Eric Formentera

OF BREAD AND LIFE

Question: If you were some bread, what kind would you rather be? He squinted his right eye seemed afraid to get a whammy and burst into a crusty laugh. "Pandesal, sir!" he answered straight from the shoulder.

"Pandesal is ordinary looking but it always draws special attention from people," he intoned. Coming from a family of bakers, Eric Formentera knows when to chew the fat when it comes to bread. His family owns a small bakery in Mandaue and it has been the source of income of his parents to support their six children. Since it's the only bakeshop present in their community, most neighbors buy from them and yes, it's keeping the customers happy even now.

How much of this special attention are you getting? "I represented the school to quiz bowls in high school. I had a very competitive high school. I always wanted to excel...but in a quiet way," he coyly said. Eric graduated salutatorian from Cabancalan National High School. He took up Industrial Electronics Technology at CITE though he claimed that his first choice is Information Technology. "I was molded here. At first I don't know (stuff) like electronics...electricity, but I (became) a better technician," he admits after three years of getting the hang of it.

Eric is a scholar of Mandaue City Government, an able class chairman, a pioneering leader of Ecotone club, a consistent director's lister, and an active rotaractor rolled into one. Was it difficult for a "pandesal" like him to be formed into its desirable shape just good enough for the palate? "It's hard. It's just easy to think (about it) but definitely it's hard. (Figuratively,) it's difficult to find the right mix that is consistent for a bread. Just climbing the hill here everyday is already difficult (thing to do)."

Most of his classmates look up to him as someone intelligent and always in control but this impression does not make any sense to him. "Honestly, I'm not bright. I just study. I told them that. I even ask some nonsense questions to myself like 'what if I were an ant?' and stuff like that. Sometimes I wonder if I am autistic," he said as he burst into laughter.

Now that he's graduating in May, what is life after CITE look like? "Lexmark Research and Development Corporation wanted me to sign up as a contractual employee. I said yes. I just wanted to return the gestures to them for taking me in during my DTS and for listening to my complaints." Eric once felt shortchanged of his in-plant training in the Color EE laboratory, but he raised his concerns and Lexmark was able to address it promptly with the help of his immediate head, Tyrone Manoñgas, a CITE graduate.

"I wanted to come up with my own business---piggery or something to do with food. I wanted to pursue Business Administration or Accounting. The story of Caktiong family (owner of Jollibee) inspired me." he beamed when asked of his master plan.

What if it doesn't happen? "I believe that life should be lived according to God's plan. Accept the failures and learn to stand confidently."

Does it hold true with making a dough? "We are always told by my father not to frown when making the bread. If you are grumpy, your bread will become salty or will not have the same size. Life's like that," Eric ended.