Tricycle driver dad a source of pride, inspiration for his five kids

Hermes Anor never gets tired of going out to drive his tricycle to make sure that he is able to provide for his family. /Contributed Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines— Hermes Anor, 60, drives his tricycle day and night in order to provide for his family’s needs.

Wearing only T-shirt, shorts and slippers, Hermes may look ordinary to many, but he is no ordinary man to his three children whom he managed to send to college from his daily earnings as a tricycle driver.

Even if three of his five children already graduated from college and now have jobs of their own, Hermes, an Alcoy town native, continues to wake up early in the morning to drive his tricycle and would stay out on the streets until late at night.

“We are beyond blessed that you (as) are our father. Thank you for showing us how to be humble, to persevere, to put God in the center of our lives, and to never give up on our dreams. We are very proud of you, Pa. We love you,” Clarissa wrote as a message for Hermes on Father’s Day.

Clarissa said that she takes pride in having Hermes for a father.  “He is like no other,” she proudly shared with CDN Digital.

Medals and Awards

Clarissa said that Hermes was always ready to make sacrifices for his children. He would even gladly volunteer to help in their school works and assignments when he comes home at night, instead of spending his free time to rest and prepare for work the next day.

She said that Hermes is one who takes pride in all the medals and awards that his children would bring home from school.

“When he goes home at night, we never heard him complain about life, instead he would often tell us that we should cherish our education because he is not rich. That sending us to school is his life’s mission and to make sure that we will get the education he did not have. He would spend time with us talking about our assignments and he would try hard to help us answer those difficult questions,” she said.

Three of his children- Nenette, Jennifer and Clarissa – already finished their college education and graduated with honors while Nery Rose, 14, is now enrolled in senior high school. Their only brother, Harvy, 22, is yet to finish his BS Marine Transportation course after he stopped in 2014.

Nenette, 29, graduated Cum Laude at the Cebu Normal University on March 2016 where she finished a degree in secondary education. Jennifer, 27, who finished her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Commerce major in Communications and Marketing also graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2012. Clarissa, 25, was also Magna Cum Laude when she graduated from her Psychology course on October 2016. 

Both Jennifer and Clarrisa completed their college education at the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R).

“When we bring home medals and when we walk up the stage as our names were being called for (our) awards, (that was) the best gift we could give to our parents,” she said.

Clarissa said that their graduation is always the happiest moment for their parents especially their father, Hermes.

A Simple Man

Clarissa said that what their father lacked in education, he made up by showing his children that he was a responsible and loving father. He worked long hours to provide for their needs. He did not have any vices to waste his hard-earned money on.

Hermes only finished high school, the reason why he was unable to find a better paying job.

He worked as a security guard in the 90s when he met his wife, Nelia, who then worked in a junk shop. They started their family in a makeshift shanty that was built inside the junkshop compound were Nelia works in Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City.

In 2013, Clarissa said that her parents decided to buy a trisikad and brought it home to Herme’s hometown in Alcoy town in southern Cebu.

Clarrisa said that her father earned money as a trisikad driver while she, Nenette and Jennifer were enrolled in college.

“Ako kay working scholar sa USJ-R then my ate Jennifer was an academic scholar at the same time staff in our school publication. She was the editor-in-chief during her senior year. When she graduated, she supported our eldest sister (Nenette) para maka college” Clarissas told CDN Digital.

Clarissa said that Nenette had to work after she finished high school to help in their family’s expenses.

“Life has been difficult for us. As children, we tried helping our parents in any way we can for additional income. Being a trisikad driver did not pay much. We had to wait for him to return home before we could prepare anything on the table. It would usually take some time” Clarissa recalled.

Hardwork

Wanting to help their family, the three sisters immediately applied for employment after their respective graduations.

Clarissa said they were inspired by their father’s hardwork and perseverance to make sure that all of his children are able to achieve their respective goals in life.

Nenette now works as a teacher at the Buguil Elementary School in Moalboal while Jennifer is a content manager for a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company in Cebu City while she is also enrolled at the USJ-R law school. Clarissa is now registered psychometrician who works as a human resource officer for a private firm in Cebu City.

In 2016, the three sisters chipped money from their savings to buy Hermes the tricycle that he is now using./dcb