Pasasalamat (for My Mentor)

Life's been going great the last few weeks. Little did I realize that it would now be 20-years to the day when I first met my greatest influence and the reason why I am what I am and where I am now. His name is “Jim”.

It was in a photo shop in Makati where we first met. This was a time when ashtrays were made available to clients despite the fact that the place was fully air-conditioned. He was a fellow customer and like me, he was getting some prints done. I casually admired the mint-condition Nikon FM he was carrying at the time. He had a distinct smoker's voice and he carried himself in a manner that was hard to miss.

A store clerk introduced me to him and we almost instantly hit it off. He was just about as old as my dad and I was pleasantly surprised that the subject in his blow-ups were something I, too was interested in—guns!

After talking about the weather and all that jazz; Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Sarah Vaughn et al, he invited me to go see him at his office which was at the time, the Department of Foreign Affairs where he and his team were special consultants. When I first walked in, I saw a distinctly funny sign which said:

“BAWAL ANG NO SMOKING”

That sign started off what would be a lifelong love for redundancies; “Tumataas ang high blood ko!”, “Magandang Good Morning!”, “Ang haba ng long-legged niya!” and many other phrases some of which I can't recall because I hardly ever use them anymore.

Jim and I would do many assignments together. I was an eager and willing student and he was a generous mentor. There was hardly anything we couldn't talk about and very few questions he couldn't answer. We covered anything and everything and we were together when Mt. Pinatubo erupted, we were behind enemy lines doing an investigative documentary, on a roof deck shooting a simulated high-angle rescue operation, a few tv commercials and audio-visual presentations, just to name a few.

We had a whole lot more adventures after that. He was sole witness to all my triumphs and failures, joy and pain. He was the only one who woke me up after a devastating break-up. A 20-year roller coaster ride with all the twists and turns one could ever ask for.

He taught me well and I do my best to review all the lessons I've picked up along the way. It was never smooth sailing the whole time. There were lots of times we would differ in opinion. We never really argued but there were some things that were always up for debate. There were things about him I didn't like. There were things he did that I wouldn't do and there were bitter pills that needed to be swallowed. I never resented him for that. There were things he made me do which I never liked or enjoyed, much less agreed to but they were life lessons he believed I needed. He stripped me of my pride and put me through humbling situations but I never once resented him for it.

I knew back then he would never make me do anything I couldn't. He would never put me through a mess I couldn't get out of. He was my inspiration. He was my idol. He was my mentor—and he could do no wrong!

I never once dreamed I would be where I am now but he knew somewhere in his wisdom, I would be exactly what I would and that I have actually surpassed all his expectations—and mine!

I remember him beam with pride when I announced that I was one among only 16-Filipinos chosen to attend a Master Class in Photojournalism under the tutelage of a Spanish master photographer. Shortly after that he migrated to the States and we momentarily lost touch.

Almost to the letter, I followed his footsteps; landing myself a few assignments in advertising, broadcast and though I never had a chance to hunt or fish—his other passions—I did manage to earn a few trophies in competitive shooting and both a nomination and a Gawad CCP for one of the independent films I was fortunate to have been part of.

We found each other again through the internet and have been constantly in touch since. From thousands of miles away, he still manages to critique my work, pat me in the back for jobs well done and puts in an advice or two on how to deal with professional and emotional disasters and keeping my feet on the ground. Of all the friends and teachers I've ever had in this short lifetime, he has been the most untiring of them all.

The production industry isn't just a business. It is a complex social institution founded on trust, faith in each others talents and strengths, familiarity, professionalism and more importantly, Humility and Gratitude! No business is ever like show business. This is where you will find the most egocentric human beings ever assembled. It is easy to see where humility and gratitude are most useful.

Jim did not put me where I am now but he planted the seeds two decades back when he invested faith in my abilities; handing me that video camera and putting me on the hot set, teaching me how to touch-type and honing my writing skills, making me watch all those movies he was fond of and never scrimping on praise or criticism.

He did not hire me for Magma, Shootfest or Public Atorni but he believed in what I could do. He believed in what I could become. It was he who bet on me and took a gamble which obviously paid off.

There are those who believe the industry is all about money though there is some truth to it. Barring talent and skill, perhaps the most valuable lesson Jim ever taught me is that without passion, humility and gratitude you will never make enough nor would you get very far.

No amount of hard currency would ever cover the spiritual expenses he incurred during my years as a “tyro”. Despite my being a fast learner, some projects never went as planned and I in fact, messed up. He taught me how to take responsibility for my actions, left me to think of ways to do damage control. Not all the lessons were handed on a plate. Most were through challenges—going through a wall of fire and making sure I got burned. Again, though I felt bad, I never once thought ill of him nor spoke an unkind word. I never lost sight of who I was and deferred to him as my teacher; something I still hold to this day and for the rest of my mortal life.

Though he never taught me this, I know having been a student once that no matter how good we think we've become, we can never stop learning. We can never be better than our mentors.