Dear Aris de Leon,

Perhaps your little mind has failed to fully appreciate the gravity of this situation so I might as well spell it out for you.

In 1937, my grandfather’s family migrated from Mainland China to help his half-brother run a small textile store in Samar, Philippines. To many Chinese, Philippines was a promised land for business and industry at that time, so the thought of coming here with a guaranteed job was certainly a dream come true for my grandfather.

Unfortunately, my grandfather’s half brother has a different plan in his mind. He needed trustworthy servants for his store that can work for food and board alone. And so he invited his poor brother to “help” him out. But seeing the true colors of his brother’s intention didn’t dampen my grandfather’s spirit. He told his wife and two young sons to work hard to help his brother’s store grow so that an insurmountable blessing may come to his brother…so insurmountable, that it might spill over to them…

So my grandfather’s family worked hard for the store under the most uncomfortable circumstances. His family would sleep on top of chemically treated textile rolls and display counters at night because there were no other place to sleep in the store. They worked 20 hours a day unfailingly and soon the store became one of the top textile stores in the Visayas Area.

Though the store grew, my grandfather’s brother still didn’t give him any monetary compensation for his service. But nonetheless my grandfather was grateful to him because he sent his two sons to school and he was really learning a lot from the textile trade. Until one day, a textile supplier, who saw my grandfather’s potential gave him an offer he can’t refuse. He asked him to be an industrial partner to a textile store in Manila.

My grandfather didn’t want to leave his non-paying job but he thought of his family and their future. And besides, his brother is now having his insurmountable blessings…it is about time for him to enjoy the spill over. So, against his brother pleading, my grandfather put his family on a ship to Manila. And with sheer dedication and determination he and his partners became one of the most prominent textile distributors in the country.

Finally, my grandfather and his family for the first time in their lives were enjoying the benefits of their hard work. But not until jealousy sets in. My grandfather’s half-brother find out about my grandfather’s fortune and set out a scheme to ruin my grandfather’s business. He accused my grandfather of smuggling illegal products from nearby countries. And although they didn’t find any substantial evidence, my grandfather lost most of his loyal clients, his major suppliers and most importantly his good reputation.

My grandfather was devastated. He can live without a cloth on his back but not without his reputation. He always teaches his children to be honest and fair at all times and now their family is knee-deep in shame. So, as a personal crusade, he spent the next years of his life trying to clean his name.

My grandfather with the help of his two sons put all their savings in a small grocery store. And since he wanted to be really transparent, my grandfather’s store is the only store in the neighborhood that keeps the costumer informed of the mark-up difference. He always tell the costumers of the quality of the products that they are buying and will always give honest replies even if it causes him a sale. Soon, my grandfather gained the respect of the people in the community and his business grew from a small time grocery store into a full-pledged department store.

Through all his endeavors in life, my grandfather has always stressed the importance of good reputation and honest fortune. A principle he passed on to his two sons and to his grandchildren. A principle that I intend to carry on.

Mr. De leon if you think that your shallow wit and your sarcastic little jokes could adequately meet all the hardships that my family has gone through to keep our reputation untainted, then I suggest that you look deeper into your one-dimensional life. My family deserves a public apology, no less and I expect it as soon as possible.

Good day!

Alice Limtuaco