Before anything else, I'd like all of you to know that I'm writing this with a heavy heart. I know it's been awhile since I posted something on here but this person is worth my time and deserves a new post.
Last Saturday, October 10, I opened my Facebook and the very first thing I saw was a photo of Gerry Katigbak with a caption "Requiescat in Pace Guillermo "Gerry" Maralit Katigbak May 3, 1952 - October 10, 2015".. Being not a Latin speaker, I knew already what it meant. I was like "Nope! This isn't true! This is probably just a joke or a hoax!" I checked his Facebook timeline and there were too many "RIP Gerry Katigbak". So it must be true! I paused for a minute and at the back of my mind I was like "No. He isn't dead!" then a tear just fell from my eye. No.. No.. NO. I was trying to convince myself not to believe it but.. It's real. You just left us. I keep asking "Why did you have to go?" It was just like a couple of months ago when I had a conversation with him through Facebook comments. Here's exactly how our conversation went:
"Hey Gerry K! Missing the good old days. Let's have a reunion soon with the rest of LCI peeps!"
"Sure! It'll be great."
"But I don't know where everybody is, so it will probably take long."
"I know! I will see you all soon."
"Yay! See you soon Gerry K!"
I never thought that it would be our last conversation. I was really looking forward to see him and the rest of my classmates. It's been nearly 10 years. Wait, what?! 10 years?! Feels like it's been forever! I already had plans in mind but for some reasons, I wasn't sure if it's possible since I don't know where on earth my other classmates are. I can't even find some of them on Facebook! Damn it! Had I known it won't happen anymore, I should have just visited him at his shop or invited him out to grab some coffee and catch up. But I know he's a very busy person so I don't know if it's possible either.
Remembering way back during LCI (Lasalle College International) days, to be completely honest, he was indeed my favorite mentor. At first, I was intimidated by him because.. C'mon! It's Gerry Katigbak! He was indeed one of the greatest Fashion Designers in the country and it felt like it was a dream come true when I found out that he would be one of our mentors. I was pretty scared at first because I really didn't know how he was like as a mentor and I had no idea what to expect too. All of the doubts and uncertainties in my mind were gone after our first day of class. He was surprisingly nice not just to me but to all of us. I felt like he was just a friend sharing his talents. When I got home, I was like "Was it really Gerry Katigbak I was talking to???!!!" Everything was so surreal.
As time and days passed by, the relationship we had with him just got better and better. What I loved about our classes with him was we got to have fun and at the same time we're learning a lot from him. He wasn't just a mentor, but he was also a friend. A friend that you could count on whenever you're feeling down, and he was just a text away. He was the type of person who wouldn't take the problems seriously, he would simply make fun of it. He loved to play jokes that's why there was never a dull moment with him. Whenever he would notice we were all stressed out and we're having a hard time, he would say "Tara! Yosi muna tayo!" (Let's go smoke first) And sometimes when we were feeling hungry and were so lazy to eat outside, we'd simply ask him "Gerry K, can we eat here?" and without a doubt he would say "Sure! I'll join you guys." So we'd buy food nearby and eat during classes. I thought it was cool. I remembered there was one time, we went to the mall and he saw this woman wearing something unusual, he said "Ay ang chaka!" HAHAHA! I guess that's the down side of being a Fashion Designer, you get to notice every little detail on someone's clothes. That didn't mean he was being rude though, I guess he just wanted to make us laugh.
I've done few fashion shows with him being the director and I will remember that for the rest of my life. Our graduation was of course, directed by the one and only Gerry Katigbak. I always thought "Napaka swerte ko naman at nakasama ko ang isang Gerry Katigbak." It was really a pleasure working with him and knowing him. Who didn't love working with him by the way? I'm pretty sure even the models loved working with him. He was such an incredible person and sometimes he could be so unbelievable. His ideas were... Uhmm.. BRILLIANT! Sometimes I wonder how the hell did he do that! I can't find the exact words to describe how talented and bright he was. I am indeed very lucky and BLESSED that once in my life, I have met someone like him. That once in my life, I have worked with THE GERRY KATIGBAK.
Gerry K! I know you won't be able to read this anymore but I just wanna say THANK YOU VERY MUCH for all the things you have done for me. Thank you for believing in my talent when I didn't even believe in myself. Thank you for all the things you have taught me. Thank you for you were not selfish to share your talents. Thank you for being incredibly nice to me. Thank you for all the good memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life. It's been almost a week now since you left, but I am still in shock. I can't believe you're gone. I can't believe it. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I know you're happy now with Him. If you're not busy up there, please do visit me in my dreams. You will be missed. Fly high Gerry K! We've lost a great Fashion Designer but the heaven just gained a very talented, nice & funny angel. Know that you were such an inspiration to a lot of people. Believe it or not, I wished I had your talents. There are more things I wanna write here but I can't hold back my tears anymore. Good bye my friend, my kababayan! Until we meet again. WE LOVE YOU! ❤️
