The Bottomline with Boy Abunda, my Saturday late night habit.
Tonight I find inspiration in Diosdado Banatao. The opening vtr for the show really didn't do justice to what their guest has achieved for decades now. As a viewer, and If I am not a fan of the show, would get my remote and switch channels. Like who the h*** is that man?! But fortunately, I am not that viewer. So it went on to his very brief profile. And one word made me watch him, "Cagayano". Wow! my kababayan.
So Diosdado Banatao is a Filipino billionaire based in the USA. He takes pride in being part of the Silicon Valley, I believe a hub for tech people in the very advanced technological world. He and his company develops hardwares and works hand in hand with the likes of once the World's Richest Man Bill Gates and had encounters with the famous Apple visionary Steve Jobs whom he regard by the way as "pain in the ass". Haha! He has his humble roots in Iguig Cagayan.
What was notable in the interview was his approach towards questions by the host. I can sense Boy Abunda was a little bit scared to throw questions. He should be, that person was like BIG so he'd better be careful. But fair enough, Tito Boy did his magic. He made him answer questions like "Lights on or lights off?" which he found himself lost and speechless for a while but answering a few. Thank God Tito Boy didn't ask the famous "Boxers or briefs?". But that would be interesting! Mr. Banatao was straight forward. He said he dislikes unions. He didn't answer questions like "How much are you worth?". He envisions a better world through quality education. He made political declarations, he is voting for Romney in the next elections. That man is "THE MAN".
I take inspiration in him because he was not the typical story of rugs to riches. He was poor coming from an infamous town in Cagayan maybe a lot of you may not have heard yet. But they were never deprived especially of food. He takes pride that his father is a farmer, in his words "Pag farmer laging may pagkain". He said he didn't celebrate birthdays because he wasn't comfortable with it. And this took me, his most memorable childhood memory, going to church alone and that's how he celebrated his birthday. Mr Banatao went to Mapua to finish college and eventually leaving the country for Standford University and making it big in the states. Not the typical rugs to riches story because since day one he believed he was "able".
I take pride that he's from my province. I didn't know about a Dado Banatao until a while ago. He inspires me that I am affected with what he is and did to become the man that he is today. He said he didn't dream. And I interpret it as He didn't dream because he was busy living. And that starts for me today. I will be "able" like he is.
I like to believe that he was infamous until an hour ago. Now we know that there is an admirable man in this world proud of his roots and has this vision and work for the Filipinos. I rally behind him for his vision of good education as the solution to end poverty. II hope everyone gets to be like him. As determined and as brave. I boast of him as my kababayan and this country's pride.
His characteristics I think is apparent in every successful man's story. Determined, Believes he is able, strong willed and lastly believes in his God.
Tito Boy leaves us with what Dada Banatao told him, "Only the paranoid survives". And I agree. Luckily I am both paranoid, infamous and poor. But I am determined, I stick to what I believe in and I believe in my God. Well I think the future's bright for me then.
Michael Foz
June 3, 2012 / 2:OOAM
No comments:
Post a Comment