"I'm very appreciative of HM1 Guevarra's vision and leadership. He was totally responsible for having USNH Archives squared away. His initiative in the design of the Hospital closure certificates will long be remembered by everyone!"
Stanley Garn, CAPT(ret), Former Director of USNH Branch Medical Clinics
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"Willie Guevarra truly understands the value of bayanihan..... his whole family, wife, even kids, in their own simple ways, contributed enormously to Fil-Am's success in July 4th Festa Americana!"
Rosie Walton, NRCC contractor, GS-13
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"Will is a strong leader. He gets things done. I'm a big fan!"
Joe Bernardo, LCDR(ret), Former Executive Asst to ADM Holmes
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"I'm one of those who believe that the family that works together, enjoys life together ... Willie cares about that, and more!''
Ateef Nwajeed, FAAN Sponsor, Proprietor EuropaMobili, distributor of fine Italian furnitures
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"Mahirap bantayan si Willie sa Basketball, ri-rebound, su-shoot, parang palos! Alam ko na kung bakit tinatawag siya ni Vonn na 'Ompong Segura'...pure shooter, siguradong pasok....pero mahusay sa teamwork!"
Teodorico Moneda, Board of Advisor, WALA Band drummer, organist and bass guitarist
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Wilfredo Sta. Maria Guevarra (47), "Willie" to you, "Papang" to some, son of Aling Antonia and Mang Ago, a popular bail bondsman in Tondo, lets it be known that he is a team player through and through. From his formative years in Tondo, Manila, more specifically Pritil and Bangkusay (where somebody dies every year they have a fiesta, whew!), he had toughened up physically and mentally. His old group, the "Alipunga Gang", was notorious for drinking and womanizing, but he outgrew all of that and was able to 'tiwalag' without having a tattoo on him at all! Married to Malou, 44, (nee Andrea Salao Fernando), Willie, is all about collaboration (pakikisama) and he exhibits that in all his life's endeavors, more recently the activities of Fil-Am Naples. He spearheaded the pre-fund raising preparations and oversaw the whole affair up to the finish. Growing up from an impoverished neighborhood, both Malou and Willie started dating an an early age, and wound up tying the knot at ages 15 and 18 respectively. Her Lolo (grandfather) and his shotgun had something to do with that, but they were in love anyways, so... And sure enough, their love bore fruits aplenty, 5 exactly!... Louwee (24) and Journee (21), both boys in San Diego, CA...working their way thru college, and then Flynn-Henry (10), Michelle (8) and Mark Joshzeff (5) are here with them in Naples SS in an apartment crowded with Italian baroque furnitures, photos and mementos of a life of struggle. The Navy, he said has been kind to him and his family, that's why he spares no money in whatever his kids want or his wife desires. Willie vividly recalls this memorable chapter in his life over a glass of Brandy, his fave drink:
Q: Growing up, what did you want to be...as a profession?
WG: I always wanted to be a mechanical engineer. I think I'm good with my hands fiddling with things, trying to make stuff work, etc. But due to lack of pesos, even the cheapest engineering school back then, ADAMSON University, I can't afford. So I took some courses at PMI College in Sta. Cruz, Manila for merchant marine engineering and also at Don Bosco Technical Institute. I had to work part-time while I go to classes in the evenings, it didn't pan out the way I wanted it to be. But luckily I got a break and got a full time job in one of the biggest shipping lines in Manila. That was the start of my journey around the world, away from the hustle and bustle of Manila, alam mo na...
Q: What about Malou, it was a struggle for her too...you being away, a stretch of 8 years at one time, right?
WG: Well, while we were separated, she lived with my mother (God bless her soul, died of stroke+diabetes), then, and the kids kept her busy too. Malou is a licensed midwife, graduated from Merriam College, but never got to practice her craft. Before we were married, she lived just a stone's throw away from our house in Pritil. Her street address, Gregorio Perfecto was lined up with drug addicts and winos. To make ends meet, she had to sell various things from jewelry to tocino cured meat, to Triumph bras and panties made by Mondragon Industries.
Q: How did you two meet?
WG: To make the story short, I'll skip some of the details...you know how it was back then. Barkada, ligaw-tingin, but the sweetest moments were when we meet at the kanto everytime I play our theme song in the jukebox. That song, am not disclosing it here, still sends shivers down my spine. The one thing I did that endeared me to her family was...I took care of her brother, when he suffered a major injury. I took him to the dispensary and paid for it out of my pocket. Where the money came, is something we have to talk offline, lest others misconstrue.
Q: Your theme song, is it the soundtrack from "Star Wars"??? ta-tzing!...cheeee! tsung! hehehehe, just kidding...
WG: Hindi, Tagalog ito...walang kupas, walang kamatayan gaya ng pagmamahal ko kay Malou. Ayos na ba 'yon? Pwede na tayong payagan sa "Spiders" mamaya, nyuk! nyuk!
Q: I can see you 're a survivor, what is your philosophy of reference?
WG: Silence is Golden. My mother used to tell me when I was small, that I would learn a lot more in life, by just listening to the elders. Her natural eloquence has always been her great gift. She and my father are my role models, even though I have had, at times, not listened to them. Even today, I cannot reconcile myself to some losses, financially, with my brothers and sisters. I don't want to get deep into this, suffice it to say, that I am content with my life, at peace with the past, and if people return the favors owed to us, fine....if not, Malou and I still move on...
Q: What do you tell your kids or have told them about lessons in life?
WG: It was tough. Malou and I didn't have our own place to live, so she had to stay with my parents while I was gone. I want my kids not to struggle to find a path in their life like I did. Sometimes I didn't have money for food. And, yes, I've taken lots of guff over the years from my father for what he perceived to be my career naiveté. My friends were planning their careers, this year, next year, and I was trying to figure out how to sustain the next job. I didn't come from a rich family or have friends that are well to do. But, it was good though, that it took me a few more years to get started, because I was more mature when things came along. After a long stint with International Shipping Lines, I learned my lessons the hard way raising the family away from home, that's difficult!
Q: Do you find most people understanding of your choices?
WG: It's a mixed bag really. I don't take crap from people who are walang pakiramdam (insensitive?), yet I don't shove my opinions down their throats either. I just tell them the truth, or my opinion the way I see things. I don't wish to satisfy all people all the time, but I'll make sure that I do the right thing for my family, all, if not most of the time.
Q: Any last words?
WG: Di ko malaman kung ako'y iiyak o lulundag sa galak, pero maraming salamat sa mga judges, at nagpapasalamat din ako sa aking maybahay, sa Fil-Am na nagsusuporta sa akin, sa aking director at mga kaibigan.....ehe! MALI....Akala ko nasa FAMAS ako, eh. But anyways, thanks to Fil-Am for making my family's transition from California to Italy, as painless as it can be...
Funny guy, huh? Willie's voice can be a soft quaver now. His wife of 29 years -- "the ever popular" Malou -- is a shoo-in for presidency of FAAN if she so desires according to SS insiders. Even though Willie is a simple quiet man with an approachable but powerful demeanor, he remains as committed as ever to raising his voice about some of the issues of the day, whether it's family, work or Fil-Am business. In one of our T sessions at the Tagpuan Park (the park across from the tennis courts in Support Site aka "T Park"), he just listened and waited. Once the discussion was well under way, Willie was happy to let it flow without him. As with any discussion group, a few of the people that night - Apo, Rex and Philip dominated the 'barangay' discussion and did the bulk of the talking and arguing, while others sat quietly and listened. Close to a decade of work with merchant marines, almost twenty years with the Navy sailors, gang war (OXO vs. SIGUE-SIGUE) experience during adolescence, taught him that he could not harangue listeners into line. Everyone had to reach their own conclusions in their own time. Only when the discussion begins to flag does he step in again. Very smart, indeed! No wonder every FAAN member likes Willie Guevarra...hmmmmmm......hey, that could be another name for a sitcom for AFN, dontyathink??? "Everybody loves Willie!" who would have thought??
