Ang Pahayagan

In this fast-paced world, it is easy to forget the quiet strength that helps keep us grounded.

Fathers have that undeniable power with their command and influence as the head of the family. More than their traditional role as providers, they are present and active as protectors, teachers, and builders, who balance duty and devotion across work, home, and community.

This Father’s Day, Transition Business Group (TBG) of Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower) honors that kind of power—that helps strengthen the family bond. Because when fathers choose love over comfort and presence over ease, they don’t just raise children. They raise the future generation.

The Promise in Showing Up

For Anthony Ortega, Heavy Equipment Operator at AboitizPower subsidiary Therma South, Inc., becoming a father at 29 was a surprise, but one that rewrote the trajectory of his life. He didn’t grow up imagining what kind of dad he’d be. But when he first held his daughter, everything changed. He named her Antonette—after himself. “She carries my name,” he said, his voice swelling with pride. “That alone makes me want to be the best man I can be.”

Life, however, didn’t unfold the way he envisioned. While he was already working in AboitizPower and raising a young family, the relationship with his partner came to an end. “I thought I could carry the weight,” he shared. “But after one long shift, I got on the company van and just cried. Tremendously. Quietly. I didn’t know where the pain would go.”

In that silence, he faced a choice: retreat or rise. He chose to rise. Anthony poured everything he had into his work and his role as a father, determined to become someone his daughter could be proud of.

Antonette lives far from Anthony, but he visits her regularly, taking any chance to remind her she’s never forgotten. In the early years, she struggled with questions and whispers from classmates, often bullied for not having her father around. That changed one day when Anthony showed up at her school, still in his AboitzPower uniform.

“She ran to me, hugged me so tight, and introduced me to her friends like I was a hero,” he recalled. “As if saying, ‘See? I have a dad. And he came for me.’”

That moment transformed him. “It was the first time I truly felt seen—not just as a worker or provider, but as her father.” He carries that feeling through long shifts and quiet nights away. “I may not be there every day,” he said, “But she will never feel abandoned. I want her to grow up knowing she was always worth the journey.”

The Family We Choose to Build

For some, fatherhood isn’t something lost and reclaimed, but something they never imagined having at all.

Kim Harvey Jobo, a Security Senior Specialist at TVI, never pictured himself as a family man. Orphaned at just six, he was raised by a loving aunt who taught him that “love doesn’t have to hurt.” Still, he grew up feeling the absence of his parents, thinking that absence was all he could offer others.

That changed when he met Armalyn, a single mother whose daughter, Amanda, took to Kim with surprising ease. “The first time Amanda reached for my hand… something clicked,” he explained. “For the first time, I didn’t feel like I was missing something—I felt like I could give”.

 In loving them, Kim found a family he never thought he deserved. He chose to become a father, beginning the process of adopting Amanda out of a love that felt real and right. Today, their family includes two more children, Arky Veni and baby Arc Kiara.

But the joy came with challenges. Working in Toledo while his family was in Cebu meant Kim was often away. The wake-up call came when Amanda asked for help with homework and saw his packed calendar. Her question cut through him: “Where do I fit in your schedule, Papa?”.

“That moment broke me,” he said. “I had worked so hard to become a father, and yet I was slowly becoming absent in the one way that mattered most.”

He vowed to be more present, emotionally and physically. He credits the support he received at AboitizPower, especially from a team leader who understood when family needed to come first. “Fatherhood taught me that love doesn’t need to be perfect,” Kim reflected. “It just needs to be present. I never saw myself as a dad, but now, I can’t see myself as anything else”.

A Legacy of Faith and Fortitude

Sometimes, the choice to build a family is rooted in a sacred promise.

Aljamel Sabate, a father of three from Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, made such a vow long before his children were born. With his wife working overseas, he is the primary presence at home, raising their three young sons. “I told myself: when the time comes, I will raise them right—with love, with faith, and with all I can give”.

Rooted in deep Islamic faith, Jamel sees parenting as a spiritual calling. “As a father, it’s not enough to just provide. I must guide them, spiritually and emotionally. I want them to see how faith can shape their lives.” he said.

But devotion alone doesn’t pay the bills. Jamel faced work uncertainties because he lacked formal credentials. An opportunity arose through a partnership between Therma South, Inc. and TESDA, allowing him to earn his NC II Masonry certification.

“That certification wasn’t just a piece of paper. It gave me a way to stand taller,” he said. “The training opened the door, and the work TSI gave us helped us walk through it. I’m thankful for the trust”.

Driven to do more, Jamel is now a first-year college student in Islamic Law and Education, balancing work, single-parenting, and his studies. “It’s hard,” he admitted. “But my children are watching. If I want to teach them about strength, discipline, and faith, I need to live it”.

The Power in a Lifelong Commitment

A commitment to living with purpose can define a man’s entire career. Fourteen years ago, Regil Kent Tumacas began his journey at the construction site of what would become GNPower Mariveles Energy Center (GMEC). From his first day, he saw it as a calling.

Today, as a Control Room Operator, he holds a critical role ensuring the safe and efficient delivery of electricity to communities across Luzon. “It’s pressure, yes. But it’s also pride,” Regil said. “Knowing that the lights in thousands of homes are on because of the choices you make, it humbles you”.

This vital work requires sacrifice. With his family in Masbate, an island province far from Bataan, he has missed countless family moments. “There were nights when I’d finish my shift and just sit in silence, thinking of home,” he shared. “But I also think of what I’m building for them—stability, dignity, a future brighter than what I had”.

He sees his work as an extension of his love. “Behind every bulb, there are fathers like me—far from home, focused on duty,” he explained. “Just like electricity, love travels—even across distances. And that’s what keeps me going”.

Regil’s loyalty to his work is unwavering. “I always say GMEC wasn’t just my first choice—it’s my only choice. Parang sa asawa, hindi mo na kailangan maghanap ng iba. (Like your partner in life, you don’t have to look for another.) That kind of loyalty means everything”.

In the quiet hours of night shifts, in early morning commutes, and in the spaces between duty and devotion, modern fathers carry more than responsibility. They carry a legacy.

From plant floors to prayer rooms, from school gates to control rooms, the fathers of AboitizPower show us that strength isn’t about lifting—it’s about holding on. Holding onto purpose. Holding space for love. Holding up a future that is not always easy, but is always worth the effort.

Their journeys remind us that power doesn’t just run through wires; it runs through the hands of men who choose to show up, to stay, and to grow.

This Father’s Day, we celebrate them. They may not always be seen, but their impact is always felt. Because in the end, it’s not just about keeping the lights on. It’s about keeping hearts warm, futures bright, and families strong. That is the enduring power of fatherhood. (PR)