An air of uncertainty kept on clouding his mind. A multitude of thoughts raced through, some kept on breaking his ease yet some made him easily numb, as if anesthesia was rushing through his veins. It felt like there were a thousand of reasons why he should hold back. But there was one reason, a reason that overpowered any desire to go back on a choice that will change his life forever. A precious baby girl gulped her first breath in the world and let out a cry that made all the fears he had melt away. He cradled his daughter, his first child, with steady arms, realizing he would love her in every way he could.
Glen Thomas P. Dasig, who for 37 years willingly endured every challenge, may it be losing a father at a young age, having to maintain a scholarship his entire academic life, starting a family at the age of 19 and managing a rigorous career on top of it, hurled at him to which he has obviously surpassed most insurmountable hindrances. He can be touted as the quintessential "family guy" never failing to put his unique family as his topmost priority. They are his escape from every bustling activity his demanding career requires of him, whether it is catching a last-minute flight to somewhere in the Philippines or spear-heading a meeting with the head of Ford Motor Company with a calm and breezy aura while vacationing at the beach.
Starting his burgeoning, modern-day Von Trapp family at an age wherein a lot of things and ideas are expected from a talented and promising individual, he made the choice to go beyond what he knew he was capable of by aging in maturity and wisdom. For Glen and his college sweetheart and wife of 17 years, the addition to the start of their soon to-be large yet distinct family was always considered as a timely blessing. He would be seen running around the sprawling De La Salle University-Manila campus for his classes, going straight to the org room to oversee student council meetings, hopping on a crowded jeep late in the afternoon to get to his office just across the city and getting home on time for dinner, all the while attending to his daughter and homework to be submitted the next day. While some people might see this as unmanageable at such an early point in one's, life, for him it was one of the things that he was already bred to do.
When his father died in a tragic accident when he was just an innocent three year-old, it taught him the value of having a tight-knit family in ones life. Their mother was always a course of strength and their pillar to lean on when they needed protection and stability. He and his brothers have a life-long dream to give back to their mother all the things that they could and they succeeded early in their life by becoming scholars throughout their grueling academic lives. As young as he was, he knew in himself what he had to do. He did not have to express in words the powerful and unyielding love he had for his mothers, which continues up to the present day. Even with the busy and never-ending schedule he has, he manages to allocate time for his mother, catching up on each others daily activities.
He taught himself to become self-reliant and to be independent when he was still in high school, studying during his breaks unlike some of his friends who focused on other activities. But this did not hinder him to have a life outside of the classroom. He was able to address his classmates concerns as Student Council President, delving into numerous organizations, the Editor-in-Chief of their school newspaper and one of his greatest achievements in life, as their class Valedictorian all in one year. These facts may add to the credibility that at some point in his life, he mastered the art of prioritizing what mattered more and managing his time to be able to do his best in every undertaking that was given to him. This was the best weapon he had under his belt as the years passed by, especially at each of the turning points in his life.
At present, all the lessons that paved his way to become the person he is today are not lost in him. His learning process will never end because as each day passes, he accepts tasks entrusted upon him and he learns how to do each one of the best way he can. If you ask him if all of his achievements and aspirations have already been fulfilled before he has even reached the 40-year-old mark, he would say in a direct and firm manner, "There is no finality in my dreams." A dream for him is a moving state. Nothing is defined; each one is indefinite. He believes that some dreams change and develop over time. There are some dreams that are made up as one move along through one's own journey.
He has a lot of dreams and most of them are for the good of other people, emphasizing how humble he is in spite of everything that he has accomplished. It can be for himself, being able to join the ranks of topnotch people in the world of the automotive industry, or for his loved ones by bringing up each of his children as God-fearing and open-minded. As he talks about his plans for the future, things were not said concretely, for he had a lot of ideas and plans he wanted to pursue for his career and family. One can easily be led to believing that his dreams are at reach by listening to his words that bring about passion conviction. It is hard to deny that my father, Glen Dasig, is one of the very few men in modern-day society that can be called as an inspiration.
by Daniella Marie B. Dasig
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