Facilities Management Office technician Adolfo Silva is retiring from the University after 45 years of quiet service.
For more than four decades, Silva chose to remain at UST while many of his colleagues sought work overseas. No salary abroad could replace watching his children grow up and giving them the opportunity to become Thomasians, he said.
Long before becoming one of the University’s longtime electricians, Silva found his first home at the Father’s Residence.
Fresh out of high school, he came to UST after his older brother, who worked with priests in San Juan, encouraged him to apply when the UST residence needed additional staff. Silva spent four years serving meals and assisting Dominican priests with their daily needs.
Living alongside the priests shaped more than his career. It instilled the discipline and values that guided him throughout his life.
“Kasama na rin ’yon lalo na kausap mo lagi mga pari,” Silva said, recalling how residents regularly attended Friday confessions and learned discipline through their daily interactions with the Dominican community.
(That naturally came with the experience, especially because you were always interacting with the priests.)
“Pinag-aral nila ako kasi hindi ka puwede doon kung hindi ka nag-aaral,” he recalled, referring to the Dominican community’s support for his enrollment in the University’s two-year electrical technician course.
(They supported my studies because you could not stay there if you were not studying.)
After earning his diploma, Silva met the rector, Fr. Norberto Castillo, O.P., who offered him a choice: continue studying or begin working for the University.
“Pagka-graduate ko, kausap ko yung rector dati, si Fr. Norberto Castillo. Ang sinabi sa akin, ‘Gusto mo nang lumipat o ituloy mo pang mag-aral?’ Sabi ko, ‘Trabaho na lang po ako, Father,’” he said.
(After I graduated, I spoke with the rector then, Fr. Norberto Castillo. He asked me, “Do you want to move on or continue your studies?” I replied, “I’d rather start working, Father.”)
Silva joined the University as an electrician, a position he held for 15 years before transferring to technical operations.
For many years, he was assigned to the former Rizal Conference Hall in the Faculty of Arts and Letters before later serving in other venues as the University’s facilities evolved.
Much of his work took place behind the scenes. During Paskuhan, graduation rites and other major University events, Silva helped install and dismantle sound systems and operated technical booths.
In his younger years, he climbed scaffolding to complete technical work before age and stricter safety protocols eventually kept him on the ground.
Although many colleagues left for higher-paying jobs overseas, Silva never seriously considered following them.
He believed his children needed a present father more than a bigger paycheck. That decision, he said, allowed him to watch them grow up and eventually study at the same University where he had spent most of his working life.
Both of his sons became Thomasians, one enrolling in the Faculty of Arts and Letters and the other in the Faculty of Civil Law, fulfilling the dream that kept him rooted at UST for more than four decades.
Looking back, Silva said his proudest accomplishment was not the countless events he helped stage but the family he raised.
“Napabuti ang pamilya ko,” he said. “Pinili ko dito mag-stay para mapabuti ang pamilya ko.”
(My family turned out well. I chose to stay here so I could provide them with a better life.)
He also recalled how the Thomasian community stood by his family during difficult times. When one of his children became seriously ill, a University regent extended assistance after Silva sought help.
Now 65 and living with diabetes, Silva is preparing for retirement. He is overseeing the construction of his home and hopes to travel while his health still allows.
As he closes a chapter spanning nearly half a century, Silva leaves younger employees with the same principle that guided him throughout his career.
“Magtrabaho lang kayo nang maayos. Huwag haluan ng kalokohan. Magbigay tayo ng best natin sa UST,” he said. “Tumagal ako dahil sa sikap at dasal.”
(Just do your work well. Don’t mix it with dishonesty. Let’s always give our best to UST. I lasted this long through hard work and prayer.)
