Young Dads Club

Upstart fathers who are living proof why parenthood is the best thing ever

Text: Deneb R. Batucan & Patricia May P. Catan with Martie de Castro & Joyce Villaflor
STC Mass Comm Interns

 

FATHERS are often regarded as the breadwinner of the family. He makes sure there’s enough food on the table to nourish his family as well as provide all the needs of his children. With this huge task at hand, fathers often bare a lot of weight on their shoulders. But as unnerving as that can be, they also have to be nurturers, making sound and conscious decisions on how to shape their children.

Well, that sounds like a lot of work. But it sure is worth it—according to the young dads SunStar Weekend has talked to. While their kids are growing up fast, they’re trying to settle in their roles as fathers as quickly and as efficiently as they could. And nothing at all is more amazing to them as seeing their children for the first time. Here are some young fathers who strive hard to raise their babies with all the love and effort they could muster.

Vince Rainer Yap, 29
Businessman & Musician

While Vince manages Spark Electric, a store for electronic and lighting solutions, and sometimes moonlights as a session drummer for various local bands, his true full-time job is being a “FUNctional” dad to a cute baby girl called Vance Aerith. Two years ago, when his then girlfriend and now wife, April, told him she was pregnant, he felt a mixture of anxiety and excitement at the thought of being a father.

And when Vance finally came out, he was all sorts of happy. “Amazed and thankful. No words can express what I felt when I first saw Chub,” he said. (Chub is just one of Vance’s many nicknames.)

Now that Vance is in her toddler years, Vince strives to be an efficient dad — but that doesn’t stop him from being crazy and spontaneous at times with his baby girl. The fun never stops with Vince and Vance.

“My dream for Chub is for her to be happy whatever or wherever she plans to be in the future,” Vince said.

Rjale Thomas Cedeno, 21
Call Center Agent

A certified gamer, Cedeno, enjoys staying at home and watching videos for games. Yet the shift of his life perspective happened when his daughter Shanna Rayle Evanna came into his life. “I had mixed emotions. I was scared but I was happy that I am going to have a child,” he said.

He was very happy when he saw his daughter for the very first time. He thinks he is a good father who does everything to provide his daughter the best. “My dream for my kid is to have a comfortable life,” he wishes for his three-month-old daughter.

Carlo Guitierrez, 24
Subject Matter Specialist

A subject matter expert (SME) from one of the BPO companies in Cebu, Carlo Gutierrez loves traveling around the province, surfing the internet, and playing basketball. But beyond all these, he is a cool dad to his four-year-old daughter, Carlysle Margauxe Gutierrez.

At first, he couldn’t believe that he will be a dad. He had mixed emotions wherein part of him was extremely happy and glad that he’s blessed with a little angel and on the other hand, part of him was a little worried about the future of his daughter. But when he held and carried his daughter for the first time, his heart was filled with joy. “There is no other thing magical than seeing your first child,” he said.

Gutierrez is an easy-going dad. “A very typical one,” he said. He loves to spoil his little princess but still do necessary actions to discipline his daughter. Like many parents, he wishes the best for his daughter.

“I wish her happiness in life and I wish that she’ll be able to make most out of it. I wish her strength and courage for whatever challenge she may encounter in life,” he said.

Francis Alturas, 21
Product Designer

A product designer, Francis is beyond just merely designing interfaces and loving heavy metal music. Outside the borders of his amazing sense of humor is a father of a seven-month-old baby boy, Cairo Orion.

“Wow, this is going to be awesome! We’re going to be three little piglets!” he said to himself when he found out he was going to be a dad. The first thing that went into his mind when he first saw his child’s face was “Wow, I actually made that human being.”

He believes that he is a chill and a cool dad, which is also what his wife thinks of him. His dream for his kid is to be able to soar high and make a difference in the world someday. “I dream for my kid to be legen — wait for it — dary! Legendary!” he says.

Kevin B. Socito, 28
BPO Supervisor

At the young age of 24, Kevin became a father to Paris, now four years old. When he knew he would become a first-time dad, he honestly didn’t know what to do. With doubts and running questions in his mind, the answer became clear. Kevin finally gathered the courage and decided to tell the news to his parents and his girlfriend’s (now Kevin’s wife) parents regarding their situation.

Kevin, who was then a clueless dad, grew to become a better version of himself now that he is officially a father. Everything changed when his daughter came into this world. Kevin was the type of dad who wanted the best not only for his first-born, but also for his wife. Wanting only the best for his little family, Kevin knew that he had to be secured and stable in his job with the BPO industry and so he put all his hard work and dedication to his job and family.

Kevin’s dream for his kid is simple: “I want Paris to reach for her biggest dream and be whoever she wants to be.” All this he believes is possible with his and his wife’s support, especially in building their child’s confidence. Kevin also stressed that sending his daughter to a good school with good background is essential, as it will be one of their daughter’s strongest foundations.