“She Thought Her Dad Was Just a Jeepney Driver—Until an Accident Revealed His True Secret”

Mica grew up knowing only that her father, Mang Rodel, was a simple jeepney driver in Manila.

Every day, before sunrise, Mang Rodel would get up. He would polish the old green jeepney, fix the engine that was almost as noisy as the road, and set off to pick up passengers from España to Quiapo. The calluses on his hands were clearly visible, and his t-shirt always smelled of oil and sweat.

For Mica, it was a sacrifice she didn’t fully appreciate. She loved her father dearly, but sometimes, as a teenager, she couldn’t help but feel shy.

At school, when asked what her father did for a living, she would answer almost in a whisper:
“Just a driver.”

His classmates had fathers who were lawyers, engineers, or business owners. He often wondered: “Why isn’t my father like that? Why does he have to suffer every day on the road?”

—

The Accident

One afternoon, Mica came home from college and got into his father’s jeep. The traffic was hot, noisy, and everyone was in a hurry. While he was holding on to the wheel, a truck suddenly sped past him, losing its brakes at the corner.

There was only a second, but Mang Rodel acted quickly. He slammed the steering wheel hard to steer the jeep away from the vehicles that would hit it.

CRASHHH!
The jeep crashed into a pole. The glass shattered, and screams rang out.

Mica felt the weight of her father’s body pressing down on her—he covered her, like his own body had become a shield.

“Father!!!” she shouted.

Mang Rodel was covered in blood, but alive. The passengers immediately took them to the hospital.

—

The Mystery

While Mica waited in the hospital corridor, still trembling with fear, two men in suits arrived. Clean, decent, and clearly not ordinary people.

They approached the nurse’s station.

“Excuse me. Is Mr. Rodel Santos here? We’re from the Department of Education.”

Mica frowned. Department of Education? What does his father have to do with it?

He approached them. “I’m Mang Rodel’s son. Why are you looking for him?”

The two looked at each other, then one of them spoke:
“Miss, maybe you don’t know. Mang Rodel is not just a driver. He was a former professor of Mathematics at the University of the Philippines. He was one of the best back then—he even did some research that went abroad. But he suddenly disappeared. We’ve been looking for him for a long time.”

Mica’s eyes widened. “Huh?! My father? Professor?”

—

Mang Rodel’s Secret

When Mang Rodel regained consciousness in the hospital, Mica immediately confronted him, crying.
“Father… is this true? You were a professor back then? Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you take the jeep?”

Mang Rodel smiled weakly, even though his body was still wrapped in bandages.
“Son… it’s true. I taught back then. I love teaching math. I even had offers to go abroad. But… when your mother got sick… I had to make a choice.”

Tears fell as she spoke.
“I sold everything, I gave up my position. We have to pay for the hospital. And when your mother passed away… she left me with only you and Paolo. So I decided to get a jeep. It didn’t matter what my title was—it was more important that you didn’t go hungry, that you could study.”

Mica sobbed. She remembered all those nights when there was almost nothing to eat but sardines, while her father barely ate just to be full.

—

The Return

A month after the accident, the two men from the DepEd returned to their house. They carried a thick envelope.

“Mr. Santos, we want to tell you that the door to education is still open for you. You can come back as a professor. Here is the recommendation and contract.”

Mica couldn’t believe it. Her father, who she thought was “just a driver,” was actually a respected teacher—someone who was being given a second chance.

On the first day of his return to university, Mica sat at the back of the classroom, watching his father, holding the chalk, once again teaching algebra to the young students.

His heart was filled with pride.

—

The Transformation of a Son

From then on, whenever his classmates asked him what his father did for a living, he was no longer embarrassed.

Now, he says it out loud:

“He is my father—a former jeepney driver, and a university professor. He is the man who sacrificed everything for our family.”

And deep down, Mica knew there was no higher title than being the best father.