By Joesyl Marie V. De La Cruz
Photo by Jun Rojas, PSI

Francis is a graduate of Bachelor in Marine Transportation just this year of 2011 and in a very young age – pretty much like every other responsible, mature and well-adjusted youth – he seem to cope good with everything that had happened in life. Yet again, nothing in life is easy. Francis’ road towards success is not exactly an idyllic vision you see on a snow globe but it is very much bitter and sweet.

Francis went through his life in elementary and high school with impressive records and had been known as one who is most likely to succeed. Up until college in John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University – Arevalo, he became one of the most coveted students. Why wouldn’t he be, he is a recipient of the Norwegian Shipowners Association Philippines Cadet Scholar, a Unit Model Cadet in 2008 and also one of the lucky students to be part of the 11th Ayala Young Leaders Congress. These had been few of his veritable achievements that can be listed under his impelling resume.

As a person, a leader and community worker – Francis have stories that is beyond what you see in the surface.  Like what was said, nothing in life was easy. The challenges faced in every endeavor can be very bitter but the lessons and wisdom gained is terribly sweet.

Just like other young people undergoing the hard knocks of barging the Maritime profession. Francis considered his experience of being assigned in a tanker ship plying European ports during his third year in college, and he was merely 18 years old. “As I entered the field of the Maritime Profession, I was fortunate to be chosen as one of the scholars of the Norwegian Shipowners Association (NSA) Philippines Cadet Program. The scholarship offers a scheme where I had to leave the country during my third year for one year of shipboard training,” Francis shared. The challenge was not the fear of going sailing to other countries but the fear of the pressure. As a young boy, he is unsure of his readiness – mentally, physically, emotionally and even spiritually. He’s meeting people of diverse nationalities and heaping different cultures everyday. But he later found out that exposure to these reluctance will be paid off with maturity and independence. “I just projected my true self and behaved how I actually should, which later granted me the trust of my officers and crew,” he said. That exact moment in Francis’ life taught him the lesson of adjustment and value of family. “Above all, I learned to behave professionally young as I was,” he added.

Challenges knock together with opportunity and Francis welcomes it at any form. Now, in his quest of being a student leader another one knocked.  For years, he had been an active volunteer and candidate for leadership duties. His biggest contravention was leading a fleet of over a hundred men during his term as Circle Chairman of the NSA Cadet’s circle in 2010 until 2011. There are 151 cadets that he should lead employing semi-military form of discipline. Arguments befalling within the circle are unavoidable but still inevitable and should be settled in a rational way. And to top it all off, they all need to keep an above average school performance. Everybody is expecting positive and excellent results in all their endeavors. Like there is no room for mistake.

Francis made it happened with thanks to his subordinates whom he owe his survival to his most aggressive leadership experience yet. “God was good that I had my officers and helpful subordinates who were very supportive, resourceful and optimistic which solved and lightened the burden of the above mentioned issues,” shared Francis.

With his experience as a leader, Francis learned the art of delegating tasks to his members because for him the essence of leadership is learning to trust the capability and intuition of your subordinates.

“Everyone’s effort leads to success, not yours alone. I also learned that one should never limit to his own abilities but also trust the abilities and capabilities of his fellow. Trust works this way. Trusting others leads them to trust you too. Respect begets respect. In the circle, we were brothers not by blood, but by experience,” he added.

One of the experience that had been Francis’ greatest teacher is during the time that he joined The Oustanding Students of Iloilo Awards (TOSIA) and the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP). For him, it is unforgettable and incomparable. He had the chance to meet young Ilonggos with brilliant personalities and great sense of social responsibility.

As much as he wanted to give pride for himself and his university, at the end of the day he realized that it wasn’t just a contest of who can give more. It ends up being a ground and venue for recognizing the notable contribution of the young leaders who, despite the lack of all possible resources, had the might in crusading for a better country. The award is important but the inspiration you can give and receive during that time. The greatest lesson he come to learn is that he is not living for himself alone but it is about having to give other people a chance to look forward to a better day. “Bottomline, a better me is a better country,” said Francis.

Francis always seek for the better, it is not out of discontentment but just for something brighter and happier for his family, the community and country.

In the future, Francis envisioned for something specific. “I can’t help but to dream seeing myself in the top of my career with four gold bars on my shoulders... a Captain. How can I not? Basically, we, NSA Cadets were trained to be such, serving ships trading the world with the highest level of international standards complying and even exceeding the expectations of our stakeholders.”

Francis said that his parents lived nobly as farmers, they might not have much but they had worked hard to send Francis to school and with the help of the scholarship grant Francis managed to earn, they have survived paying for expensive training fees during his third year at school. His dream of being in the top of his career in sea-trade is entirely dedicated for his parents.

As a wonderful citizen, Francis believes that with whatever recognition he earned, it would never be possible without the help of the community he serves during his outreaches. Giving back to the community is something that he wanted to do in the future. A community with better opportunities that provides quality services especially to the youth is what he dreamed about. Since he believes, “The youth is our hope and so, they should be nourished.”

However, Francis sees the Philippines as a country that generates jobs for its own people with equal and enough opportunities for all. So that no one would go places outside our land to find a greener pasture. With an idea about how life is being away from your family, he believes that the disadvantages is not worth the money earned especially if the distance can ruin the supposed-to-be  harmonious family relations. “This vision might be hard to realize but, it is always possible. A better quality of life for every family portrays a better country.”

Francis, as a person that believes in essence of leadership, the importance of family and the significance of dreams, is someone every youth should vie for.*