|
Icing on
Clyde’s
cake
By Daphne Santuyo-Mercado
Clyde Roma
Santuyo was born on December 11, 1971, in Ipil in what was
then the third district of Zamboanga del Sur. He was the
third child of Manuel, a geodetic engineer, and Fe, a teacher.
When Clyde was
a baby, he had a reddish complexion, something that prompted
his grandmother to say that he would talk early. That was
what the old folks believed then.
Two more babies
came after Clyde, but all he could say was “aaa…aaa.” He
couldn’t even say “mama.” It was later discovered that Clyde
could not speak because he could also not hear.
This did not
discourage his parents, however, so they went from doctor to
doctor only to be told that their child would be a deaf-mute
forever. They tried faith healers for a miracle, but perhaps
God has different plans for him because to this day, Clyde has
not spoken a word. So Clyde was considered an “abnormal.”
Ipil then was a
small town with no schools for special children like him. He
was ten years old when he started attending Ipil Central
Elementary School. It must have been difficult for his
teachers who had no training in dealing with an impaired child
like Clyde. It must have been difficult for his classmates,
too!
However, his
teachers were happily surprised to discover Clyde’s gift – he
could draw well, and was good in everything that involved
art! When he was in his elementary years, Clyde used to
fashion cakes out of soap bubbles. He was so good at it that
the cakes actually looked real. He could even deceive his
friends into tasting his cake only to find out they had eaten
soap!
High school was
more difficult for Clyde, but he was admitted to Marian
College, still in Ipil. Some of his classmates did not like
him because he never tolerated cheating; but he made a lot of
friends there. In his third year, one teacher gave him a
failing grade – the first read mark ever in his report card!
That discouraged him, and eventually he stopped school. That
was in 1990.
Like any of us,
Clyde had dreams for the future. He could not articulate all
these though, so he started pretending he could foresee
events. One of the events he predicted was the Ipil massacre
of 1994 months before it happened. Maybe in his silence he
has been gifted with sensitivity to know tomorrow? Nobody
knows, but Clyde was sure then that someday he’ll get on a
plane and live abroad where cakes are expensive. This is what
he tells everybody.
Taking a cue,
his parents brought him to a friend who had a bakery in
Kabasalan. There his interest in baking and cake decorating
was aroused even more. His parents also have a good friend
named Nene Mendoza who operated Lucky 12 Restaurant. There,
Clyde learned the basics of cake decorating. Since he is a
natural artist, Clyde improved his craft on his
own…experimenting, practicing. That started his cake business
in Ipil.
Soon he had
many orders – from friends to politicians to businessmen. He
did cakes for big weddings, debuts, and celebrations. He even
traveled to Dumaguete City to make a wedding cake there. An
aunt in the States sent him a package of cake decorating
accessories, which he uses to this day. From his cake
business Clyde made enough money to invest in a computer
business.
Last year,
Clyde’s family was invited to a wedding in Zamboanga City.
Clyde wanted to be there just to see the wedding cake, but as
it turned out, fate had something in store for him there.
In the wedding,
the family met Clyde’s former playmate who had become good at
sign language. They later found out that Genesis Cape was a
teacher in Zamboanga City High School where they had a
specialized program for students like Clyde. Genesis invited
Clyde to his school.
After a few
days, Clyde went to Zamboanga City High School just to
observe. He was a bit hesitant because he was already 32
years old! But he saw that there were students there older
than himself, so he decided to stay. Clyde was so excited!
He was like a kindergartner who would demand that his parents
buy him things for school!
He was advised
by the SPED principal to enroll as a first year student,
having no formal background in sign language, and knowing only
the basic alphabet and some important words. In addition to
that, Clyde knew some kind of sign language that only he and
his family could understand.
One weekend
when he was home in Ipil, he asked his mom if he could bring
his batter mixer because he was joining a contest. Not
knowing anything about a contest, his mom said no. The next
day, when Clyde was already back in Zamboanga City, a cousin
called his mom to inform her that Clyde had been picked to
represent Zamboanga City in the Regional Skills Development
competition in cake decorating. It was an annual activity
conducted by the Department of Education through the Student
Technologists and Entrepreneurs of the Philippines.
So Clyde joined
the competition…only to be immediately under protest because
he looked too old to be in high school. The issue was cleared
however. The nicest thing is that Clyde won first place in
the Regional Level. Of course, he needed to represent the
region in the national competition in Naga City in Camarines
Sur. And there God performed a miracle for him: Clyde was
adjudged national champion for cake decorating.
It was a great
day of thanksgiving for the Santuyo family. Their very own
Clyde –despite being a deaf-mute - has achieved something that
no ordinary person could do.
There were no
fireworks, no motorcades, no press conference and no blow-out
party. Only few people knew of his victory, but to Clyde it
did not matter. What was important for him was the knowledge
that he had achieved something, and that he had made his
family proud.
My Manong Clyde
is a deaf-mute. Since childhood, he has been deprived of many
things that we take for granted. Yet his deficiency turned
out to be a source of pride, a blessing from the Lord.
Perhaps, God does intend him to be a deaf-mute forever, if
only for others to realize that everyone is special.
We might be
different from the rest, but in other fields, we just might be
the best!
Home -->
| 
