Ronnie de Dios loves insurance first, loves it best and loves it longest

(Speech delivered during the 85th birthday of insurance guru Reynaldo A. de Dios last July 25, 2012 )

Reynaldo de Dios with Helen Y. Dee PDI PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—I am deeply honored to give this tribute to our birthday celebrator, Mr. Reynaldo de Dios. He has worked with all the insurance commissioners and that’s not surprising because he is 22 years older than the Insurance Commission and his 64 years’ service to the insurance industry antedates the formal setting up of the Insurance Commission which only turned 63 this year. Yes, he has served a total of 11 Insurance Commissioners and only God knows how many more. When PIRA presented Ronnie the Lifetime Achievement Award last year, personally I think it was premature because they have not yet seen the end of it.

Ronnie is an 85-year-old who still buys green bananas and has the luxury of time to wait until they ripen. Well, that’s Ronnie. He does not miss an appointment and patiently waits for you to show up. That’s Ronnie. He is a great teacher who never gets tired teaching us all of the rudiments of insurance thru his Insurance Philippine, a publication which will be one of his enduring and imperishable works. Meeting him is always a pleasure; talking to him is a learning experience and exchanging ideas with him is an endless delight-much better than enjoying your ice cream in the sweltering heat of summer.

Ronnie has been so blessed that he continues to enjoy the fullness of time to continue serving the industry he loves all his life and to live and cherish his spectacular achievements in the field of insurance. Despite his age and achievements, we cannot talk of Ronnie in the past tense. Never! For his thoughts and ideas continue to be relevant. He has the uncanny ability to reinvent himself and even morphs to be of continuing service to the insurance community.

Ronnie is always analytical, cautious and even-keeled. No wonder his prudent counsel is sought by the industry leaders and top insurance executives many of them are present here tonight, including myself and some of my predecessors in office. Never mistake his feeble and shrilling voice for lack of conviction nor his small and measured steps for lack of purpose. He may be short and lacks charisma but he is endowed with something that counts far more-integrity and character, the values that legend make. And Ronnie is a legend—a living legend. Only a Ronnie de Dios can successfully and single-handedly mount an international insurance summit annually with high-caliber speakers highly respected in their respective fields. Only a well-loved and greatly esteemed Ronnie can summon and bring together people of different stripes and colors from different corners of the world despite their hectic schedule just to greet him on his birthday.

Because of his prodigious work, he has been the recipients of numerous awards both here and abroad and in my book, if there is a National Artist Award in the insurance industry, Ronnie would win hands down. And he does not need 18 children from different mothers to clinch it.

I will end my message with a bad news and a good news. The bad news is that Dolphy, the Philippine King of Comedy who shares the same birthday as our birthday celebrator today died the other week at age 84. The good news is that our honoree is very much alive and remains with us at age 85, and he will continue to be with us long after this Acting Insurance Commissioner has left the insurance scene.

I can sum up the first 85 years of his life as follows: Ronnie loves insurance first, he loves insurance best and he loves insurance the longest. His love affair with the insurance industry has even survived his wife who had been his partner and collaborator until she died five years ago.

Ronnie de Dios … Ronnie of God. Ronnie, my friend, what you are is a gift from God. What you have become and what you have done to the industry is your gift to God and to mankind.

God bless you and may you have many more birthday anniversaries to come.

Ronnie, my life’s regret is that I have only known you more closely when we are both senior citizens already.