we are working for the people. And because of that, we cannot afford not to work. Believe us, Sir Al, we are reminded of that every single day.
And now we see that you did not say those words simply because they were true. You said them because they have always been a part of who you are. It has always been innate to your being that when we choose to lead, the goal is never ourselves - the goal is always to serve the people, and serve God by serving the people.
And in the end, when time has given everyone the clarity that the present often denies, when they finally have something to celebrate and something to be proud of before the world - they will understand that all that was done, and all that was said, were necessary. They will see that many of the things they now cherish were built upon decisions that required courage, and that 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.
We have nothing…but love and immense gratitude. THANK YOU, SIR AL! ❤️ For your mentorship, and for the many ways you helped us beyond the boundaries of work, we have even more reasons to be grateful to you. Thank you for seeing us as more than just employees....for recognizing our vulnerabilities, understanding our struggles, and supporting us when we needed it.
Happy Birthday 🤩🥳🎂, and may this well-earned retirement give you the freedom to pursue the dreams, passions, and joys that have long waited for your time and attention. And of course, do more of the things your heart desires. Because well…we know you won’t just sit down. 😂😂😂
Love,
Your PTCAO family.
