‘Ninong’ Alegre basks in his children’s successes

On Monday, Anthony “Ninong” Alegre will watch his daughter take her oath as a new lawyer. Alegre takes pride in his children’s accomplishments. (Bea Cabrera)

On Monday, Anthony “Ninong” Alegre will stand alongside other parents to watch as new lawyers in the Philippines take their oaths.

“I am going home to wear a barong and see my daughter grasp her dream,” said Alegre.

Alegre has been on Saipan since 1985, starting work as a projectionist technician and then becoming an amusement center technician. Right now, he is a company messenger with TanHoldings.

“You won’t get rich working on Saipan but if you work hard and persevere, you have a place here. I told myself that if there is any job opportunity that will come my way, I will grab it.

“Your attitude becomes gutsy. That’s how you become if you have people who are depending on you. That’s how you become when you have a family to take care of.”

Alegre left behind his wife, Nelda, and their four children in the Philippines to work on Saipan to give them a good life.

“That was the goal and it was also inevitable that there were drawbacks. My children were practically still babies when I left them. I would see them every two years when I got the chance to go home. They didn’t know me.”

Growing up, Alegre’s children only knew him because of a picture their mother would show them every time they talk about “Papa.”

“When I am home, I make them laugh. I tell jokes. I become the fun dad. I make everything light. I use laughter to hide the years that were lost while I was away. But no matter how loud the laughter gets, I know I cannot catch up.”

The time and miles apart did not prevent Alegre and his wife from being guides to their children.

“All of them had ambition. When they were still kids, I would ask them what they wanted to become when they grow up. My firstborn Tonette was a sickly kid and that made her want to become a doctor. My second, Joan, was the talkative one. She knows how to argue and justify her actions. She wanted to be a lawyer. My third, Jasper, wanted to be an architect and my youngest, who took after me when it comes to tinkering with equipment, wanted to [pursue information technology].”

The ambitions of Alegre’s children became his. There were times that he would work 10 to 12 hours a day and not feel tired.

“The path was not perfect. There were many deviations on their way to reach their ambitions. Last year, my son Jasper passed away due to asthma complications. It was a hard time for the family.”

When faced with trials and adversities, Alegre would find solace in asking himself why.

“I always go back to my whys. When my kids were growing up, I would find myself alone crying at night, dreaming of a life with them but I am miles away. I go back to my why and think I am here on Saipan because of them. I go back to my why and think I promised my family I will never let go. I go back to my why and think my children and I have ambitions. I go back to my why and think that when we reach our ambitions, I will go home.”

His firstborn, Tonette, is now a physician and his youngest son, Francis, is now an I.T. expert.

This time, Alegre’s trip to attend his daughter’s oath taking as a lawyer is another answer to one of his whys.

“I come from a small [village] in Iloilo. I have nothing. I work as a company messenger but my pride is my children. With the Lord’s mercy, my wife and I were able to send them to school and even if I was not there in their growing-up years, they turned out to be good people.”

Alegre’s nickname, ninong, means godfather in Tagalog. On Saipan, he is ninong to 30 godchildren, so much so that co-workers and friends picked up on that and began calling him that.

“I feel I’ve come full circle. I may stand as a godfather to many children here on Saipan but my being a father to my children in the Philippines never left my mind and heart.”