Melchor F. Cichon
When I asked Johnrex de Pedro what his motto is, he said: “Poverty is not a hindrance to success.”
And this is the force that moved Johnrex to find a better life.
Born from a middle class family of Altavas, Aklan, Johnrex, worked his way to finish a college degree. And beyond until he settled in Los Angeles, California, USA.
John’s parents are Roberto Nicolas de Pedro originally from Brgy. Bangkerohan, Altavas, Aklan and Merline Pascual Panado de Pedro of the same place. John’s father is a fish distributor or fish business financier.
His original name was Rex de Pedro, but when he became an American citizen, he was told that he could change his name. But instead of changing his name, he added John. So now he is legally called Johnrex Panado de Pedro.
Johnrex first took up an electrical engineering course at the Western Institute of Technology in Iloilo City. But he realized that this course could not make him prosperous. So he took up another degree which he thought would uplift him. This time a nautical course at the Garcia Polytechnic College in Kalibo, Aklan.
With those educational preparations, he went to America and later landed a job in a cruise liner that plied to the Caribbean. While in the Bahamas, he applied for a multiple visa to the USA. And he was granted.
After one year, he went back to the Philippines.
But then again, John did not stay long in the country. He went back to America. This time in Los Angeles, California.
After one week he found a job as a maintenance engineer in an elderly facility.
But at night he went to school to take his third degree, manufacturing engineering technology at Mt. San Antonio College where he met his future wife, the former Miss Melanie Pador Pedrola of Kalibo, Aklan. She was working in the hospital. They now have two kids: Johnrexter, 7 years old, and Marc Anthony 5 years old.
(Rex: Is Melanie a nurse?)
In (? ) , John moved to an engineering company. How he works as a supervisor engineer.
Let us hear from Johnrex himself how he broke the barrier to success.
“Well, ro among sitwasyon dati? hmmm I would say middle class....parents ko may kwarta sanda dati kat ga iskoyla pa ako kaso yong father ko owa imaw naila mag gastos sa school in the first place...in fact ako naga struggle mat-a eagi since sa elementary pa ako....ga-usoy ako it paagi kung paalin ako makakwarta para sa sarili ko...idto ako gatinir sa eogta namon sa baryo...tanom it saging para ibaligya ko kung bumunga...lingkad it niyog....arado sa bukid...hasta it nag high school ako....gabaligya ako it isda under sa father ko...ginataw-an na rayon ako it bali suhoe ron. Haeos ga-abot ako una sa Passi, sa Iloilo, sa Kalibo, sa banwa-banwa it Capiz like Manbusao, Sapian, Dumarao, Jamindan, Lucero magbaligya it isda. Ag iba pa sos kaabo pang lugar. Kaya in my early age sayod ko eot-a kun paalin mangabudlay sa pagpangabuhi.
Kun indi ako makabaligya it isda gabiyahi ako it motor siklo single. Sayod mo man una sa Altavas, puro mga single ro ginabiyahi
Sayod mo man maski makaron kabudlay ang haagyan....proud mat-ang gihapon sa Tatay ko...kasi diba may kwarta sanda dati hasta it ga tu-on pa ako hasta sa kolihiyo? Naisip ko, kun ginpagustuhan nanda ako it allowance, basi owa man ako nakatapos it pag tu-on. Syempre pag may kwarta ka indi ka eon maka-isip magsueod sa iskoylahan....parehas ku iba nga ginapatu-on ag may sobra-sobra nga allowance kada buean, oh ano natabo? owa katapos.
When I asked him how he went to the United States, he wrote me this:
anyway... ro nagsponsor kakon pag adto iya? humuean ako sa auntie ko sa Manila it kwarta...owa it pasayod sa parents ko...pumanaw ako iya maski sambilog sa pamilya nakon owa gid it naghatod kakon sa airport o nagbulig it prepare manlang ku ang mga gamit...isaea pa unexpected ro ang pamanaw....ma recall ko ngani 10:30am umadto eang ako sa kompanya. Pag-abot ko mga 11:30am hinambaean ako nga mapanaw ako 9:45pm to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Miami, Florida...sos owa gid it ha-om ron...owa ako it travelling bag, toothbrush, toothpaste…everything Nong Mel...owa pa it kwarta....hahahaha sos miyo....ako manlang abing sambilog sa baeay that time may sueod si auntie sa school, teacher abi....ang inobra, umandto ako kay auntie sa school para mangayo it kwarta pang bakae it gamit..tapos adto sa SM. Tag boeo ako. Bakas ko it pang habnit ro mga gamit nga kinahangeanon ko. Naaeagan ako sa cashier. Bukon it tikang ha daeagan....hahahaha tueok ako it mga tawo domdom nanda hay manakaw ako hahahaha....tapos ito pa sakay ako it jeep sa pilahan...owa pa it pasahero siguro mga lima paeang kami.....hambae ko mama umalis bayaran ko lahat ng pasahero mo...tapos kinutana na ako sabi bakit sino ang humahabol sayo mga pulis ba? hahahaha hambae ko bakit anong palagay mo sa akin magnanakaw? hinambae ko lang kana nga basi hi-aywan ako it eroplano hapon eot-a abi siguro mga maeapit eon sa 6:00pm. Sa Malabon pa ako mahalin.
To increase his income, he established in 1994 together with his aunt, Dr. Teresita Pastrana Pador Rodriguez, a store that specializes on Filipino movies.
The name of this store is ARCHER VIDEO CONNECTION. It is located at Main Avenue, Baldwin Park, California 91706, USA.
As part of its promotion, its management would sometime sponsor jointly the concerts of some Filipino singers in Los Angeles, and eventually visit their store..
Some of those Filipino personalities who have graced their store were: Gary Valenciano, Vina Morales, Christian Bautista, and lately Kaye Abad, that beautiful multi-talented Filipino-American tv and movie actress. Kaye has appeared in several TV series and movies like “Sana’y Wala ng Wakas” (2003), and “Ang Tanging Ina” (2003), respectively.
When I asked him what he is known for, his answer was: “hmmm a good billiard player, I guess.”
I hope that he did it also by breaking the barrier to billiard.
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