Tabaco's Faithful Warrior: Roger Chavez
by Pinielle
Date of Birth : Dec. 30, 1950
Baptized : Oct. 30, 1999
Died : Dec. 18, 2006
Tito Roger, as we fondly call him, is a man of jokes. He has an ever-ready, one-toothed smile for everyone. He loves cracking jokes, giving out riddles, and funny mind games. And the funniest thing about those riddles is that he doesn't want anyone to guess the right answer. If someone gets the answer, he quickly goes on to the next group and repeats the same line of riddles until everyone in the crowd gets infected with joy and laughter.
Tito Roger is also a serious man - in his faith and trust in God. During typhoon Reming, the waters from the river nearby his house rose up to 5-6 feet. His wife, Tita Belen, and his daughter Mary Ann cannot manage to escape from the perilous current and level of water that he had to carry them both on his shoulders to safety. His family felt so much fear and started crying. His wife even thought that it will be the end of their lives. Tito Roger assured her that God is right there with them, and that He will bring them all to safety. The mud and mire from the river almost reached Tito Roger's nostrils, but he never wavered in his faith or doubted God's deliverance. It was his faith in God that gave him strength to save his family - including the lives of his neighbors, relatives, and even his dogs.
It was also during the typhoon that he got the "LEPTOSPIROSIS" bacteria through the wounds on his feet. During the 10-15 day incubation period, Tito Roger never stopped serving other people. He helped in cleaning out house after house after houses despite various pains he was already feeling inside in his body. Up until the last three days of his life, even in his delirious moments, it was still God's promises and the songs he learned from the church he loves that he was singing over and over again. He never stopped praying - until he couldn't utter any word anymore. Tito Roger has strengthened his family and the church until he breathed his last.
