tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80098889793453119862024-03-22T02:16:37.733+08:00The Unofficial and Unauthorized Blog of our BatchThis is the online version of the quarterly newsletter of our batch in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, which is located in a tiny district of Taloto which is 4 kilometers away from Tagbilaran City, the capital of a little island called Bohol in the Philippines ... whew!Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-46957126398839171242021-03-13T22:47:00.063+08:002021-03-14T16:35:40.825+08:00Stories We Tell near the Ides of MarchThe First Quarterly General Meeting—held two days before the Ides of March (Philippine Time Zone) and three days before the landing of Magellan on our shores—was meant to encourage the participation of the general membership. But several factors conspired to foil this objective, as the superstitious would expect on the days leading up to the Ides. Brownouts occurred in several towns; a member wasScriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-21985971823653305172020-11-09T21:16:00.012+08:002022-07-29T18:39:20.604+08:00Kumustahan in the Time of COVIDWe held our first Kumustahan on Nov 9, 2020, as our way of checking on each other, just to see how each one is faring during this challenging time of the pandemic.Our designated spiritual guide, McAbs, took his role seriously and provided us a theme for this gathering: Call to Relationship. It was actually the second faith sharing that was conducted. The first one was held during the regularScriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-39326502036624408672020-08-29T23:03:00.007+08:002020-08-30T07:16:50.935+08:00A Personal Reflection God works in circuitous ways, I realize.I spent several nights brooding on what could possibly have prompted our good bishop and classmate to call me one late night in July, in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown in Tagbilaran. It was the 20th of July, when he asked me, the acknowledged hari-harion and alig-aligon of the batch, to spearhead a Virtual Reunion in place of the original face to Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-34647013004799834022020-08-27T01:17:00.046+08:002021-01-31T18:55:01.616+08:00Initiatives and Lessons LearnedOur Baboga Class has undertaken several initiatives since High School. And we are not done yet, with the recent launching of the Bursary. Through all these years, whether we failed or succeeded, one thing was constant: we learned our lessons and we adapted. And we did that multiple times. So, let me count the ways.Baboga Sinking Fund. In 2nd Year High School, Mr Doblas became our class adviser. Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-10229922193666208942020-08-25T01:09:00.048+08:002020-08-26T04:31:39.268+08:00Realizations From Our Ruby Jubilee ReunionThe Virtual Reunion held last August 24, 2020 (PST) revealed several realizations. The first is that, after all these years, we still haven’t shed our habit, a bad habit called “Filipino Time”. The original schedule was slated at 9:00 AM (PST), but requested by Ringkoy to be moved earlier to 8:30 AM to accommodate the expected late comers and the anticipated technical glitches. Well, Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-392810570943240062020-08-23T18:44:00.038+08:002020-08-24T01:45:58.399+08:00Juntabs and the Rosary (3/3)During my high school days in the IHMS, I was always assigned in the sacristy. I felt at home being a sacristan because in my elementary years, I was already an altarboy of Fr. Saturnino Felicitas in Jagna. On the occasion of my first Eucharistic Mass in December 1993, Fr. Felicitas gave me his (original) chalice, which I still keep in my house. But this is not about Fr. Felicitas; this is about Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-29550418270030004742020-08-23T18:43:00.020+08:002020-08-23T22:54:52.866+08:00Bobong and the Atomic Bomb (2/3)We were the famous twin “yayo,” me and Isaac Pala, Jr in IHMS during the ‘70s. (See article on how yayo came to be.)There were originally three “yayos.” Jones was the 3rd one. But the title stuck with me and Isaac. As you can see, the three of us loved to imagine and talk of impossible things. We were fascinated with science, physics, inventions, airplanes, rockets, and bombs. Yes, bombs . . . Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-13622936157140405152020-08-23T18:42:00.002+08:002020-08-23T18:42:24.610+08:00Angry Jones and the Coconut Fruit (1/3) I cannot remember what day it was, it has been decades ago; but I can clearly recall that eventful afternoon, our faces grimacing at the mid-afternoon sun, we held our bolos as we started to cut the grasses under the “kalubihan.” It was manualia period and everyone knows what manualia is. This is the once-a-week-nobody-likes-it chore. Each one was assigned an area to cut the grass. Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-17058961622869997102020-08-23T03:08:00.028+08:002020-08-23T05:25:35.790+08:00And BABOGA Lives on Through the years, our class has gained notoriety and
renown, been appreciated or scoffed at, and perhaps all for the right reasons or well maybe otherwise.
But for certain, BABOGA, as we called our class, had once hugged the limelight,
even rising to fame and infamy, having embarked on very ambitious projects,
like a lending instrument called the Baboga Sinking Fund, which like its namesake
sankScriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-14655440575534886162020-08-20T05:26:00.021+08:002020-08-20T05:44:35.441+08:00From a Different Angle It is but natural for us to view our experiences in IHMS from our own personal point of view. I remember the moment when my parents dropped me off at the seminary in 1976 when I was 12 years old. It was the entrance day—the very first day in what would later turn out to be 8 long years of stay in the seminary. I remember looking for my locker, then my bed. I felt uneasy Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-80570628901467276202020-08-18T01:21:00.012+08:002020-11-09T19:52:29.955+08:00Our Lofty Dreams We always had lofty dreams, even in High School. We might even hazard to say, altruistic. With the guidance of our class adviser, Mr Al Doblas, we established a credit cooperative called BABOGA SINKING FUND with the sole aim of helping financially our fellow seminarians. Our project sank when several defaulted on their obligations. But that was more than four decades ago.During our first Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-38517005718911110242020-08-15T18:12:00.008+08:002020-08-15T18:12:51.215+08:00BATCH ’80 @ FORTY (1980-2020)This year will be the Ruby Jubilee or forty years (1980-2020) of our graduation from high school in the seminary. There were forty-two of us who entered the seminary in 1976 but only twenty-five survived to graduate four years later in high school.On our fortieth anniversary of graduation from high school maybe it’s nice to ask what is the significance of this milestone? Are we Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-72183776683048967162020-08-15T01:07:00.034+08:002020-08-15T17:37:41.095+08:00Ransack of the Faculty RoomIn 1st year HS (SY-76-77), we were a restless
bunch. For us, it was a period of experimentation. We were simply acting our
age--daring, adventurous, and foolhardy. We were not some moralistic little saints sporting
a halo on our heads. In fact, we committed a lot of mistakes--mistakes that made us realize
the consequences of our actions.
From the St John Bosco Dorm, there was a crude exit Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-16125582835222268562020-08-13T08:10:00.002+08:002020-08-14T09:04:58.659+08:00Reminiscing Seminary Life I once
visited a minor seminary somewhere in the Visayas and I was shocked to see the
seminarians. “Oh my God,” I said to myself, “they are too young to be
in the seminary!” Actually, it was a reaction that I think was directed more
at me than at them as I saw myself in their situation who was also in the
seminary at a very young age.
Yes, I
entered the seminary in 1976 right after I Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-711271700272274092020-08-07T07:52:00.009+08:002021-10-24T05:01:40.357+08:00Entrance, June 1976It the year after the great fire of in Tagbilaran City which gutted the Agora Market in front of Bohol Quality and Hitime Hotel and its restaurant which served the best pancit in the city. Hitime was right across Policarpio which somehow survived the conflagration. It was a time when Dante’s Tailoring competed with Springwood. When you had the choice between Caltex, Quibir and Flying-A Gas Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-30614446911444224352020-08-07T06:38:00.004+08:002020-08-14T09:16:33.341+08:00Drumbeating ExcitementWhat COVID 19 has done to us is change our way of life. I think you all know what I mean. In my case, if not for this pandemic, my schedule of activities this year would have been a fully loaded one with our class reunion set on August 15 & 16 in the list of priorities. But, sadly, it’s one of the perceived casualties of this health crisis in view of the fact that our freedom of movement has Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-33878126512444626662020-08-06T06:57:00.008+08:002020-08-14T09:16:51.844+08:00A Class Ruby ReunionThe meeting was like a sumptuous meal. Everyone partook in a buffet of ideas, though characteristically with a side dish of jeers and laughter. Rene gave hints of shouldering the wherewithal for the meals and a night stay at a resort reserved for our exclusive use. Plans were laid and everything seemed to be right on track towards the CLASS RUBY REUNION.Now came the time to have it presented to Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-40458956936210746602020-08-02T20:51:00.087+08:002020-08-14T09:17:02.480+08:00Time FliesTempus Fugit--that was what I had in mind when our High School batch ’80 and College batch ’84 held a virtual meeting on Aug 2, 2020, 9:00 PM EST to plan for our virtual reunion. Before the meeting, there were conversations and jokes that we continued were we had left off, only to realize that a wide span of time separated them.It's the same feeling when I spend too much time on a certain Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-4300220558601075122020-07-31T18:33:00.000+08:002020-08-30T07:18:19.612+08:00Nangka Ninja
We were in 1st College (SY 1980-81) at the time, occupying the narrow, rectangular St Luke Dorm on the
2nd floor of the College building, which was directly above the faculty room. There were six of us in the dorm: Ramonito, Batchoy, Nick, RamCims, and I. Right beside St Luke was Dorm A. On the other side was the fathers' area. The St Stephen Dorm, occupied by Soc, Oloy, Juntabs, Marjals, Baloy,Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-91149253541246879792020-06-08T04:16:00.004+08:002020-08-14T09:17:46.569+08:00A Jamboree
Military training was part of the curriculum. Since First Year High School, we were already holding wooden rifles as YDT cadets while marching under the heat of the sun. We detested it but couldn’t do anything about it.
In third year high school, we had a short break from YDT when we were informed that we would be joining a Boy Scout Jamboree. We were so excited, of course, for camping was way Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-66766633624234716032019-01-19T04:03:00.000+08:002020-06-08T02:36:22.025+08:00A Lovely and Lonely Time of the Day
I had so many quiet moments in High School, especially during siesta and late in the afternoon. It is those moments that remain vivid in my memory.
I remember lying in bed during siesta, fully awake. Siesta was required. You have to stay in the dorm, on your bed, even if you can't sleep and you have nothing else to do. I would simply weave stories in my head, listen to the occasional sound of Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-30528644938804356262019-01-13T03:11:00.000+08:002019-01-20T05:40:50.471+08:00The Person Behind That Name
Even in college, becoming a priest was somewhat remote from our thoughts. We were simply teenage boys growing up in an enclosed environment, away from the hustle and bustle of the city island life. We were enjoying life, never bothering to consider what and how life would turn out to be outside the four walls. No care whatsoever. We were having all the fun, I remember.
I was engrossed in a Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-63712716189579788722018-12-16T09:26:00.000+08:002018-12-25T04:19:12.544+08:00We have changed
More than 42 years have passed since we entered IHMS in March 1976, the time when first met each other. Through all these years, we know that we have changed. We can see the change for ourselves. We grew white hairs or lost lots of them. We have moved on and pursued other dreams--dreams we never even thought of back then. And, for most of us who have left, we have seen our kids grow into Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-39286134198856231752018-12-11T20:18:00.000+08:002018-12-31T22:32:18.687+08:00Love in the Time of Typewriters
Jones resigned as editor-in-chief of LEGITE in my junior year 1982-83. Finding no one else
who loved to write and was willing to slave and toil to create something decently
readable, the editorial board and the school administration chose me to take his place.
Nothing really changed, as far as I was concerned. I still had to do the same tasks I had been doing as associate. That means I had to Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009888979345311986.post-87995632425015166072012-04-05T23:13:00.002+08:002020-05-31T03:21:21.976+08:00Future Unfolding
March 1976. Our Grade 6 graduation at the College of the Holy Spirit (later renamed to Holy Spirit School) was held on a weekend. We marched to the music of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, two abreast inching our way from the rotunda to the chapel where our parents were waiting.
I felt ambivalent during that time. On the one hand, I was happy and felt free--school was over and a long summer break Scriptumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041578407852526223noreply@blogger.com