The Sage of Sorbetes

He comes to the Ateneo everyday, taking the long and exhausting walk from his current residence in Tandang Sora, whilst pushing his bright yellow cart with little complaint. He’s been doing this for 20 years now, selling ice cream, and says he has spent half of that time doing business in the Ateneo. As he pushes his yellow cart across the culinary realm of Gonzaga Hall, a small crowd starts to form around him. They see him everyday, we all do. To many of us, he is the ice cream man or the Sorbetero(ice cream salesman). We all know his face, his familiar smile, his bright yellow cart, his delectable frozen dairy treats, but do we in fact, know his name? What do we know about him aside from the fact that he comes to Gonzaga Hall everyday to spread the joy of ice cream to all who wish to accept that gift?

This iconic figure of frozen delicacies goes by the name of Amancio R. Oplegida, 49 years of age, and hails from the great province of Leyte. He is the proud father of 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls. His son, Michael, 20, timidly stands at his side as the line grows longer. I stood beside him on that fateful Wednesday afternoon, and laid out a litany of questions, in the hopes of getting a glimpse into the window of this man’s life. As the minutes melted away like icebergs, I began to see that hidden that beneath that warm smile, was a life marked by adversity, disappointment and heartache.

Before his current tenure in Gonzaga Hall, Amancio Oplegida was a young 16 year old who came to the city in hopes of landing a job. Like many other impoverished Filipinos, Amancio was not able to finish his schooling, stating that, “Hindi po ako nakapagtapos ng pag-aral, kahit elementary lang”(“I was never able to finish my schooling, not even elemtary”), and instead, dropped out. With virtually no diploma, no connections and no way of landing a lucrative job, he took up an offer at a factory in San Palos which specialized in trucking and delivery. After a few years, his contract expired and he decided to take up something new. He landed a job as an ice cream salesman, selling ice cream for a supplier near his current home in Tandang Sora. He says he has been selling ice cream for roughly 20 years, with stints in various places. He says he did business in other universities most notably, UP Diliman, before his current tenure in Gonzaga Hall.

Amancio is quick to admit that his vocation cannot necessarily cover all the expenses needed to sufficiently raise a family. The husband of a faithful housewife as well as the father of 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls, his greatest wish is for all of them to attain an education and in his words, “do better in life”. Sadly, that dream seems far from real. His eldest son, whose name he did not mention, is now 25 years of age, but has yet to finish his education. Amancio says that it was a family decision for him to stop his schooling, since his income could not cover the host of expenses needed to avail of a college education. As I spoke to him about his children, I could see the anguish in his eyes. Years of deep personal grief and torment had taken their toll on this humble man, and I could sense through the subtle shifts in tone of his voice, that he was hurting. This is a man who makes a living out of bringing smiles and subtle bliss to a menagerie of random people, and yet, is constantly struggling to provide happiness and security to his own household. And it’s truly saddening to see such a wonderful person go through such hardship.

Beyond the disappointment and heartache however, is a man who despite everything that he has gone through, still genuinely loves his job and is happy and content with how his life turned out. “Mahal ko ang trabaho ko. Basta’t puwede ko supportahan ang aking pamilya, sapat na ‘yun sa akin”(“I love my job. As long as I can support my family, that’s good enough for me”). Despite all the hurdles and the seemingly insurmountable odds, he continues to put on that signature smile and valiantly tries to make the best out of his situation. When I asked him how he felt about his job and life in general, he said that he truly, deeply loved his job. He said that all he did not want to do anything else but sell ice cream and try to be the best provider and family man that he could be. He says all he wants to do is see his children grow up and become happy. He truly wants nothing more than happiness for his wife, his children, his whole family. He is, in essence, more than just the man we overlook at Gonzaga Hall everyday. He is a man who has done so much for the welfare of his family, a man who has toiled all his life to try and make sure that his children don’t have to do the same. He is more than just the ice cream man of Gonzaga Hall.

We see people like Amancio everyday, trying to get by, trying to make a difference, trying to cope in any way that they can. There’s more to Amancio than just selling and ice cream. Beneath that smile lies a great and wonderful man. And maybe, we should all take a little time to get to know and appreciate subtle realities like that. So the next time you see this man in Gonzaga Hall, why not flash him a smile or a customary hello? There’s more to him than you think.

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