Emil Cris Nismal: An All-Around Computer Technician

Emil Cris Nismal: An All-Around Computer Technician

July 9, 2013 at 12:32pm

by Melcichon
July 10, 2013

"Huya ko, Sir."

This was the immediate reaction of one of the busiest employees of St. Therese-MTC Colleges, La Fiesta Site, Molo, Iloilo City, when I told him I wanted to write a profile about him.

He works from 9:00 a. m. to 6:00p.m., Mondays to Fridays, and on Saturdays, he works from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m.

Between these periods, he could hardly sit and relax because from time to time, a faculty or a staff from outside of his department would call him to set up a multi-media in a classroom or at the audio-visual room, or somebody's printer or a computer set is not functioning well. So he practically runs from his fourth floor office to the first floor and back or to the other building. Then back again to his office to answer to another request.

"I feel tired, Sir, going up and down for the nth time," he would sometimes tell me.  To ease him, I sometimes talk to him about some funny incidents in the library so he could smile or laugh.

I am referring to Mr. Emil Cris Nismal, a computer technician of ST. Therese-MTC Colleges, La Fiesta Site, Molo, Iloilo City. He is assigned at the Library Department where this writer is his supervisor.

Emil, as most of his co-workers call him, was born on January 28, 1991 in Matlong, Lamba, Banga, South Cotabato. His parents are Mr. Mario Nismal and Mrs. Gloria Nismal. Both of his parents are from Miag-ao, Iloilo. His parents went to South Cotabato to work in the farm of his uncle. It was also there where he took his elementary grades. While in the grade school, Emil was always in the honor rolls, except when he was in Grades I and 5.

In May, 2005,  his parents decided to return to Miag-ao, Iloilo for good after living in South Cotabato for 25 years.  So he had to enroll in Miag-ao National High School, but then he had to transfer again to Kirayan National High School, also in Miag-ao during his 3rd year high school. It was there where he graduated.
While in the elementary, he wanted to get an engineering degree because he was fond of tinkling some electronic gadgets, but then he changed his mind to agriculture because his parents were farmers and he was raising chickens.  But again, his interest shifted to computer science after he attended a career seminar while he was in high school. He thought that there was much prospects in this area.

He enrolled at Iloilo Technical College, Iloilo City, and graduated  there on April 15, 2011 after finishing a two-year course in Computer Hardware Servicing. Then he took an NC II exam and he passed it.  Immediately after that, he was hired as a computer technician at St. Therese-MTC Colleges, La Fiesta Site.

And then almost every hour of his duties, his technical services are needed.

But Emil is not just a computer technician. He is a walking Hiligaynon dictionary . I often ask him to translate some English words into Hiligaynon. One time, I asked him the Hiligaynon term for the egg yoke and the color violet. His answers: batog and tapol, respectively. That was the first time I ever heard of those words: batog and tapol.

Because the Internet Station is always filled up with students, faculty and staff, it is not unusual that someone would accidentally leave his or her cell phone or money.

One afternoon, Emil came to me and informed me that he found a new cellphone which was left in the Internet Station where he works. I accepted it and kept it while waiting for its rightful owner to claim it. Thirty minutes later, the lost and found cellphone rang. The caller informed me that he was looking for his cellphone.

I told him to come to my office to claim it. And he came. After some questioning, I gave back his cellphone. We photographed him while he was receiving his lost and found cellphone.

I wrote a letter to the head of HRD informing her of the exemplary action done by Mr. Nismal. Later his name with his picture was posted in the College Bulletin Board with a banner: Honest Employee of the Month. For more than three months now, the announcement is still posted in the said Bulletin Board.

So I asked Emil, why he did not keep it. And he said:  "kay bal-an ko kinahanglan man to sang tag-iya. Madamo pa na maabot sakon kon mag-abot ang tiempo."

This was not the only incident that Mr. Nismal had returned lost and found items at the Internet Station.There was also a time when someone had forgotten his wallet inside the Internet Station where Emil works. The following day, its owner came and Emil gave back the wallet with all the money intact.

Thinking that education is important for his promotion or self-development, Emil wishes to enroll in a BS Computer Science degree. In fact, I am have been encouraging him to study further. But he is not financially ready for it yet. That’s the reason why he could not give me the exact date as to when he would enroll again.

When I pressed  him for the exact time,  he said, "Next school year, Sir."

He reiterated the importance of education.  Once he told me, “If only I had been good in my high school years, my life would have been better today."

So, he said, "If you have the opportunity to study, grab that opportunity. This is the only heritage that nobody can take it away from you."

Amen!