Mama's LOVE & LIFE

News soon spread about my Mama Mening’s passing. Friends and relatives came. People noticed the growing number of floral offerings. Flowers where overflowing for this woman who really loved flowers. Maximina Minerva Rañua Badajos - Atega was known for her garden of orchids, roses and other unique collections – and for her endless charitable work. The chapel where she was honored was overflowing with floral arrangements, and when she was transferred to the big church, more flowers were offered, the others had to be placed in lines outside the sanctuary. Near her white coffin with silver trimming where two regal clusters of her favorite blooms, the Waling-waling. More orchid arrangements surrounded the casket: vandas in shades of gold and purple and dendrobiums in white and violets. She had them all and they all seemed like they were joyfully blooming to honor a dear friend.

It made me wonder how a daughter of a fisherman could gather all these touching ways of respect?

My mother, born on June 4, 1921 in Kauswagan, Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte was an ordinary woman who made choices that gave her an ‘extra-ordinary’ life. Being the daughter of a farmer-fisherman from Camiguin Island, she knew the value of hard work and learned to be independent, for her mother died when she was still 4 years old. She chose to study in the town proper where education was of better quality even if she had to take long walks everyday to and from her barrio. To have money for lunch she would sell boiled camotes to her well-off classmates who would sometimes exchange their sandwiches with jolly Mening’s camote variations. On weekends, she would work in her father’s coffee farm, where she formed her great love (actually, more like an addiction) for any form of coffee drink, and in the evenings she would go fishing with her Tatay.

After graduating from grade school, she left her town to study in the big city. She spent her first two years of high school in Davao City, but World War II sent her back home. The lovely young Mening caught the attention of the Japanese commander who was assigned in Agusan. She made use of the special attention by asking the Japanese officer to build a classroom for children near her father’s coffee farm. Sunday school for children kept my mother busy during the war. With their closeness, the officer also made sure that my mother’s family would be protected, and the assignment was a pleasure to the Japanese soldiers for my mother had rewarded them with a share from the coffee harvest. Mama Mening’s special connection made her secret mission easy to undertake: help the Filipino guerillas with supply of food and medicine. She was able to save many lives, among them a woman who was almost raped by the Japanese soldiers; there were around 40 young Filipino men facing execution and her commanding voice had stopped the death sentence; families who, assured of protection, crossed the Agusan river…. She was a war heroine.

The mayor of Cabadbaran during the Japanese occupation was Virgilio, the handsome son of the town’s wealthiest land owner, Don Andres Atega. A bachelor, Virgil was very popular among the ladies, and he would visit them from barrio to barrio. He heard of three lovely sisters in a coffee farm and he decided to visit them. His eyes were not on the beautiful face of the very confident Cecilia, nor on the very shy Crisanta, but they were on the lovely pair of legs, the loveliest he had seen, belonging to the youngest of the three, Maximina. He also loved the simplicity of this woman whom others fondly called Mening. To give his visit a sense of purpose, he requested the three ladies to organize a benefit dance that would be held in the town plaza. On the evening of the event, Mening was asked to sing a song in tribute of the young mayor. Mening with her “Mutya sa Buhat” number instantly became the young mayor’s sweetheart.

The love that bloomed was strengthened by their secret mission during the war: they used their influence to help the Filipino guerillas.

After the war, Virgil decided to take up Law at Silliman University. The Japanese commander offered Mening a trip to Japan and asked her to become his wife, but she turned these down. Mening went to Agusan National High School in Butuan City to finish her secondary education. Her classmates would always remember Mening’s talent in theater, a Best Actress awardee in school plays. To support her schooling, she applied as assistant cook in a restaurant. For her college education, Mening went to Manila and took up a Teacher Education course at Philippine Christian College. To attain her college goal, she served as a cook at the UP Medical School canteen and on weekends she would accept laundry from the American missionaries.

Virgil had somehow forgotten Mening and found a new love at Silliman. Mening tried to keep in touch through letters but Virgil never responded. A female cousin of Virgil was the one updating Mening and explained that Virgil was too busy with campus activities: debating team member, student government president, work student at the Treasurer’s office, etc.

In 1949, Mening was graduating from college when she got a surprise visit from Virgil who had just finished his Law studies at Silliman and was in Manila to prepare for the Bar exams.

Virgil found her sleeping in her small room and she was surrounded by the laundry she just finished ironing. Truly a “Mutya sa Buhat”! Virgil was so touched by the lovely portrait of a hard working woman unfolding before him. He awakened her by touching her hand and instantly asked her to marry him. Mening was shocked but managed to gather her senses and say yes in a very shy manner. It was easy to say yes to her one and only love. However, Virgil was asked to find a husband for her best friend Aurora as they had a vow to be married at the same time – Mening and Aurora dreamt of a double wedding. Virgil sent a telegram to his friend Mariano Causing, a military officer based in Cagayan de Oro, about the beautiful Aurora. The handsome Mariano right away flew-in and joined Virgil in Malate’s Café Adriatico. It was a love-at-first-sight for Mariano and Aurora which ended in the realization of a dream wedding. With the pastor at the chapel of the Union Theological Seminary in Manila, there were only five of them inside the sanctuary. Mariano and Aurora witnessed and stood as sponsors as Virgil and Mening exchanged vows, and likewise, Virgil and Mening stood as sponsors for Mariano and Aurora. It was a simple ceremony for the two college seniors who were just wearing Sunday dresses with their grooms, Virgil in coat and tie and Mariano in military officer’s uniform. The reception cost them only twenty pesos for each pair – the four of them had a special dinner in Manila Hotel.



After graduation, the young Mrs. Maximina B. Atega went home with her husband Virgil to live in Cabadbaran, the town that they had always loved and together, as a teacher and as a lawyer, they served the people with faith and beyond….

A STRONG HEART

The text message I was hoping I would never receive finally came and I had to go home. My 86-year-old mother, Maximina Minerva Rañua B. Atega was hospitalized for she had aneurysm and was declared brain dead. My family had to make an important decision. Before the journey home, my heart led me to Silliman Church, and I witnessed the last part of the Bible Reading Marathon. I actually had a hard time concentrating as some friends tried to start a conversation with me. I decided to transfer to a pew where I could be alone. Filled with much anxiety over my Mama’s situation, I asked God to guide my family with His wisdom. At this time, it was a good friend; Ate Mayette Utzurrum who was reading the 14th Chapter of the Book of Revelation and I heard the 13th verse with this line, “…blessed are the dead who die in the service of the Lord….” I forwarded the verse to all my brothers and sisters – all ten of them. Just like me, my sister Joan found the verse to be a manifestation of God’s wisdom, and she was driven to tears as it was a perfect line that made us accept the truth and the honor on Mama Mening’s inevitable last moment.

It was in the morning of January 15 when Mama complained of a severe headache. My sister, Jemimah tried to help by giving her a gentle massage on her forehead but she was really screaming with pain and so, she had to call my sister Joan to get an ambulance. At the hospital, the doctor explained that the brain scan showed my mother’s very difficult state, the brain hemorrhage resulted in blood clotting up to her nasal cavity. He was honest about the possibility of Mama leaving us on that day. Jemimah right away communicated with all of us. My brother Andre also sent a text message, which was more definite with the doctor’s estimated time of “departure”: around nine o’clock in the evening. Guided by the verse, I agreed to the suggestion to let Mama rest by putting a stop to the breathing machine that was keeping her alive. My brother Gabriel told them to wait for him before a decision would be made. When he got to the hospital at around 1pm, I reminded him to consider my request for 3PM as ‘holy time’ for Mama’s final rest. God’s will prevailed when the attending doctor explained that there was no need to do anything for he was sure that Mama would definitely go with the weakening vital signs. With the text message of Andre being forwarded from one recipient to another, many were already at the hospital to support the family and to express their love for Mama. The evening came, and many more came to be with Mama who was still in ICU. As the forecasted time was coming closer, almost every member of the family was already there except for my sister Ruth who was having a hard time booking a flight from Los Angeles to Manila, my brother Samuel who reasoned that he ‘had important things to finish in the farm” and myself who was still at Silliman Church praying. I was set to take the trip home and was anxiously waiting for the sad news. I had accepted the possibility of not seeing Mama for one last time. Pastor Haniel Taganas gathered those who were at the Silliman Church Bible reading to join Pastor Jonathan Pia who was leading a circle who prayed for “…God’s abiding presence and strength…” for me and family. As they surrounded me, I was touched by the precious act of love in that moment that I felt so very far from home – first flow of tears finally came. I told Ate Mayette that I was blessed by the reading of the scriptures and pointed-out to her the wisdom in Revelation 14:13.

Nine o’clock came, and each member of the family present was given a time to be with Mama. One by one, they all went. But after the farewells, Mama was still alive and it was already beyond ten in the evening. Midnight had come and Mama was still alive! The doctor was saying that it was impossible and told my family that maybe she was “still waiting for someone to come.” They had one thing in mind, get Samuel and force him to be with Mama. At dawn, Andre drove to Samuel’s farm and successfully convinced him that it was time he should talk to Mama.

Morning of January 16 came and Samuel was finally with Mama in ICU. Samuel is a brother who had unresolved issues with Mama: he was a consistent 1st honor pupil from grade one until grade four when he was accused of stealing in a scout camp and Mama had scolded him in front of his friends, this later turned out to be a false accusation – from then on, he changed direction and explored the world of a ‘kanto’ boy. When his very emotional time with Mama ended, the doctor went to check the signs again; Mama’s heartbeat had gone down to 41 and blood pressure went zero. Everyone agreed, it was finally Mama’s time; and they thanked Samuel for taking the courage to see Mama. But Mama kept on and on. The afternoon came and another evening, Mama was still alive. The doctor made another examination and he told my brother Gabriel that our mother “has a very strong heart and it’s keeping her alive.” Then the doctor said, “Maybe, she’s still waiting for another one to come.” They told the doctor with certainty, “She is waiting for Moses who is on his way, our youngest is her favorite son – the one who never fails to make her smile.”

Jemimah had been updating me with every development through text messaging and every message led me to pray for God’s gift of peace for Mama. My mother kept on with the heartbeat count going from 42 to 41. I was already on a bus and was nearing home. When I got the message that she could be waiting for me, I cried like a child and begged God to just let her rest. But her strong heart was holding on. People were looking at me, probably thinking of a different love angle as reason for my tears.

At midnight, my brothers and sisters decided to rest at a nearby hotel. I arrived at the hospital at 1:30 AM and was ushered to the ICU by my nephews Macky and Krisver who volunteered to be with their Lola. I was the only one allowed to go inside Mama’s room. I was very calm as I entered and was in prayer. When I held her hand, her heartbeat went up to 43 and then to 44, then 45. I continued praying for peace. Heartbeat was back at 43. I started singing, “kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya… someone’s dying Lord, kumbaya….” I sang more of her songs and then, I read my sister Ruth’s text message to her, “…Mama, you don’t have to wait for me. Be assured that the legacy of a strong-willed woman will be always in my heart….” I planted a kiss on my mother’s forehead, put her hand on my face, combed her hair with my fingers… I kissed her again. Then, I prayed for God’s will to prevail. At 4:30 AM, the time she would usually start her mornings, Mama’s strong heart finally rested. I cried as I realized that indeed, she was waiting for me. My eyes were filled with tears for I felt the special touch of a very loving mother even at her final moment.
touch of a very loving mother even at her final moment.

FIRSTS

“All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, … nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.”
John F. Kennedy

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you,
then you win.
Mohandas Gandhi


September in Dumaguete is turning out to be a month of many firsts. And all because some brave souls dared to begin something new even with the presence of loud negative forcasters.

When Naoki Mayuzumi, the president of HI-SAW or the Higala International : Students from Around World, expressed that the first thing he would do as leader of the foreign students organization of Silliman University was to raise funds for the Korean student Samuel Kim who had a vehicular accident and was hospitalized with neuro-surgery involved. He had a cultural-show-for-a-cause in mind as the way to achieve the goal. To ensure patronage and a good audience share, I suggested that HI-SAW would repackage the annual ICE (International Cultural Exchange) using a beauty pageant format, for the Philippines is a pageant-crazy country. Naoki right away made the first steps towards mounting the First Mister and Miss Silliman International. Many campus mentors tried to question the HI-SAW project but it went on with a creative force composed of Kenjie ColaC2 from Saipan and Chantal Theil of Germany with the students from Davao completing the working team, Nonito Cuizon as choreographer and Raissa Matunog as script writer. As expected in its first mounting, the show wasn’t perfect but it gave dimensions in pageant possibilities.
One thing that made it unique were the talents: Mr. Iran Tedrik Norouzi showed his expertise in Persian cooking, Miss Indonesia Precy Cua who was chosen Best in Talent performed her own Bahasa translation of Bryan Adam’s Heaven, Mr. Nigeria Japheth Chinedu Anyaji showed his MVP glory in soccer, Mr. Japan Yoji Kusumi displayed the art of Japanese calligraphy, Miss Korea Joo-Young Park performed a folk song using a bamboo flute, Mr. Jordan Muneer Ali Adel AbuRumman shared a poem in his language, the talent awardee for men Mr. Indonesia Bryan Wagey had fun on stage with his trumpet, Miss USA Treana Marie Havranek had a touching musical number of joy and hope overshadowing images of the 9/11 tragedy and there were a lot more. The 15th of September pageant was a memorable first in our University Town.

When people heard of Payag sa Likod, the restobar that’s giving Dumaguete its first party place with a Boracay energy, many laughed at its existence for it’s away from the waterfront. I heard them say that the party joint along the North Road would not last a year for people would get tired of the ‘artificial’ concept. But the management team behind Payag had proven them all wrong for last Monday, the 18th of September, Payag celebrated its first anniversary with a blast! Capturing an even more intense Boracay spirit with an RnB party featuring DJ Kimozave of Francis M’s concerts, Boracay’s MC Phat George who mounted ‘hot’ games of seduction with Manila’s Ledge Dancers – all these were put together by eventologist Toto Marquez, the man behind GEA Events. The night also had our very own Short Fun who gave a high-energy reggae jam. We forgot that it was on a Monday for Dumaguete’s livewires and party animals were all there. The celebration of The First will definitely usher us to another year of colorful Payag moments.

I also had a corner of sweet memory last Wednesday, the 20th of September, when I decided to revisit Woodward Little Theatre. I arrived before playtime and witnessed the transformation of familiar faces and the last touches on stage to capture the setting: a city park in the 1920’s. I was very delighted to see that this old little center of culture is alive with young talents. I was there to see the first work of a very talented comedy actor Rosbert Christian P. Salvoro as director. For his debut, this senior student in Speech and Theatre chose Glenn Hughes’ Red Carnations. It was my first time to experience a romantic comedy with the shortest running time but within the 35-minute act were good moments of laughter at those gentle heartfelt twists. First time to be in a theater production was Benjamin S. Dizon who played the father. His voice acting built a strong character on stage. Matti Hescock as the daughter had an effortless performance for she was perfect for the lovely object of desire. Successfully giving the boy an innocent nature was Josef Gil Cruz. He also gave it just the right tension although there were those uncontrolled Mr. Public Speaker hand movements. It was a wonderful first for Mr. Salvoro who gave much passion to the production.

Have you heard of Boston Market? It’s an American chain that specializes in rotisserie chicken, turkey, meatloaf, roasted sirloin, sandwiches, and a variety of side dishes with a catchy motto: Time for Something Good! A version of this classy food stop opened Monday, the 25th of September. It has the same name, but Dumaguete’s Boston Market along Noblefranca Street promises to share their own affordable fine dining delights: try the Boston Market Roasted Chicken and it will be your first taste of an oven roasted but perfectly moist chicken with seven herbs and spices giving it an inviting aroma, or the Pasta Tricolore with the hearty vegetarian sauce of brocolli, tomatoes and zubergines. There is only one man behind all these: Palawan’s favorite chef Quddus Padilla. I was there before it opened and this guy is like Superman’s version in the kitchen. There was no need for him to work with an architect and carpenters for he did it all from furniture design and carpentry to wall painting. With the help of his multi-tasking empowered staff: Eden, JR and Melanie and consultants like the constantly vibrant Sharon Dadang-Rafols with her buddy-for-all-seasons Jaruvic and Pam Galvez with her art & heart connection Jutze Pamate, Dumaguete now has the latest addition to its cosmopolitan lane. Quddus’ magical touch in interior design and carpentry stems from a childhood experience which was in his stepdad Franz’s boat building world. Check out how our lowly Daro bricks are used to give the dining tables the unique texture. Feel like a crowned prince with the chairs regal support. Business partner Michelle Joan Valbuena is always in excitement with the everyday new discoveries at Boston Market. Quddus’ inspiration in this business are the people of Dumaguete whose good taste has allowed him to explore new possibilties.

The greatest first moment in September was when our very own Carmelo A. Elli was given the very special opportunity to be guest conductor of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert last Thursday, the 28th at Foundation University’s Sofia Soller Sinco Hall. With his humble presence, Elli went to lead the orchestra with calmness that brought strength to Romero’s arrangement of the Visayan classic Matud Nila. This was followed by the his own arrangement of the Dumaguete Hymn. Elli with the PPO gave the familiar piece a new dimension – with the performance, our city’s hymn has reach a point of respect for its enduring value. Giving a space to a local talent is one beautiful act of generosity by the PPO’s conductor Eugene Fredrick Castillo.

Eugene, born and raised in America, as the conductor of the country’s leading orchestra gave our source of national pride a sense of completeness for he is truly Filipino in spirit. When told about his impact to the Filipino audience’ sense of nationalism, the young Maestro shared that race is not to be a consideration in his music for he has had equally wonderful experiences with musicians from other countries. He added that even the difference in language has no bearing for when “music begins, a connection will always be made.” Castillo’s welcoming and generous heart was at work on that memorable evening in Foundation University. Even with the disturbing applause in between movements of Schubert’s and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8, he was still very much into his music. The passion was strongly felt by the audience and his amazing control brought us to total silence – awed by the subtle energy of his dreamy touch. A force so serene manifest his unique leading like in those turns to face the violinists and bring them into an amazing unified range. The standing ovation finally came after he generously shared as an encore the all-time favorite medley from the Sound of Music. The applause in between movements and the delayed standing ovation were to be forgiven and be taken as part of the beautiful first-time experience – a point to grow for those would soon become faithful audience of the classical music. Thanks to Foundation University’s dynamic culture movers for a valuable gift of education. This outreach program of the PPO deserves a rewind on the same FU stage.

The last days of September would be the busiest for Claudio Ramos, the indefatigable performing artist. He is directing “Dinhi Ra Ko Kutob ug Daghang Salamat,” the first Cebuano play that will be mounted at Woodward Little Theater this school year. Mass Communication student Naddie May Orillana did the translation of the original play in Tagalog “Hanggang Dito Na Lamang at Maraming Salamat” by Orlando Nadres. The Silliman production which will open on October 2 will feature first time actors Kenn Acabal, Aiken Quipot and Ralph Olegario. From the rehearsals, Speech and Theatre Department Chairperson Prof. Nora Ravello noted how good are the actors in this play that digs on the world of a closet gay. It would be exciting to see another first and with the very creative Claude as director, the fun side of it is guaranteed. In his own words, “…this is my first play and I am giving it my all.”

Be the first in your circle to experience what are still out there beyond September.

31st of May in San Pablo

If I should live to a ripe old age
May I possess some bit of individuality, charm and wit,
That I may not be discarded when I am withered, worn, and weak,
But sought after & cherished like a fine antique.

My friends know that when it’s the 31st of May, I’m somewhere in a place far from home. The birthday gift for myself is always a trip to a place that I have never conquered. It’s my way of gathering sweet memories for my rocking chair days. I also don’t want to be like most people who live in New York who have never set foot in the Statue of Liberty (which is, of course, right in the middle of New York harbor) or be like many people of this University Town who have yet to see the twin lakes in San Jose, the rice terraces and even just one of the five major waterfalls in Canlaon, the chocolate hills in Guihulngan, the yacht anchorage in Tambobo, be in the Old Convent in Bacong and the wonderful showcase of Karl Aguila’s furniture and other art works, or simply be at Mariyah Gallery and see the works of Kitty Taniguchi that brought her to China and the USA. There is so much to see in this beautiful world.

My ageless spirit, this time, brought me to San Pablo City in Laguna!

I was still in grade school when I first heard of a place called San Pablo. My sister Joan, a social worker, had his first job there, nd she would bring home stories of this city of the seven lakes, together with the pasalubongs that Laguna is known for.
*****
As they say, when in Manila, stay at Shalom Center in Malate where its inexpensive and safe. Being in Malate brought back memories of the days with my lawyer-father. He would sometimes bring his youngest son to his business meetings in Café Adriatico or at the Aristocrat Restaurant.

Day before my special day, I had dinner at the Café Adriatico – another great moment of nostalgia. And so I decided to have my breakfast the following day – my birthday - at the Aristocrat along the boulevard.

The 31st of May started with a walk towards Ellinwood Church where I had my prayer of thanksgiving. At Aristocrat, I ordered for some Spanish omelette, highlighted with a birthday serenade by my favorite Christian pop artist Jojie Perocho.

Jojie asked if I had a song request; I requested for my American Idol favorite, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. She sang instead Someone to Watch Over Me. It felt like a date with an angel. Her voice with much innocence was a beautiful gift. That one song would have been enough, but she gave me more-- an autographed cd copy of her album. This album has already been sold-out, with miniature jars made of the Pinatubo volcanic soil. I thought my day was already made with gifts of nostalgia and music; it was the prelude to the planned journey.

*****
Along Taft Avenue is the Pedro Gil Station, from where I took the LRT to get to the Gil Puyat/Buendia station for 12 pesos only. Somewhere near the Buendia-Taft intersection are JAC buses that ply to San Pablo are found. I paid 150 pesos for this two-hour air-conditioned bus ride.

When I got down at San Pablo, I asked pedicab driver Benjie to give me a tour around important points for 500 pesos. He agreed. Our first stop was lunch at a carenderia called Binalot Sa Dahon and indeed, everything was wrapped in banana leaf --from the hot steamed rice to the grilled maya-maya. The next stop after lunch was Villa Escudero!
At Villa Escudero will give you two options: 885 pesos with lunch at the waterfalls and 540 pesos without lunch. I had buko for my welcome drink, and a guided tour to the Museum.
Villa Escudero is a coconut plantation founded in 1872, and acquired by Don Placido Escudero and his wife Claudia Marasigan in 1880. In was 1980 when the Escudero family opened the plantation to tourists.
The collection at the museum, with an architecture capturing the grandeur of an old Spanish church, is amazing. There are religious artifacts with a complete altar as centerpiece, right below are the life-size statues of the characters of the Last Supper -- which they have updated it to include Dan Brown’s version of having Mary Magdalene in it.
My eyes were kept busy with centuries of silver alters, carrozas, Spanish galleon trade items and ceramics. Their Philippine dioramas celebrate the ethnic and tribal traditions of our country.
On the second floor, I was drawn to the collection of gowns, coats and barongs worn by Philippine Presidents and First Ladies, from Aguinaldo to Arroyo, on their respective inaugurations. There were more from the American Regime, and the World War II collection. Knick-knacks, dolls, toys, jars, jewelry and other stuffs from all over the world are echoes of the well-traveled Escudero family.
Part of the package is a carabao cart ride around the plantation. A perfect photo opportunity is at the gate of the Escudero pink mansion as this is where the historical markers are found. While on this enjoyable ride, a guitarist and a soprano entertain you with kundiman classics.
Statues of lovers and kids playing bring to life the Philippine countryside genres. I love the spot with Lolo and Lola having a frolic with their grandchildren; near this tableau is inscribed: “If I should live to a ripe old age. May I possess some bit of individuality, charm and wit, that I may not be discarded when I am withered, worn, and weak, but sought after & cherished like a fine antique.”
When I saw this line about aging gracefully, I somehow concluded that in this family estate, Don Ado Escudero’s influence must be truly working. Even in his absence, you can feel his presence for the Villla reflects so much of his wisdom.
I wanted to enjoy the rowing at the lake near the cottages but it was time for the afternoon cultural show-- colorful culture unfolded before me, another harvest of what would surely become a sweet memory.
May 31st in San Pablo is also happens to be the day Festival of the Seven Lakes.
Seven colorful bamboo rafts paraded around Sampalok, the biggest lake, and on each stood a diwata, a lovely barrio maiden in a flowing gown, and crowned with fresh flowers.
Around the lake, the Tilapia Festival was another crowd drawer but I had to run to the old San Pablo Church where the Flores de Mayo was about to begin.
My birthday was filled with vibrant colors and they gave me more of the zeal for life – making me feel even more ageless!

Silliman’s First Family

“ My father always told me, ‘find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.’ ”
- Jim Fox

Looking at how comfortable Silliman University President Ben S. Malayang III with his new job, I know that he has found a responsibility that is very close to his heart.

To Sillimanians, the name Malayang is always identified with the University as almost everyone in this huge family from Mindanao went through our beloved portals. It wouldn’t be difficult to share the bond we call The Silliman Spirit when with the Malayangs. The love for Silliman is evidently in their bloodline.

In fact, when you get to be with them in one of their family gatherings even away from the campus, you would always feel like it’s one of those familiar Silliman family fellowships. Many of the values that stem from the Christian environment prevail when with them: the spirit of joy simply overflows!



Visit the President’s Office today and you will experience this cool and easy feeling when within a Malayang zone. I‘m sure the President’s Home would even be a greater experience as you will have in the welcoming line not just the joyful Big Ben, but also the interesting members of his happy home.

Everyone loves the First Lady Gladys Fe Rio - Malayang. She graduated from Silliman University with a BS in General Science in 1976. She is always with a radiant smile. The pastor’s kid has grown to be a faithful servant to God’s ministry. When the family was based in Oakland, Gladys would drive several miles on the freeway just to be in a church where she was a big help in the Music Ministry – the First Lady loves the piano.


She has been leading various Church organizations, education committees and agencies and NGO’s concerned with human development.
As Executive Director of The Women’s Health Care Foundation (WHCF), she has been very helpful in educating the Filipino community with issues concerning reproductive health. Her present network and consultancy assignments on human development projects from around the world would be beneficial to the academic and extension programs of the University.

In fact, she is very generous with her ideas and has been a resource person during the celebration of the International Women’s Day in March.

I hope the Creative Writing circle of Silliman, and the students of the College of Law will also have the opportunity to meet the First Daughter Nayna Aurafe - it will definitely be a valuable intellectual exchange. Nayna graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Creative Writing. She is now a senior Law student at UP. Prior to this, she was working with the communication arm of the World Wildlife Fund. Nayna would definitely love our University Town, the gateway to her other passion: scuba diving.

Miharu Jay Kimwell, fondly called Mij, has many Sillimanian friends as she was an active leader in the first two Hexagon camps, a gathering of Christian Youth Fellowship from six different churches. Mij graduated with a degree in Biology from UP Los Baños and worked with the Marine Science Institute. She had presented a paper during a national convention on Marine Biology held in Silliman. This junior medical student of the UERM College of Medicine is married to Bart Kimwell, a professor in Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas. Like her mother, Mij also plays the piano; she also loves to sing. Bart plays the drums.

Feeling so uncomfortable with the attention he is getting as the only son of the University President is the youngest Robert Jed, a junior Mass Communication student of Silliman. RJ is the president of Silliman University Debate Society, bringing home to MassCom glories from all the debates and speech contests he competes in. RJ is also a feature writer of the Weekly Sillimanian and was a representative to the Student Government Assembly. This founding president of the Renaissance Youth Leaders Forum (RYLF) hopes for more action relating to student welfare. He said a “convergence of interests will lead to a more dynamic intellectual life.”

When asked to describe his own family, he smiled, and said, “talkative.” Then he added that the Malayang family is: liberal, outspoken, loves to travel, opinionated. And that they all love good food, RJ added with laughter.

He said he’s glad he’s into outdoors sports like mountainbiking. That is why you don’t see the “typical Malayang build” on RJ. Yet?

Two more important family members – Musa and Toffee – will be flying in from Manila. Both Labradors. They, too, will feel at home in this City of Dogwalkers.

A DAY TO SAY ‘THANK YOU’

Throughout our lives, in all its facets, a woman’s touch has given us strength. Count the miracle of growing within and beyond her cradle, count her art of listening and her word of encouragement, count the beauty of the comfort of home, her model of faith everlasting, the lessons taught at school, the inventions to make life easy, the voice of freedom and of courage. A woman is always a big blessing in our lives.

Today, as the entire Silliman University community says a million thanks to Dr. Agustin A. Pulido for his gift of leadership characterized by an amazing 10-year display of his sense of humility, sacrifice, and courage, let us also take time to say “thank you so much” to the women in Silliman University’s First Family.

Our heartfelt gratitude to the President’s wife Dr. Dorothy “Doris” Pulido, she never liked being referred to as the “First Lady” - a mark of her gift of humility.
DR. DOROTHY ANN " Doris " BERMEJO-PULIDO (center) with Silliman University Trustees Roselyn G. Delloso and Fema P. Sayson

All first ladies should learn from Ma’am Doris as she never put any effort to make her presence felt. Her way of helping her husband was always in a silent and humble manner. There was no need for audience whenever she would go unnoticed as much as possible. For that, she is greatly admired. Mayette Utzurrum-Montebon considers Doris Pulido her role model because of her unassuming nature.

Ma’am Doris has actually been a big sister to many women at Silliman Church to whom she taught through her example of a life dedicated to Christian service.

As a medical doctor, Dr. Doris spent many years in the healing ministry, which was capped with a big responsibility as hospital director.

She had served as Chairperson of the Board of Deacons at the Baptist Church in Central Philippines University. Over here at Silliman University Church, Ma’am Doris is a member of the Board of Elders, and the chairperson of the Personnel Committee, which takes care of an important call - the choosing of pastors to lead the Church.

Mrs. Pulido is an achiever, yet as a mother, she never pushed her children to be in the same height that she has conquered. There was no push for the children to surpass her being a high school salutatorian, nor for them or for them to follow her footsteps as a medical doctor, or for them to be at the level of her husband’s impressive performance in the academe.

What she wants other mothers to know is that what counts more is “building-up the children’s self-esteem at an early age.” This is best achieved, according to this outstanding mother, by a concrete demonstration of love for the children – an unconditional love for the way they are, and the way they want themselves to be.

“Don’t be too critical to kids, teach them kindness by being kind to them.” She counseled. She said that it’s easy to teach the kids love and respect when their parents consistently demonstrate love and respect for each other. “Walk your talk,” is the best way to teach. “No calling of names or saying of bad words at home,” she stressed. After all, home is the first place where children feel and believe that there is God and the parents’ best teaching would be to honor God.

As to career choices, Ma’am Doris has successfully led her two daughters, Cybele Ann and Deneel, to their own successes by announcing that she would not want them to be in the difficult experience she had as a medical student. She made sure both would be self-motivated.

So, the former Campus Crusade leader Cybele, named after the goddess of nature, took up Business Management and obtained a master’s degree. She is now based in the US, and is married to Engr. Luther Risma. The couple is blessed with two daughters, six-year-old Aidra Ann, and one-year miracle baby Chai Lee.

Deneel, taken from an original ‘concoction’ of her parents, majored in English Language Teaching in college and finished a master’s degree in the same field. She is at present the Resident Manager of Bethel Guest House and is happily married to Lt. Col. Ezra James Enriquez. They are blessed with two handsome sons, high school senior Mark James and fifth grader Joshua James.

Ma’am Doris loves to recall the days when she would watch Deneel dancing Philippine folk favorites, and to see more of her graceful movements in Hawaiian and Tahitian dances.

With the Dr. Doris Pulido’s wisdom on motherhood, Oprah Winfrey was right when she said,“Biology is the least of what makes someone a Mother.”

Thank you Ma’am Doris, Cybele and Deneel for the gift of subtle and humble presence, for letting us see so much beauty in a simple life, and for the great example of life anchored in Christian service.

Happy Mothers’ Day!

'Scrabble Queen' is a Sillimanian

I love those years when the Filipino family thought of summer as a time for family board games: chess, Chinese checkers, mancala, its Pinoy version called sungka, Mastermind, Othello, Solitaire, Da Vinci's Challenge, Games of the Generals, Battleship, Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Dominoes, Charade through picture cards, Word Factory with its dice game version called Boggle. Among these, only chess has survived against TV and computer games, and it remains the only one in the mainstream of the international sports arena.

There are contest circles around the world, however, that are promoting one game that we all have known and loved -- the very challenging Scrabble. Its surprising to note that in the international arena, Scrabble is dominated by men; when we always thought of it as a home game for girls even at home, while chess was generally for the boys.

In the Philippines, a woman is lording it over all scrabble circles - mainly dominated by men. In fact, among the country’s Top 5 players, Odette Carmina L. Rio is the only woman. Odette, if some of you remember, graduated cum laude from Silliman University with a degree in Political
Science.
From justice halls, Odette moved to a small classroom in Iloilo City. You see, Odette is a lawyer by profession, but she now prefers teaching English as a second language to students from Korea. After a stint in the US, she says she has learned to live a “very simple life and uncomplicated life.”

Her teaching job now gives her time to devote more focus to her ultimate passion -- playing scrabble, achieving VIP stature in the world of word wizards.

How do you measure VIP stature? Check out the number of websites you get after you search about a person on Google. Try this: Search for “Odette Carmina Rio scrabble.” You’ll be amazed at the results you get: several websites announcing her “international player status” in the word power game. Abolutely the Philippines’ Scrabble Queen.

Odette was twice national champion in 2002 and 2004. Then she won third place in the Asia-Pacific Scrabble Championship held in Kuala Lumpur, fifth place in the Bertam World Scrabble Masters, and finished Top 10 four times in Thailand’s Annual King Cup. She has also achieved an ‘expert rating’ in the US with a rare 1,888.

Odette has been playing scrabble since she was still nine years old, along with her father’s favorite board games, chess and the Games of the Generals. The biggest challenge, she remembers, was always Daddy, a military general, who would approach the game with war tactics in mind.

In high school, the passion for the game reached an intense level for she had learned to love solitaire scrabble. Scrabble gave her the achiever’s zeal as she would face every challenge, such attitude of always learning new words very also very rewarding, in school.

Odette said she would love to visit Dumaguete again someday, and promote scrabble to the young. Say says it’s the “best way to increase their knowledge of words.”

I can only agree with Odette. If you will have noticed also, today’s generation in this University Town seems to have lost their ability to spell words correctly, or to comprehend what they read due to all-too-common weird abbreviations in text messaging.

That’s why I find it an important move to really bring her home here so she can help inspire young students. We can host Odette in the University Town for a peptalk on scrabble, or she can be the star player of sorts in an inter-dormitory or an inter-high school scrabble championship.

What would it take to play in a top-level game of scrabble? “An ability in Mathematics, as you look into probabilities and combinations.” She adds, “those good in Music can also be good in scrabble, as they know how to place the right scale in a given space.”

A website pointed out that a scrabble geek could only take a few minutes to find a way to put a Z or Q on a double letter score and at the same time, hit the triple word score.

There is so much wisdom involved in the arrangement of tiles in one’s rack to reach rewarding forms in a particular bag, like when it in a Double-Bag Scrabble where one divides the tiles into two separate bags: one for vowels, the other for the consonants.

Ah, there is just so much to learn from the country’s Scrabble Queen – truly Dumaguete’s very own!

GO, GUIMARAS!

My first Holy Week on an island was in Camiguin and the great experience brought me to explore the other Philippine islands like an annual pilgrimage: Siargao had the best beach experience; three ‘holy’ days was is enough to explore Palawan’s frontier; there’s nothing holy in Boracay as it’s the perfect place for party animals; Siquijor leads you to the old churches, at the same time, you hear stories of the omnipresence of beings from the world beyond; Bohol keeps you busy traversing from one tourist spot to the next; with surprising rural glory was in Punta Bulata.

My original plan this time was to go to Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte where the renowned ‘cinematic beauty’ of Saud Beach has always been my dream destination since I first saw it in the Siguion-Reyna film Hihintayin Kita sa Langit. The other stops in this rustic town have very inviting names like Kabigan Falls , the Blue Lagoon and the Paraiso ni San Anton.

But Holy Week this year awkwardly fell just after the summer school started, giving us less time for travel. I decided I just had to be within the Visayas this time.

Then I remembered that I have never conquered any part of the “mango country” of Guimaras Island. “Go GUIMARAS!” became my Holy Week theme.

On Maundy Thursday I crossed the Visayan Sea. Sailing from Negros to Panay islands, the window view from the fastferry gave me a beautiful frame of Guimaras Island, leading me to conclude, I made the right decision.

I went through the regular route with Iloilo as my first stop. For Dumagueteños, the best place to stay in Iloilo is Pensione del Carmen along General Luna Street, home of a lovely Dumagueteña Carmen Larot-Rio. The Lonely Planet guidebook Pensione del Carmen as a place that feels like home.

The solemnity of Holy Week in the old city of Iloilo can really be felt with almost all stores, including SM City mall , closed. I did not waste time; I urged my host Tita Carmen and her daughter Odette to join me in a revisit of the Miag-ao Church, a national shrine. The Church of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva, built in 1786, is one of the four Baroque churches inscribed in 1993 on the World Heritage List. The historic sanctuary draws many families, apparently on their way to Boracay. Upon the request of my furniture designer friend Karl Aguila, I took several pictures of the baroque details on walls, doors and the stairways. The noise of the hundreds of visitors was still drowned by the silent grandeur of the majestic architectural achievement, shimmering in gold with the generous light coming from the huge classic windows.

After the beautiful long day, we rewarded ourselves with a dinner Junho, a Korean corner that was the only place open during Holy Week. All the food in the menu was authentic Korean, and the vegetarian variations of Kim Jin Ho were perfect ways to celebrate with our oriental version of the Lord’s Supper. I suggested to Mr. Kim to open a branch of his bankable business in Dumaguete. We exchanged calling cards and as token of our new friendship, he handed me a set of Korean table utensils in ornate silver.

My “Mr. Congeniality charisma”, as friends tease me, must have been radiating even until later that evening because when Mr. Kim saw us waiting for a taxi for the longest time, he even offered to drive us home to Pensione Carmen.

I should say that Good Friday is the best day to be in Guimaras. Streamers were all over the Province to announce the big event in the island, Ang Pagtaltal sa Jordan (The Crucifixion in Jordan). The trip on a huge banca was about 25 minutes. This joyride to Jordan, the capital town, departs every 30 minutes. Then as we dropped anchor, we noticed the people voluntary lining-up for inspection, not for guns or bombs, but for fruits, especially mangoes. The local government there confiscates fresh fruits brought into the island so that these do not contaminate their indigenous varieties.

We were hoping to catch the 3pm ‘crucifixion.’ It seemed like Jordan was having a fiesta; colorful banners welcomed the visitors including a good number of foreigners who were curious about the taltal. Inside the poblacion was a play on the trial of Jesus with dialogues in the local dialects.

Listening to the Good Friday drama in Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a was truly interesting. The theatrical production, complete with colorful Roman-inspired costumes, which ended in the actual ‘tatal’ on a hill- while we were having a sumptuous lunch.

Native cuisine like puso sa saging salad and many others were on display in a booth made of coconut leaves – true Filipino spirit!

After witnessing the colorful production on the death of Christ, we proceeded to the town of Nueva Valencia where the popular beaches are found. All resorts were fully booked but we were lucky to have found a space in a private cove called Villa Igang. It turned out to be the best place to stay as it was not crowded. The tranquility of nature prevailed as it is away from the summer fiesta of beach people. Its landscape was carefully manicured, careful not to destroy the natural beauty. Igang in Guimaras means a kind of stone in the Province, framing the cove with natural sculptural formations.



Dr. Mary Lou Lacson-Arcelo of the John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation, owner of this charming Villa Igang, explained that igang is actually a good material for cement production. She said she is thankful that their provincial government disallowed the establishment of cement factories for it will certainly destroy the tourism potential of the island.

Mary Lou’s magic in landscaping is wonderfully transforming her part of the 43-hectare property of the John B. Lacson Foundation into a haven of peace, with much fun: fear-conquering dive from a cliff, with a view of the coral grotto, or rowing in a pond surrounded by mangroves, or exploring caves.

Eco-tourism is on the right direction at Mary Lou’s corner as she has two highly qualified consultants: her husband, educator-economist Dr. Adriano A. Arcelo, who is a consultant for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Dr. Angel C. Alcala, the world’s father of Coastal Resources Management who has visited the resort twice with his family.

I saw Philippine Daily Inquirer society columnist Maurice Arcache jamming with friends at the beach. He expressed how much he loves Villa Igang as it is a “humble paradise,” he said.
Maurice added that he enjoys rowing with his buddies the most. Meanwhile, Visayan Daily Star’s social columnist Edward Lacson said their favorite ride is a boat with a bird shape.

They were all proud to have covered the entire pond without the help of a boatman. Edward also expressed his appreciation for the professional service of the seven-man staff. He added that HRM students should actually do their internship in places like this.

Resort Manager Lorlyn P. Arañador committed to explore other options to make their service consistently good or even better. She said she hopes to offer more variations of the seafood cuisine in our next visit.

Guimaras does have endless opportunities. We went up to Valle Verde Mountain Resort for a relaxing afternoon, and witnessed the frolic in the huge swimming pool sandwiched by the slopes.

Then, on to a major stop: an amazing view of more than 50,000 mango-bearing trees in Oro Verde, one of the Province’s three main plantations.

Having sampled the world's sweetest mangoes known as the Guimaras Super Mango, it was not to be the end of our round-the-island tour.

Next stop was the Our Lady of the Philippines' Trappist Monastery where the kind monks, generous with their smiles, welcomed us in a shop of mango jams, jellies and other dried fruit products.

I got some of their baskets made of twigs and the spoon and fork set made of coconut shells and bamboo. A tour around the monastery grounds is a walk of green peace with trees and flowers!

There are more to see, and more fun to experience: Roca Encantada where the summer house of the distinguished Lopez family is located, the coral islets called Siete Pecados; the 30-minute climb up to Bala-an Bukid with a stairway leading to a giant cross and chapel at its peak.

But alas, our time was up, we had to journey back to Iloilo on Black Saturday.

I spent Easter Sunrise with a garden fellowship at the UCCP. I enjoyed the egg hunt and the conversations over the Ilongo favorite breakfast delights like pancit molo, and puto with dinuguan.

After the Holy Week, you’ve still got 45 days under the heat of the summer sun; go on your own journey; GO, GUIMARAS!

Team Spirit in The Sison Twins’ Triumph

They may not be as famous as Hollywood’s versatile twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen but the University Town’s favorite twins, Angela and Angeli Sison, are one of the neatest wonders we can talk about. And their recent triumph defines their edge over the other identical pairs, for Angeli and Angela graduated as Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively, from the St. Louis School-Don Bosco. High School Class of 2006 must be so proud that the Sison Twins led them with distinctive graduation honors.

The twin sisters have always been achievers in school since their kindergarten days. The secret, according to Angela, is not competition but team work. Definitely no sibling rivalry and no point of jealousy. They would support each other for they are not just sisters, they are the best of friends.

Angeli agrees to her sister’s point by expressing that “everytime Angela would win a contest, it always feels like I, too, won. It’s like being always in the same team.” Angela added, “ we are always together for we both love pushing ourselves beyond our limits, and we share in this great feeling of being able to prove one’s worth.”

Born 15 minutes apart on December 4, 1989, Angela and Angeli are not exactly the same. At some challenges, they would conquer same glories, like being both crowned as Miss Intramurals - Lili on her freshman year and Lala on her 3rd year.

But they can also be in two different directions like in the academe. Angela loves anything under Communication and Language but will never be as intense as Angeli when it comes to Science. And then, they are together again in their passion: the art of dance. They both love one of the most graceful sports, Dance Sport. They have been so good at it that have been featured in many events in the city and have been representatives to various competitions.

They credit their successes to three important points: the pressure and discipline coming from their mother, the indefatigable Dr. Aideline Erames-Sison, with the special expression of support from their Dad Aniceto who is always there for them; Developing good time management, and third, the pressure coming from a family tradition, coming from a clan of achievers.

As kids, their dream was to become flight stewardesses but now the twins want to become Nurses for they find fulfillment in being in touch with people and their needs. they have found a meaningful way to be of service to people and it is trough health care. High School life was for them a stage of finding themselves and they are thankful to their Don Bosco family for teaching them the importance of service, sharing and the value of equality among people.

They want their fellow youth to know that it is wonderful to have fun but it should always go with a sense of responsibility. Angeli stressed in the importance of developing intelligence and Angela joined her in stressing that it is possible to have a balance between fun and the intellectual life. “One doesn’t have to be a nerd to be called smart.” They had fun even in those times when they had to do hard work. They have joined contests in speech, journalism and dance. At home, they found joy in reading books, and loved all of Nicholas Sparks bestsellers: The Rescue, A Bend In The Road, A Walk To Remember, Message in A Bottle, and much more love and “kilig” for The Notebook.

Like the lady character Allie Nelson in The Notebook, the Sison Twins believe that a love that is enduring and deep can turn a trial into triumph, and may even have the power to create a miracle. What they’ve got is the love for each other as sisters and as friends. And together, they will face life with a “team work” that will bring them to more triumphs.

BIRD MAN, BAMBOO MAN

Most people beat the heat of summer by going to where the coolness of the water can be felt even just visually. I’ve been to the Twin Lakes: Balinsasayao and Danao twice this week to guide University guests. As I bring them around the big lake, I love talking about two of my favorite environmentalists: the Bird Man and the Bamboo Man.

I never had the opportunity to listen to Doctor Joe, the birdman of the Philippines, live! But I love the recollection of Silliman campus kids who had those great times with him walking under the shades of acacia trees and he would tell them bird stories.

It was the 10th death anniverssary of Dr. Dioscoro S. Rabor, the country’s preeminent zoologist and conservationist, on March 25. He is never forgotten, his legacy is enduring.

He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Silliman University in 1974. The name Rabor is internationally known. His legacy shines through pioneering works with birds which included the discovery of the sad state of the Philippine Eagle. Even in retirement, he was still active with consultancies in Wildlife Biology. Rabor's passion for nature conquered points beyond Negros island. Try to climb Mt. Ilong-ilong in Mindanao and you would find the name of this Cebuano carved on a stone at its peak and check on environment stories of Mount Isarog in Southern Luzon and you’ll find the same prominent name. He trekked and climed Philippine mountains as part of more than 50 expeditions into the forests of more than 25 islands. He discovered and named most of the Philippine birds. Other exotic species of animals including rats were his discoveries. Some of them were named after him like Rabor's Wren Babbler or the Napathera rabori found in the Sierra Madre Mountain.

A book on Philippine Birds by Robert S. Kennedy has this dedication, “to Dioscoro Rabor and wife Lina, ‘whose pioneering field efforts for more than half of the 20th century helped shape the field of ornithology and conservation in the Philippines.’”

To trek around the lakes is for me an experience of Rabor’s passion and when I’m rewarded with a sight of an endangered specie like the Negros bleeding heart pigeon, I do express thankfulness to the Bird Man for he paved the way for the new generation of Filipinos to still experience wildlife in a virgin forest.

Another person whose passion for conservation is so inspiring is the Bamboo Man of the Philippines, Frans Kleine Koerkamp who celebrated his 70th birthday with his friends at South Sea on March 29. He was actually born on February 11, 1936 in Netherlands. Frans who also came from a poor Dutch family is inspired by the molding he got from a monastery where he found his life motto, “Hand ignarus mali, miseris succurrere disco” (Since I came from poverty and misery, I have learned to help the poor and the miserable).

This ordained Carmelite priest came to the Philippines in 1964 and had Escalante, Negros Oriental as his first mission area. The severe poverty of the hacienda workers led him to take a strong resolve to help the poor. He underwent trainings on Cooperatives and helped the poor by organizing them into unified forces for community development.

In 1972, Frans mission brought him to Iligan where he was exposed to rampant human rights violations under the Martial Law era. A community development worker from Escalante Inday Rabelista also came to Lanao to work with credit cooperatives. With the same point of departure and with a shared vision, their friendship grew deeper. On March 29, 1979, they were married and have become strong partners in the service for others. Their respective missions brought them to Manila where they had their son Jobert in 1982 and daughter Monette in 1984.

With deep emersion into the Philippine society and the experience of the various crises faced by the people he loved and served, Frans has become a true Manoy, a foreign Man with a piNoy heart.

And having visited many parts of the Philippines, he has found a dreamland: Dumaguete. It was in 1994 when he realized his dream of building a home for his family on this University town.

And it was at this time and place that he found a great way to help the people: a community effort to preserve and develop a livelihood out of the lowly Philippine bamboo. Buglas Bamboo Institute (BBI) was founded by Franz and the revived traditions out the common kawayan is now being cascaded to other communities.

Kawayan, as a primary feature in Philippine architecture and landscape, has gained back its respect and glory. Thanks to Manoy Franz, our country’s Bamboo man.

Summer is the time to conquer nature! And as we go far and deep into our happy wanderings, let Doctor Joe’s free flight with the birds and Manoy Frans’ love for the bamboo be our compass so that we will never be lost in the dense fog of human selfishness.

My Top 5 shows during Founders Day

Founders Day at Silliman University could be the longest “day” on earth because celebrations started on Aug. 2 and has yet to end with a Post-Founders Day Fellowship on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Davao City.
That Founders Day would run close to about 1,200 hours. With a very long day to conquer, one could possibly get overwhelmed by the seemingly-equally important events that actually, only needs prioritizing.
Besides, you can count by one hand perhaps those that are truly worthy of your time and limited human energy and capacity.
As an avid enthusiast of culture and its development in this part of the world, I tried to be omnipresent (if I am not yet so) in almost all the events showcasing Silliman’s distinctive culture and glories in the arts, always looking for the original idea before I get totally impressed with the production. Originality, being the main criterion in my Top 5 Shows during this year’s Founders Day crowd-drawers.
In chronological order, these shows drew not only quality audiences (read, the important faces and names of the City, the country, from abroad), but also praises for their production as they were refreshing gifts to Silliman’s 104th birthday.
1) August 19 was the final night for ICE (International Cultural Understanding), a journey around the globe mounted by Higala International: Students from Around the World (HI-SAW). Each country mounted a sitcom that revolved around the visit of a Filipino tourist played by Thai student Suthai Katima , who was scriptwriter and director of the play. The introduction of different cultures through sitcoms brought different levels of the sense of humor that unified the world on that night. Memorable moments include the sumo wrestling bout by Naoki and Youji, the Koreans passion for soccer, a Russian vodka drinking session with Francis George, the confusing gift-giving traditions of the Persians, the hot and spicy Indonesian cuisine point, and the “lost in translation” gig in Paris with Chantal. Non-stop laughter in vivid culture colors!
2) The impact of the Miss Silliman Pre-Pageant on Aug. 20 actually overshadowed the Pageant night. Both the talents show and interview portion were great delights. The audience loved the Persian bets especially during the Pre-Pageant night, Miss Engineering Sarah Aghabararian serenading the applauding crowd with a Tagalog love song; and Miss CITCS Sanaz or Fatemeh Ahmadi Zeleti surprising everyone with her professional belly-dancing skills. The one who won Best in Talent is the bet from the College of Performing Arts Joyce Zerda who played the cello and sang a jazz song, she was eventually crowned Miss Silliman.

The pre-pageant, where the candidates deliver a speech on a particular theme and answer questions in an open forum, was first done in 1982. It’s been 23 years.
3) Aug. 23 was a unique day for young people who were gathered at the Luce foyer to listen to pop, reggae, and rock bands, in all one concert. Called Unang Hibalag, the gig was different in the sense that the youth bands were actually performing Christian pop and rock songs. Simply awesome to hear rock rendition praising Jesus Christ. It was edifying to see children, teenagers, and parents from different fellowships in this University Town together and one in body and spirit.
4) A week-long painting exhibit called Voyages a Travers Le Temps et L’espace (Travel through Time & Space) by Edmund Bendijo, a Sillimanian who is now a Goodwill Ambassador of France, was rare highlight. The show, which opened on Aug. 24, had the typical Bendijo palette of happy colors. Even his blue exudes a relaxing density. Each piece was inspired by the movement of the lines in a crumpled paper, and the joyful melodies of music. His works in an intelligent abstraction captured people on an island, the crowd in an urban center, the dialogues of the artist’s past and present encounters, and many more. Lyric Expressionism is a style that can only come from Edmund Bendijo, a grand prize winner of a French international painting competition. If you missed the works mounted by his College of Business Administration family, you can follow them in the exhibit’s next stop at the world’s culture capital, New York.
5) I am tempted to rank this next events as the number 1 show because it achieved a two-fold purpose: to successfully celebrate the theme of the 44th Annual Church Workers Convocation “Proclaiming the Gospel in a Pluralist World toward a Dialogue o Life”, and to provide high quality entertainment for the audience composed of church people from all over the country. The Bahaghari mounted at the Luce Auditorium on Aug. 30 by the Banikanhong Magdudula of the Divinity School had original songs with Dessa Quesada Palm as lyricist, music by Jeaneth Harris-Faller, and musical direction by Jean Cuanan. Only the fourth production of Banikanhong Magdudula under Dessa’s direction, and Frances Mendez as an assistant director, it was a tapestry of the Divinity School students’ personal accounts from their home churches on the diverse cultural religiousity in the country. In three acts, the beautiful blend of popular culture and indigenous art brought the audience to an awareness of today’s issues affecting the Filipino church life. It was also wonderful to see the students enjoying on stage the wonders of theater, giving them self-confidence and the passion of true performing artists. I am sure the real harvest of glory will be in the near future when these young actors will be playing their real-life roles as servants of the Lord with courage and creativity; afterall, the concrete Bahaghari experience has planted within them a seed of faith on their God-given talents.
Honorable mention will go to the Body Painting contest conducted by the College of Nursing & Allied Health Sciences to promote once again the anti-smoking advocacy. It sent out a powerful message even with the total silence of the colorful visual creations on the human skin.
Another honorable mention goes to Silliman Performs, a Cultural Affairs Committee production. It could have been on my Top 5 list as it was supposed to be a showcase of Silliman’s bests in the performing arts, but two or three numbers were included there that had very low production value, pulling down the total impact of the show. But in every high or low point of a performance, our gratitude still goes to the artist, for in the words of Chicago’s Byrne Piven, “a community without artists is not a true community; only people living in the same vicinity.”

the Miss Silliman Crown

SEBASTIAN MORALES: ... I liked the fact that Miss Silliman - older than both Miss World and Miss Universe - continues to be one-of-a-kind pageant, which values substance more than appearance. Miss Mass Communication Matti Irene Hescock and Miss Arts & Sciences Scarlett Hartman had the good genes of perfect crossrace breeding and were also both articulate and smart; but spunky, petite, and extremely talented Miss College of Performing Arts Joyce Zerda eventually emerged the queen of the night.

Cebuana JOYCE ZERDA of the Silliman University College of Performing Arts, could have outwitted them all being judged as Miss Silliman 2005.

First runner up is Matilde Irene Hescock of the School of Communication and 2nd runner-up is Scarlett Hartman of the College of Arts and Sciences.

People are talking about…

…the international flavor of this year’s Miss Silliman Beauty Pageant.
There are two Persians -Sanaz and Sarah - have decided to break traditions in celebration of womanhood.

Fatemeh Ahmadi Zeleti, fondly called Sanaz, is enjoying the freedom with the Philippines’ love for beauty pageants, so0mething that is never allowed in her home country Iran. Her courage to join the pageant - even without much regard for the stereotypical model-figure - has actually drawn more attention. But mind you, many people are actually delighted at her willingness to participate in this Silliman tradition for the fun of it. Besides, Sanaz is like a classic revival of the Baroque period’s standard of beauty: a lovely voluptuous subject in a painting by Rubens. I salute the College of Information Technology and Computer Science for giving Sanaz all the support anyone would need in her quest to prove her belief to all and sundry that when it comes to beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. An that God in his infinite glory makes sure there is justice for all! And during the night of talents, Sanaz has proven that she will have her own share of glory for everyone loved her graceful movements in belly dancing.

The other Persian is Sarah Aghabararian who is like a sunshine with her generous smile. Not a few were surprised when the College of Engineering decided to be represented by this charming Barbie doll from Tehran, not the beauty queen from Tanjay who was many people’s bet. Two of the pre-pageant judges have expressed that it is possible that this very talented lady who was among the Top 3 Best Speakers would be the first Miss Engineering who will win the Miss Silliman crown. She won the hearts of the people when she serenaded them with a Tagalog love song and they applauded her for her honest and smart answers during the open forum.

College of Arts and Sciences made sure they would also have a strong presence in this pageant by sending this very talented beauty with German lineage, Scarlett Hartman. A composer of love songs and a visual artist who loves cartooning, Scarlett is actually majoring in Social Work. I know. Not your typical source of candidates for beauty candidates for beauty pageants. In fact, some professors in her College were taken by when they learned that Scarlett, like other students in her course who are expected to be advocates of women’s rights, was joining a beauty pageant. The professors have time and time again actually expressed their vehement opposition to the holding of beauty pageants, which they say is a form of exploitation. But Scarlett successfully defended her decision to join during the open forum and was even chosen as among the best speakers.

The United States of America, the culprit behind the Filipinos’ penchant for beauty pageants, is represented with the presence of the California-born beauty Matilde Irene Hescock, this year’s best bet of the School of Communication. Matti is part of this lean group of Masscom students whom many consider as a powerhouse of beauty titlists. If you recall, the Ms. MassCom since 2001 have consistently been the 1st runner-up glory in the Miss Silliman pageant. You won’t miss Matti’s 5’8” figure. She’s the one with the fashion model beauty and figure who is expected to finally break Masscom’s “almost there” spot.
The next two beauties are Philippine-born but you could mistake them for being Miss Japan and Miss Mexico on the strength of their foreign looks, and what they refer to in Tagalog , ang dating.
Chinky-eyed beauty Joyce Zerda of the College of Performing Arts, who has become a favorite host of campus events since that night of outstanding performance as emcee of the Valentine Song Writing Contest (and she did it again when she got the Best Speaker award and many want this cello player to win the crown), is always asked about her nationality. After all, when walking around campus, Joyce blends well with the Koreans and much more, with her Japanese friends. Indeed an oriental princess!

Honey Grace Lllenos of the High School Department, stands true to her Spanish-sounding family name; she projects the aura of a Latin American beauty contestant. Although, she is the youngest, Honey looks the most comfortable on stage. This teen, after all, must have developed stage presence and confidence as a member of the SUHS Debating Team.

International beauty pageants are never complete without the “ Miss Philippines.” In this year’s Miss Silliman, the Filipina beauty radiates in Wanda Omengan, representing the College of Business Administration. If you’re wondering why this candidate who is from Sagada in Mountain Province speaks with a nice American twang, know that Wanda grew up in a tight community with so much influence from American missionaries. But believe me, Wanda who is a pure Igorota is every inch a Filipina.
People are also talking about their bet from the new Medical School. A very smart lady from Stockton, Marikit Bituin Baquiran, could have been it. This Fil-Am beauty is a consistent honor student even when she was president of the Students from Around the World, the organization of foreign students.

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Like part of the legacy from the Big Apple, the Miss Silliman Beauty Pageant was established in this first American school in the Philippines in 1946 by the American mentors, older than the two major international pageant, Miss World which was founded in 1951 in the United Kingdom and the Miss Universe founded by California clothing company Pacific Mills as an avenue to promote their Catalina swimwear in 1952.
It is possible that the Miss America, the world’s oldest still-running beauty pageant that started in 1921 as a beach affair, had actually inspired our very own campus-by-the-sea glory.
Talks about the possible dissolution of the Miss Silliman beauty pageant will never die, and the oppositors will always argue the irony of celebrating the beauty of the woman’s physique, and sense of dignity of the Christian academia.

Our Persian Friends

A stone thrown at the right time is better than gold given at the wrong time. - Persian Proverb

With more than 50 students from Iran enrolled this school year, they seem to have overshadowed our Korean friends who have been dominating the foreign students population in the City. Many of us are wondering what could be behind this “invasion.”
This is actually not the first time the University Town is host to these students from the old Persia. It was in the late 1960s when Persian students discovered Dumaguete as an excellent education center. Generations of them were here until the 1980’s. If you recall, they stopped coming when their country went through a crisis, and a lot of them were recalled back for military service.
After the 9/11 tragedy four years ago, the global paranoia over Arabic-looking people has actually led this new generation of Persians to our Dumaguete shores.
My Persian friends told me that applications for student visas either for the US or England were denied –especially when one looked Arabic.
While on a business trip to the US recently, my brother, who has an Arabo profile like I do, had to suffer from the humiliation of all interrogations and strict luggage inspections from one point of entry to the next. His advice to me: travel light so they don’t doubt what we could be carrying with us.
They’re not only paranoid with our Arabic-Mediterranean looks (on account of my genetic lineage which stems back to a Spanish friar), they’re also paranoid with our family name which starts with the letters A-T and E. If you remember, two of the 9/11 bombers had family names that started with A-T and E.
Sadly, our Persian brothers and sisters right here in the University Town have somehow suffered some kind of prejudice and discrimination. Some of our fellow Pinoys have in fact verified with me if some of these students from Iran have terrorist connections. I understand that even our local Immigration and Deportation office has not accorded these Persian students the same fairness and respect due to all human individuals.
To overcome these wrong notions, it is high time we understand the reasons why these students from Iran, whose number is simply growing, continue to come to our beautiful City.
Francis George, a Mechanical Engineering student, it was his father Emil who successfully campaigned for Iranian students to come over to study in Dumaguete. Emil found an entrepreneurial opportunity be serving as Philippine university placement agent. Supporting the business are his three other sons: Zodiac Bar owner Patrick and the two Information Technology students at Silliman, Christopher and Edward.
Aside from the fact that student visas for the US or the UK are now hard to come by, the Philippines, or Dumaguete in particular, was the logical choice because for one, only a limited number of students are qualified to go college in Iran.
Another reason is that these Iranian students badly want to learn good English. Still another reason is the much cheaper tuition of Philippine schools.
Yet another reason, there is an active Silliman alumni group in Iran who only speak well of the quality education they received here. Some of these Iranian students here now are actually second generation Sillimanians – beautiful sons and daughters of former SU foreign students, or children of Iranian parents whose friends are Sillimanians.
IT student Sirvan Ghosiri said he is happy to discover the “very open and healthy interaction” between men and women in the Philippines. Filipino girls, he said, are very good conversationalists. Of course, in the predominantly Muslim nation of Iran, people are more conservative in that regard.
Mostaffa Ahmadi, better known in the University Town as “that one with the Harry Potter cuteness,” is thankful for Dumaguete being “true to its fame as a place of gentle people.” He said he has found the people to be very friendly.
Business Management student Mohammad Ali Hosseini, “crush ng bayan” for some student nurses, also noticed how the warmth of the Dumaguete community is very much like the love among the Filipino circle in Iran.
Ali’s positive regard is echoed by campus heartthrob Farzad Pakdamanian, a Computer Engineering student. Farzad was studying in Manila until he discovered as a better place to live in because of its peace and serenity. He found Dumaguete residents “very kind.”
Then we have noted that the Persian lady students go around the University Town in two groups, the totally clothed and the fashionistas in short shorts.
Artin Khachatoorian, a Christian, explained that it is only here in Dumaguete where the Iranian women seem to have the freedom to be less covered up.
Student nurse Mohaddeseh Faghani stressed that she goes to school covered up for in respect to her religious tradition, and in obedience to God. When asked how she must feel with her full garb in our humid climate, Mohaddeseh reminded me with a smile: It must be hotter in hell.
The campus ladies and gays are close to being star-struck not just with the “Harry Potter” in Dumaguete, but also with the one who looks like Keanu Reeves, or the other one who’s an Antonio Banderas look-alike even the smell that is too exotic to take, and the one who looks like Joko Diaz : Seyed Hamid Reza Seyed Salehi.

There are winsome characters like “Mr. Congeniality” Nezamloo Mahmoud, the playful Ehsan Yaeghoobi who insists you pronounce his name well.

Meanwhile, the campus guys are desperately hoping there will be no more language barriers between and the beautiful ladies from Iran like Anna, Sona, Neda Montazeri, Sarah Aghaberarian, Bernadette and Maria George.
These friends of ours from Iran love jamming with Filipinos at StEd’s Silliman, hanging out with their newfound friends at Zodiac Bar, or dining, with them at Persian Palate. And at El Camino Blanco, it’s the Filipino friends’ turn to usher them to experience that Pinoy clean fun party spirit.
With their warm and sincere friendship and positive spirit, it is indeed a big blessing to have our Persian friends over in this University Town. There is much we can learn from them. Consider, this harvest of Persian proverbs:

He who want a rose must respect the thorn.

If the teacher be corrupt, the world will be corrupt.

If one has to jump a stream and knows how wide it is, he will not jump. If he does not know how wide it is, he will jump, and six times out of ten he will make it.

No lamp burns till morning.

You can't please everyone.

You can't put new wine in old bottles.

Go as far as you can see, and when you get there you'll see further.

I hope this column makes a beautiful splash, and create big wave circles of understanding.

HARI ng NEGROS

Supermodel Linda Evangelista once said, “ people think modeling's mindless, that you just stand there and pose, but it doesn't have to be that way. I like to have a lot of input, I know how to wear a dress, whether it should be shot with me standing up or sitting down. And I'm not scared to say what I think.”
We could have the same regard for beauty pageants - totally “mindless.” Much more if it’s a male beauty pageant. We think of it as mere display of the male body form.
But the 2005 Hari ng Negros pageant mounted last week in Canlaon, Philippines to celebrate the mountain city’s 44th charter day proved to be a battle of brains particularly when it reached the Top 5 level.
A lady doctor in the audience who is from Bacolod shared her observations on all pageants that she witnessed. She noticed that when it comes to the interview portion, the bets from Oriental Negros would always shine with their wit and flawless command of the English language.
This she shared after she heard Jericho Arnaiz, a senior Political Science student of Silliman University who represented Pamplona, spoke about the role of the youth of today when asked by the host about his exposure as the SK (Sanguniang Kabataan) Chairman of his municipality. He garnered the Best Speaker award on the first set. This male pageant had four interview portions.

The men from Negros Occidental dominated the first set of awards with Mr. Bacolod Joey Cioson, a student nurse from the University of St. La Salle, winning the Best Smile award. Auric Claridad of Binalbagan was Mr. Photogenic while Richard Javier of Pulupandan was Best in Formal Attire.
Bais City’s Nepthali Badilla Jr. of Negros Oriental State University was awarded Best Body Shot.

As expected, Joey who has the boy-next-door innocence led the Occidental bets that dominated the Top 10 slots. Jericho made an impact for he turned out to be the best dancer in the Street Jam portion.

The interview portion showed the three bets in the Top 10 from Oriental Negros outshining the rest.
Joining Joey and Jericho in the final 5 were Mr. Dumaguete Paul Brett Orozco of St. Paul University, Mr. Bayawan Siegfred Schmidt, a Tourism student from USJR Cebu; and the exotic looking Mr. La Carlota Mark Anthony Rapas, an AMA Computer student. Each of them was asked to make a question for their fellow finalist. A very impressive question came from Mr. Dumaguete who asked Mr. Pamplona if the “country will have another president within the year?” and Jericho got the applause of the audience when he answered “I don’t think we will have a new president for I am sure that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will give her best to evidently show that the projects she will do will make the economy to sour high.” Mr. Bayawan also clinched a top slot with his answer to the question from Mr. La Carlota on how he would “promote Canlaon and what would be his first project if ever he wins?” He said, “volcanoes! But my priority would be the importance of education for it is the only way to move forward….” Mr. La Carlota failed to make a clear answer when asked by Mr. Pamplona about “what new revolution would he want if given the opportunity to lead one.” When asked by Mr. Dumaguete what could be another reason for holding the Hari ng Negros pageant, Mr. Bacolod made a simple but a very cool answer, “to give happiness to the people of Canlaon for this is an entertainment for them.” He received a thunderous applause from the audience. Mr. Bayawan asked Mr. Dumaguete about the personal characteristics that would be beneficial to his family and the crowd favorite answered “being honest, God-fearing and to value close family ties.”
On the Top 3 level, Oriental Negros bets were the eventual lords of the pageant. Mr. Bayawan, Mr. Dumaguete and Mr. Pamplona were in for the final battle for the grand titles. The final question was quite close to the question for Margie Moran in the 1973 Miss Universe. Her question was, if you had one million dollars what would you do with it? Inspired by the Love and Peace cry of streets that decade she said, "I would buy a big house where I can live with all the people I love". Her answer gave the Philippines the second Miss Universe title. For the Hari ng Negros pageant the question was “…what will you do with the prize money?” All three gave similar answers that the money would go to their families. Siegfred who was beating-around-the-bush as he tried to expound was awarded the second runner-up title. Jericho who gave a smooth answer got the First Runner-up title. And Paul who looks like the actor Diether Ocampo gave glory to Dumaguete when he answered with tears that the money will go to his family. But the 23-year old computer programmer actually made a difference when he honestly shared that his family is having financial difficulty and that, he hopes to make use of the prize for his sister’s education.

The pageant successfully captured the majestic splendor and true wisdom of the city in the sky. With Kanlaon, the highest mountain of Negros, as the “royal” inspiration; indeed Canlaon City was the perfect venue to crown the truly deserving Hari ng Negros.
It was a great evening for on stage and in the audience was the spirit of unity of the two provinces.

three islands in one day

The 31st of May is always a day for me to be alone with nature and to celebrate the colorful culture of my country. In the past years, this day was spent spelunking in Legaspi, on a Taal Volcano conquest, boating in Lake Mainit, an art tour in Palawan, a carabao ride in the slope of Mt. Apo, on a date with the sun in Boracay, a vegetarian spirit-cleansing in Sagada, hearing the past in Batanes, on a nostalgia in Dapitan, a habal-habal ride in Siargao, a “peace” mission in Jolo, big-bike ride with friends around Camiguin, clay-art session in Bukidnon… and last year, with the kiss from the cool mountain breeze of nearby Canlaon. It’s actually investing on sweet memories on my birthday. It’s a way of rewarding myself and giving the inner senses a new energy. Looking fast forward, I know for sure that on my rocking-chair days, my happy heart will have so much mind-boxes of memories to open and cherish.

It’s really not that expensive to go on a nature trip when you travel with the spirit of a backpacker. My recent trip was on a low-budget just like my previous escapades. The beauty of traveling with the style of the regular pinoy- in-the-street is experiencing the countryside culture with all its honesty. I was truly one with nature and with the realities in the lives of the people in it.

May 31, 2005 is now on my file of sweet memories. It started with an early morning boat-ride from Sibulan to Liloan for only 35 pesos, the sea was so calm and most of those in the boat are students with their back-to-school excitement. My 75-peso ride on a van brought me to Siargao where I had a an 80-peso German breakfast at the Bamboo, a seaside resort. Then, I paid the habal-habal 25 pesos to bring me to the Talolot port to catch the 9am boat to Loon, Bohol. There was still time to drop by the old Boljoon Church, this southern side of Cebu sanctuary built by the Spanish priests in the 1599 is now listed as part of the world heritage. Boljoon is a beautiful glimpse at the ancient pseudo-baroque-rococo grandeur with intricate carvings and relief.

And finally, on a barge to Bohol, you get to see a number of islands on this 40-minute ride. We were anchored at a port with the welcoming promise of nature’s bounty – the shoreline dotted with mangroves and the fishermen’s boats were all over.

With a 25-peso bus ride, I was already in Tagbilaran and at BQ mall, I had my favorite chicken oriental salad from Pizza Hut. Then, I walked towards the old Church in Tagbilaran where I waited for the jeepney that will bring me to the town of Loboc for the morning river cruise. I paid only 20 pesos for this jeepney ride where I had fun studying the profiles of the passengers in it: a fat lady who could be a vegetable vendor for her eyes were always at her basket of tomatoes, a young public school teacher who was discussing the enrollment procedure with the policeman who was inquiring for his son who has a big tummy like his tatay, a farmer who was complaining about the price of the kilo of rice in the brown paper bag that was on his lap – portraits of the Filipino challenged by the country’s economic crisis.

To save, I waited for a family who might want to try the Loboc River cruise. The 400-peso boat rental was to be shared with a family from England but when I gave them a hundred peso bill, the father of this family of three said, it would be a free ride for me. The boatman was so quite in the entire 45-minute boat ride. It was me who was talking about the Cesar Montano film Pagnahoy sa Suba. My sharing somehow gave them a World War II account on the river. In my heart, I actually felt like Moses on a royal boat down the Nile. Relaxingly cool with so much green from trees and shrubs on its banks. The cruise had Busay Waterfalls as highlight. Floating restaurant trips add to the festive river ride. I told that boatman to make a stop at the Nuts Hats where I planned to stay overnight with a 400-peso room rate.

I had lunch in one of the riverview restuarants were I tried carabao meat adobo and ginataang native chicken. It was to be a 45-peso meal. For siesta, I explored the Church of San Pedro in Loboc, the second oldest church in Bohol. Built in 1602, this Church is known for its remarkable paintings on the ceiling. The presence of the Spanish coat of arms found in the stone wall near the entrance of the convent brought back images of the old colony. While on this spot, I heard the angelic voices of children in a choir. I went upstairs, I was happy to see the Loboc Children's Choir rehearsing. This group brought the Philippines honor when in 2003, they garnered two major awards at the at 6th International Folksong Choir Festival, which was held in Barcelona, Spain. After two songs, the lady director acknowledged my presence. And some kids also recognized me. They remembered the kuya from Silliman who brought them around Dumaguete after their concert at the Luce. I told them the reason of my visit and they serenaded me with a Tagalog birthday song. The moment was so memorable.

Then, a 30-peso bus ride brought me to Carmen where I had my reunion with the famous chocolate hills. Some foreign tourists were on the same bus. I salute them for discovering the way of the locals in getting to this famous destination without the help of an agency, they just had their bankable Lonely Planet guidebook.

For nite life, some friends brought me to dinner at Bohol Tropics with live band entertainment. But the sharing of Mike Ligalig, a poet who writes in Cebuano, of the choices he made in life had reduced the live music simply as background to his love story.

Now, I can count myself more fortunate. The memory of a scenic river, of a song from a children’s choir in an old church and of all the lowly rides is a beautiful commentary of the humble spirit of life in its abundance. Have the joyful soul of a wanderer and conquer three islands in one day!