It was a joy to watch OWWA (Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration) Administrator Carmelita Dimzon being interviewed on ANC Cable TV. Prior to her present post at OWWA, she was the former Deputy Administrator of Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA). She graduated Magna Cum Laude at the University of Santo Tomas with a Bachelor of Arts degree major in English and minor in Philosophy.
She also took graduate studies in Public Administration at the University of the Philippines.
You might wonder why I am blogging about her. She was part of my high school life, it was through her that I got to appreciate the subjects, English and Literature. I remember those days when she taught us how to appreciate and understand good poetry and a nice story. Line by line, we had to interpret the meaning of almost every poem in our literature books because of her. Ah, the days of memorizing the poem, Invictus by William Ernest Henley. I could not exactly remember now how it goes but I sure can recite the last lines, “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” And yes, the days of understanding the short story of The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, they were somehow deeply ingrained in my memory. Correct grammar, right tenses, proper use of verbs and adjectives with emphasis on the right pronunciation of words – these were the things that I remember about her.
A few years ago, I went to POEA to renew hubby’s medicare certificate and I thought of visiting her at her office, with no previous appointment, sort of killing two birds with one stone. I introduced myself to her secretary as a former student in UST. Imagine my surprise when she went out of her way to greet me and asked about how I was and she also briefly shared the nature of her work as POEA Administrator. After all these years, she remains the same Miss Dimzon that I knew way back in high school.
Kudos Ma’am, I salute you for all your efforts in extending a helping hand to all our OFWs.
Dreams And Escapes 
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