By Loy PalaposAn excellent singer. A prize-winning orator. He plays the guitar and the piano…and golf. A multi-awarded sales Manager. A PMT Commandant. A superb educator and Dean. A stage actor of no mean caliber. Lecturer and resource speaker of the highest order. A father to 7 children and grandfather to 7 grandchildren. At 80 Dr. Segundino Sanchez Torrefranca towers above the ordinary mortal with his varied talents and splendid achievements only the gifted and brilliant could accomplish.
It was a calm early evening at the Montebello Villa Hotel, where a few hundred guests greeted Dino on his 80th natal day last May 19, a celebration held in anticipation of his birth date on May 21 (1927). The atmosphere was jovial, the mood was euphoric, when the celebrator, bedecked with wisdom denoted by his snowy hair, welcomed his relatives and friends to an occasion that was undeniably worth crowing about. After all, only a few have reached the pinnacle he has painstakingly perched on after years of ceaseless aspirations.
Dino was born in Nahawan, Clarin, Bohol. His mother was Francisca Cortes Sanchez, and his father was Baudillo P. Torrefranca, a Municipal Judge of Inabanga, who became the founder and Mayor of Sagbayan. There were 14 brothers and sisters in the family; 6 of them passed away in infancy. Rosario T. Cabido was a Home Economics Teacher. Catalino was a 1st Lt. and a W.W. II veteran. Nicolas was a Commandant of the Philippine Flying School with the rank of Captain, who became a PAL pilot for 20 years. Lucresio was a highly admired Mayor of Sagbayan. Norberto was a lawyer and a Manila businessman. Andronica T. Azurin is an educator and homemaker. Vicenta T. Cumamao was a Municipal Councilor.
Dr. Segundino Torrefranca, Sr. ED.D. is married to Dr. Salud Redulla, ED.D., an alumna of Philippine College, Southwestern University, and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She headed the English Department of Southwestern University, and was a Curriculum Resource Person at Fontana Christian School, California, USA.
Dino and Lily have 7 children. Arlene T. Fernandez finished BSC at Saint Theresa College and now works in Cobbett and Cotton in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Joycelyn T. Peralta has a BSN degree from Cebu Doctors College and a Master of Arts in Nursing at Southwestern University. She now works in Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Anaheim Hills, California. Segundino, Jr. is an alumnus of CIC, Don Bosco, USC and SWU. He finished Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Business Administration and now works in California.
Jeanne T. Gordon is also an alumna of CIC and STC, graduating with a BSC degree, and is now a cargo sales representative for U-freight and doing business in Ebary. Gayle T. Solano is a BSC graduate and a CPA, connected with ADP (Automated Data Processing) as Senior Financial Analyst on Tax and Financial Services in Los Angeles, California. Bernardo is an alumnus of CIC, Don Bosco and Perpetual Help University, Manila. Liesel T. Veloso is an alumna of CIC, STC and Cebu Doctor College. She is presently connected with Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Bellflower, California.
The educational pursuits of Dr. Torrefranca span 4 decades of incessant climb to the top. After his preliminary studies where he came out one of the brightest in academic, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities, he finished Associate in Commercial Science in 1948 at Southern College, now University of Southern Philippines, Cebu City. Ten years after, he graduated with a BS in Business Administration at the University of San Carlos. After three years he graduated at the Far Eastern University, with a Master of Science in Business Administration. In 1977 he capped his illustration academic acquisitions with a post-graduate degree, Doctor of Education (ED.D), at the Southwestern University.
He was taken in as Unit Manager of National Life Insurance Company in 1948. The following year he was hired as District Manager of Provident Insurance Company.
From 1951 to 1954 he was Regional Manager of Philippines Interlife Insurance Company. From 1955 to 1958 he was Sales and Production Manager of Rural Insurance and Security Company.
Simultaneously he was the Sales and Production Manager of Aznar Laboratories. In 1963 he was offered the challenging job of Branch Manager of Grolier International, Inc. based in Cebu City. After only a year (1964) he was promoted to Branch Administrator of Visayas and Mindanao Grolier International, Inc., a responsibility he held until 1966. He transferred to Investors Overseas Services (IOS) as Branch Manager, and the following year he became IOS Regional Manager for Asia. From 1971 to 1975 he held the position of General Sales and Manager of Pacific Fund, Inc.
Not only did Dr. Torrefranca shine in the world of insurance, he was a gem in the field of education. In 1950, he was appointed Dean of the College of Commerce of Holy Name College, the youngest Dean of the Philippines, at age 23. in 1913 he became the Dean of the College of Commerce, Southwestern University, at age 26. In 1977, he was promoted Assistant to the President of SWU. The succeeding year found him as a University Registrar, and later as Director of Alumni Affairs (1980-87). At the same time, Dr. Torrefranca was President of APCAS (Association of Philippine Colleges of Arts and Sciences), Region VII.
For a man so brilliant an achiever, being bestowed varied awards is not an alien dimension. From 1946 to 1948, as a very young student in Bohol, he won a series of awards in oration among secondary schools, plus gold medals in Oratorical Intercollegiate Contests for Cebu City and Cebu Province, and for the Eastern Visayas Region. In the world of business, and as a young Executive, he was awarded a Diamond-Studded Money Chip (20 diamonds) by Grolier International for outstanding sales and administrative performance in 1964. in 1968 he won a Solid Gold Watch (Patek Philippe) awarded by IOS in Geneva, Switzerland. The following year he was a recipient of Round-the-World-Trips (twice in a row) by IOS after regional conferences in Switzerland. In 1973 he received the National Plaque for Outstanding Performance as General Sales and Manager in the fields of Investment and Mutual Funds. In 1977 he was awarded the University Plaque for Academic Performance with the grade of "Merritissimus" and as the first graduate of the SWU Doctoral Program.
Dino Torrefranca has no problem excelling in aesthetics and the macho nuances of the military. Even before the age of 12, from 1938 to 1941, he had won first prizes in at least 12 amateur singing contests held in different towns in Bohol. At Bohol High he led the cast of an operetta, "Belle of Barcelona" and "Pioneer's Papoose" at Bohol Province Institute. Bearing the celebrity name "Tor Franco," he was a top draw of DYRC's William Lines "Mid-day Serenade" until 1956. He even reached DZMB of Manila for the "Tor Franco Show," and was well-loved for his command performances to entertain US Military Personnel at Subic Bay and Clark Air Base.
On weekends he graced Clover Theater as a stage star of Don Jose Zarah, alongside Leopoldo Salcedo and German Moreno.
On the other side of the coin, he was PMT Regimental Adjutant in BPI (1946-47) and Regimental Adjutant of combined ROTC Advanced Course as a Commissioned 2nd Lt., later on promoted to 1st Lt. He attended the Army Training for Advanced ROTC in Camp Floridablanca in Pampanga and was PMT Commandant of Holy Name College.
With his varied talents, it is difficult to categorize Dr. Segundino S. Torrefranca, Sr. in one groove. He is a Boholano for all seasons.
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