There are moments in leadership that remind you that what you are building today is bigger than yourself.
One such moment happened during the 2nd PCCP Post Graduate Scientific Conference in Baguio City.
As President of the Philippine College of Canine Practitioners, I had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Rhodora Carlos, the wife of the late Dr. Enrique T. Carlos, one of the founders of PCCP. To honor his immense contribution to the profession and to our organization, PCCP presented a special recognition in his memory.
It was a meaningful tribute.
Or so I thought.
What happened next would make that tribute even more meaningful.
On the second day of the convention, Dr. Rhodora approached us with a simple request. She wanted one of the flower arrangements displayed on the convention stage.
Not flowers from the lobby.
Not flowers from outside.
She specifically wanted a bouquet from the stage itself.
She was insistent.
I did not know why.
Perhaps she simply liked the arrangement. Perhaps she found it beautiful. Whatever the reason, I immediately told her yes.
Of course.
The flowers were hers.
Only later did I discover the real reason behind her request.
That evening, Dr. Rhodora shared a message in our PCCP group chat.
She had brought the bouquet to the resting place of her husband.
Standing before his grave, she placed the flowers there and spoke to him.
“Eking, this is the organization that you and your colleagues built.”
“It is bearing fruit.”
“These flowers came from their convention.”
“I hope you are happy.”
Reading those words stopped me in my tracks.
For a moment, I found myself imagining what that scene must have looked like.
A wife standing before the grave of the man she loved.
A bouquet from a convention stage resting beside his name.
And a quiet conversation between the past and the present.
Suddenly, the flowers became more than decorations.
They became proof.
Proof that a dream planted decades ago had survived.
Proof that sacrifices made by a generation of pioneers were not forgotten.
Proof that the seeds planted in 1988 had grown into something real.
Today, PCCP hosts national conferences attended by veterinarians from all over the Philippines. It continues to educate, mentor, and inspire the next generation of practitioners. New members join. New leaders emerge. New milestones are achieved.
But moments like this remind us that none of these happened by accident.
Before there were conferences, there was a vision.
Before there were Fellows and Diplomates, there were dreamers.
Before there was PCCP as we know it today, there were veterinarians willing to dedicate their time, energy, and passion to create something that would outlive them.
Dr. Enrique T. Carlos was one of those visionaries.
And perhaps that is what moved me most about Dr. Rhodora’s gesture.
She did not take the flowers because they were beautiful.
She took them because they symbolized something.
They represented the realization of a dream.
They represented the growth of an organization that her husband helped create.
They represented the living evidence that his work mattered.
In a world where many organizations come and go, PCCP possesses something that cannot be bought, copied, or manufactured.
History.
Legacy.
Authenticity.
The Philippine College of Canine Practitioners was not created by marketing campaigns or social media trends. It was built through decades of commitment, service, mentorship, friendship, and sacrifice.
That is why PCCP remains special.
It carries the fingerprints of the people who built it.
And on that day in Baguio, a simple bouquet of flowers reminded all of us that while founders may eventually leave this world, their vision never truly dies.
It continues to bloom in every veterinarian educated.
Every practitioner inspired.
Every conference held.
Every life touched.
And perhaps somewhere beyond our sight, Dr. Enrique T. Carlos looked upon those flowers and smiled, knowing that the organization he helped build continues to flourish.
Not merely surviving.
But bearing fruit.
