Central Philippine University

By Cyrus A. Natividad


Travellers and guests signify approval for the specialty they tasted at Tamsak, Pata, Linaga (standing is Centralian John Paciente, owner).

Centralians are known to succeed in their chosen profession, some of them have excelled in business; many of them became masters of trade to later share the expertise with fellow alumni and friends.

These savvy individuals have their tint of excellence while still studying in the University. It is worth noting that each of them has developed creativity and resilience in times of crisis; acceptance of the situation and perseverance to sustain what they have started.

For John Paciente, CPU graduate of Management Accounting (Batch 2003), learning never stops, and lessons from experiences become a success. While employed with BPI as Operations Associate, Paciente was able to convince his wife, Saihra Joy, also a Centralian Management Accountant to put up a small food shop in Pavia. It offers steak in flavourful soup, refreshments and snacks. But their specialty ‘Pata,’ a native beef bouillabaisse steeped in a delicious mixture of ingredients makes one weary biker energized after a long tour. That was what made their ‘Tamsak- Pata- Linaga’ popular in Pavia. In fact, it has now expanded with branches in other towns in Iloilo such as Sta. Barbara, Janiuay, Leganes and the Buntatala area.

Pacienteis “one pack of ingenuity”, says one of his “big brothers” in the Order of Kalantiao. On the other hand, Paciente credits his Alma Mater, Central Philippine University for enhancing his education, provided him training in entrepreneurship and a sense of excellence. “I survived the test of time, and became prepared as the years present more opportunities.”

“The difficulties and challenges I met in our organizations in CPU made me stronger in my struggle for a business success”, he added. “The pandemic has a big impact on our business but we worked hard and never stopped what we have started. We sustained our customers – walk-ins and deliveries. We never forget our Centralian values of faith and trust in God who is “a very present help in times of trouble.”

“My wife who would bring our three children to school was quite affected at the start, and we have difficulty attending to the needs of our store and our customers. But we cannot afford to close the shop where our many customers were already enjoying the food, especially our pata. So, I decided to stop my employment, retire and focused on our business. God didn’t allow us to stop Tamsak and made our food business even bigger and better all along,” he said.

To anyone who is tired and weary after a long bike ride, or craving for something that tingles the taste buds, just visit Tamsak at the back of Pavia Municipal Hall. Paciente invites you to “taste the delectable special Pata and Linaga or just be refreshed with some of the delicacies and drink. There is excellence in taste and service that essentially comes from a Centralian.”