On October 18 and 19, 2025, the high school Batch 1975 of St. Michael’s School of Padada came home. Fifty years had passed since we walked out of those gates in Davada del Sur. Some of us had grown old in Manila. Some had grown old abroad. Some did not make it back at all.

My batchmates asked me to give the inspirational talk. They wanted to hear about the road I had taken since graduation — from a small rural town in Davao del Sur to the Metro, and to a front-row seat in a Philippine presidential campaign.

Here is that speech, lightly edited for reading.

My dear batchmates of St. Michael’s School of Padada — MAAYONG GABII SA INYONG TANAN! (Good evening to all of you!)

When Eden reached out and invited me to speak at today’s reunion, I felt truly honored. Fifty years have passed since we walked away from those cherished school grounds. Half a century. Yet it hardly seems possible that so much time has gone.

Reunions like this give us a chance to look back on the years that shaped us. They also let us ask a harder question: what have we given, and what do we still owe?

Our Unforgettable School Days in Padada

The years we spent at SMSP are unforgettable. We grew up together in a close-knit, God-centered community. Our families had limited means, but we found happiness in simple things.

There was no television, no electronic games, no cellphones. So we went outdoors. Our days were filled with takyan, lastiko, and jolens. We played basketball, swam at the beach, and climbed the slopes of Piapi. We even hunted for spiders to stage battles.

We walked to school and to church. We played in open fields. We serenaded our classmates on their birthdays. We learned to work with our hands — gardening, raising chickens, cutting grass, and making toys out of whatever we could find.

We may have been poor financially. But we were rich in purpose. And purpose drove us forward.

The Teachers Who Believed in Us

We were fortunate to have dedicated and inspiring educators. They taught us to believe in ourselves. They helped us master clear and correct English. They pushed our vocal limits and untangled hard concepts in math and science. They brought the Spanish language and music appreciation to life.

Our principals and the nuns worked tirelessly to keep the school excellent. We respected our teachers deeply — sometimes with a little fear, but always with trust and camaraderie.

We also had unwavering faith in each other. In our small community in Padada, we saw our classmates as the brightest and the girls as the prettiest. Our basketball and softball teams played like champions. Our glee club and church choir sang like angels. The school band and rondalla filled the air with music.

We carried the pride of being part of the ST. MICHAEL’S CLASS. We understood that difficulty was simply a step toward becoming self-sufficient. Our circumstances were humble. Our sense of purpose was not.

The Prayer That Carried Us

One of the greatest gifts we received was prayer — though few of us recognized it as a gift at the time.

We held onto prayer through everything that followed. Through sickness and loss. Through financial and emotional strain. Through fear and exhaustion. That ability to pray, instilled in us at school, has sustained us for fifty years. It will carry us the rest of the way.

This was the environment that shaped us as we left Padada for college. And personally, I got a quick lesson in perspective. I had been prominent academically at SMSP. In the larger world, I was only starting out.

From Padada to Ateneo de Davao

After high school, I received several scholarship offers. I chose Ateneo de Davao because it was close to Padada and I could live with my sister at no cost.

At first I felt out of place among my city-raised classmates. That did not last. I excelled academically and in extracurricular work. I became University Student Council President. I received the Natural Science Division Leadership awards. I graduated with Latin honors, as Valedictorian of my class.

Activism, Arrest, and the Turn to Manila

During college I also became involved in activism. Those were turbulent times.

I was once arrested and briefly detained for subversion during an anti–martial law protest. Human rights lawyers defended me. Friends stood by me. Eventually the charges were dropped.

That experience did not discourage me. It fueled my ambition. I moved to Manila for postgraduate studies at the Opus Dei–administered Center for Research and Communication (CRC), which later became part of the University of Asia and the Pacific. While at CRC, I taught economics at the University of the Philippines – Manila. That is where I met my future wife.

Research, Broadcast, and a Presidential Campaign

After CRC, I joined the Pulse Research Group, then the leading market research firm in the country.

My career path led me to ABS-CBN. I served first as Vice President for Research and Business Analysis, then as Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing. In 2012, I became CEO of Omnicom Media Group Philippines.

I left Omnicom in early 2015 — not to retire, but to help fulfill a long-standing dream of many Mindanaoans. We wanted to see someone from our region lead the country. That person was then–Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. I was part of the small team that managed his media campaign. The campaign’s use of social media changed Philippine politics. And for the first time, a Mindanaoan became president.

In December 2016, I founded LouderPH, a communications agency that helps clients refine and amplify their messages. Today I have stepped back from daily operations and left them to my younger partners.

What I Still Owe Padada

Looking back, I see how far the road has run — from Padada to the Metro, from humble beginnings to a part in a historic moment for our nation.

I have crossed off most of my bucket list. Two items remain. The first is to drive from Manila to Davao. The second is to build a Library-Museum in our hometown.

The building is nearly complete. Next comes the harder part: filling it with books, photographs of old Padada, multimedia materials, and museum pieces. I hope you can help me source the memorabilia and photos. The place will also run a regular schedule of livelihood training.

What Success Really Looks Like

Someone once asked whether I consider myself a success. My answer is the same one I gave the SMSP alumni during our school’s 50th homecoming:

Often, success is measured by how much money one has — fine clothes, new cars, a comfortable life and job. But the Almighty Father, the BIG BOSS of Senior San Miguel, has a different measure for a successful alumnus of St. Michael’s School of Padada. For HIM, the FACE OF SUCCESS is seen in:

• Fathers and mothers who work each day to send their children to school.
• The brightest among us who choose a life of public service because they believe in our institutions.
• Honest public servants — barangay captains, councilors, mayors — who lead with integrity, honesty, and virtue.
• Single parents who sacrifice their own happiness for their children’s sake.
• Businessmen and corporate professionals who help others improve their lives.

Purpose, Pride, and Prayer

Much has changed in our country since we left SMSP. Senior citizenship, with its government-mandated benefits, is now both a reality and a running joke among us.

So let me leave you with this. Tell your children and your grandchildren how we grew up. Tell them we had none of the comforts they enjoy today, and that we still grew up with purpose and pride. Tell them we got through hardship on prayer.

Those are the lessons of St. Michael’s School of Padada. That same sense of purpose, pride, and faith is what still brings us together.

Even after fifty years, we keep the flame alive as children of SMSP.

MABUHAY ANG BATCH 1975 OF ST. MICHAEL’S!

If you are an SMSP alumnus or somebody with roots from Padada with old photographs, documents, or memorabilia from Padada, I would welcome them for the Library-Museum. You can reach me through my email: nicgajrjr@gmail.com or by FB messenger at:  https://www.facebook.com/nc.gabunada