By Cherry M. Roxas and Elreene Venice C. Hufana

Sometimes, life will give you a hand that you do not want. It will put you on a path that you initially did not envision yourself on. It will put hurdles in the path that you truly want to take. It will make you want to abandon whatever dream you initially had. But sometimes, life will also find a way to help you make the most of the hand you are dealt with. It is not always too late to achieve what you truly want in life; you just have to keep focused on achieving your dream, keep working on it, and adapt to whatever life throws at you.

These were the words of Engr. Vince Edward J. Culalic – our Tito Kupido during our Love on Air Program this Valentine’s Day. Our Tito Kupido who is also Technical Senior Associate for the Site Operations team of the NLEX Connector Road Section 1 Project, under Tollways Development and Engineering Division, Project Management Department. His words may be vague upon reading it but understanding his story will make it clearer. This is his story.

I was exposed to music at a young age due to my family’s background. My parents and many of my aunts loved singing karaoke. I have an older sister who is a keyboardist and used to participate in singing contests for some time. Two of my uncles were professional musicians. When I was a kid, I used to sing karaoke with my parents all the time, but I did not really have much appreciation or skill for music until I joined our elementary school choir back in 2006, when I was in Grade 5.

I started training musically first as a choral singer back in 2006, when I was in Grade 5. I then studied violin, guitar, and choral conducting mostly by myself during my high school and college years and beyond ─ applying any overlap I found from my learnings from choral singing. I also try to collect and explore other instruments like the ukulele, the kalimba, the melodica, and the bass guitar, whenever I have the opportunity, I have the funds for them or if someone gives them as a gift to me.

During my high school years, my love for music grew because it became my escape from my extreme grief brought upon by my father’s death back in 2009. Around my third year in high school in 2010, I started to explore learning instruments (particularly the violin and the guitar) and choral conducting mostly on my own. My love for it grew to the point that I wanted to pursue music as a career. Then, during my college years and beyond, I continued practicing singing and playing instruments mostly on my own. Unfortunately, familial pressures and circumstances led me to the path of being a civil engineer.

Over the years, music was one of the key things that has helped me in overcoming my struggles with mental health. Apart from music, I also enjoy dabbling and tinkering with technology, coffee and tea brewing, weightlifting, and biking. The latter two I have been putting particular focus on recently, as I am currently trying to lose weight.

My talents have helped me connect and be friends with people. I was able to meet many people during my time as a choral singer, during my gigs as a solo performer, and even during casual jamming with friends. Back when I was studying, I used to bring my violin and/or guitar and just jam with my classmates when we hang out in one of their homes or while waiting for our next class in the classrooms or the hallways of our college building. Today, through my gigs and casual jamming with other people (on occasion in the office), I can meet new friends and potential clients for future engagements.

My talent has taken me to many events in many places across the country. During my time as a choral singer, I was able to participate in many large church events, some of which were at a national level. I also had the opportunity to sing and play violin for the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines back in 2013 when I was part of our engineering college choir.

Clearly, Vince enjoys listening to and playing music. But with his current title as an engineer, it must have been hard to stay passionate about music.

As a solo performer, I have been invited to play for weddings held as far as in Boracay back in October 2022 and in Tagaytay City just last December 2023. I have been also invited to play for the Christmas parties of our project teams, for two birthday celebrations of Sir NGC at the Head Office, for TDE-sponsored First Friday Masses, for TDE’s entry in the Trick or Treat Celebration held last October 2023, and two major NLEX events (the 15M Manhours Celebration held last July 2023 and the NLEXemplary Awards 2023 held last August 2023).

Admittedly, while I was successful in becoming a civil engineer and I enjoy the benefits of being one, it became a huge struggle for me mentally and emotionally to have to take a path that I did not envision for myself. Even today, I still feel the effects of it. However, instead of abandoning my dream fully, I decided to find a way to make my current situation work for me. Through my career as a civil engineer here at NLEX, I am able to fund many of my hobbies, especially music. I was able to buy my first semi-professional violin in 2021 and the first guitar I bought for myself (my old guitars were usually hand-me-downs or gifts from my musician uncle) in 2022 because of my earnings here at my work, and those purchases literally turned my life around. My playing opened a lot of doors for me and, dare I say, jumpstarted my journey as a part-time musician. That is why, despite my misgivings about the path I had to take, I am still grateful that I took it because I have learned so much from it and it became my starting point to achieve, at least in some capacity, what I truly wanted in life.

I am able to maintain this hobby while working for the company by practicing whenever I can. I usually practice at home, but sometimes I bring one of my instruments to work and practice during my break or free time. At one point, I used to leave a ukulele or a kalimba under my work desk and play it during my downtime at work.

The company has given me opportunities to show my talent by inviting me to play music for various events like Christmas parties, masses, birthday celebrations, and major events. This has opened opportunities for me to meet new people and potential clients for gigs. One instance in particular was during the NLEXemplary Awards event, where one of the guests approached me and booked me for her wedding last December 2023. Another opportunity was for me to be able to meet and speak with some of the ManCom members in person, some of whom have expressed appreciation for my performances. Most importantly, this has given me valuable experience as a musician and helped develop my self-confidence, especially in front of a large audience, by giving me exposure through these engagements.

Recently, I have been fortunate enough to have been able to monetize my talent by being hired to play music for weddings and events. I hope to be able to establish this as my part-time job for extra income and, if I am lucky enough, be able to do this full-time.

I have served around four years as a project-hired employee at NLEX, first at the NLEX Harbor Link C3-R10 Exit Ramp Project from 2019 to 2020, and then at the NLEX Connector Road Section 1 Project from 2020 to present. I will be going on for five years as an NLEX employee in June 2024.

Our lips are sealed. Our Tito K’s story is truly awe-inspiring!

---

---