This is a re-post from my previous blog dated December 20, 2011. Though the event happened a long time ago, I still feel the need to put it online.
I would like to apologize to my cousins Maria Lourdes, Janet, Ruth Sandra and Grace and to my aunt Nita, widow of my uncle, Dr. Artemio Agustin for offending them with my blog post “A Doctor’s Love’ (which was already removed from the archive).
I sincerely apologize for posting the story of my uncle without obtaining the family’s permission first. Moreover, I apologize for citing things that were based on what I heard from other people. Below is an email from my cousin, Maria Lourdes, to correct all the wrong information with the actual facts.
I want to take this opportunity to let them know that I did not intend to invade their privacy or dishonor my uncle, and I apologize for how my blog post made them feel.
Kim,
Hi! I just read the blog that you posted yesterday featuring my dad. I think that you did not do us any justice in posting this blog for the world to see. For ethics' sake, you could have asked our consent before publishing anything regarding my dad.
Firstly, there is no truth to the specific incident that you related about my dad's chance of going to the US before he met my mom. As you mentioned, you just based it on "tall tales" that you heard from different unreliable sources. Yes, they are just "tall tales" and not founded on the TRUTH. I believe that there is nobody in this world who knows my dad better than us. In our family, we always spend our free time lounging in our family room, talking about each other's challenges and sharing each other's accomplishments. My dad so vividly shared every part of his life to us from the time he could recall his growing up years to all his achievements. His lifetime was part of the legacy that he left us. The fallacy that you mentioned in your deceptive article would not have been overlooked by my dad. If there was any TRUTH to it, he would have told us, for the simple reason that it was a symbol of his undying love for my mom. Do you get my point, Kim? Don't bloggers follow a standard policy of posting only proven facts unless otherwise classified as fiction?
Secondly, my dad never drove an "old battered jeep". We never had a jeep in all of my life, plainly and simply because, its way out of our interest. We were raised up by my dad who never liked jeeps because he thought they were not classy. I beg your pardon, miss, the only time you will see my dad ride a jeep is when it is the only available military service vehicle in his area of assignment. But, mind you, our personal vehicle has always been a car, the current year model at that.
Thirdly, my dad never had a private clinic just like the "doctors" you know, because my dad is not a conventional ordinary doctor. He is not just a five cents doctor that paid a large sum of money in order to be admitted to medicine proper by a diploma mill college of medicine. It was you who mentioned that my dad topped his board exams. You heard right this time, lady. But, just because you know one fact about my dad does not qualify you to judge him and his motives. He did not end up as a "colonel in the Philippine Army", like you're trying to imply that he did not have any choice but to grab the only opportunity he had after passing up your “tall tale US opportunity”. My dad was a Brigadier General in the Medical Corp of the Philippine Constabulary. My dad hated the Philippine Army and he had nothing good to say about it. He belonged to the finest arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and that is the Philippine Constabulary. He was one of the well-decorated finest officer during the reign of President Ferdinand Marcos, of which my dad was a part of the core that was loyal to the greatest president. Just one book will not be enough, if I were to enumerate the achievements that he has garnered in his military service. Now, these are the achievements that money cannot buy. The legacy that we (his children) got from my dad is priceless : INTEGRITY, HONESTY, MORAL PURITY and LOVE FOR THE UNLOVABLE. We, his children will never trade these for all the money the world has to offer. He did not have a private practice or his own doctor's clinic because his love for God and country comes first in his life, and all the remaining love is for us, his family. He loved God so much that he shared in God's interest, PEOPLE. He did not have a private clinic to make money but wherever he is, that is his clinic. People came from all over the country, friends, relatives, referrals to ask for medical consultation and assistance. He was just very glad to be of service to them. He did not have any specific clinic hours so most of them came in what the world know as "unholy hours". And, I think the big difference, between the doctors that you know, and my dad, lies in the fact that he never charged anything at all, including medicines. And if the patient needed further medical attention, my dad would even refer them to his close comrades and give them a special recommendation for FREE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
My dad loved the Philippines and he is willing to give his life for it. This is the very reason why he gave his Medical profession to the military service. Several times, not just once but multiple times, my dad was offered to serve in the US Army with a promise of making our whole family American citizens enjoying all the benefits and he will be given the best position and will be promoted one rank higher...he declined it all for the love of his country. Anybody ordinarily will grab this once in a lifetime offer, but my dad did not want to belong to the ORDINARY. These offers came when US generals saw how my dad served excellently in the Vietnam War. Facing an irresistible offer at the time when he was sacrificing everything in the war zone was too difficult to ignore, but he refused it for the love of the Philippines. Now, is my dad like the doctors that you know?
Kim, what do you mean by "why does he live the way he does"? What do you mean? And this question brings me to another fact about my dad. After giving his love for God and his country, all of his remaining love was smothered on us, his family. He was a military surgeon because if he was a private practitioner, how will we live since he will never charged anyone any professional fee. And, I can shout it to the whole world that my dad served in the military with all HONESTY AND INTEGRITY. He did not get, not even a penny, unscrupulously. However, he gave us the best way of life his paycheck can offer. He sent us to the best schools and he gave us the best luxuries in life. So, for a fact, he did not let an "old battered jeep" bring us to school, but he made sure that we had the latest decent chauffer driven car. We grew up not knowing that there were other jeans beside Levi's...there were shirts other than Esprit, Benetton and Lacoste...things like that. My dad never denied us the pleasures in life that his paycheck can afford. And this was the very reason that when we got the chance to see the world, we also did not hesitate to give him the best that we can give: a Mercedes car, Florsheim and Bally shoes, Rolex and Omega watches...My dad deserved the best because He has given us the best. Therefore, I don’t know what you are talking about, Kim.
I want to ask you why do you have to write what you wrote about my dad? Why did you suddenly think of him? THE BLOG THAT YOU WROTE ABOUT HIM IS POINTLESS. Kim, my dad is also different from the doctors that you know because my dad is a very private person and that's how we were raised up. We grew up to be a closely knitted family trained to take care of each other because we did not really get close to any of our kinsfolk. If my dad were alive, he would not also give you any consent to make our family's life public. WE PREFER TO REMAIN PRIVATE.
By the way, my dad does not measure success or happiness by material wealth or MONEY. For him, money is only temporary and no matter how much you have, it will only last for a lifetime. He believes in focusing on the things that have eternal value, things that you will possess even beyond this life. When he looks at a man, he sees him as a soul who needs God. If he can do anything for this man that will show him the love of God then he has accomplished a great deal. Therefore, for my dad, the more people you touched with the love of God, the more successful a person is. And this principle is the greatest inheritance that he left us. Now, after giving you a brief insight about the REAL Dr. Artemio B. Agustin, do you think he was happy with the way his life turned out?
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