ORATA, ANTHONY R.

 
BS ARCHITECTURE 1ST YEAR 
ARC224 

A MULTIPOTENTIAL LIFE:  
IN A NUTSHELL

Personal life 

His name is Anthony Orata, the youngest child of both Ilocano natives, Mr. Jose Orata
and Mrs. Dominga Orata. He has a sister, Eizel Orata, who is now working and currently
studying master’s degree. Anthony is quite inspired to also take a master’s degree, just like her
sister, in the same field he is taking right now or related to Fine Arts. He was born on September
30, 2003, in Manila and he was raised in the city and spent most of his life in Manila.  

He started schooling as a kindergarten student at 5 in Regina Carmeli School, near their

current house. Unlike the other toddlers who learned how to read and write at school, Anthony
learned these things at home. Before his education, Anthony’s first teacher was his mother; his
mother taught him already how to write, count, and read. Because of these, Anthony was already
excelling and performing well at school, but not that he was smart. Although this child struggled
to position his hands while writing, he got the award as “Best in Writing” by the time he finished
pre-school. Anthony is innately left-handed, a unique trait in his family line on his father's side.
Being a left-handed child had turned him to be skillful at drawing and sketching. 

He spent his elementary years at a nearby public school, Padre Mariano Gomez
Elementary School. In this school, he met a lot of bright and gifted students at an early age and
regarded his school as a competitive environment. This made Anthony pressured in his studies
and made him elude to his academic responsibilities. Anthony was not severely focused on his
studies, but he never get a low or failing mark. Anthony became playful and innocent, reflecting
his personality during his entire youthful age. His school was his first place to play with his
friend and classmates. He regularly plays with his classmates under the sun on their school
grounds before the classes start.  

By the age of 10, he discovered his talent for drawing. He started joining poster and
slogan-making contests at his school, which honed his skill. Drawing has become his favorite
pastime hobby up until today. By the end of his elementary years, Anthony became more active
in joining several interschool organizations such as the Bamboo ensemble and Journalism. It was
his first time joining the student government, as Council Business Manager.  

He attended Perpetual Help College of Manila during his Junior and Senior High school
years. Anthony became more active academically. He continued joining several clubs and
organizations such as the student council. People significant to him call Anthony a student
achiever, creative and artistic person. During his pastime, he always practiced drawing and
painting objects realistically and designing and drawing clothes.  

At present, Anthony is now in his first year in college taking Architecture at one of the
most famous universities in the country. In line with his chosen field, Anthony would see himself
10 years after as a licensed Architect, working in a firm, while studying for another degree, in the
same discipline or Fine Arts. Aside from being an architect, Anthony dreamed of being an
Interior Designer. 

Anthony is known for his grit and determination, which may be reflected in his academic
achievements. He would describe his strengths as being punctual, proactive, optimistic, and
multitasking. He is known by his friends as someone who always prioritizes his important tasks
and gets them done ahead of time. Socializing with a large group of people and starting a
conversation on the face are his weaknesses. Although Anthony might be academically
excelling, he finds himself to be alone, or with people close or significant to him. In short, he is
an introvert. 

Because of his introversion, he was afraid of public speaking. Speaking in front of many
and doing speeches is also one of his kryptonite, an ultimate challenge. He might be performing
well at school, but he was lacking self-confidence and composure when speaking in front of
many people. Thanks to his teachers and friends, they made Anthony build his confidence by
making him comfortable while speaking. Moreover, his lack of confidence pushed him to take
practice manuscripts before delivering them (especially during his English classes). 

Family and Culture 

Anthony grew up in a family of devout Catholics, so it has been their practice to attend
Sunday masses, even other liturgical masses such as Simbang Gabi. His family always values
faith within their families and themselves individually. He was taught that having faith will
assure him amidst personal problems and uncertainties. Anthony emphasizes that faith does not
get their family gets closer to their religion, but rather, it keeps one person to be firm, optimistic,
and hopeful. 

Seeing how Anthony and his family value each other, they also value being with other
relatives and extended family, which were influenced by an Ilocano value of being respectful and
not forgetting where he/she came from. So with this, Anthony and his family annually spend the
Holidays with their relative in Ilocos, where his uncles, aunties, and closest cousin live in. For
Anthony and his family, celebrating Christmas and New Year with his mother-side relatives is
one of the most memorable experiences that he had, as it is the only time to share quality time
with his cousins. Moreover, he added that celebrating Holiday always feel more festive and
joyful when in Province than in the city. Unexpectedly, this tradition has been stopped due to the
pandemic.  
 Aside from their families and relatives, Anthony’s family also respects and gives
reverence to their dead families, relatives, and even the closest person without relation they
know. During All Saints’ and Souls’ Day, Anthony’s family always follow an Ilocano tradition
called ‘Atang,’ wherein they have to offer a portion of food (rice dishes and desserts such as
Suman) in front of an altar, and pray a prayer called a ‘Lualo’ (preferably the Rosary).  

The ‘Lualo’ can be prayed in any form of prayer as long as the main petition in the prayer
is the ‘repository of the soul. These serve as a remembrance of love, memory, and care for the
dead loved ones. 

After the burial of the dead, there is also another tradition that he and his family have,
which is washing the head of each member after burying the dead. In this way, it is said that
doing this tradition, the pain and grief of a relative to the dead will be washed away. It also
removes the sickness and bad luck associated with the dead.  

Although Anthony and his family spent most of their life living in the city, the Ilocano
beliefs, values, and traditions have been instilled in them. Ilocano sayings such as being thrifty,
hardworking, and industrious, have reflected the character that his family taught him and the
character that shaped Anthony’s personality and perspectives.