On November 20, 1934 a boy was born in Santa Cruz, Manila. Silvestre Milan and Isabela Munoz named their fourth child Rodolfo Munoz Milan. The districts of Santa Cruz and Tondo were near the mouth of the Pasig River. One day the elder sister called out ‘dompoy!’, as two-year-old Rodolfo escaped his ate’s grasp and fell into the stream. Mother Isabela was beckoned and she pulled the wayward boy out of the water and perhaps aside from a scolding, little Rodolfo was no worse for wear. If that event had turned to a more tragic ending, how many of us would not be here today. How much lesser would the world be without having Rodolfo Milan grow into the man we all knew and loved.
From a young age, a sense of Rodolfo’s faith and values formed into what would be the driving force of the man to come. “Sacrifice what you must in order to provide for your family.” Rodolfo was born into a horribly impoverished world. Even as the middle child of seven siblings, he found himself drawn to the idea that he too was responsible for his family. He sacrificed play and wanton laziness of youth, to climb coconut trees and sell bibingka. The boy grew into an impressive young man, strong legged and fiercely willed. Without such strength he would not have been able to open the coconuts. Without such will he would not have been able to give his sustenance to others on those nights when only two fish were laid upon the dinner table.
Strength and hard work would not be his only assets. Rodolfo understood the value of attaining valuable skills and to sacrifice even more so he could become a project engineer. At aged twenty-five he met and fell in love with Basila Arzaga. He knew much of the world then so decided to once again to forfeit present day joy for future security. Rodolfo made known his intentions to Basila and in a romance of the ages, the couple would wait eight years to marry.
Between 1960 and 1968, Rodolfo continued to work and provide for his family while simultaneously studying and learning a most difficult of trades, engineering. In 1968 Rudy(who friends loved to call him), graduated from Far Eastern University as a Civil Engineer.
Rodolfo and Basila took their nuptial vows on June 8, 1968 and began to build their own family and their own future. Providing for your family takes on different shades of meanings; a concept well understood by Rudy. In America, he could take care of his family in even a better way by providing them with a safer, cleaner, and healthier home country. Again, our beloved Rodolfo would be required to sacrifice yet again.
An honorable man who wished to immigrate legally, would have to enter the U.S. first by himself leaving his family, the only thing he cared about behind. He embraced his Wife, hugged Beverly, kissed Bernadette, gave Roderick a manly pat on the head, and offered fourth-month-old Benilda his finger to squeeze until such time that she would no longer squeeze fingers.
New Years Day 1975 represented a new era for the Milans. Rodolfo was in the San Francisco Bay Area, a stranger in a strange land and far away from his family. Rudy’s skills allowed him to find a job in the burgeoning Silicon Valley and his humility allowed him to work extra shifts at a gas station. By 1977 the family was united and began their new life in San Francisco and eventually settled in Daly City, CA. Rudy ultimately found his career as a mechanic for San Francisco Municipal Railway where he would retire after 22 years of service in March of 2002.
All the values he lived by and exemplified he passed down to his four children and eight grandchildren. He would count on his hands the five values he cherished: Sacrifice, Hope, Faith, Love, and Patience. Phrases we shall always remember, not only their words, but we can each picture his face while saying them, in our own ways:
“Study very well because its your asset.” “Sacrifice is the best.” “Take care always and help each other.”
Rodolfo, Dompoy, Rudy, Lolo passed on to Heaven on the day of the Lord, October 27, 2024. His physical heart failed, but his spiritual heart never faltered.
