A lesson in humility & forgiveness

Remember the celebrated case of Angelino “Boyet” Fajardo, the fashion designer who hogged headlines in 2009 when he made Marvin Fernandez, an attendant at the Duty Free, kneel before him? The attendant’s only “fault” was asking for another ID, a requirement for credit-card transaction. The incident ended up in court and Boyet was slapped with two counts, one for coercion and the other for grave slander.

Somebody close to the designer arranged a meeting between Boyet and The STAR in early December last year, for an “update,” you know. According to Boyet, both cases have been dismissed, with the first (filed by Fernandez) in barely one year.

Funfare didn’t go into the nitty-gritty of the case and focused on what happened to Boyet during the darkest (literally as you will see by and by) chapter of his life.

“I have accepted the fact that what I did was wrong,” admitted Boyet, “very wrong.”

At that time, added Boyet, “I was making a lot of money and I felt that I was on top of the world. Success went to my head, inaamin ko, lumubo, it became bloated. Why not when I was making clothes for VIPs, celebrities and government officials. I was showing off, nagyabang talaga ako. Why shouldn’t I? I have lots of money and I had a successful career, a flourishing business. I supplied some malls my RTWs.”

So how dare a lowly attendant “order” a rich designer to produce additional ID when, famous as he was, his face was more than enough?

“I really told him to kneel before I could forgive him during that incident,” at the next breath clarifying that, contrary to reports, he didn’t buy chocolates but Ferragamo items as pasalubong for a male celebrity (named withheld upon Boyet’s request) whom “I loved so much that I would kiss the ground that he walked on.”

Looking back, Boyet admitted in a TV interview what he did to Marvin and publicly apologized.

“As soon as the case was dismissed,” recalled Boyet, “I sought out Marvin at his house. I hugged him as I cried. Iyak ako nang iyak habang yakap-yakap ko siya. He’s now employed somewhere else but we keep in touch. I continue to give him (pieces of) advice.”

Born with a bad arm (he’s a PWD, Person With Disability) and glaucoma, no doubt worsened by the predicament he was in. In 2014, he became totally blind. His vision in the right eye was diagnosed to be 20/400 and his left eye, zero.

“I believe that God made me blind for me to see my mistakes,” said Boyet. “God must love me so much to make me go through the sufferings.”

Boyet is the youngest among five siblings from a poor family in Pampanga. Through sheer talent and determination, he licked poverty by working his way up after he tucked up an Interior Design degree from UST.

“I grew up bitter. As I grew up, I was ridiculed because of my disability. I became bitter towards life. I carried that bitterness until I started making money. At one point in my life, a fellow designer accused me of being a thief. Of course, that was not true. I went through a lot, maybe that’s why when I began making money, naging mayabang ako.”

After that Duty Free incident followed by the court cases, Boyet said that he lost many friends. “I was condemned by some of my colleagues,” he added.

At the lowest point of his life, Boyet confessed that he tried to end it all thrice.

“The first time, I looked for my gun but since I was blind I couldn’t find it. The second time, while living in the family-owned farm in Pampanga, I went out of the house and proceeded to the nearby highway. Magpapasagasa sana ako. It was near midnight and raining hard. I was saved by a woman who was passing by. The third time, I banged my head on the wall and I ended up bloody.

“I survived all three attempts. That’s why I said that God love(s) me so much because He let me live. I believe that I still have a purpose in life. I have learned to be humble and to forgive. I’m glad that those I have wronged have also forgiven me.”

Now 58 (last Nov. 28, 2018), Boyet said that his life is back to normal ­— meaning he has moved on and resumed his business. Although things sometimes appear blurry, his vision has been improving. He hopes to fully regain his eyesight.

“I know myself better now,” he said. “I used to ask God, ‘Why do you make all this happen to me?’ I know the answer now.”

Incidentally, Boyet has been going back to Duty Free.

Asked what he would do if he found himself in the same 2009 situation, Boyet smiled.

“I won’t do the same thing…definitely!”

Miss Vietnam is back as inspirational speaker

Miss Vietnam H’Hen Nie (photo), who finished among the Top 5 in the 2018 Miss Universe pageant in Thailand, was invited by Francis Padua Papica (inset) as an inspirational speaker at the 22nd Regional Youth Congress tomorrow, Feb. 2, at the Jessie M. Robredo Coliseum in Naga City, sponsored by the Francis Padua Papica Foundation, Inc. (FPPFI) and the Rotary Club of Naga (RCN) in partnership with the Avenue Plaza Hotel.

“More than her obvious beauty, it was her story that captivated me,” said Francis of Miss Vietnam. “I sought her as a speaker because she’s a role model for the youth. I contacted Miss Universe Organization Vietnam (MUOV) and it responded positively with the help of Ms. Hen’s local trainor, Anjo Santos, and my manager, Leanne Zuñiga Montemayor, helping me follow up.”

H’Hen Nie is the third of six children of parents belonging to the Rade minority of Vietman. Working in the family’s coffee farm at a young age, she refused to follow her matrilineal tradition of marrying at the age of 14. She worked as domestic helper to support her education. After winning Miss Universe Vietnam, she used all her prize money of $10,000 to provide scholarships at her old school. She used her prize money of $40,000 from the Miss U pageant to give back to her minority community. She is the story of someone who dreamed big. Losing was never an option.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)