It is commendable to see a successful man who doesn’t only excel at work but also at home. As many remember former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. as a committed public servant, people closest to him will remember him as a devoted husband and father.

The “homegrown” central banker who worked for BSP for 36 years is survived by his wife Maria Teresita Festin Espenilla, daughter Jacqueline Joyce, son-in-law Ben Baltazar, sons Nikko Nestor and Leonardo Nestor, and grandchild Zev Eron.

Mrs. Espenilla, or Tess, works for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as a microfinance specialist. Mr. Espenilla was seen as a devoted husband when he reportedly “requested banking reporters who usually call on him every Friday to interview him [early] for their Monday stories,” as he seemingly sought to reserve quality time for his wife.

Known to many as “Nesting,” the former governor was also highly appreciated by his children, whom speaker and behavioral economist Rose Fres Fausto quoted in her recent tribute to Mr. Espenilla published on her Web site FQMom.com.

The intelligent genes of the couple must have been inherited by their children, who took courses in law, architecture and engineering.

Jacqueline, or Jackie, the eldest and only daughter, is a Harvard law graduate. One of her fond memories with her father is him going to the market on weekends to buy ingredients for a meal he will cook for them. All three children agree that their dad is the better cook.

Jackie also remembers her father as a mentor to many people. “Mentor in the sense that if they had an idea or a thought, or potential that he saw in them, he went out of his way to make sure that they reached that full potential, whether it be connecting them to the correct people, or finding opportunities for them for training or something like that,” she explained in another news report. “And it comes back to him in many forms. These individuals become committed or dedicated also to the platforms he wanted to advance….”

Recalling his father’s cooking, Nikko, the eldest son, said, “He was very meticulous with the choice of meat that he would buy then he would slow cook his specialty bulalo.”

Mr. Espenilla’s youngest, Nesty, remembers his father during their bonding time through bowling. “It started when I was still a little boy and I had to hold the ball with two hands,” Nesty shared. “That activity with him went on into my adult life.”

The former governor, who fought tongue cancer, was still able to be a grandfather to the son of Jackie and Ben, Zev, whom he described as a healthy baby.

He also loved dogs, regularly walking around the family’s five pooches.

While Mr. Espenilla will be remembered as an exemplary chief of the BSP, he will indeed be cherished as a loving head of his family.

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