Identity: An Interview with the New LAYAG Adviser

Who am I?

That’s a question people ask themselves a lot. Whether who they are as people, as professionals, or as beings. Whether the answer to that question is rational, spiritual, or aesthetic. Whether who we are physically or philosophically.

The limits to the answers to the question are infinite and universal but for one man, a simple answer is enough, one that defines him to the core.

On the 3rd of March 2020, Tuesday.  I sat down with Mr. Manuel Hassan V. Borinaga, an instructor at Saint Joseph Institute of Technology – Maritime Education and Training (SMET) campus and one of the advisers of SMET LAYAG Publication to delve deeper into his personality and what made him the man he is today.

Tell me something about yourself.

My name is Manuel Hassan Villon-Borinaga, I have plenty of nicknames by the way; my family calls me Nuel, my friends call me Babs, at the school they call me Manman, and in the academe, they call me Sir Bors. I am already 30 years old. I finished my Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication at the University of San Jose – Recoletos in 2012. I was also a seminarian for 7 years and decided to go out because I felt that it was not the life that I wanted as it was the decision of my parents. When I was young, I wanted to be a seafarer, but it wasn’t realized because of the influence of my parents. I took up Mass Communication because I love films and writing stories. However, I did not pursue a career in the film industry because it was quite expensive to pursue. Being an adult now, I can make my own decisions and decide on what I want. Now, I am an instructor pursuing education because for the very first time I was inspired to implore knowledge and give something to the younger generation. As time went on, I realized that probably, I was born to be an educator.

So sir, you wanted to be a seafarer before? 

Yes, I did. It wasn’t realized due to the influence of my parents. Growing up, I really wanted to and coming here in SMET, it was a blessing. I was informed I would be teaching here at the SMET campus and I immediately grabbed the opportunity because I would be dealing with future seafarers. I mean, I’ll be helping a younger generation to pursue a career that I once dreamed of.

We’ve heard that you had a knack for journalism back in the day, care to share your experiences with us?

Being a Mass Communication student, I cannot escape the influence of the journalism industry. I took my on-the-job training at Sun Star Publication in its English counterpart. From my experience there, I had learned news writing and I was assigned to police beat reporting. I enjoyed the experience but at the same time, the experience told me that I should not pursue journalism at that time because of gender discrimination as policemen I encountered would be less accommodating to me than they would be to female reporters, which made me think that I would never be successful as a journalist back in those days if I pursued it.

If journalism wasn’t for you, then what attracted you to be one of LAYAG’s advisers?

When I finished Mass Communication, I promised myself that I’d be into the journalism industry until the challenging experiences I had. When I eventually landed into the academe, I had an encounter with some of LAYAG’s staffers and cadets saying that SMET had a publication, but it was an online publication. I was looking for printed materials or newsletters because I believe that each college or each school must have a publication. That’s my view because that was my experience in my college days. Before suggesting the production of a newsletter to the publication, I love reading the outputs of my students and I realized that there’s untapped potential in the publication. I then had a discussion with some of the cadets and we had a connection and the same passion for journalism and through our talks, I felt like I was able to brighten the flames that ignited this pursuit. I asked why not make a newsletter because it’s high time for them to leave a legacy because there’s potential, to showcase the talents of these cadets and allow them to gain recognition for their work. I know it’s more traditional than being an online publication but through printed material, I believe we can leave a legacy in this institution.

As you’ve begun your journey here at SMET, what do you wish to accomplish as an instructor here and an adviser of LAYAG?

First is as an instructor, I always hope that all of my students will have the confidence in whatever they do; be it in written works, oral recitation, anything. I want them to build confidence because it is a vital factor in their lives and will assist them in their careers such as job interviews, demonstrations, onboard practices, everything becomes a piece of cake once confidence is developed in them. As an adviser of LAYAG, I am very glad that the staffers are on the right track on boosting their confidence and that they were not forced to join and instead they volunteered to do so. That is a stepping-stone towards boosting confidence in them for volunteering. With plenty of activities that LAYAG will cater very soon, these staffers will become leaders as well. They will handle and cater to activities and through such activities, they can practice leadership. One thing I foresee is that all of the cadets can experience becoming a leader. A leader will not be an effective leader if the leader isn’t confident. I tell you that confidence is seriously important. Being a LAYAG adviser, how I wish that whatever we plan, whatever goals we set, they will be achieved with the helping hand of each member. I envy you because there were only 12 staffers in our publication, but you have 41 staffers, a great number for a publication team! It is impossible for a publication with that amount of staffers to not accomplish goals that’s been set right now, with such an amount of leaders. I hope goals will be materialized with the number of staffers that we have.

Is there an accomplishment you’re proud of? Why?

Well not to carry my own chair but, graduating with Latin honors is an accomplishment for a student who’s dedicated to studies. Graduating with Latin honors was the greatest gift I could give to my parents and I tell you if you graduate with Latin honors, applying for a job will be so much easier. Also in college was one of the highlights of my life, I joined an inter-school speech festival and competed in the extemporaneous speech category. I represented my school and was the first person to speak. I was ready and prepared but, when the time came, nothing came out of my mouth. It was a bad experience for me because my school was cheering me on until it turned into silence when I couldn’t utter a word. The judges asked me to sit down. As I sat, I reflected upon what just happened. I then realized that failure is a must. Failure is a must because you need to grow. I grew to be more open and honest about failure. I applied this kind of thinking to my students, that I won’t force and squeeze words out of them and that if they don’t know something, then they can tell me and be honest about it. I will respect that because failure is a necessity for success.

Do you have a motto in life? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?

When I encounter this question, this may sound cliché or too millennial, but it would have to be “You only live once.” I have to make the best of every day and be good to the people around me. I only have one life, so why not be good? There are plenty of times that I may be angry or impatient, but I always get into my mind that people live only once, so why not be good anyway? As an instructor, you will have students who are stubborn, who cheat, and other vices. I have the right to take the paper of the cheater and tear it apart because it is a complete insult to me and let me tell you this; I actually did that before, but I gave the student another paper and told him not to do it next time. When I encounter such situations, I’m reminded that I only live once and that I have to make the best of my every day. It’s my choice to be good and if I can spread that mindset to someone, then that is good but if not, then it’s okay because that’s their choice too.

With everything you’ve just said right now, we’ve come to the final question. Who are you?

You know, that is a rather difficult question. If I am to answer from my point-of-view, I’d love to say that I am an educator. The first thing I realized was that I love working in the academe, that’s when I felt internal happiness. As a student, I would always be attentive and assertive because I didn’t want to be punished or have my teachers be mad at me. Because of that, I never really enjoyed my educational years. I was driven by fear of my teachers and as an educator, I don’t want to be that kind of person. I want to be an educator, just an educator. I want to be an approachable educator, I want to be an educator who even though not perfect, some way or the other still is respected. I will never allow a student to be who I was and go through that experience. I want to be an educator. Why do I say educator? An educator only implores knowledge, not fear. I wanted to be an educator but not the type of teacher like my teachers who inflicted fear. I don’t want to inflict fear. I can be angry with my students sometimes. But still, they don’t deserve to feel fear. So as much as possible, I want to live a vibrant life, be happy always, and be approachable all the time but not in a happy-go-lucky way. An educator to me is someone who can educate without inflicting fear, and that’s how I describe myself.

Despite all the whirlwind and series of changes of decision as to what he will to be in the future, it is safe to say that sometimes, it is only a matter of trial and error plus the perfect time. Knowing who you are, who you’ll be or who you want to be will always be a dilemma. But after all, identity is something you’ll find within you. Set as an inspiration to the masses, Sir Borinaga figured who he really is. 

An educator.