The reason why I decided to start this fundraiser is, I happened to come across Sir Serge on Wednesday May 10, 2017 outside a BPI branch Dau. Having seen the recent "pray for Serge" posts across Facebook from classmates and batchmates (2006) I know and knowing Sir Serge to be generally an easy going guy I decided to ask him jokingly, what's up with that? I never expected his answer to be that grim.

We really didn't talk that much aside from what his current condition is (which is still unclear to be honest) and he said a few tests were done to him and he is undergoing radiation therapy. We also talked on how things are going on for me and what kind of work am I currently doing. Our conversation didn't last more than 5 minutes because 1.) it was outside the bank at 2pm and 2.) he told me he had to go because he has an appointment with some doctor, we said our goodbyes and I told him it was nice to meet him again given the predicament.

I was left in a state of existential paranoia (if there is even such a thing) after our conversation knowing that life really can sometimes take a big hot wet dump on you even if you've done nothing to deserve it and it made me realize that teachers, whether you love them or hate them, do the most noble of all professions. Looking back in highschool I consider myself far from St Dominic Savio (and I know a lot of you are) but teachers let up to your silly whining and hissy fit and spoiled-rich-kid syndrome not just because they have to but because they are trained professionals who, no matter what the pay stub says by the end of the month, would still go to school the next day and deal with our unruly behavior, and general rotten attitude as kids studying in an all boys school. And if that isn't noble enough for you, I don't know what you would consider otherwise.

Sir Serge is a computer teacher and with the current job market regarding IT professionals here and abroad he can easily ditch his teaching chops and get a job that will pay him 10 or 20 times more than what he currently makes, but he never did that. He has the necessary skill to make it in the IT industry and the professionalism of being a teacher but instead, he decided to still continue teaching boys and share his knowledge however trivial it is or his sensibilities even if you have no idea what life really is after you're done being a kid or a student, and cancer, isn't a fitting reward nor a good retirement plan for someone who gave so much to his profession and gained too little in terms of monetary reward relative to his skills and marketability.

I started this fundraiser to give back to Sir Serge and to show him that even within that 5 awfully awkward minutes of talking to a teacher I haven't met in God knows how long, just to know that there is a possibility that our sons won't get to know Mang Mags of DBA anymore,That I understand him and I know that what he is going through, that this is not something that someone or some family can easily overcome and that all of his sacrifices, anger management, sleepless nights calculating grades of 500 some students (which I think he does, in a way :P) and making lesson plans won't be rewarded by some nasty affliction that breaks even the toughest man's soul from the inside out.

Let's show Sir Serge that he's not battling this alone, that there is an army of young unruly boys a decade ago who turned out to be responsible men, hardworking pros, loving husbands, good sons that their parents can be proud of and generally good and honest law abiding citizens and a part of it happened because we had a certain Mang Mags as our computer teacher back in the day. If he had been your class adviser, if you liked the way he was teaching your class, if you played ragnarok online together, if he saved your ass from getting your grades and dreams thrown out of the window, if you offended him because you're nothing but a spoiled me-me-me punk back in the day, if you wanna say sorry, if you wanna say thanks or even if you just wanna say he did a good job. Now is the perfect time to do it.

Kool Ka Lang, sir, we got you this time.