FELIX VEGA FIEL – ONE EXTRAORDINARY MAN

(This is from an email sent to me by Tita Susan Fiel. She lives in 24 Almond St., Phase 8, Marietta-Romeo Village, Sta. Lucia, Pasig City. At present we are thinking of a Fiel Clan Reunion in Manila...)

Papa, as we dearly call our beloved father, Felix Vega Fiel, the son of Aurelio Fiel, and the son of Rufino Fiel was a small and short man, barely five feet tall in height. But he is stocky and all of muscles in the right places. When six pack abs was seemingly unknown among the teenagers during our times, in the seventies and eighties, my father already had one. Ask why? He started lifting weights as a young “kargador” in Cebu when he stowed away from the humongous “hacienda” of his father, A.K.A., Don Aurelio Fiel in Albuera, Leyte. Their “hacienda” was humongous in the sense that his father would hire workers from another town or baranggay because they were short of manpower to cover the work required. He was also a self-confessed athlete who excelled in various sports not very much requiring height, such as, boxing, baseball, volleyball, and table tennis. The reason why he stowed away from his wealthy family is another story I just cannot share with the Fiel clan because it is extremely sensitive and controversial in nature.

CHILDREN OF AURELIO FIEL

Felix Fiel is the one in black.

Standing left to right: Rufino, Constancio, Januario, and Agustine.

Sitting left to right: Iniego, Teresa and Felix

Not in the picture: Ricarda Fiel and Pablo Fiel

He was a well traveled man having visited and lived in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the pursuit of livelihood and to achieve his dream of becoming successful sans the help of his wealthy clan. These constant travels explains why all his childred were born in different towns, cities, and provinces. Truly cosmopolitan children, we are representatives of almost all parts of the Philippines. Two of my brothers were born in Misamis, one in Negros Oriental, two in Cavite, one in Sorsogon and one in La Union. Consequently, the family can speak various dialects such as Tagalog, Cebuano, Bicolano, and Ilocano. As a successful seafarer, he also had the opportunity to see almost the whole wide world. What he lacked in formal education (he only finished sixth grade), was compensated by his intense desire to learn and develop his skills through self study and practice. He was a voracious reader and was able to develop his verbal communication and reading skills in English, Spanish, and a little of Nipongo. If he were alive today, he could have been an effective and articulate Call Center Agent because I used to be amazed how come he conversed with us with an American accent. He used to practice the “Aspirated “T”, pronouncing “T” as clearly as possible. He also held “T” before “N” and say “cart on” instead of “carton” and “sat in” instead of “satin”. Making the “T’s” in his words disappear is also a breeze to him. I would wonder why he pronounces “international” as “inernational” and “twenty” as “tweny”. Funny huh? For an elementary student like me from a public school (Hindi bale, consistent section one naman, he, he) this is something I cannot fathom as such pronunciations were Greek to us way back then.

He developed his boxing skills to augment his income as a highly skilled mechanic. You might wonder what a four feet and eleven inches tall boxer is doing in the ring? Well, during his entire boxing career he won numerous fights against much taller opponents, worthy of the monicker “Little Jack Dempsey” of the Philippines. With God-given talent, he was able to master his mechanical skills: diesel or gas engines of land motor vehicles like car, truck or bus, he can operate and repair with ease, facility, and dexterity. And hold your breath, he was also an expert in airplane and ship engines. He was once the talk of the town when he was able to repair and restore to its normal and working condition a very old and severely damaged ship engine. Mechanic genius huh!

These talents and capabilities opened the promising door of opportunities for my papa. In one of his visits to Manila, he looked for his childhood friend, also a son of an “haciendero”, like him the prominent and wealthy “Bisaya” with Chinese blood and owner of a shipping company, United Philippines Lines, none other than the late James Chiongbian. He used to regale us with an anecdote that he, together with James Chiongbian would walk side by side in going to their school with their respective “yayas” in a tow. And how he would ask James Chiongbian to share with him his “baon” because he has more money than him. We would remark with awe, “you are indeed a son of an “haciendero”, papa!”

His highly developed mechanical skills landed him a job in his childhood friend’s shipping company. Several years after, my eldest brother was also hired as a seaman by James Chiongbian..

This signaled the start of the change in my father’s lifestyle. Before, he used to be a “kargador”, a houseboy of many of their neighboring “hacienderos”, as well as in other “hacienda” in Negros, a goldmine worker, a boxer, a machinist, and a mechanic, name it, my papa must have tried all kinds of jobs, odds or otherwise just to survive and feed his growing family of seven children.

My father, maybe small in stature, but he had a big, humongous heart with a very happy and pleasant disposition in life. Boy! How he loved to sing and dance with gusto to the rhythm and beat of the music of the then internationally renowned Spanish/Latin group, “Trio los Panchos”. Why the penchant for such music? Your guess is as good as mine. Of course, we have Spanish heritage in our blood. Despite the trials in his life which were rather plentiful, he remained happy (Felix is “Feliz” in Spanish meaning happy), composed, focused, and intensely driven to succeed in all his endeavors.

He was the youngest and the shortest (remember, he worked as a “kargador” at the tender age of 12, which am dead sure stunted his growth) among his siblings and the only one who lacked in academic stature yet, he was able to help his older as well as younger half siblings. Having developed his network of influential friends and relatives, courtesy of his extremely contagious and charismatic personality, he was able to find jobs for some of them. What an irony! The youngest, the neglected, the stow away child, once upon a time played the role of a “mother hen”, caring and loving to his older siblings.

At a young age of 56, my father died of lung cancer. He used to smoke a lot and we have a strong feeling that his prolonged exposure to the toxins and fumes of the engines aggravated his illness. On the hindsight, the good Lord must have cut short his stay here on earth however productive it was so he can finally rest. Besides, he must have already served his purpose here on earth. We must remember, the Lord did not promise us a bed of roses here on earth, but an everlasting life after death.

Felix Vega Fiel, the son of an “haciendero” who never inherited nor asked a single square meter of land from his wealthy father together with Socorro Dioneda Fiel, a Chinese-Bicolana mestiza were able to produce seven children who are all successful in their own rights. Romeo D. Fiel, a retired Marine Engineer, Rolando D. Fiel, a retired highly skilled class “A” Pipefitter/Welder, Cristina Fiel-Sorita, a retired Public School Teacher, Samuel D. Fiel, an Architect, Susana D. Fiel, an HRD Practioner, George D. Fiel, an Electronics and Communications Engineer/Businessman, and Luz D. Fiel, a Registered Nurse.

We are all proud to be the children of Felix Vega Fiel, an extremely extraordinary man and we salute him for having achieved his purpose in life with flying colors.


P. S.
Aurelio Fiel married twice:
Mga Anak with Francisca Vega (First Wife): Ricarda Fiel, Pablo Fiel, Iniego Fiel, Felix Fiel
Mga Anak sa Second Wife: Rufino Fiel, Constancio Fiel, Januario Fiel, Augustine Fiel, Teresita/Teresa Fiel