FIFTY-five-year old Vernon Jaca Sr. worked as a quality control manager in Hong Kong from 2000 to 2010, but a weekend call from one of his children prompted him to come home for good.
“It was almost Christmas when my child asked if I will be going home for the holidays. I said I can’t because of work but I will just be sending them a balikbayan box for Christmas,” he said.
To his surprise, his child told him they didn’t need the balikbayan box because what they needed was their father. He decided to go home for good to make up for lost time with his family.
“I was the happiest mother and wife when he finally decided to come home,” said Jaca’s 47-year-old wife, Lilibeth.
Since then, he has been involved in online moneymaking sites and stocks investments while Lilibeth also has work of her own.
While he was in Hong Kong, Jaca and five other Cebuanos established the group PINOCCHIO or the “Pinoy from Cebu in China Organization” to unite Cebuanos and assist each other.
Jaca’s works, and the achievements of his family members, made them win the Model Family Award for land-based category.
The winner for the sea-based category, ship captain Reinerio Tiro, is not a stranger to awards. He was a Bagong Bayani Awardee in 2009 by the Office of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Tiro rescued people from the troubled MV Asian Mars which was en route to Newcastle, Australia last March 11, 2009.
According to the website of the Bagong Bayani Foundation Inc., “the Filipino captain gave warm food and clothing to the 22 Chinese survivors before transferring them to a Japanese patrol boat.”
Tiro has been a ship captain for 22 years.
The two families each received P20,000, a trophy and a cellphone unit from Globe. /CORRESPONDENT Jose Santino S. Bunachita