QC employee, son both finish college

MANILA, Philippines - For 44-year-old Quezon City hall employee Dante Tabuñar, receiving his college diploma last Tuesday after more than two decades of waiting is a dream come true. But this is just half of his success story.

Tabuñar will attend another graduation ceremony next month – to witness his 20-year-old son Jomer Dhantony receive his college diploma.

“It was happiness like no other,” Tabuñar said when asked how he felt when he received his college diploma weeks before his youngest son does.

“It took me some time to realize that I have finally done it, that we have both done it,” he added.

Tabuñar, a videographer at the Public Affairs and Information Services Office (PAISO), was one of the 21 graduates of the Accelerated Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program (ABDCP) of the Quezon City Polytechnic University (QCPU). He now has a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurial Management.

His son, meanwhile, is set to receive his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics diploma during the
commencement exercises of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines on May 10.

The young Tabuñar admitted he initially thought that his father was joking when he told him that he was going to finish his college education.

“But then I realized he was serious. It was really encouraging,” he said, adding that he sometimes felt that his father was just a brother because they spend time sharing classroom experiences.

“It became our bonding moment,” he said.

He said some of his classmates were among the 1,320 students who marched with his father during the QCPU graduation rites held at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. And he was happy to tell his friends that his father was part of the QCPU Batch 2013 graduates.

“I won’t feel ashamed to tell other people that my father just received his college diploma,”he said. “I am very proud of him.”

Challenged by his daughter

Tabuñar admitted that he decided to finish his college education because he was challenged by his 22-year-old daughter Dhan Camille, who graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman with a degree in Economics.

“I decided to study because I wanted to show my daughter that I can do better than her,” he said.

He did prove that he was better. He got a general weighted average of 1.24, which is higher than the grade of their class valedictorian, who graduated magna cum laude with an average of 1.3164.

The university did not award Tabuñar with the Latin honor as he was enrolled in a special program, said QCPU vice president for operations Santiago Flora Jr. Instead, he received various awards, including certificates of merit and academic excellence.

But it was not an issue for Tabuñar. He said he was happy with what he achieved, considering all the sacrifices that he had to endure prior to receiving his diploma.

The city hall employee admitted he always wanted to have a college degree because he was afraid of what would happen to him in the future.

“Now I feel that I am complete. I know that people treat you differently when you have a diploma,”he said, citing instances when he felt that people looked down at him because they had better education than him.

“I was also afraid that my son would not be encouraged to finish his studies because his father does not have a degree,” he added. “I want to set an example not just for my children, but also for other young students out there.”

“Age doesn’t matter when it comes to education,” he said.

Not an easy task

But securing a college diploma is not as easy as it sounds. With the exception of several credited courses such as internship, ABDCP participants like Tabuñar had to complete the same curriculum used by regular students, Flora said.

And for Tabuñar, it meant juggling his role as an employee, student, son and father.

“I had to sacrifice a lot,”he said, noting that he had to attend classes from 6 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and the whole of Saturday on top his regular Monday to Friday work schedule.

“There were nights when I did not sleep at all because of the research that I had to do,” he added.

Tabuñar also admitted that he and his classmates – some of them older than him – often had a hard time during Physical Education classes because of their age. So he expressed gratitude for their professors who understood their physical limitations.

But even if he had a busy schedule, he said he never forgot his priorities: his job and his family.

Tabuñar’s boss, PAISO chief Greg Banacia, confirmed it. They both said Tabuñar never neglected his duties as a father and as an employee.

The young Tabuñar said his father always tried to find time for them despite his busy schedule, while Banacia described Tabuñar as a resourceful and intelligent employee.

“Finally, his endeavors had paid off,” Banacia said.

But for Tabuñar, the best part of graduating from college after more than two decades was seeing the happiness in the face of his 81-year-old mother.

“She was crying, and she repeatedly told me how happy she was. She even apologized for not being able to support my education,” he shared. “I said it was okay and I understand.”

Challenges in life

Tabuñar was a consistent achiever during his elementary and high school years. But he decided to drop out of college in 1989 to earn a living. At that time, he was majoring in education at the Philippine Normal University.

From studying to become a teacher, he became a security guard, a staff at a local Commission on Elections office, an employee at a printing press, and a member of a screening committee at the city hall.

When he was not reappointed in 2001, he went to Pangasinan to work as a farmer. He went back to Manila three years later because he wanted to be with his wife and children, who at that time were in their adolescent years.

“I wanted to be with them, especially during the most crucial years of their development,” he said.

But that was not the end of the challenges in his life. He worked for a bakeshop and then as a balut vendor. It was then when he met Banacia, who asked if he wanted to try working again as a city hall employee.

“I saw his determination and eagerness to work,” Banacia said. “He was very upbeat and friendly with the employees.”

Tabuñar eventually secured a permanent item at the Administrative Management Office and he requested to remain detailed at PAISO. He said he would never leave his boss, who opened a lot of doors for him.

Public service

Now that he has an undergraduate degree, Tabuñar said he still wants to pursue higher education. He wants to have a master’s degree either in Public Administration or Community Development from UP.

“I have always wanted to teach,”he said, adding that he wants to share his blessings with the younger – or even older – generation.

He advised students who encounter financial problems to look for scholarships or become working students, saying they must always prioritize their education.

“Education is very important,”he said.“We must not stop ourselves from learning new things.”