Full, Full, Full!

"Full, full, full!" was what Oprah famously said of Charice's first and amazing performance in her TV show, "Oprah," aired 12 May 2008, when the young Filipina was 16 years old, when the bigger world began taking notice of the extreme singing performer she was, is. Oprah was awe-struck; so was the rest of the world, as far we know. Charice is the little girl with the whole, huge, divine singing voice the world has hardly ever known or heard before. Or since.

Inspired by Charice's story, let me tell you another "full, full, full" extreme story, from the Philippines. This one is about a Filipino multi-millionaire, Juanito Dela Cruz, who had 13 highly successful companies, the most successful of them being the one that manufactured Japanese zippers; he was shipping out of the country 13 million zippers every month. He loved zippers because they always suggested to him possibilities that were open. He had forgiven the Japanese for their World War II sins. He was very creative, his mind always searching for open doors, if not open windows. That's why he had 13 incredibly successful companies: chain of bookstores, fruit juices, telephone, cell phones, wireless Internet, personal computers & peripherals, chain of fast food restaurants, real estate, middle-income houses, toothpaste, shoes, chain of department stores, and zippers.

He was prolific in another way too. He had three sons: Arsenio, Bernard, and Chris. Triplets. He also had 2 other sons and 8 daughters. 13 children, 1 wife, no adoption, no extra-marital affairs. No wine, women but song for him. And the Internet, hours and hours of surfing, and blogging. He had many ideas he wanted to share with the world, in case the world was surfing, including about climate change. He famously blogged, "If we don't minimize climate change, climate change will minimize us."

Juanito was getting old in the matter of years, though not in the matter of mind. So, on his 69th birthday 11 November, he called his eldest 3 sons, the triplets, while he was lying on his bed, because he was sick. Besides, he thought it was a funny thing to do, telling his sons the truth while he was lying.

"Sons," Juanito said, "I have maybe 20 years more in me, I pray to God, but that would be all. So, before time runs out on me, I want you to do something about your lives. I want one of you to be the President and CEO of all my companies. The best of you. But you have to show me the best manager in you first."

He didn't know who of his sons had the leadership qualities in him, and he wasn't really in a hurry to find out. Not only that; he knew you can't hurry out the manager in you. You can't do that with an MBA. You need experience, both in succeeding and in failing, and that is an immersion process. Somebody can take the credit for your success, but as to failure, you have to do it yourself.

He brought out 3 envelopes, each with an ATM card for 1 million dollars. Philippine National Bank, BancNet.

"I am now giving you the first part of your inheritance from me. Here's your ATM card for 1 million dollars, each of you. I don't care how you spend it, just spend it! I want you to come back to me in exactly 13 years and show me that you can truly fill up this room all by yourself alone. The one who can do that will become majority stockholder of all my 13 companies, owning 87% of all stocks. President and CEO 13 times."

Juanito wanted to find out who was the most creative of the triplets. This is the story of the prodigal son in reverse; not only that, the father was in danger of making not just 1 but 3 prodigal sons.

I forgot to tell you that the sons were all of 13 years of age. And they went their separate ways and never talked to each other again for the next 13 years. And since we never heard of them again, and had nothing to do with their lives after they left, the many years rolled by very fast.

On the 11th of November 13 years later, they all gathered at the palatial home of their father in an old Spanish mansion in Old Manila, the triplets, their 8 sisters and the 2 other and younger brothers in full attendance. The mother was also there.

"Happy Birthday, Dad!" they all said.

"So, sons, what have you to say now that I'm 82?"

Arsenio was the first to speak, being the eldest by 13 seconds.

"Dad, I brought you Heat," he said. And he brought out a gas range and ignited all 13 burners. In a few minutes, the heat filled the room; all of the room became hot, anywhere you were. Everyone said so.

"Full," said Arsenio.

"Fool," said Juanito. "Hot air. Next!"

"Dad, I brought you Success." That was Bernard, younger than Arsenio by 13 seconds. He brought out 13 boxes, full of his medals, trophies, awards, citations, recognitions, commendations and honorary degrees. He was indeed a high achiever, and he was hugely proud of his accomplishments. He made everyone envious of him. His life was indeed filled with much success, and his pride filled the room.

"Full," said Bernard.

"Fool," said Juanito again. "Pride before the fall. Next!"

From out of nowhere Chris, the third son, youngest of the triplets by 26 seconds, quietly brought out 13 red Bibles, counting them out one by one, the same New Revised Standard Version, 2008 Roman Catholic edition. Everybody laughed, including the father. You can associate the Bible with creativity, but only in the sense of God the Creator. Not the mother. You can always count on the mother to take your side if you are a son, even if she doesn't understand you. She was smiling.

Why not the King James Version, the KJV? Why the NRSV? Because Chris knew that the KJV and the NRSV were loved both by the Protestants and the Roman Catholics for their majestic language, but the KJV contained much error in translation. The NRSV corrected the errors of the KJV while retaining much of its magnificent language. Besides, Chris secretly knew, through his mother, that his Dad loved that version of the Bible himself.

But the father saw a problem, a huge problem. That's what fathers always do, don't they - see a huge problem with one son or another?

"Ho!" Juanito said. "I love that book, but how can 13 little things like those fill this huge room? Ha! Show me. Maybe you can show me the Roman Catholic Church in that, the one in Rome?"

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Chris too. Fathers are always like that - they can't wait to be shown. They like to open their big mouths first.

I the narrator forgot to tell you that Dad's bedroom was not only huge; it was mammoth. If you want to be biblical about it, it was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. All of 135 meters long, 22.5 meters wide, and 13.5 meters high. Higher than a 3-story building.

Chris smiled kindly at his old Dad. "Live well, laugh often, love much" had become his motto in life. He said:

Full, full, full! I love you, Dad. The 13 copies of the Bible were only for show, to get you to laugh. I succeeded, didn't I? You filled the room with laughter, didn't you? Didn't you?

"I'm listening."

Dad, you forgot that the Bible contains Noah's Ark, which measured exactly like this room: 135 meters long, 22.5 meters wide, and 13.5 meters high! In one calculation, its deck area could hold 36 lawn tennis courts.

Quiet filled the room. Juanito clutched his breast but didn't say anything. Sometimes fathers are speechless when assaulted with the truth.

And Dad, the Bible contains the River Jordan, where John baptized Jesus, remember? Not only that. A voice from above, from a pedestal certainly much higher than 13.5 meters, proclaimed, "This is my Son, of whom I am well pleased!"

Quiet filled the room again. Juanito's eyes widened but still didn't say anything. He was still clutching his breast. Sometimes fathers are speechless when they know they're beaten. They know better.

And Dad, the Bible tells us of the scene in the manger where Mother Mary had lain Baby Jesus, with Father Joseph looking and with the shepherds adoring on Earth and the angels singing up high among the clouds, "Glory to God, Peace on Earth to men of good will."

And quiet filled the room again. Juanito looked up but still didn't say anything. Sometimes fathers can't speak when good will assaults them.

And Dad, the Bible tells us of the house of the rich man to where Jesus went, and when people derided him for hobnobbing with sinners he said, "Don't you know that it is the sick who needs a doctor?"

"Say no more!" said Juanito. "I am sick. Bring me to the doctor, quick! But I'm glad I have a son who knows how to fill a room with laughter, with quiet, with the light of goodness, thank God."

And the 8 sisters applauded, the 2 other sons applauded, and the mother applauded, and their applause filled that enormous room with their gladness.

Full, full, full!

Then they rushed Juanito to the hospital.

Back at the Philippine General Hospital, the heart specialist said that Juanito was just suffering from heartburn, that's all. And Juanito said as he stepped out of the car when they reached home: "Fool, fool, full!" I don't know if the family noticed the exact words, the inflection, but I did. I was the family driver and of course he was always talking to me.

And so they all lived happily ever after. And why is that? Chris' heart was too full of love to be selfish even to his brothers who were. He knew that if he loved only those who loved him, what good was that? Even fools did that among themselves. He had known that the world was full of fools who were full of themselves. Full, full, full!

Now then, about climate change, there must be a climate change in love first. Three things remain: Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of this is Love. Of it, the world must be full, full, full!

An original story by Frank A Hilario - Revised 04 November 2009