Remembering my Clients

Earlier this year I found myself cleaning up  my files not because I was transitioning to a new year but it was because I lost a client. I lost them in the saddest of circumstances. In April, as the pandemic was blowing up and under lockdown, I saw the a post on Facebook announcing the death of the person I was coordinating with passed away due to Covid. I was working with Baby Herrera, head of the GBR Foundation for about 10 years now. She began as a corporate client and eventually transitioned to my freelance work. I was doing a simple online reputation management project for here boss, Geronimo B. de los Reyes, Jr fondly called GBR being the CEO of the company. Sadly, a towards the last quarter of the year he also passed away. GBR was 84 years old. I am not aware of the cause of death but it was not Covid.

Baby was one of the nicest client I've dealt with and even if it was just a small project I was happy to get any business out of them. Initially there meetings but as the project went for the long haul the meetings became as the project continued in auto pilot. I even got to meet her husband Freddy as he tried to help me become and entrepreneur and gave me some small projects along the way. As such, I felt a certain closeness to her and her family. It was really a sad moment when I heard of her passing adding to already downcast situation of the pandemic and knowing she was one of those who lost their lives due to the pandemic.

It was probably the blue and green rivalry which made GBR remember me. When he knew that I came the wrong end, based on his opinion, that's when the ribbing started. He came from La Salle and anytime you encounter a rival they would be in your crosshairs. I just had to take it as a man and he was older and a client. GBR just had an aura about him which made you listen and respect him when you were together in a meeting.

He also had a very interesting story growing up during World War 2. You can check his story here which will include a story about an unfortunate crash landing changed his life. I will venture a guess that one of the reasons he liked aviation was because he worked fro Pan Am. He has a model of the plane that crashed in his office. He personally told me the story on how that changed his life eventually to become one of the richest Filipinos.

This is a model Pan Am Stratocruiser which crash landed in Manila on June 2, 1958. I took the picture in GBR's office after he told me the story. He was in his early twenties then.

It's hard to find news stories about the incident on the internet but you can find a mention of the accident in the Pan American World Airways accidents page. I'll place a screenshot of the snippet below.

You can find the full personal account of GBR in this link.

Last year was very hard. Losing clients in that situation made it more difficult. This is my own little way to remember them.