When the defense ended, Professor Santos came to s

 “Tatay can still do it. When I’m tired, I think: I’m raising a PhD—and I feel proud.”

I smiled, not daring to say that studying for a PhD requires extra work, requires even more effort. But he was the reason I didn’t allow myself to give up.

On the day of his PhD thesis defense at UP Diliman, I begged Tatay for a long time before he agreed to go. He borrowed a suit from his cousin, wore shoes that were one size too small, and wore a new hat he bought at the district market. He sat in the back row of the auditorium, trying to sit up straight, his eyes never leaving me.

After the defense, Prof. Santos shook hands with me and my family. When he came to Tatay, he suddenly stopped, looked closely, and smiled:

— “You are Mang Ben, right? When I was young, my house was near a construction site you worked on in Quezon City. I remember the time you carried an injured worker down the scaffolding, even though you were injured yourself.”

Before Tatay could say anything, the teacher was already…. moved:

— “I didn’t expect to see you here today, as the father of a new PhD. It’s truly an honor.”

I turned around: Tatay Ben smiled—a gentle smile but his eyes were red. At that moment, I understood: in his entire life, he had never asked me to repay him. Today, he was recognized—not because of me, but because of what he had silently planted for 25 years.

Now, I am a university lecturer in Manila, with a small family. Tatay no longer builds: he grows vegetables, raises chickens, reads the newspaper in the morning, and rides his bicycle around the barangay in the afternoon. Occasionally, he calls to show off the vegetable beds behind the house, telling me to go get chickens and eggs for my grandson to eat. I ask:

— “Does Tatay feel regretful about working hard all his life for his son?”

He laughs:

— “No regrets. Tatay has worked all his life—but the thing he is most proud of is building a son like you.”

I don’t answer. I just watch his hands on the screen—the hands that carry my future.

I am a PhD. Tatay Ben is a construction worker. He didn’t build a house for me—he “built” a person.

The end

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