The whole truth about TRT

By Jasmine Ong 
     Some people say that names have an uncanny way of foretelling the character of their bearers. If that were true then this issue’s featured Servant Leader, multi-awarded writer Teresa R. Tunay, could not have been more aptly named.

The origin of the name Teresa is said to be rooted in either of two Greek words, “theros” meaning summer or “therizo” meaning to harvest. “Tunay,” on the other hand, translates to genuine in our vernacular. Whether through God’s infinite wisdom or His playful sense of humor, it seems Teresa Reyes was predestined to personify the warmth and authenticity befitting the name Teresa Tunay. 

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For indeed TRT, as she is fondly known, bears witness to the truth in the way she lives and loves.

Well-rounded would be an understatement for a woman who wears numerous hats. TRT is wife and mother, professed member of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, acclaimed writer and editor, media consultant, film critic, and radio anchor, among many other things. On top of all these, she still finds time to be of service to her parish as well as to volunteer for Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying Destitute. 

But when hard pressed, she distills her primary purpose in life down to three words: purveyor of truth.  “Whatever position I happen to fill, in whatever field,” she says, “I am a communicator who bows to no one but The Truth.”

Communicating does seem to come naturally for her, as does her penchant for service.  Her extensive curriculum vitae is every aspiring writer’s dream; she has lent her byline and editorial expertise to publications such as the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Times Journal, The Tribune, Woman Today, Mabuhay (PAL’s in-flight magazine), and Blue Collar Magazine as well as to government, the Press Foundation of Asia, Inter Press Service in Rome, Italy, Philippine News Agency, and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

One of the fights TRT is in: the fight for life

Yet through it all, service remains at the core of her distinguished career. And though she may perhaps balk at the idea and consider it hubris, TRT’s life thus far is a testament to genuine self-giving and dialogue in action through her work.  She wields her pen to take up the cudgels for the rights of women and the working class.  She is also known to candidly write about matters of faith and spirituality. TRT does these matter-of-factly though, hesitating to refer to them as her advocacies.

With the gay stars of Club Mwah

She confides a distaste for the word “advocacy”, saying that it “smacks of a faddish preoccupation…which ends when the objective is met.”  Instead she would much rather consider her work to be a fight “for truth, justice, love, peace…but I do it on my own, without pledging allegiance to any ‘advocacy’ organization.  That kind of fight takes a lifetime without even a glimpse of victory at the end.”   TRT is also not one to be prone to affectations.  Despite all the grants and accolades bestowed upon her by prestigious bodies such as from the United Nations, Association of Asian Publishers, Confederation of Asean Journalists, and the US State Department among others, TRT remains grounded.

“You might laugh,” she shares, “but I don’t really care about awards and recognition.  One day my mother was horrified to see that I wasn’t bothered when my little nieces were playing with my trophies!  I didn’t really care but for my parents’ sake I kept them on a high shelf.  But I lost track of all those trophies and plaques when we moved.”  From this anecdote alone, it is obvious that TRT has learned to take her success in stride like a true Servant-Leader, with equal measures of grace, aplomb and humility. 

With a Tanzanian couple in Zanzibar

Having lived in different countries, TRT’s writing has taken her around the world and back again. But she says there was never any doubt in her mind that she would return home. “The Philippines is where I feel I’m needed most, and therefore where I could be most useful.  I sort of just allowed myself to be abroad in order to equip myself for whatever I could do in the Philippines, for Filipinos.”

When asked what galvanizes her to this kind of service, TRT says she is “driven by the passion to see man, creation and life restored to that beautiful state I believe God had meant it to be.  Not just to ‘build the kingdom of God’ but to establish God’s kingship here on earth.” 

Dialogue plays a central part in this Servant-Leader’s daily life.  She says it is through dialogue that her role models—Jesus, Mary, Joseph, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross—make their presence felt in all areas of her life. “I even write letters to them,” she laughs.

With Blessed Mother Teresa on her first visit to Philippines

As a seasoned traveler, TRT has also had her share of dialogues with prominent figures. “During Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s first visit to the Philippines, she spoke to me while holding my hands.  On a trip to Bali, Indonesia, I was given a rare chance to speak freely to the Dalai Lama when he invited me to join his entourage.  Pope John Paul II held my hand too, and uttered a blessing with his hand upon my head.” 

Yet for one so adept with words, she maintains that the most powerful and memorable dialogues in her life involved no words at all. “The most wonderful dialogue I had with Pope John Paul II was wordless, during his funeral which I attended.  I guess presence is more precious than spoken words.  And it doesn’t have to be physical presence.  Regarding your question about the kind of dialogue that ‘penetrates the soul, unravels secrets, wins it over and leads it to truth’…yes, that I do have, with the God within.      

With Polish nationals at Blessed John Paul II's funeral, April 2005

As a fledgling writer did TRT ever dream she’d achieve so much? And does she have any regrets?  “No.  I guess my dreams were myopic—or at least extended only to a certain age.  After all, how far can you see when you’re 18?  My career flourished despite my early marriage, its path turned out to be unique, and developments overtook my dreams.  I had no more time for dreams or plans because events exceeded my expectations.  All I could say was ‘Thank You’ for everything that came my way.    

“Regrets—I don’t think so.  It may sound (clichéd), but it’s true that God makes lemonade out of our lemons.  No unfulfilled dreams or goals either…My only ‘goal’ is what God wants for me, for you, for everybody,” she says with a smile. 

One has to wonder whether TRT ever even imagined that taking her husband Pablo’s surname on their wedding day would presage a bumper crop of deeply-rooted authentic dialogues harvested throughout such a warm and colorful lifetime.  Because without a doubt, tunay si Teresa. A Servant Leader in the truest sense.  (Originally published in Code Red Magazine March 2011 issue, the above article is posted here with permission from the author).