Fabilioh 2 - Ateneo de Manila University

Transcription

FABILIOH! Ateneo
de Manila
ALUMNI
MAGAZINE
volume 1
number 2
december 2015
2
“I BLAME THE JESUITS:”
THE PROGRESS OF BEA LUMANAS
champions in profILE: junior tankers & blue batters
Fr. Joaquin Bernas, sJ: A light 50
choosing for 2016: Kapitan, lingkod, katiwala
defiant (A christmas reflection)
Ateneo college students welcome over a thousand
underprivileged children from communities
all over Metro Manila to the Ateneo campus for
the annual Lights for Hope fellowship and celebration.
Photos by Gabe Ferrer (above) and Reg Geli (below)
/ Lights for Hope.
FABILIOH! Ateneo
de Manila
ALUMNI
MAGAZINE
volume 1
number 2
december 2015
2
3
4
A Word from the Editor
From the Director, Office of Alumni Relations
From the University President
8
“I BLAME THE JESUITS:” The Progress of Bea Lumanas
billie andrada
26
FR. JOAQUIN BERNAS, SJ: A Light Fifty
34
36
42
CHAMPIONS IN PROFILE:
Waterboys • The Ateneo Junior Tankers
Stepping up to the Plate • The Ateneo Blue Batters
50
CHOOSING FOR 2016: Kapitan, Lingkod, Katiwala
60
DEFIANT (A Christmas Reflection)
66
Photo Essay: LAUDATO SI’
88
In Memoriam
patrick vance s. nogoy, sj
louella e. fortez
antonio g. m. la viña
francis d. alvarez, sj
Photos by victor r. baltazar, sj
Fabilioh! is published semiannually, in print and online,
by the Ateneo de Manila University Office of Alumni Relations.
O f f i ce o f A lum ni R el at ions
Room 104, Fr. Godofredo Alingal, sj Hall (beside Cervini field)
Ateneo de Manila University Loyola Heights Campus
Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City 1108, Philippines
phone +63 (2) 426-6082 (direct line)
+63 (2) 426 6001 locals 4088 and 4086
fax +63 (2) 426 6080
email [email protected]
2
A WO RD FROM THE EDITO R
editorial team
publisher
norberto maria l. bautista, sj
(gs ’74, hs ’78, ab Philo ’82,
ma Pastoral Ministry ’99
editor-in-chief
rica bolipata-santos, phd
(ab Hum ’91, ma Lit (Eng) ’99)
art director/designer
ali d. figueroa
(gs ’90, hs ’94, bs me ’98)
contributors
francis d. alvarez, sj
billie andrada
FABILIOH!
vic r. baltazar, sj
louella e. fortez
antonio g. m. la viña
patrick nogoy, sj
acknowledgments
paul daza
joji lapuz
harvey mateo, sj
efren debulgado
rita de villa
university communications
and public relations office (ucpro)
ateneo de manila university press
ateneo de manila university archives
center for ignatian spirituality
2
lights for hope
Based on the response to our first issue, my own response was,
“indeed there are so many stories still to tell.”
Many of you wrote back of stories you’d like to hear; and
others of stories you’d like to share. We look forward to featuring
some of your suggestions in the issues to come. After all, we plan
to last long as your reading companion. In fact, to make things
even easier, this second issue now also has a print run so whether
you are a digital native, or a traditional magazine in hand kind of
reader, Fabilioh! is yours.
This is a great issue, full of great ideas and I encourage you to
read each and every article (how could we not feature our phenomenal sports teams The Ateneo Junior Tankers and the Ateneo Blue
Batters?) but I would like to focus on three extra special features.
One, we asked Dean Tony La Viña of the Ateneo School of Government to write about how best to discern for the coming elections in
2016. We hope that this in-depth article will help you sift chaff from
grain as you decide on whom to elect. We all pray for grace and
wisdom for this momentous event in our history but we must also
put in the work of studying and testing all the candidates. We thank
Dean La Viña for finding the time to write for Fabilioh! in spite of his
busy schedule.
Two, there is a photo essay featuring the birding pictures of Fr.
Vic Baltazar, SJ. We share with you the words from the encyclical
of our Holy Father Pope Francis Laudato Si’ side by side with these
pictures of birds that can be found just in our campus. What better
way to illustrate the Pope’s admonition to “care for our home”
than by showing you the fantastic creatures in our own backyard?
Fabilioh! thanks Fr. Vic, as well, for generously sharing his wonderful
pictures.
And lastly, our alumni-in-the-periphery for this issue is Bea Lumanas, bs/m Applied Mathematics, Major in Mathematical Finance
2009. In spite of Bea’s wealth of experience as a developmental
worker, she offers no easy statements or slogans on how to truly
make the world a better place. It is perhaps as she says best: “Even
if you realize that [you cannot do everything], even when you know
that you are somehow powerless, it doesn’t mean that what you do
doesn’t have impact—it is up to you to realize what you do best. I
like to think I am maximizing my skills to actually help. It probably
won’t amount to much, and by much, I mean, I don’t know which
standards—the standards of the world?—but I know I’m doing my
best in my little way.”
These are words to live by as we fully enter into the presence
of Advent. Let us, at Fabilioh!, be the first to wish you the sweetest
fruits of the season. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
Best,
Rica Bolipata-Santos, phd
Editor-in-Chief
Peace!
I wish to thank you for your overwhelming support for the maiden
issue of Fabilioh!, our Ateneo alumni magazine. We aim to provide
print copies of the first two issues by December 5, 2015, the day of
our Grand Alumni Homecoming.
For the second and coming issues, we will solicit sponsorship
packages and advertisements, not only for the printing and publication of the Fabilioh! but for the projects and programs of the University such as our scholarship programs, the construction of the Arete,
the Senior High School building, the International Residence and
others.
We again celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ with
much joy and hope. As we celebrate Christmas this year, we remember the original and holy images of the manger, the accompaniment
of the poor shepherds in His Birth that holy night, the presence of
animals in an unknown, dark stable in Nazareth, and the simple and
quiet Holy Family hidden from the eyes of the world yet fully known
and seen by God—the Holy Family that wants nothing else but to do
the Will of Him who so loved us that He gave us His only Son.
Simplicity, hiddenness, and silence always accompany Christmas
memory. We remember the poor in the peripheries—the simple, the
hidden, and the silent. As we remember them, we serve them in our
little ways and see the Infant Jesus in their faces. It is through our
engagements with them in-the-flesh that we are changed ourselves
unto Christ, the Immanuel, God-with-us.
Let this be the Grace we ask this Christmas: that as we engage
ourselves with one another, let-us-be-with-us. Let us journey together
and accompany each other towards the communion that Christmas
brings. Let our personal and meaningful encounters bear fruit in our
zeal to serve and love others especially the poor and the sick, the
neglected and the rejected, with much mercy and compassion.
ate n e o de m a ni l a u n i ver sity
My dear fellow Ateneo alumni,
Simplicity,
hiddenness, and
silence always
accompany
the Christmas
memory.
We remember
the poor
in the
peripheries—
the simple,
the hidden,
and the silent.
As we remember
them, we serve
them in our little
ways and see the
Infant Jesus in
their faces.
www.ateneo.edu
FR O M T H E DIRECTOR , OFF ICE OF AL U MNI REL ATI ONS
A Blessed Christmas to all.
Norberto Maria L. Bautista, sj
Director, Office of Alumni Relations
Photo by Iya Regalario, courtesy of the University Communications
and Public Relations Office (UCPRO).
3
AMARE ET
SERVIRE
FR O M THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
Amanda Chan
4
Detail from Carlos Sainz de Tejada
(1897-1958), The Life of St. Ignatius
Loyola. Plate 9. After their solemn
vows at the Basilica of St-PaulOutside-The-Walls in Rome, the
companions set off to help souls
with unbounded joy, from the Jesuit
periodical, El Mensajero de Corazon
de Jesus (Bilbao, 1958). Courtesy of
the Jesuit Institute, London.
Love and service.
This was the theme of the
Ignatian Festival this year and
it can be the running theme
of our lives as Ateneans,
wherever we are, whatever
profession and vocation we are
called to live.
In our recent University convocation, I said that to love
and to serve are two infinitives, two verbs, two actions
that can very well stand separately and alone. There can
be love, sentimental and tender, but without service.
And there can be service as well, efficient and competent, but without love. Service without heart, wanting in
affection. Love without deeds, bereft of execution.
The legacy of Loyola, the spirit of the man, the very
spirit that animates this place and the people of and
beyond this University, was to bring these two movements together, love and service, love with service,
service with love.
Let us reflect on this interweave of love and service
in our lives. Let us examine the “why” of our service
and the “how” of our love. Let us follow where the love
and service have brought us, where and how we have
moved others through our love and service. Let us consider how love and service are indeed interwoven in our
lives.
If you look more closely, you will see that love and
service runs through the pieces in this magazine. The
reflections of our dean of the School of Government,
Amanda Chan
Reiner Locsin
above, top row. Ignatian Festival logo
and 22 September 2015 Academic
Convocation / ucpro.
The other images in this article are
from Lights for Hope, an annual
fellowship and celebration mounted
by Loyola Schools students for over
a thousand underprivileged children
from all over Metro Manila. This
season’s Lights for Hope will be held
on February 06, 2016.
5
Let this interweave of love and service
be enough for us. May it be strong enough
to bind us to our true selves and to those
who must matter to us and to our God.
FABILIOH!
Volume 1, Number 2, December 2015
Reiner Locsin
6
Carlos Sainz de Tejada
Jose Ramon T. Villarin, sj
President, Ateneo de Manila University
www.ateneo.edu
In
omnibus
amare et
servire
Domino.
May we always,
in all things,
love and serve
the Lord.
May we always,
in everything,
love and serve
His people.
Antonio La Viña, may aid
us in discerning who our
next leaders should be.
Let us choose leaders
who profess their love of
country by demonstrating
their service. Let us elect
leaders who serve our
people, especially those
at the peripheries, with true love.
There is a photo essay of Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’
that expands our love and service to include all of God’s
creation. There is also a feature on Law School Dean
Emeritus and constitutional lawyer Fr. Joaquin Bernas,
sj, who has spent a lifetime of loving and serving others
through his teaching and legal work on the Philippine
constitution. There are alums like Bea Lumanas who
have heeded the call to love and serve directly those at
the margins of society. There is a feature on our athletes
who have been training hard to represent us in the field
of battle. All this work, all this service would be nothing
without love. Fr. Francis Alvarez, sj shares a reflection on
Christmas, the meaning of which is often vulnerable to
the risk of being buried in busyness. Let Advent reserve
some time and space for us to savor God’s radical expression of love and service.
Let this interweave of love and service be enough
for us. May it be strong enough to bind us to our true
selves and to those who must matter to us and to our
God. In omnibus amare et servire Domino. May we
always, in all things, love and serve the Lord. May we
always, in everything, love and serve His people.
7
“I“IBLAME
BLAMETHE
THEJESUITS:”
JESUITS:”
8
The
PROGRESS
PROGRESS
OFOF
BEA
BEA
by
Billie Andrada
Photos and photo captions courtesy
of Bea Lumanas. Sensitive political situations in some of the areas mentioned
in this article necessitated the removal
of the names of the organizations Bea
worked with, along with the specific
communities, names of people, and the
years she worked with them.
9
This isn’t the life she expected, but it is the
life she chose. I interviewed Bea Lumanas via Skype
from her organization’s compound in Afghanistan. She
was in the garden, the sky bright and warm behind
her. Throughout the interview, her eyes drifted off the
screen to look to the ground, or to a far-off distance.
She didn’t maintain eye contact—one of the disadvantages of digital communication—but her
answers came with the slowness of honesty and
the clarity of self-awareness. She looked younger than I expected, dressed down for her off-day.
When I asked her why she ended up in NGO work,
she laughed and said, “I blame the Jesuits!” This
struck me as undeniably true for a lot of other
Ateneans I know. I doubt she’s the first Atenean
to say that; she probably won’t be the last.
Th e Formativ e Years
10
previous spread. At a shelter for
abused and abandoned girls in the
Kibera slum, I taught these kids the
larong Pinoy luksong tinik.
above, from top.
1. Tuktuks in Afghanistan.
2. Afghan men doing stone carving.
3.My graduation.
Bea graduated in 2009 with a degree in Applied Mathematics, Major in Mathematical Finance; she now works
for a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Afghanistan. In high school, she wanted to be a scientist. Her
parents wanted her to be safe. When she was accepted
to the prestigious Philippine Science High School in
Western Visayas, her parents, instead, opted that she
stay in Bohol and finish her schooling there. Although
Bea understood that decision, in retrospect, she remembered crying for days on end after the final phone
call. The third of four children, with parents who both
worked for the government in the regional trial court,
resources were stretched thinly enough that Ateneo
de Manila was never an option that crossed her mind.
In
In Ateneo,
Ateneo, she
she found
found her
her home
home in
in her
her
student
student organization—the
organization—the Ateneo
Ateneo
Student
Student Catholic
Catholic Action
Action (AtSCA),
(AtSCA),
whose
whose slogan
slogan “Para
“Para sa
sa Diyos!
Diyos!
Para
Para sa
sa Bayan!”
Bayan!” appealed
appealed to
to her
her
for
for no
no reason
reason she
she could
could name.
name.
She expected to go to the University of the Philippines, if things turned out in her favor; but her parents
said, “Ayaw pag-UP kay basin mahimo ra kang aktibista.
(Huwag ka mag-UP, magiging aktibista ka.)” Fortunately,
the Ateneo de Manila University offered her a scholarship and priority placement in the residence halls.
In Ateneo, she found her home in her student organization—the Ateneo Student Catholic Action (atSCA), whose
slogan “Para sa Diyos! Para sa Bayan!” appealed to her
for no reason she could name. Amongst the members,
she was a fish out of water. Unlike the others, she never
had any experience in immersions or outreach programs; participating in community activities with the
urban poor was an experience she did not tell her parents at the time. atSCA was foundational in her decisions
to pursue a career in the NGO sector although she did
not know it at the time. Her organization’s activities took
up most of her time in college; her blockmates joked
that she majored in atSCA instead. When she was finally
persuaded by a Jesuit brother to join the Jesuit Volunteer Program (JVP), after deferring the MA option for her
course, she “convinced herself that I was [still] going to
end up in the corporate sector.”
above, from top.
1. The Park 7 urban poor community.
That is me speaking to the
community, inviting them to come
listen to our Christmas carols.
Traditionally, every December, atsca
sings Christmas carols for all of our
apostolate areas.
2. One of our tutees. This kid’s name is
Jik-Jik.
11
In
InJVP,
JVP,Bea
Beawas
wasassigned
assignedto
towork
workat
atBorongan,
Borongan,aafifth
fifth
income
incomeclass
classmunicipality
municipalityon
onthe
thecoast
coastof
ofSamar,
Samar,one
one
of
ofthe
thepoorest
poorestprovinces
provincesininthe
thePhilippines.
Philippines.Its
Itslocation
location
facing
facingthe
thePacific
Pacificmade
madeititparticularly
particularlysusceptible
susceptibleto
to
damages
damagesand
andcalamities
calamitiesfrom
fromtyphoons.
typhoons.
On Time
Bea was assigned to work at Borongan, Eastern Samar,
a fifth income class municipality on the coast of Samar.
Its location facing the Pacific made it particularly susceptible to damages and calamities from typhoons. Eastern
Samar is considered one of the poorest provinces in the
Philippines. Unlike her atSCA areas, Bea faced the realities of widespread rural poverty and the systemic problems that make it possible. She recalled her younger
self with resigned amusement,
12
above, from top.
1. Jipapad, a remote town in Eastern
Samar . The boat trip from the
nearest town (Oras) took four hours.
From Borongan, where I was based,
the journey to get to Oras would
take at least eight hours, even if it
was only 150 km away.
2. “Samar Island Partnership for
Peace and Development (SIPPAD)
Assembly,” an event I organized.
Its goal was to strengthen
cooperation among members of
church, academe, civil society, and
government; and provide a venue
for all sectors to engage in peaceful
dialogue to address issues such as
poor infrastructure, communist rebel
movements, and environmental
degradation, all over Samar.
Sa jvp, we knew that it was a one year commitment, I
guess I was burned-out—not that I was cramming to
do so much in ten months—but you know, you’re fresh
out of college, you’re naive and you think you can do so
much in ten months. So you burn yourself out. I guess I
remember towards the end, during my evaluation, one
of the priests told me that I was too idealistic,
she said with a self-deprecating laugh, and a trace of
indignation. She disagreed with this assessment, but
conceded that “it was probably true.”
It was an idealism that had its roots in college—it is,
after all, easier to feel empowered to act when required
to measure gains and goals every year. The reality of
how much time it would take to truly develop sustainable solutions to poverty was a bitter pill to swallow.
Suddenly having to face institutional problems of corruption, bureaucracy, and politics led to her being
disillusioned. Her admiration for the praxis-oriented
teaching of the Jesuits turned sour when the values
she admired—simplicity, charity, and vow of poverty—
became harder to find in those in power, and practice in
the face of systemic poverty. She found herself secondguessing her career path, asking herself
Is this what I get for serving? If I worked, I would have
earned myself money, I wouldn’t be in this position, and
what for? Nagsayang lang ba ako ng oras?
I think I learned it the hard way, that there are systemic
problems, and being there for ten months, you can’t do
much—it’s not supposed to be a way to discourage you
from doing your best, but to counter that idealism, and
[let you] realize that [while] you have an awareness of
these problems, you’re probably too ingrained in the
system. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”
It is less a conciliatory pat on the back, her saying this
while in Afghanistan, following years of service in other
developing countries. It is more of a call to act; if she
was going to do this, she must settle in for a long-term.
After finding out that a master’s degree was an unspoken requirement to be taken seriously in our local NGO
above, from top.
1. I was a substitute English teacher
for a freshman class at the Minor
Seminary in Borongan, Eastern
Samar.
2. Children in Jipapad, Eastern
Samar, where basic services are
limited, electricity is rationed, and
poverty incidence is high. There, we
opened a “Botika sa Parokya” outlet
and monitored the operations of
“Bigasan sa Parokya.”
13
She
Shewent
wenton
on
to
towork
workinin
Palestine.
Palestine.Every
Every
day,
day,she
shetravelled
travelled
into
intoRamallah,
Ramallah,
the
thecapital
capitalof
of
Palestine,
Palestine,past
past
the
theseparation
separation
wall
wallbetween
between
Jerusalem
Jerusalemand
and
Palestine
Palestine(in
(inthe
the
West
WestBank).
Bank).
sector, Bea decided to regroup and worked briefly in
the corporate sector to raise funds for her MA.
No one seemed to think one year of volunteer
experience was enough… when they looked at my
college degree, it didn’t make sense.
14
above, from top.
1. The iconic “separation wall” that
separates the West Bank from
Jerusalem.
2. The “Food Voucher for Work” project
for unemployed Palestinian men in
She’eb Salameh (West Bank). These
men were doing road rehabilitation/
land reclamation.
A few years after leaving the corporate world to pursue
her Masters in International Political Economy and
Development (IPED) at Fordham University (New York),
under scholarship, she went on to work in Palestine,
a war-torn country in Western Asia. During one of her
field visits, she travelled in a private vehicle into Ramallah, the capital of Palestine, past the separation wall between Jerusalem and Palestine (in the West Bank). Here,
the traffic slowed down as vehicles were subjected to
inspection; passengers on some public utility vehicles
(PUVs) had to disembark for inspection, too. Palestinians,
before entering Jerusalem, had to go through the security checkpoint. This was one of the security protocols
in place against terrorist threats in the area. Bea, seeing
that as an outsider, and working with people who had
to live through that experience every day, understood
something fundamental to the job:
Seeing that and people living like that… to be honest,
there doesn’t seem to be a solution to the conflict now.
[But] I was just struck… I know people are very
tense about it, because I work with Palestinians—
it’s not like they’re giving up, like it’s a hopeless
situation—but life goes on.
Here, she paused to look at me directly,
I’m not trying to be profound here—I’m speaking
about an experience where I’m an outsider, and I
look at how people’s lives—their freedoms—have
been curtailed, but life goes on for them. It’s hard—
but life goes on. They celebrate weddings, funerals,
their day-to-day activities. Once in a whole, may
made-demolish na bahay because of this whole issue
of resettlement [pertaining to territorial disputes in
the West Bank], but life goes on, people face their
own problems, they find a way to live a normal life
even if it’s not normal. I feel like that’s a huge leap to
do every day.
Unlike an undergraduate immersion experience,
however, Bea did not look at this experience as a
turning-point for more personal gratitude; it was an
eye-opener on scale. The political problems of our
own country are familiar and intelligible to someone
who grew up in the Philippines; the rest of the world
above, from top.
1. “Ma’an,” a Ramallah-based advocacy
and human rights ngo organized an
exposure trip to Area C in Jordan
Valley, land that Israel prevents
Palestinians from using productively.
The Bedouin communities there
suffer from lack of water and other
basic utilities and services, and
overcrowding in schools.
2. Ongoing road rehabilitation/land
reclamation in the West Bank.
15
FABILIOH!
Nairobi,
Nairobi,Kenya
Kenyahas
hassome
someof
ofthe
thelargest
largestslums
slumsininthe
the
world,
world,some
someof
ofwhich
whichare
arehome
hometo
toup
upto
toaamillion
millionpeople.
people.
Following
her Masters
program, she
went on to work
in Nairobi, Kenya.
It was her first
long-term
engagement
in another
country, outside
of immersion
programs in
line with her
Masters.
is a far bigger mystery. She had to accept the reality that
she cannot do everything, that
the things that I do, they’re affecting a few lives here and
there but won’t sustainably address the bigger picture,
which is something that requires a political solution.
She looked straight into the screen when summarizing
her learning from this; it never seemed to occur to her,
in her stories, to stop doing. There’s something innately
hopeful about that.
Even if you realize that [you cannot do everything],
even when you know that you are somehow powerless,
it doesn’t mean that what you do doesn’t have impact—it
is up to you to realize what you do best. I like to think
I am maximizing my skills to actually help. It probably
won’t amount to much, and by much, I mean, I don’t
know which standards—the standards of the world?—but
I know I’m doing my best in my little way.
And Distances
16
above. One of the largest slums in
Africa, where I worked for a year.
Following her Masters program, she went on to work in
Nairobi, Kenya. It was her first long-term engagement
in another country, outside of immersion programs
in line with her Masters. In this sector, Bea claims, you
must learn to deal with isolation—it comes with being
relocated to places with different cultures, languages,
and politics. This makes it easier to burn out, which is a
term Bea hesitated in using, with the fear that she may
be exaggerating her claims. Each immersion and area is
practice in finding balance, to stop the scales of engagement from tipping into exhaustion.
Nairobi has some of the largest slums in the world,
some of which are home to anywhere from 500,000 to
a million people. It was an image enough to overwhelm
anyone with the best of intentions, if she didn’t have
prior experience, if she wasn’t determined to build her
career in this field. First day was bound to be an overload of data.
I was getting oriented, like anybody who was uprooted
and just started work—you’re overwhelmed, there was
a lot to do, a lot of people to meet, names to memorize.
On my second day, there was a commotion.
At the time, she could not speak Swahili and was not
yet familiar with the people in the community. Her office
was located in the bowels of the slums, a fifteen-minute
walk down the valley from the drop-off point. In the
months following, the people in the community recognized her as affiliated with the organization; this allowed her to travel inside safely. The commotion on her
second day was from a mob that had formed around
above. One of the beneficiaries of our
group savings and loans program in
the slums is a vegetable seller.
17
18
“It’s
“It’slives
livesof
ofpeople
peoplethat
that
you’re
you’redealing
dealingwith.
with.While
While
IIhave
haveto
tosay,
say,they
theybecome
become
statistics
statisticsininmy
myreports,
reports,but
but
when
whenyou’re
you’refacing
facingthem,
them,
you
youhave
haveto
totreat
treatthem
themlike
like
human
humanbeings.
beings.IIdon’t
don’tthink
think
that’s
that’sbeing
beingidealistic.
idealistic.It’s
It’s
just
justaamatter
matterof
ofrespect.”
respect.”
I conducted a meeting with slum-based journalists
to discuss the next issue of our Kibera-based
newspaper, circulated for free to the residents of
Nairobi’s slums. Ignored by mainstream media
in Kenya, slum residents make their voices heard
through this newspaper.
19
their office. A little girl, no older than four years old, was
raped by an adult male neighbor. The organization,
through its network of case workers, found the perpetrator. Unfortunately, the community also found out and
wanted to inflict their own brand of mob justice on the
man—they had to trap the man in their office for his own
safety. The warm rapport of the community with the
organization soured that afternoon.
Even worse,
To get the police to come [and arrest the man], we
actually had to pay the police. The organization
shouldn’t have to do that. Shows you how corrupt the
police system was in Kenya.
Eventually, they were able to turn over the man to the
police. It was a crash course she’ll never forget.
20
above, from top.
1. The toughest women I know—
gender-based violence (gbv) case
workers. (l–r) Sherifa, Zahara, and
Triza. These women often face the
risk of being physically hurt by gbv
perpetrators they pursue, because
the police do not have the capacity
to investigate nor the willingness to
arrest sex offenders.
2. A photo from the slums of Kibera.
This was a lot to take in one day: rape, mob justice,
corrupt police system. I remember going home that day
exhausted… It’s harder when you see the victim.
In the following months, she had to speak and interact
with other victims of gender-based violence, too.
In the year she worked in Kenya, she found herself
in the same room as these individuals, helpless with
the knowledge that there was nothing she could say
to make the situation better. There was only the work
Eventually, you have to find a way to distance yourself,
so it doesn’t affect you enough that you become
unproductive.
The difficulty is in balancing that distance with compassion for the community; the distance allowed her to be
productive, but it was compassion that never let her
forget the individuals she was dealing with. It is easy
to lose sight of one or the other once in the midst of
the daily grind. She recalled another story which highlighted the difficult decisions that development workers
had to make over and again in their line of work. She
was assigned to work as a pre-production assistant for a
documentary to raise awareness against gender-based
violence.
The thing with building a documentary, however, is
that it creates a lasting image of the victims—which can
“To get the police
to come [and
arrest the man],
we actually had
to pay the police.
The organization
shouldn’t have
to do that.
Shows you how
corrupt the
police system
was in Kenya.”
above. Mathare is the second
largest slum in Nairobi. At that time,
I was monitoring the progress of the
construction of a community center
for the non-profit organization I was
working for.
she was doing as liaison with their main office. Sexual
violence against women happened often in that community and was notoriously underreported, as is the
tendency in other parts of the world, too. These realities and her own limitations dogged her everyday; she
had to live with the helplessness caused by the cultural
and language divide, by the sheer scale of what had to
be achieved to turn the tide. She had, by then, already
learned the lesson of time.
21
FABILIOH!
22
above. Per our security protocol, staff
doing field visits are not supposed to
take photos of beneficiaries, especially
of women, as most rural societies in
Afghanistan are conservative. Taking
photos could also potentially harm the
organization, as photos make it easier
for community members to contact
the Taliban or criminal groups. Since
I could not take photos of Afghan
women, I had a photo of me taken at
the Blue Mosque, a shrine in the heart
of Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Out
of respect, I wear a chador, a black
cloak-like garment worn on top of the
hijab. Women wear this when they are
out in the streets or in public areas.
This is also part of security protocol—a
“blending in” strategy. In the past, there
were cases of foreign women who were
killed in Afghanistan because they
were not “covered enough” and stood
out in public. ngo workers may also be
targeted by the Taliban.
be exploitative when approached in the wrong manner.
And in a place where child sexual molestation was rampant, and underreported, it was difficult to weigh the
need for awareness against the desire to protect the victims. Even in her disappointment with these difficulties,
however, she wondered if she missed something—if her
knowledge was insufficient, if her horse was too high, if
it was the nature of the job that necessitated spinning
these victims’ stories. One of the hardest parts of building that documentary, for her, was having to listen to the
victims recount a traumatic experience, knowing that
this person must have had to do it several times already
before it reached her for transcription.
I don’t know, I’m not experienced in the whole business
of producing films. I guess that is part of research... I
found out about this during my first month—I wasn’t
burned out at the time—I guess it just progressed,
witnessing different things.
While she believed that the organization and the people
were doing their best, also with the best of intentions,
there is something in the day-to-day grind of activities that could make it easy to lose track of ideals in
exchange for practical decision-making: how to raise
funds for the organization, for the victims, how to get
the issues into the wider public sphere. This is the kind
Again, it’s lives of people that you’re dealing with. While
I have to say, they become statistics in my reports, but
when you’re facing them, you have to treat them like
human beings. I don’t think that’s being idealistic. It’s just
a matter of respect.
The Long Road Home
It takes a lot of bravery and self-awareness to continuously throw one’s self out there into the big world—
bigger than the obvious middle-class paths afforded to
Ateneo college graduates, bigger even than the history
and problems of our country—all for the chance to learn,
to step out of comfort zones and encounter the other.
When you’re just sitting in the office—you do a lot of
abstraction from reality. But when you take the time
to get to know the people that you actually serve—it
It takes a lot
of bravery and
self-awareness
to continuously
throw one’s self
out there into
the big world—
bigger than the
obvious middleclass paths
afforded to
Ateneo college
graduates,
bigger even than
the history and
problems of our
country.
above. A downtown scene from
Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.
of problem, she realized, that a lot of NGOs face one way
or another. The costs could be justified.
Again, the word “idealistic” was mentioned, and this
time I recognized the reason for the discomfort with the
word—it was the realization that the description applied
to her, yes, but, in a lot of ways, Bea had already outgrown the word’s connotations. At the center of all the
word’s associations is something true that she has come
to recognize and value.
23
FABILIOH!
24
Ateneo’s call to
become “Men
and Women for
Others” does
not always
work on the
students. But
when it works
its magic—
through student
organizations,
core curriculum
and major
subjects,
teachers, and
immersion
experiences—
it does so to
great results.
changes everything. It places a human face to this whole
business of ngo work.
She believes that the goal is always to step out of yourself.
As Bea’s stories prove, should you choose to follow
her path, you will probably run headlong into your own
ignorance and fears. You will have to survive yourself.
A great deal of our conversation ended in question
marks; she was never inclined to speak of her insights
as wisdom. I think she believed, at the end of it, that she
knew less of the world and its people now than ever.
The only things clarified were the things she’s willing to
stand-up and fight for. I suspect she was excited to keep
figuring the rest out.
Of course I had to ask her if she ever thought of
coming home and applying her skills in the NGO sector
here.
I get that question a lot—this whole business of nationbuilding, it doesn’t seem like I’m participating for
our beloved country. The way I see it for now: I’m
young, I’m still building my skills. I’m not an expert in
anything. Right now, I’m very interested in collecting
experiences. I’m trying to refine what it is I want to
research in for my phd studies.
It’s a very straight-forward and honest answer. Still, she
laughed at the brief lull in the conversation and amended it, saying “I know it’s a yes or no question, but I feel
like I have to justify myself. Ang defensive ko!”
Ateneo’s call to become “Men and Women for
Others” does not always work on the students; we
cannot discount environment, personality, and other
factors. But when it works its magic—through student organizations, core curriculum and major subjects, teachers, and immersion experiences—it does so to great
results. Some people find themselves changed irreversibly; all the obvious paths open to them become unwanted. The offbeat siren call of Ateneo’s teachings will
continue to attract students to a life of service. Whether
or not their teachings will stand against reality, or break
into something new and stronger depends on the
person; Bea knew that holding herself accountable for
her decisions was the only way to keep moving forward.
Still, the siren call beckons these old students home.
(Or, at least, leaves an echo impossible to shake off in
their minds.) This is not the worst thing to be blamed
for.
billie andrada (ab Literature (English) 2012) is currently the
Editorial Assistant of the Ateneo de Manila University Press.
page 24, top. “Botika sa Parokya” at the
parish in Taft, Eastern Samar. This was
a project of the Diocese of Borongan
Social Action Center, where I was
assigned as a volunteer, to provide
affordable medicine to the rural poor.
above.
1. Cervini Hall grounds at the Ateneo
campus. “Kids Day” for our tutees
from all our apostolate areas in
Quezon City.
2. Tutoring kids at the Park 7 urban
poor community.
25
a Light
50
Fr. Joaquin Bernas, sj
by Patrick Nogoy, sj
Portrait photo by Harvey Mateo, sj.
Vintage photos courtesy of Carina C. Samaniego
of the Ateneo de Manila University Archives.
26
-
www.ateneo.edu
How would a
Fr. Bernas cap
a reflection
of fifty years
as a priest?
Maybe with
some tears
falling down
as testament
to challenging
but fruitful
service to
the Church.
But, he
would rather
have this
sentimental
memorial of
fifty years be
defined his
way.
i
i m ag i n ed us s it ti n g o n
the bench, under the
b i g t r e e i n t h e va s t
green jesuit residence
lawn, looking down Marikina Valley towards the mountains of Antipolo and Montalban, with coffee in hand.
We would begin to talk about the small things—his love
for scotch, favorite law subject, first assignment, and first
Jesuit idol. Then, we would move to more sentimental
memories of Padre Faura Law School where he spent
years of studying and teaching, Xavier House in Sta. Ana
where nine good Jesuit years were devoted as Provincial, and his participation in historical constitutional
conventions. How would a Fr. Bernas cap a reflection
of fifty years as a priest? Maybe with some tears falling
down as testament to challenging but fruitful service to
the Church. But, he would rather have this sentimental
memorial of fifty years be defined his way.
I saw an old bald fellow in white shirt and gray pants
and no footwear as I entered the room on the far end of
the 4th floor of the Jesuit Residence. He put the book
that he was reading aside and let out a relaxing smile.
Seated in a comfortable chair, he gamely asked me to
pull whatever chair I can sit on. Behind him were books
on two towering shelves piled on top of the other. There
was a small pile of gifts, some unopened, mixed together with other hard-bound books on the side table near
the door. His computer table was filled with papers,
clips, DVDs and some medicines. No bench. No wide
lawn. Not even coffee to offer. Only his jolly and aging
self, beaming with a youthful smile despite the wear
and tear of age.
Perhaps, this is his way of deconstructing some
images of him, images that intimidate others because
of what he has accomplished as a priest, lawyer, constitutionalist, professor, and provincial. In his open and
relaxed demeanor inside his topsy turvy room, I found a
regular old Jesuit with simple beginnings. “I saw happy
Jesuits,” he recalled, “and I owe it to myself to do something worthwhile in my life. Seeing them happy made
me think that living their kind of life is worthwhile. The
young scholastics who later became priests like Sagrado and Camins and priests like Lorenzo Guerrero, they
were happy.”
27
28
www.ateneo.edu
“I saw happy
Jesuits, and
I owe it to
myself to do
something
worthwhile
in my life.
Seeing them
happy made me
think that living
their kind of life
is worthwhile.
The young
scholastics
who later
became priests
like Sagrado
and Camins
and priests
like Lorenzo
Guerrero, they
were happy.”
The attraction grew into a solid commitment for the
young high school kid from Ateneo de Naga. At the end
of high school, Fr. Joaquin Bernas accepted the invitation for him to enter Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches. “I didn’t experience any resistance from my parents. Maybe because they had plenty children to spare,”
chuckles this second of twelve brood. “We were 20
novices who entered and I didn’t experience any shocks
or major worries in my formation years.”
There was nothing dramatic or unusual for Fr. B (as
he is fondly called), atypical of Jesuit formation, where
the scholastic is exposed to plenty of challenging situations from within (personal issues, community living,
chastity and celibacy) and without (social and cultural
situations, trials of studies, and exposure to different
personalities). After two years of learning the classics
and Latin in Juniorate and three years in philosophical studies, he was sent to the Ateneo de Manila High
School to teach English and Latin. “I am a demanding
teacher. One time, I went to see Johnny Gordon, the
moderator of the honors class that time and told him
that some students are in danger of flunking in my
class.” Johnny Gordon could only assure him it was fine,
since Fr. B will not get to teach the next year.
Fr. Bernas’ teaching stint was cut short by his law
studies. In 1954, he began taking 6-9pm classes in the
old Ateneo Graduate School compound in Padre Faura.
“I went by commuting to Padre Faura. I was a regular
law student, although I wore a habit. I had good classmates though. Occasionally, they teased when girls
passed by,” he laughs.
There was no favorite law course since he knew that
he had to study for all subjects to pass the bar. “There’s
nothing unusual or extraordinary in my study of law. I
just knew that I had to pass the bar.” Though there was
interest in constitutional law, a course where he would
later leave his mark both in the classroom and for the
country, and him slowly becoming the first breed of
priest-lawyers, Fr. B took his law studies as regular tasks
to be accomplished with great generosity. After passing
the bar, he flew to Woodstock for his theological studies
and was ordained in Fordham, New York. He would stay
in New York for about 2-3 years to finish his masters and
doctorate in law at New York University. “There was no
29
30
www.ateneo.edu
There are
plenty of ways
to measure
and define
fifty years.
Some use
the length of
years. Others
the number of
accomplishments or titles
acquired.
Yet for Jesuits
like Fr. Bernas,
50 is a simple
number,
another day in
the office. No
fanfare, not
much drama.
fanfare. I studied law, moved to theology, got ordained,
finished my doctorate and came back to teach,” he
would emphasize.
As a law professor, he admits being a demanding one. “Very. But I am friendly with my students,” he
would again chuckle. “I like teaching the bright ones
and challenging them. When you challenge them, they
wake up!” Though he would write articles and publish
in journals, Fr. B took joy in teaching. “Teaching for me
is entertainment and relaxation.” Yet he would draw the
line by bringing out the dedication to studies from his
students. “I flunk people. Serious studies over demonstrations,” was his reply to the brewing social unrest and
Martial law days during the 70’s.
His teaching stint would again take a back seat when
he became Jesuit Provincial for nine years. “I didn’t do
much teaching when I was Provincial,” Fr. B says. “Yet,
what is consoling about the office is the opportunity
to direct and help people. As Provincial, your primary
task is to take care of people.” Taking care of people
demands listening and as Fr. B recounted, he never experienced any major difficulty with a Jesuit because he
listened to his consultors and other advisers in formulating guidelines, rules, and responses. “Jesuits are reliable
and if I have a problem with any of them, I talk to them.
They are easy to talk to.” It appeared easier said than
done, I felt. “Well, if they didn’t follow, I’d simply tell
them to get out,” he retorted jokingly.
The absence of significant difficulty or issue in Fr. B’s
hefty mission assignments made me wonder about his
source of strength and stability. Or perhaps I was only
eager to find out the drama beneath the icon of constitutional law in the country. “Examen is important. That
prayer which forces you to review your life every day.
Fifty years can be challenging work but God will not
give you a challenge you cannot handle alone or with
the help of others,” he would say, breaking my silence.
“Do what you can.” He would explain that a life of prayer
helped him ease his journey especially in the last fifty
years as a priest. “As a priest, you have to lead by example. In making homilies, you have to know your audience, do a little research, and pray over the readings. As
a leader, you have to guide spiritually and intellectually.
So Examen is very important,” he repeated.
31
32
patrick vance s. nogoy, sj (hs 1998, bs Communications
Technology Management 2002, ma Philosophy 2010)
worked in bank and an insurance company before
entering the Society of Jesus in 2005. Ordained deacon
on September 5, 2015, he is currently finishing his ma in
Theological Studies in Loyola School of Theology.
www.ateneo.edu
“At the end
of the day,
we must be
faithful to
things we are
asked to do.
I pray to a God
who is a Giver
of gifts yet
challenges or
demands me to
use them well.
And I would
say, at least
professionally,
I am a good
lawyer, and
a priest who
gives good
homilies,”
There are plenty of ways to measure and define fifty
years. Some use the length of years. Others the number
of accomplishments or titles acquired. Yet for Jesuits
like Fr. Bernas, 50 is a simple number, another day in
the office. No fanfare, not much drama, nothing more
unusual than the daily plough in the wide fields of the
Kingdom of God. “At the end of the day, we must be
faithful to things we are asked to do,” Fr. B remarked.
Having accepted being in the sunset phase of life, Fr.
B puts prime importance on prayer especially in helping one accept one’s own limitations, in making decisions, and in being able to rejoice for the gifts of age,
like fortitude in facing problems. “I pray to a God who
is a Giver of gifts yet challenges or demands me to use
them well. And I would say, at least professionally, I am a
good lawyer, and a priest who gives good homilies,” he
again laughed.
He slowly got up and walked to his own comfort
room. I could hear the rain dissipate in a few drops
slowly patting on the windows in this lazy Friday afternoon. I took another good sweep of the room—unarranged books on the shelves, pile of gift bags, computer table clutter, and old dusty chairs. It is not a room
one would expect from a respected constitutionalist, a
demanding but beloved legendary law professor, and a
faithful priest. But it is the one that simply fits Fr. B, a nononsense yet jolly servant of the Lord. What is golden
about fifty? Milestones in life are moments of perfection,
but these cannot be manufactured or bought. These
treasured moments are born out of a history of honest
and faithful commitment to the Lord of Life. It is the
same Lord, the Giver of gifts, awaiting Fr. B in his sunset.
No drama. No fanfare. Just as Fr. B would have it.
33
CHAMPIONS
IN
PROFILE
by
Louella Fortez
Junior Tankers photos by
Nathania Rockwood,
Paul Daza, and Bernie De Guzman.
34
Nathania Rockwood
Blue Batters game photos by Joji Lapuz,
courtesy of the Ateneo Sports Shooters
(www.fabilioh.com).
Portrait photos by Louella E. Fortez.
Joji Lapuz
The mind and the heart of a champion may be
best left to science but why and how a team
secures straight victories has at its core magis,
and this is embodied in each member of the
Ateneo’s Junior Tankers and Blue Batters.
35
WATERBOYS
The
FABILIOH!
water
is still,
a blue
path the Ateneo Junior
Tankers will be traversing
from one end to another
shortly. Before this happens
are things to do first: division
cords to lay down, straight,
ringed demarcations in the
pool for each member of the
team then quick warm-up
exercises.
36
The Ateneo High School
uaap Season 78 Swim Team with
ahs Principal Dr. Carmela Oracion.
Photo courtesy of Paul Daza.
The rest of the team trickle in amidst all these. They still
have their backpacks on as they shuffle to the Loyola
Schools pool. There seems to be a contest as to whose
uniform has the most wrinkles as every boy’s shirt is
more rumpled than the one before him. The heavy drag
of their soles across the floor picks up as soon as they
realize practice will begin soon.
The bags crash to the floor almost simultaneously
then shoes are kicked off, some skidding far away.
Some fold their uniforms neatly on top of backpacks
while few make an attempt to do the same but end up
leaving them in a bundle.
The boys who had arrived early make way in the
circle for the rest hurrying toward them, continuing to
warm up without missing a beat. This is no laughing
matter, it seems, as they move in near-perfect synchronicity through the steps, counting out loud as they do,
all of them unsmiling. When it’s over they walk to the
pool’s edge, falling in a formation that looks to be a line,
maybe not—they are elbowing and laughing with each
The boys who
had arrived early
make way in the
circle for the rest
hurrying toward
them, continuing to
warm up without
missing a beat.
This is no laughing
matter, it seems,
as they move
in near-perfect
synchronicity
through the steps,
counting out loud
as they do, all of
them unsmiling.
37
FABILIOH!
Bernie De Guzman
38
other, pretending to push
a teammate into the pool.
Gone are the earlier grim
faces. Then the coach’s
whistle blow splits the air.
One by one, they dive
in, splashing water on the
ground. They may not
have gone in the water at
the same time but once
they’re in, their heads
and arms break out of the
surface in smooth, perfect
harmony. Playtime is over.
Practice has begun.
Spectators think that
swimmers work against
the water. Dive and you
push your head through
the surface for air, push your body forward with arms
and legs. The truth is, in order to swim, you work with
water, rather than against it. The Junior Tankers do more
than swim, though this is all they want to keep doing.
Bagging ten consecutive championships in the the UAAP
is proof that the team has figured out that being in the
water takes more than the ability to swim. It is working
constantly on the skill and understanding it.
Today is actually an easy day, according to Program
Coordinator Archie Lim. The Blue Tankers will just be
focusing on the butterfly stroke. They move like fish in
the water. Arms and legs knife fast and sure through
the blue expanse as they approach the end of the pool
before they swim back toward the other. “They are disciplined kids,” Lim continues. “Masipag. They respect the
program and the coaches. They know how to sacrifice.”
The UAAP is not the only competition the team participates in; there are many others throughout the year. In
order to maintain and improve their form, the Blue Tankers have to balance proper rest and diet with academics and the requisite practice six to ten times a week.
“We always have to step up,” adds Lim. “(That’s why)
we try to train them in all techniques.” There’s also the
challenge of being repeating champions to deal with:
“People always look at you, (thinking) how can they
The championships
garnered as a
result of working
harder and more
are treated more
as an inevitability.
Winning
has become
a habit for
the Blue
Tankers, it
seems. Magis
at work,
perhaps?
For something
to become a
habit, it requires
consistency and
discipline. And
above all, one must
love what he does.
above. All three teams in the
fast (Fast Ateneo Swim Team) Eagles,
including the Ateneo High School
Swim Team, and the men’s and
women’s teams of the Loyola Schools.
Photo by Nathania Rockwood.
beat Ateneo?” To think that the subject of their victories doesn’t even come up at any point during practice.
“The focus is on strengthening support within the team,
pushing each other to do more and to keep improving
every year.”
The championships garnered as a result of working harder and more are treated more as an inevitability. Winning has become a habit for the Blue Tankers,
it seems. Magis at work, perhaps? For something to
become a habit, it requires consistency and discipline.
And above all, one must love what he does.
Team captain Miggy Arellano, MVP in the UAAP
Season 77’s Boys’ Division, remembers why he chose
swimming as a sport. “(It was) the feel of the water.
(Then) my times got faster, driving me to improve and
excel.”
His enthusiasm is infectious, which is not unusual for
a boy who will be graduating from high school in a few
months. But confidence and a firm handshake are qualities not easily found among them. When he speaks,
he is quite quick yet clear, even purposeful, something
more associated with adults.
Rookie Rafael Barretto, who also joined the interview, is soft-spoken. He gives himself a few seconds
before answering, turning the question in his head as
if analyzing it per curve, per stroke, wondering how to
39
FABILIOH!
40
above. Ateneo High School
Swim Team rookie Raf Barretto.
best approach it. Asked how he feels about being a part
of a winning team, he tries to hide an embarrassed grin
but tells the truth: “Nervous.”
And who wouldn’t be? What more when it’s gunning
for an eleven-peat? The idea makes Arellano feel honoured, yet he also readily admits feeling the pressure
weighing on his shoulders. Nevertheless, he is thankful for the strong support within the team, and it goes
beyond practice. “We’re there for each other, even in
academics,” he adds.
Ateneo High School’s emphasis on prioritizing studies over sports is sometimes difficult to balance. For
this, members of the team are advised to skip practices
every now and then, being as they are scheduled twice
a day, one before class and another afterward. This is
done in order to avoid instances when students are too
tired for class. It is also a reminder that in spite of being
swim kings, they are only boys and are still growing,
thus the need for as much rest as they can get.
Despite concessions such as these, Arellano is well
aware of what’s expected of the team. “We give our
101% . We give it our all.”
“(But it’s) not just (about) winning,” Barretto says.
“Gusto kong talunin ang sarili ko. (To) just get better.”
Arellano agrees with a quick nod. This is the consensus
After the interview for this article, the Ateneo de Manila
High School Swim Team won its 11th consecutive title
at the uaap Season 78 Swimming Championship held
from October 22 to 25, 2015 at the Rizal Memorial
Sports Complex. The “11-peat” is unprecedented in uaap
swimming. In addition, Rafael Barreto of 9e was awarded
Rookie of the Year, while Aldo Tong was awarded Coach
of the Year in the junior boys’ division. Notable too is the
outstanding performance of backstroker Aki Cariño (11e),
who set four new uaap boys records (three of them for
relay events) in addition to winning two silver medals for
individual events. —Paul Daza / www.ateneo.edu.
It seems that
for the ten-peat
champions Junior
Tankers, success
for them goes
beyond winning.
Improving
themselves takes
precedence. The
result is a habit of
excellence.
Not to
mention that
all they want
is to keep
swimming.
in the team: to continue
improving to the best they
can be.
Having made a habit
out of winning has made
the Blue Tankers stronger
and more aware that their
success is not all theirs.
Before every competition,
they huddle together in
prayer. “We pray for God’s
grace. We offer it to God—
everything’s for God,”
according to Arellano.
“With God, we feel
more confident,” adds
Barretto.
This year will be Miggy
Arellano’s last with the
Blue Tankers. His advice to newcomers such as Rafael
sounds more like that of an older brother’s than a team
captain’s: “Don’t get nervous! And always be there for
each other.”
It seems that for the ten-peat champions Junior
Tankers, success for them goes beyond winning. Improving themselves takes precedence. The result is a
habit of excellence.
Not to mention that all they want is to keep swimming.
above. Ateneo High School
Swim Team captain Miggy Arellano.
41
FABILIOH!
Joji Lapuz
42
Ask
the Blue
Batters
how
they feel about the upcoming
UAAP games and there is
only one reply: We have a lot
to prove.
Team Captain Ryon Tionloc, readily admits to the pressure weighing on their shoulders. Despite their three,
back-to-back championships since the UAAP Season 75,
the team is harder at work than ever. “Key members
graduated this year,” he says,“ (and) people think they
carried the team.”
In spite of this, the Blue Batters’ primary objective
is to get better, he continues. “Everyday we push each
other. We’re very determined.”
STEPPING
up to the
PLATE
Tionloc is one the four team captains of the twentysix-strong Blue Batters. A team this size may make connections tricky yet in their case, the camaraderie is solid.
Many of them had played with or against each other
before coming together in the Blue Batters. Each, according to Tionloc, has a specific role and skill to hone
for strengthening the team. He himself started out as a
catcher before being encouraged to focus on being the
first baseman and now, as captain.
He views the responsibility of the position as akin
to being a supportive, older brother. The team looks
to him should problems arise, and he never forgets to
remind them that they’re all good players—so long as
they continue working hard and getting better.
When the interview happens, rains drive the Blue
Batters to hold their practice in the Blue Eagle Gym. It
begins with a warm-up, young men shouting encour-
Ryan Tion loc
Photo by Louella Fortez.
43
FABILIOH!
Joji Lapuz
44
Most teams
describe
their bond
as that of a
family. The
Blue Batters
imbibe this
more. Every time
another member
takes his turn
teeing, he can count
on at least three
brothers calling out
ways to improve
his form, hold a bat
properly, etc. They
are all taken, no
second-guessing,
no doubting. The
trust is strong
within the team.
agement at each other as they run from one end of
the basketball court to the other dribbling a ball. Roars
greet the player who nails a shot. Laughter the answer
when he misses the net. Yes, due to uncooperative
weather, the baseball team plays basketball to warm up.
While this goes on, other members of the team stay
in a makeshift area within the gym for their teeing. The
space is small, it’s quite hot despite the rain battering
outside. It’s maximized by nets hung from the ceiling that function as space dividers and cushion from a
speeding ball that might hit an unfortunate fellow who
just happens to be walking by.
Teeing is one player tossing a ball towards another
player, the batter, who then hits it as strongly and as
surely as he can. Tionloc says they each do this between
twenty to thirty times per practice. It may look like a
mere exercise in making sure to hit the ball—there is
that, of course—but in order for the bat to actually come
in contact with the ball, a good, nay, perfect swing,
requires mind and body at work. There are hand, arm
and leg positions to take note of, stances. Learning to
focus is another part of the practice—somewhat of a feat
since the suggestions called out to the batter are interspersed with jokes. “Pi-picturan ka lang, nahiya ka na!”
comes the good-natured taunt that rings amidst the
clang of metal and the swoosh of a ball.
G ABBY TAN
DI O remollo
Photos by Louella Fortez.
“We (do) try to lighten up,” says Tionloc. “We’re one
big happy family.”
Most teams describe their bond as that of a family.
The Blue Batters imbibe this more. Every time another
member takes his turn teeing, he can count on at least
three brothers calling out ways to improve his form,
hold a bat properly, etc. They are all taken, no secondguessing, no doubting. The trust is strong within the
team.
But another reason why they were comfortable and
friendly with each other could be that plenty of them
got into baseball because of their brothers, even grandfathers, who either knew each other from playing baseball or loved the game. Pitcher Gabby Tan says that his
brother introduced him to it. “It’s my first sport,” he says,
“(and I stayed with it) because of the brotherhood.”
Now on his second year in the team, Tan admits to
still feeling overwhelmed. He recalls his first year: “It was
surprising and it’s my first tournament on that grand a
scale. The training is different—it’s more serious.” Another challenge is balancing academic requirements with
the demands of the team. “It’s difficult to make people
see we’re students first. (And then) you have practice
and school projects.”
There’s definitely more pressure this year, what with
a title to defend yet again. Tan echoes Tionloc’s emphasis on pushing the self to become better. “You (should)
never stop improving. There’s always something to
prove. The mentality is there’s (always) someone better
than you, so you have to push yourself.”
Catcher and co-captain Dio Remollo agrees that it’s
hard work that brings desired results. Straightforward,
he jokes about his failure as a football player when he
was younger because he “wasn’t scoring goals.” He
also began playing baseball at this time. His decision to
www.ateneo.edu
But another reason why they were comfortable
and friendly with each other could be that
plenty of them got into baseball because of
their brothers, even grandfathers, who either
knew each other from playing baseball or loved
the game.
45
FABILIOH!
Joji Lapuz
46
The important
thing the
team must
remember
is support
and mutual
respect,
stresses
Remollo.
“I tell
these
guys—
if
something
happens
in a game,
just pick
each
other up.
Admit
your
mistakes.
It makes
you better
next
time.”
commit to the latter came down to realizing that hitting
a baseball was “a better feeling.”
While his two teammates have confessed to the
pressure of scoring another UAAP championsip, Remollo
shakes his head vigorously. “(I’m) not pressured. (It’s not
a matter of) having to win but wanting. You over think
when you have to win. When you want to win, you have
self-motivation. We’ve done it before and don’t have
anything to prove. We have a winning mentality.” Still,
he admits, “It sucks to lose!”
The boldness of his declaration comes from his admiration of this year’s line-up. He knows all of them from
way before and has nothing but the highest respect.
“The young ones,” he calls them. He is clearly excited.
“Our rookies are the hardest workers. Eager. Amazing
talent. They’re good. (They have to be) to play baseball
the way they need to.”
Bullish as Remollo is for the upcoming UAAP season,
he admits that this year is “going to be tough.” He is
also wary of the talk that goes on among other baseball
teams during games, what with all eyes on the threepeat champions Blue Batters. He shrugs. “People say
something about the team to beat. We just take it. We
don’t have to say anything.”
The important thing the team must remember is
support and mutual respect, stresses Remollo. “I tell
these guys—if something happens in a game, just pick
each other up. Admit your mistakes. It makes you better
next time.”
The efforts of team captains Tionloc and Remollo
in encouraging the Blue Batters to work harder to get
better have made an admirer out of newcomer Gio
Salvatierra. “They are really doing their job. (They) are
harnessing the skills of the rookies. The team practices
so hard.”
Joji Lapuz
47
48
Joji Lapuz
gIO salvatierra
Photo by Louella Fortez.
It is his first year in the Blue Batters so yes, he feels
the pressure regarding the title they have to defend.
“It’s different from high school. The training is harder,
stricter. In high school, it’s fine if you don’t train. At the
collegiate level, if you don’t practice, you can’t play.” It’s
a different ball game, he is slowly learning, and once
again, he’s back to square one. Salvatierra is far from
floundering, however: “I can still manage my school
work even when we have training.” He is also determined to contribute to a winning team—making him one
of the rookies Remollo is excited about.
Salvatierra is definitely ready for what the sport
would be demanding from him eventually, young and
new as he is. It comes down to magis, he says. “It helps
with our training. We have to do things excellently, (so)
we do our best in every training.”
“(Magis) is when the odds are against you,” adds Remollo. “Just tell yourself it’s not yet done. Do your best.
No regrets. No excuses. When you make excuses, you
won’t work hard.”
“(So) we enjoy everything we do—even every obstacle,” says Tionloc. “If we win, it’s going to be the sweetest. Hopefully we take it all the way.”
Then he looks back at the team as they continue
practicing. “We’re all good players. We’re good baseball players. Anyone can start. We each have our own
specific set of skills.”
Looks like the Blue Batters sure have all bases covered.
www.ateneo.edu
“It’s different from high school.
The training is harder, stricter. In
high school, it’s fine if you don’t
train. At the collegiate level, if
you don’t practice, you can’t play.”
louella e. fortez (bfa Creative Writing 2004) finished her
Masters degree, also in Creative Writing, from the University
of the Philippines in 2014. Louella teaches at both the English
and Filipino departments of the Loyola School of Humanities.
49
CHOOSING
FOR
2016:
KAPITAN, LINGKOD,
50
KATIWALA
by Tony La Viña
DEAN
ATENEO SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT
Unfortunately, we do not have strong
political parties in the Philippines. As
we have seen in the phenomena of the
Nacionalista Party having three Vice-Presidential candidates and the proliferation
of “guest” and “adopted” candidates in
the senatorial and other races, our politicians easily swing from one party or another, with no other criterion but political
convenience. Indeed, this election is the
strangest ever with the phenomenon of
“candidate sharing” becoming prevalent
with all the political parties resorting to it.
It must be mentioned that two party
list organizations, Akbayan and Makabayan (which is a coalition of several party
list organizations—Bayan Muna, Gabri-
ela, ACT, and Kabataan), are real political
parties, with members sharing a political ideology and with organized sectors
forming their backbone. The Kapatiran
Party likewise started as a promising
ideologically based political party. But
electorally, for nation wide elections,
candidates from these three parties are
not able to compete with other more
established candidates. Indeed, up to
now, Akbayan, Makabayan, and Kapatiran have not been successful in having
members elected into the senate.
Without political parties, we have no
choice but to look at every candidate—
their backgrounds, record, values, and
positions—and compare them to each
www.ateneo.edu
If
we had a
more mature
democracy,
choosing our
country’s leaders would
not be difficult. One would
simply look at the political parties vying
for position and vote according to one’s
party affiliation or inclination. Usually,
it would be for a political party whose
ideology a voter shared. Of course, the
leadership of that party would matter but
more important would be its positions on
issues and its platform of government.
51
To the problems facing the Philippines, we have many
proposed solutions. In most cases, we even have ample
resources to spend on these solutions. There has been
one critical factor missing in the equation, though.
That missing factor is leadership.
other based on a criterion that we could
use as the lens for our decision.
This is what I seek to articulate in this
article—a criteria for choosing whom to
vote for in 2015. I will illustrate the criteria
by giving examples from the presidential
race. I will consider how these applies to
the declared candidates Jejomar Binay,
Mar Roxas, Grace Poe, Miriam Defensor
Santiago, and Rody Duterte.
It should be noted also that the criteria I propose is applicable to all candidates for all executive positions and to
some extent also apply to candidates for
legislative positions.
FABILIOH!
Sources of criteria
The criteria I propose come from four
sources—the Ignatian tradition of leadership as articulated by Chris Lowney, the
vision of a leader proposed by Fr. Horacio De La Costa, SJ, and the concept of
servant-leader by Robert Greenleaf. I will
then propose a combination of these
qualities of a good leader through the
criterion that the Movement for Good
Government (MGG) suggests for our electoral choices.
Heroic leadership
as Criteria
52
To the problems facing the Philippines,
we have many proposed solutions. In
most cases, we even have ample resources to spend on these solutions. There has
been one critical factor missing in the
equation, though, which is why many of
these ideas—from the lofty goals of good
governance and economic development, to the mundane tasks of getting
roads paved and trash collected—have
failed to take off. That missing factor is
leadership.
Leadership is not just about the
giving of good orders—though this will
be expected of those placed in positions
of authority. In looking at the history
of how the Jesuits spread across the
world, leaving lasting impacts on the
societies they visited, former JP Morgan
executive (and former Jesuit seminarian)
Chris Lowney argues that practically
every Jesuit exercised leadership, or
at least was encouraged to do so. He
points out that the first Jesuits, adopted
the leadership style of St. Ignatius of
Loyola, a formula that now “has since
been tested across generations, across
continents, and across cultures,” serving
explorers, mapmakers, linguists,
astronomers, theologians, scientists,
musicians, social activists, writers of
children’s stories, lobbyists, preachers—
even school teachers and cannon
manufacturers.
How do you become a leader who
makes the kind of impact on the world
that Ignatius Loyola did? Lowney suggests how:
• You articulate the values you stand for.
• You establish personal goals.
• You form a point of view on the
world—where you stand, what you
want, and how you will relate to
others.
• You see the wisdom and value in the
examen and commit to it—the daily,
self-reflective habit of refocusing on
priorities and extracting lessons from
successes and failures.
According to the former Jesuit, whatever
their chosen or assigned mission, those
living the Jesuit leadership way champion for the following values:
• Understanding their strengths, weaknesses, values, and worldview
• Confidently innovating and adapting
to embrace a changing world
• Engaging others with a positive,
loving attitude
• Energizing themselves and others by
heroic ambitions
Genuine leadership, from an Ignatian
point of view, focuses on the possible,
the future. It integrates four fundamental
pillars: Self-awareness, Ingenuity, Love,
and Heroism. According to Lowney:
Love-driven leaders seek out and honor
the potential in self and others. Heroic
leaders seek to shape the future rather
than passively endure whatever unfolds.
And ingenuity-driven leaders uncover
ways to turn human potential into
achievement and a vision of the future
into a reality.
bold and daring, ready at a moment’s
notice to sail forth to exotic locations,
for God and for the salvation of human
souls anywhere, anytime.
He described them as
cunning, exploiting their knowledge
of astronomy to gain the favor of the
ultra-closed Chinese imperial court, or
building Europe’s first universal and
free secondary school system, with the
gratitude of European townships, and
as a breeding ground for potential Jesuit
recruits.
www.ateneo.edu
• You recognize weaknesses and attachments that block that potential.
The first Jesuits, according to Lowney,
were heroic leaders:
And finally:
These heroic leaders, last but not least,
knew themselves: what they were
capable of, what their weaknesses were,
their place in the world, and their
deeply-felt mission to make that world a
better place.
De La Costa’s
qualities of leadership
More than half a century ago, in 1953, Fr.
De La Costa spoke before the graduating
class of Ateneo de Davao and identified
the characteristics of an Ateneo or Jesuit
college graduate. I think these apply to
leaders as well.
Leaders should be persons of practical excellence, what Fr. De La Costa
described in his 1953 speech as “persons
of judgment.” Practical excellence means
to have given you set of competencies
that will enable leaders to do their jobs
effectively.
Leaders should be persons of principles. They must be guided by moral
values, to stick to them, and navigate
• You appreciate your own dignity and
rich potential.
53
It is not enough to do the ethical thing; it is just as
important to do it the right way.
FABILIOH!
Leaders should be persons of the people, and especially
for the poorest in our society. A public servant
is a person-for-others.
properly the dilemmas of politics. In my
own career as a public servant, the most
difficult challenge has been—how can I
do the right thing the right way? It is not
enough to do the ethical thing; it is just
as important to do it the right way so that
you are able to implement decisions,
defend your actions, and actually solve
problems.
Leaders should be persons of the
people, and especially for the poorest in
our society. A public servant is a personfor-others. That is why Fr. De La Costa
writes how we need not just national
leaders but good local leaders as well:
We need national leaders; the best we
can get. But make no mistake: it is local
and regional community leaders that
our people need most of all. Not leaders
who reside in some distant capital, out
of touch with them, out of their reach,
but leaders who are right here with
them, who know them and whom they
know; who understand their problems,
their hopes, their dreams, and who can,
because of the education they have
received, give substance to these hopes
and dreams.
Servant Leadership
would be good
Servant Leadership was coined by
Robert K. Greenleaf in “The Servant as
Leader,” an essay that was first published
54
in 1970. Greenleaf defined the servantleader as
servant first… It begins with the natural
feeling that one wants to serve, to serve
first. Then conscious choice brings one
to aspire to lead. That person is sharply
different from one who is leader first,
perhaps because of the need to assuage
an unusual power drive or to acquire
material possessions…The leader-first
and the servant-first are two extreme
types. Between them there are shadings
and blends that are part of the infinite
variety of human nature.
Greenleaf further differentiated between
the two types of leaders: A servantleader always shares power and puts the
needs of others first while the leader-first
is about the accumulation and exercise
of power by one at the “top of the pyramid.” According to Greenleaf:
The difference manifests itself in the
care taken by the servant-first to make
sure that other people’s highest priority
needs are being served. The best test,
and difficult to administer, is: Do those
served grow as persons? Do they, while
being served, become healthier, wiser,
freer, more autonomous, more likely
themselves to become servants? And,
what is the effect on the least privileged
in society? Will they benefit or at least
not be further deprived?
Movement for
Good Governance:
The Leader We Need
For the 2010 elections, the Movement for
Good Governance, a coalition of individuals and organizations led by Winnie
Monsod and Nene Guevarra, developed
a criterion for making our electoral
choices. I think that MGG’s three qualities of a leader combine best the leader
that Lowney, De La Costa, and Greenleaf
describe. These pillars are:
1. the effective leader
(Kapitan ng Bayan);
2. the empowering leader
(Lingkod ng Bayan); and
3. the ethical leader
(Katiwala ng Bayan).
The effective leader
We must elect visionary, competent and
effective leaders in 2016. We cannot
afford leaders that do not know where
to bring us, or those who will bring us to
the wrong place, or those who will not
bring us anywhere as they have no ability
to do that at all.
The description the MGG uses for the
effective is that of a Kapitan ng Bayan. As
former Fidel V. Ramos frequently says, we
must see ourselves as Team Philippines
and the president is the captain who will
steer us to the right direction.
An effective leader has a clear and
comprehensive platform of government;
and, consistent and clear positions on
key issues, works hard and smart, and
demonstrates political will, risk-taking
and the courage to implement reforms.
Concretely, to be visionary means a
solid understanding of the challenges
before us: poverty, lack of jobs, war in
Mindanao and internal conflict in other
areas, inequity in taxation that unduly
burdens the poor and the middle class,
and climate change and disaster, are
among the most important.
More specifically to the President, I
would like a leader who would prioritize
programs for the poor, continue educational reforms that would position
young people to better jobs, support
tax reforms that would reduce burdens
for the poor and the middle class while
making sure the rich pay their just share,
complete the peace process with all
Moro revolutionary organizations (pass a
good Bangsamoro Basic Law that is both
constitutionally compliant and meets the
aspirations of our Moro brothers and sisters) and with the communist insurgency,
have a coherent and smart strategy for
www.ateneo.edu
This is my thesis: caring for persons,
the more able and the less able serving
each other, is the rock upon which a
good society is built. Whereas, until
recently, caring was largely person
to person, now most of it is mediated
through institutions—often large,
complex, powerful, impersonal; not
always competent; sometimes corrupt.
If a better society is to be built, one that
is more just and more loving, one that
provides greater creative opportunity
for its people, then the most open course
is to raise both the capacity to serve
and the very performance as servant
of existing major institutions by new
regenerative forces operating within
them.
kapitan:
In another essay, “The Institution as Servant,” Greenleaf articulated what is now
called the “credo” of servant leadership.
This is how he articulated it:
55
FABILIOH!
In addition to their record of
service, it is important to look at
how the candidates are handling
themselves in the campaign.
The behavior of the candidates is a good way of assessing
their effectiveness as a leader.
56
our OFWs, make sure that mitigation and
adaptation programs on climate change
are adopted and implemented, and
push for the creation of an independent
disaster agency.
In a more personal way, as a resident
of Metro Manila and as an academic and
lawyer, I will vote only for a leader who
I am convinced can solve the problem
of lack of mobility and connectivity that
plagues our capital metropolis. This is
not for selfish reasons but they are major
causes why we are and will be uncompetitive. Thus, it is fair to ask whether Mar
Roxas has some responsibility for the
dismal state of transportation and communications in the Philippines given his
being the department secretary of these
portfolios in the early years of the Aquino
administration. But Roxas’ record must
be comprehensively assessed—from his
experience as a legislator (what bills did
he author) to his cabinet stints as trade
and industry secretary and interior and
local government secretary.
It is also appropriate to look at the
local government records of Binay and
Duterte. How is Makati now after decades under the control of the Binays?
How is Davao faring under Duterte’s
leadership which has also been for quite
a long time.
For Santiago, there is her record in
the Senate and before that in the cabinet
as agrarian reform secretary and immi-
gration chief. And of course, she also left
a mark in the judiciary. While I have a lot
of respect for Senator Miriam Defensor
Santiago, it is important to have up to
date information about her health before
voting for or against her. Among others,
we must know how she will manage the
physical demands of the presidential
office and whether she will last the full
term of six years. For the record, I do
want her to be in the pink of health and
to survive many more years beyond the
term of the next president.
It is more challenging with respect to
Grace Poe because of her shorter record
of public service. We have of course her
MTCRB and senate stints to look at to see
her style of leadership.
In addition to their record of service,
it is important to look at how the candidates are handling themselves in the
campaign. Presidential campaigns are
grueling and challenging, beset by crisis.
The behavior of the candidates—their
fortitude, determination, discipline, ability to communicate, etc. is a good way of
assessing their effectiveness as a leader.
LINGKOD:
The empowering leader
We must elect leaders who have proven
records of service to people, who show
in their records and campaigns empathy
to the concerns of the ordinary people,
and who can recruit and bring into the
above. Portraits of 2016 Philippine Presidential candidates
by Marlon Miguel Maico / www.fb.com/artofmarlonmaico.
www.ateneo.edu
much improved and refreshed with
people who are capable and committed
to their mission.
Finally, I would like a leader that is
able to unify the people, one who has a
compelling vision, which inspires hope
and enables us to work with each other
for a common purpose.
How do I apply this criterion to those
who have declared their candidacies
for president? Again, the record of service—this time of empathy and ability to
inspire—is important. But how they are
campaigning now provides critical data
to assess whether the candidate is an
empowering leader. Is the campaign
of that candidate too negative, condescending, disrespectful, and angry? Or
does that candidate make us feel good
about ourselves and about our country?
Is the vision he or she proposing inclusive, unifying and engaging?
Applied to the candidates, this criterion could be used to evaluate Poe. On
one hand, she is able to communicate
very well with voters and especially with
millennials. She certainly has charisma,
both because of her parental legacy as
well as in her own right.
Binay also blends in well with political leaders and voters. He never tires of
shaking hands, embracing babies, and
meeting ordinary people. But his style
government the best and the brightest.
The empowering leader is participative
and inspiring. He or she is a good listener and understands the concerns and
share the values of the ordinary Filipino.
Such a leader knows and appreciates
Philippine culture and thus is able to
communicate well to all Filipinos.
The MGG description for the empowering leader is that he is a Lingkod
ng Bayan. Will we be the bosses of this
leader? Will she or he listen to us? Will
he or she bring out the best in us and by
example unify the country?
In terms of platform, the empowering leader will promote social justice and
prioritize the basic needs of the people
(food, health, education, shelter) and will
go out of his or her way to protect the
interests of marginalized sectors of our
society. (workers, farmer, women, indigenous people, people with disabilities).
Specifically, I would like a leader that will
fully implement agrarian reform, prohibit
contractualization of labor, stop the killings of Lumad and respect indigenous
peoples’ rights.
An empowering leader is one who
builds institutions. Unfortunately, many
of our governance institutions are in
bad shape. Some good happens when
the right leaders are at their helm but
that is never assured. I would like to see
a leader that consciously reforms our
institutions and leaves power with them
57
Stopping the leakage; putting an end to drift; finding a
direction; steering: We need leadership for these.
Not just by the next president or a
few elite politicians but by many
others across the many islands of
our country.
illustrates what we call traditional politics,
a patron-client approach to politics.
Roxas admits that he can be perceived to be snobbish, elitist. Voters will
have to judge whether he has empathy
and gets what they need and how they
see things.
Duterte and Santiago have strong
appeal to their followers. They are certainly charismatic and can move many
to action. At the same time, both these
candidates have strong personalities that
do not seem to give room for serious
listening and feedback.
KATIWALA :
FABILIOH!
The ethical leader
58
The leader we elect in 2016 must have
unquestionable moral character and
fiber. They must have no conflict of interest and when elected act consistently
with integrity and beyond reproach. They
must show personal and family compliance to the country’s laws and rules and
must have the ability to sacrifice personal, familial, and other vested interests.
The leaders we want must also advocate and practice meritocracy in government. We need to be assured that they
will prosecute and punish offenders.
For the presidential candidates, the
leader we should choose must commitment to the immediate enactment of the
Freedom of Information Act, including issuing an executive order as one of his or
her first acts. I expect the candidate I will
support to commit to appoint competent
and trustworthy Supreme Court Justices
(11 of them will be appointed by the next
president) and an Ombudsman with
similar qualities of competence, integrity
and courage as Ombudsman Conchita
Carpio Morales (whose term will expire
in 2018).
MGG describes this leader as the
Katiwala ng Bayan. Can we entrust this
leader with public funds and resources?
Will this leader be a good steward of
such funds and resources? Will he or she
appoint people who will be as trustworthy and accountable?
One application of this criterion is
whether or not Binay, given all the corruption charges against him and his
family, is an ethical leader. He has not
been convicted of course and should
be presumed innocent from a criminal
law perspective. In my view however, we
have enough evidence to decide politically whether or not VP Binay is worthy of
our trust and our vote.
There are no serious personal integrity issues that can be raised against
Roxas, Poe, Duterte, and Santiago. However, some have questioned whether
the Araneta family will be advantaged
by a Roxas victory, whether Poe’s former
renunciation of her citizenship does not
speak well of her patriotism, whether
Duterte’s human rights record and rheto-
leadership for the future
The Philippines is a country in perpetual
crisis. To quote from the Italian Marxian
philosopher, in our country, “The old is
dying but the new cannot be born.”
The last five years, under the Aquino
government, have been good in many
ways. Certainly from a macro-economic
point of view, it is hard to dispute the
progress that has been made as we see
with the credit ratings upgrades we have
been getting. The anti-corruption campaign has also had limited success with
the Ombudsman filing a record number
of cases, including against very powerful political figures. Budget, social welfare and educational reforms are in full
swing and they augur well for the future.
We are in better shape now on disaster
preparation than we were in 2013 when
Haiyan/Yolanda devastated the Visayas.
But not all is good. Metro Manila is
certainly in a shambles, with citizen mobility paralyzed by bad decisions related
to public transportation. Our airports
and seaports are congested and that
is having an economic impact. Internet
connectivity is bad in many places, slow
where they are available. Development
has not been inclusive, and workers,
farmers, and indigenous peoples, to
count a few, continue to be marginalized. Corruption continues to prevail at
many levels of government, including
apparently in our main international
airport. And the state of human rights, as
we have seen in the Lumad killings and
other extrajudicial murders, is dismal.
antonio g. m. la viña (ab Philosophy 1980)
is Dean of the Ateneo de Manila University
School of Government. After graduating from
Ateneo, he graduated from the University of
the Philippines College of Law in 1989. He
finished his Masters (llm 1992) and Doctorate
(jsd 1995) in Law from Yale University.
He is a regular political and governance
columnist of The Standard and a frequent
contributor of online articles to Rappler.
www.ateneo.edu
Conclusion:
Finally, there is uncertainly whether
we will have honest and credible elections. Many questions have been raised
against the automation technology we
have adopted. I have trust in Comelec
Chair Andres Bautista, an Ateneo de
Manila alumnus, but we must be vigilant.
In a close election, the outcome might
not be accepted by the people. It will not
be the first time where elections in our
country divide and not unify the country.
Fr. De La Costa once pointed out that
democracy would survive in our country only if people have confidence in
the ability of democratic government to
reform itself. According to him: “They will
lose confidence, they will lose hope, not
only in their government but in themselves if our ship of state continues to
be, in the words of T.S. Eliot, “a drifting
boat with a slow leakage.” He ended that
speech with these classic words: “We
must stop the leakage; put an end to
drift; find a direction, and steer.”
Stopping the leakage; putting an
end to drift; finding a direction; steering: We need leadership for these. Not
just by the next president or a few elite
politicians but by many others across the
many islands of our country. Only then,
as De La Costa wrote, can we solve what
is perhaps our most critical challenge we
must overcome: the restoration of hope.
ric disqualifies him for the presidency,
and whether Santiago’s alliance with
Bongbong Marcos stains her candidacy.
59
DEFIANT
60
by Francis D. Alvarez, sj
One December morning in 1863, at home on Brattle
Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow heard the church bells ringing, and he
wrote:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
“Glory to God
in the highest
and on earth
peace to those
on whom
his favor rests.”
—luke 2:14.
www.ateneo.edu
Ateneo photos by Deepa Paul / www.currystrumpet.com.
But two years earlier, Henry’s wife, Fanny, had died due
to injuries she suffered when her dress accidentally
caught fire. Henry himself was injured while trying to
put the fire out, and his face was badly burned.
Earlier that year, Henry’s eldest son, Charles, had
left home to fight in the American Civil War. A few days
before, Henry had just learned that Charles was seriously injured and in danger of becoming paralyzed.
61
FABILIOH!
62
On December
nights, it is
dark outside,
and if we are
honest and
brave enough
to admit it,
the darkness
is inside
us as well.
How can we
greet each
other “Merry
Christmas?”
above. Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters National Historic
Site, located at 105 Brattle Street in
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
And Henry wrote:
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
December nights seem darker than the other nights
of the year. This year, after all we have been through,
some might say that the darkness has extended and
enveloped the hearts of men and women all over the
world. How can we say, “Peace on earth, good-will to
men?”
On December nights, it is dark outside, and if we
are honest and brave enough to admit it, the darkness is inside us as well. How can we greet each other
“Merry Christmas?”
It has been a strange Advent season for me. The
past few weeks, I have been visiting quite frequently
a lady friend of mine. Before you get any inappropriate ideas, she is an 80-year-old religious sister. Last
summer, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The cancer has since spread. And she is dying.
Last week, I dropped by their convent for a short
visit. One of the sisters there told me that she had a
www.ateneo.edu
rough night. The pain
was getting worse, and
she did not get a wink of
sleep. But out of habit,
I still greeted her with
“How are you?” Expectedly, she said, “Bad, bad.
I’m getting weaker, and
there is nothing we can
do about it.” But strangely,
she said this smiling.
And stranger still,
because she knew that I
was in the middle of final
exams and writing papers,
she asked, “So how are
your papers coming?”
Here was an 80-year-old
dying nun asking me about my papers! Surely, her
troubles were greater than mine. But she did not allow
herself to get locked in her own problems. She still
reached out to touch others.
Last Sunday, I celebrated the Eucharist for her in the
convent living room, which had by then become a mini
hospital. Everyone knew that it was going to be her
last Mass. I thought that during the sign of peace, the
family present and the sisters who lived with her could
go to her and say goodbye. I thought that we could all
try to give her peace one by one and say, “Be at peace.
I know you are worried about us, but we will be fine.
We will miss you, of course. But we will be okay. Be at
peace. You can now let go.”
That was the plan. But before we could approach
her, she summoned up whatever strength she had left
and told us, “Peace. Peace be with all of you. I love you
all dearly. But greater than this—and this is what should
bring all of you peace—God loves all of you. God loves
you!”
We had wanted to bring her peace, but in the end,
this 80-year-old dying nun was the one who brought us
peace.
It does not end in despair. It ends with care. It does
not end with heads hung low and heavy hearts. It ends
above. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
with his sons Charles and Ernest and
his wife Frances.
63
FABILIOH!
Have a defiant Christmas!
Is there any other kind of
Christmas? Isn’t Christmas
defiance at its very core?
64
with peace. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow realized this,
too. And so he wrote:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
The story-theologian John Shea is right. The best way
to greet each other this season is not with “Have a
merry Christmas” but with “Have a defiant Christmas!”
Have a defiant Christmas! Is there any other kind of
Christmas? Isn’t Christmas defiance at its very core?
All our Christmas symbols, as John Shea points out,
tell us so. Outside, it is dark. And we hang these tiny
twinkling lights all around us—not bright enough for
us to see that far ahead, but bright enough for people
of faith to be reminded that in the midst of darkness,
there can still be light. And Light has conquered the
world. Have a defiant Christmas!
Outside, the trees have lost their leaves, and everywhere, we see death. But the Christmas trees are still
green. They are ever green! In the midst of death, their
little leaves tell us there can still be life. Have a defiant
Christmas!
And most defiant of all: We have the God-child
in a manger, rejected by innkeepers, rejected by the
world—that is why there is no place for him except a
manger. But still he comes to give us his love. And he is
wrapped not only with swaddling clothes but with the
love of a mother who faced accusations of infidelity to
bear him and the love of an adoptive father who must
have at one point felt betrayed by her. But in the midst
Shortly after I shared this at the Midnight Mass on
Christmas 2014, I learned that my 80-year-old lady
friend, Sr. Mary Mark Pizzotti, dm, passed away. And
strangely, I stopped feeling sad for her, for me, and for
everyone who knew her. She is now experiencing the
fullness of Light, Life, and Love.
francis d. alvarez, sj (gs 1989, hs 1993, ab Philosophy 1997,
ma Philosophy 2002, ma Theological Studies 2009) was class
valedictorian in grade school, high school, and college, and entered
the Society of Jesus in 1997. After graduating from the Loyola
School of Theology, again, as class valedictorian, he was ordained
in 2009. He then served as a chaplain in Philippine General
Hospital (pgh), and is currently studying Scripture and education
at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
www.ateneo.edu
And this year,
we need a
defiant faith
to celebrate
this defiant
Christmas.
We need to
be able to
defy our own
darkness, our
many deaths,
and our
distrust and
say, “There is
light. There
is life. There
is love.” Have
a defiant
Christmas!
of rejection and distrust,
there can still be love.
Have a defiant Christmas!
And this year, we need
a defiant faith to celebrate
this defiant Christmas. We
need to be able to defy
our own darkness, our
many deaths, and our
distrust and say, “There is
light. There is life. There
is love.” Have a defiant
Christmas!
We need to be able to
ring with the bells more
loud and deep and proclaim, “God is not dead
nor does he sleep. The
Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth
good-will to men!”
How can we be sure of this? I will let my 80-year-old
friend have the final word: We can be sure because
God loves us. God loves all of us.
65
PH OTO ESSAY
66
Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)
The urgent
challenge to
protect our
common home
includes a concern
to bring the whole
human family
together to seek
a sustainable
and integral
development, for
we know that
things can change.
(ls 13)
Photos by
Vic Baltazar, sj
All photographs
taken at the
Ateneo de Manila
University
Loyola Heights Campus.
Excerpts from the
Encyclical Letter
Laudato Si’ of the
Holy Father, Francis,
on Care for Our
Common Home (ls).
LAUDATO{
SI’
PRAISE
BE
TO YOU
on care for our
common home
67
“laudato si’, mi’ Signore–Praise be to
you, my Lord.” In the words of this
beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi
reminds us that our common home is
like a sister with whom we share our life
and a beautiful mother who opens her
arms to embrace us. (ls 1)
68
Philippine Serpent Eagle (Spilornis holospilus)
clockwise, from top left
• Lowland White-eye
(Zosterops meyeni)
• Yellow-vented Bulbul
(Pycnonotus goiaver)
• Pied Triller (Lalage nigra)
• Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo
(Surniculus lugubris)
Each year sees the
disappearance of thousands
of plant and animal species
which we will never know,
which our children will
never see, because they have
been lost for ever. The great
majority become extinct for
reasons related to human
activity. Because of us,
thousands of species will no
longer give glory to God
by their very existence, nor
convey their message to us.
We have no such right.
(ls 33)
69
70
The ultimate
purpose of other
creatures is not
to be found in us.
Rather, all creatures
are moving
forward with us
and through us
towards a common
point of arrival,
which is God, in
that transcendent
fullness where
the risen Christ
embraces and
illumines all things.
Human beings,
endowed with
intelligence and
love, and drawn
by the fullness of
Christ, are called
to lead all creatures
back to their
Creator. (ls 83)
Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker (Picoides maculatus)
Thus, the creatures
of this world no
longer appear
to us under
merely natural
guise because
the risen One
is mysteriously
holding them
to himself and
directing them
towards fullness
as their end. The
very flowers of the
field and the birds
which his human
eyes contemplated
and admired are
now imbued
with his radiant
presence. (ls 104)
clockwise, from top left
• Lowland White-eye
(Zosterops meyeni)
• Black-chinned Fruit-Dove
(Ptilinopus leclancheri)
• Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker
(Picoides maculatus)
71
It cannot be emphasized enough how everything
is interconnected. Time and space are not independent
of one another, and not even atoms or subatomic particles
can be considered in isolation. Just as the different aspects
of the planet—physical, chemical, and biological—
are interrelated, so too living species are part of a network
which we will never fully explore and understand. (ls 138)
72
Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)
The acceptance of our
bodies as God’s gift is
vital for welcoming and
accepting the entire world
as a gift from the Father
and our common home,
whereas thinking that we
enjoy absolute power over
our own bodies turns, often
subtly, into thinking that
we enjoy absolute power
over creation. Learning to
accept our body, to care for
it and to respect its fullest
meaning, is an essential
element of any genuine
human ecology. (ls 155)
this page
• Collared Kingfishers
(Todirhamphus chloris)
73
Intergenerational solidarity is not optional,
but rather a basic question of justice,
since the world we have received also belongs
to those who will follow us. (ls 159)
74
Philippine Hawk Cuckoo (Hierococcyx pectoralis)
clockwise, from top
• Pacific swallow (Hirundo tahitica)
• Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica)
• Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)
• White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
When we ask
ourselves what
kind of world
we want to leave
behind, we think
in the first place
of its general
direction, its
meaning and its
values. Unless
we struggle with
these deeper issues,
I do not believe
that our concern
for ecology
will produce
significant results.
(ls 160)
75
Interdependence
obliges us to think of one world
with a common plan. (ls 164)
76
Spotted Imperial Pigeon (Ducula carola)
from top
• Black-naped Oriole
(Oriolus chinensis)
• Brush Cuckoo or
Rusty-breasted Cuckoo
(Cacomantis variolosus)
• Yellow-vented Bulbul
(Pycnonotus goiaver)
Many things have to change
course, but it is we human
beings above all who need
to change. We lack an
awareness of our common
origin, of our mutual
belonging, and of a future
to be shared with everyone.
This basic awareness would
enable the development
of new convictions,
attitudes and forms of life.
A great cultural, spiritual
and educational challenge
stands before us, and it will
demand that we set out on
the long path of renewal.
(ls 202)
77
FABILIOH!
78
White-breasted Wood Swallow (Artamus leucorynchus)
www.ateneo.edu
Yet all is not lost. Human beings,
while capable of the worst, are also
capable of rising above themselves,
choosing again what is good, and
making a new start, despite their
mental and social conditioning.
We are able to take an honest look
at ourselves, to acknowledge our
deep dissatisfaction, and to embark
on new paths to authentic freedom.
No system can completely suppress
our openness to what is good, true,
and beautiful, or our God-given
ability to respond to his grace at
work deep in our hearts. I appeal
to everyone throughout the world
not to forget this dignity which
is ours. No one has the right to
take it from us. (ls 205)
79
The universe unfolds in God, who fills
it completely. Hence, there is a mystical
meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain
trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face.
The ideal is not only to pass from the exterior
to the interior to discover the action of God
in the soul, but also to discover God in all
things. (ls 233)
80
Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
The mystic experiences
the intimate connection
between God and all
beings, and thus feels
that “all things are God.”
Standing awestruck before a
mountain, he or she cannot
separate this experience
from God: “Mountains
have heights and they are
plentiful, vast, beautiful,
graceful, bright and
fragrant. These mountains
are what my Beloved is to
me. Lonely valleys are quiet,
pleasant, cool, shady and
flowing with fresh water; in
the variety of their groves
and in the sweet song of the
birds, they afford abundant
recreation and delight to the
senses, and in their solitude
and silence, they refresh us
and give rest. These valleys
are what my Beloved is to
me.” (ls 234)
from top
• Zebra Doves or Peaceful Doves (Geopelia striata)
• Philippine Magpie Robin (Copsychus mindanensis)
• Rock Dove or Feral Pigeon (Colomba livia)
81
FABILIOH!
82
Not only did
these birds
teach me to
wait, they also
exercised me in
my noticing and
discriminating
signs. Finally
they also taught
me to act in
the proper time,
sometimes with
dispatch, others
with slow, gentle
movements,
much like the
Greek’s moment
of kairos—the
time of fullness,
that Sacred
Moment where
now and
eternity seem to
meet.
from the photographer
It’s been more than a year now since I started photographing birds. Many times, the patient waiting for birds
to appear on an open perch becomes an occasion to
practice virtue—of patience, of abnegation, of surrender and release of one’s tendency to control. Birds are
birds—they show up when they are comfortable with
your presence. At other times, I noticed that they had
been there all along, but they had been properly camouflaged by the colors of their surroundings. And so it
takes one to notice subtle signs of their presence—bird
calls, subtle movements, their flight and perch. And
before long I noticed, this constant exercise of noticing
and discriminating subtle signs were much like what
we do in contemplation and discernment. Not only did
these birds teach me to wait, they also exercised me in
my noticing and discriminating signs. Finally they also
taught me to act in the proper time, sometimes with
dispatch, others with slow, gentle movements, much
like the Greek’s moment of kairos—the time of fullness,
that Sacred Moment where now and eternity seem to
meet. In choosing the time and place to act, moving
where there is just the right light to illuminate this
Sacred subject, in waiting for the best focus (which this
amateur has not mastered at all for lack of theory), and
in waiting for the bird to settle down and gift me with its
best angle. Many times I find myself praying to the bird,
“please show yourself, so I may preach to the world how
precious you are.”
There have been so many other gifts that have come
to me from birding—new friends and communities just
opening up to me. I noticed many seasoned birders I
have met along the way can be masters of silence and
contemplation too. And they exude humility and patience with beginners like me. And they are hospitable
victor r. baltazar, sj (ab Interdisciplinary Studies 1983, ma
Theological Studies 1995) is currently Executive Director of the
Center for Ignatian Spirituality (cis). He is happy to have his
photos help in promoting the values that Pope Francis advocates
in Laudato Si’. He also acknowledges Adrian Constantino, an
expert birder who runs bird tours around the Philippines, and
who, with his wife Trinket, who teaches at the Loyola Schools
Department of Biology, have published the photographic guide
book, A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of the Philippines.
Fr. Vic invites alumni
(individuals or groups)
to inquire with the
Center for Ignatian
Spirituality (cis)
for spiritual direction
or retreat needs.
Contact Ruby or Rina,
+63(2)426-4250.
www.ateneo.edu
Birding has
become for me
a new way of
encountering
the Sacred and
hopefully, even
with photos,
I can share
that joy and
reverence with
you. Advent is
coming soon,
we can all learn
from the birds
of how it is to
wait and receive
the coming
of a Sacred
Presence.
and welcoming, ready to help a stranger on the call of
other birder friends.
One taught me about the importance of a tripod
especially when photographing mountain birds. And
there are former high school students who see value
in what you do and volunteer to give a gift of a tripod!
Further down you will read how that gift became a real
need in mountain birding! The rough terrain does make
your hands shake when you reach the summit of a hill—a
lot more difficult than when I am just photographing
birds right across my fourth floor room at the Jesuit
Residence when I can even sit while waiting.
And then you learn to notice a whole world seen
from a view other than your own, and learn to respect
that world. You can spend time climbing the hill, starting from a brightly lit sunny day, and yet the birds know
better and hide, not from you but because they know
the rains are coming. And you just wait it out wherever
you can find shelter for your head and more importantly, for your gear.
Birding has become for me a new way of encountering the Sacred and hopefully, even with photos, I can
share that joy and reverence with you. Advent is coming
soon, we can all learn from the birds of how it is to wait
and receive the coming of a Sacred Presence.
83
FABILIOH!
84
At the end, we will find ourselves face to face with the
infinite beauty of God, and be able to read with admiration
and happiness the mystery of the universe, which with us will
share in unending plenitude. Jesus says: “I make all things
new.”
In the meantime, we come together to take charge of this
home which has been entrusted to us, knowing that all the
good which exists here will be taken up into the heavenly
feast. In union with all creatures, we journey through this
land seeking God, for “if the world has a beginning and
if it has been created, we must enquire who gave it this
beginning, and who was its Creator.” Let us sing as we go.
May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take
away the joy of our hope. (ls 243-244)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
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in memoriam
Come to me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest.
—matthew 11:28
ateneo.edu/alumni/memoriam
August 4, 2015
Antonio “Tony” P. Ampil
gs ’63, hs ’67
August 17, 2015
Hon. Agapito “Butz” A. Aquino
hs ’55
August 20, 2015
Atty. Hector D. Domondon
hs ’73, ab Eco ’77, llb ’82
Fr. Robert “Bob” J. Suchan, sj
August 26, 2015
Jaime “Jimmy” L. Unchuan
former Senator and 2nd District Congressman from Makati
Ramon Ma. “Chito” G. Gonzalez Jr.
gs ’66, hs ’70
gs ’60, hs ’64, bs Eco ’68
September 5, 2015
Luis “Totit” P. Olivares Jr.
gs ’48, hs ’52, ab ’56
September 7, 2015
Joebert Y. Pe
bs Mgt ’90
September 9, 2015
Fr. Felix Wenceslao “Chito” D. Unson, sj hs ’54, ma Educ ’70
September 11, 2015 Rene V. Palma
gs ’62, hs ’66, ab Eco ’70
September 14, 2015 Atty. Eduardo “Dindo” D. de los Angeles gs ’54, hs ’58, ab ’62, llb ’66
FABILIOH!
88
former Dean of the Ateneo de Manila Law School
September 17, 2015 Atty. Alan F. Paguia
llb ’83
September 21, 2015 Eduardo “Eddie” E. Lagdameo
gs ’58, hs ’62, bsba ’67
September 23, 2015 Atty. Ildefonso “Ding” F. Bagasao
hs ’61, bsba ’66, llb ’70
September 29, 2015 Maria Carmen “Karen” V. de la Cruz
abca ’81, ma Psy ’92
October 5, 2015
Atty. Joker P. Arroyo
aapl ’48
October 6, 2015
Winston “Winnie” R. Ungson
hs ’70
October 13, 2015
Augusto “Tito” B. Sunico
gs ’41, hs ’46, aapl ’48
former Executive Secretary, Congressman from Makati, and Senator
Victor “Vic” R. Salak
bsbm ’81
October 18, 2015
Sergio Francis P. Mabunay
ab Eu ’2007
October 28, 2015
Dr. Manuel Jose “Bangy” C. Dioquino Jr. hs ’77, phd Psy 2001
November 7, 2015
Quintin “Ting” P. San Diego
gs ’54
November 10, 2015 James Romulo “Jim” D. Ayson
gs ’75, hs ’79, bsbm ’83
November 18, 2015 Antonio “Tony” C. Ongpin
ab Psy ’72
Photos by Alo Lantin / Lights for Hope.
As
Kingfishers
Catch
Fire
gerard manley hopkins , sj
Saint Beuno’s College
North Wales
1877
As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves—goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying Whát I dó is me: for that I came.
I say móre: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: thát keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God’s eye what in eye he is—
Chríst—for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.
Photo by Vic Baltazar, sj.
Collared Kingfisher
(Todirhamphus chloris)
at the Jesuit Residence,
inside the Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights Campus.

Fabilioh 2 - Ateneo de Manila University

Transcription

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