to the argonauts

This is to be a Seniors' Night but through some divine inspiration of which the inventor of this title prided himself we now call this the Sailors' Night. This new name was coined by no other than Dominic (Tanedo), our most frugal and unearthly comedian. His logic runs this way: since the Argonauts were legendary sailors and the word sailors rhymed with seniors, he thought it appropriate to call it Sailors' Night instead of Seniors' Night – ha ha ha what a stroke of genius! If this is ingenuity I could only imagine what stupidity is in this seminary. I hope the graduates won’t end up as Marineros in John B. Lacson.

But coming to one’s senses this can indeed be a stroke of genius. Since the Bridge Builders are gone, the Pontifex, last year, we need sailors to cross rivers and seas to get where we need to go as a community. And besides, our calling is a calling to become fishers of men, and by profession fishermen and sailors fall under the same category. A stroke of genius indeed! There should be an award for the corniest but most profound thinker and Dominic should be given this award after Maynard. But anyway that would be going ahead of the story.

So here we are again. With Nino, Ladio, and Maynard this is my eighth seniors’ night in this seminary, that is if we could count 2003 as a Seniors' Night. 

This is a night of mixed emotions, I am happy and sad, I want to laugh and at the same time I want to cry. It is typical of my encounter with this class. I started with them resigning from my office as prefect and then starting back again after a year. And in their last year I ended it up being transferred again from prefect to spiritual director. I believe that is exactly the reason why my relationship with this class, the Argonauts, is not that normal. For example I remember holding back Brian, Landoy and Shem. I came out with only Landoy when they were second year, only to push him out when I became a prefect once more in their third year. I admit, it was a difficult relationship. You don’t only handle 9 people, you practically handle 9 different worlds. And so on this Seniors’, I mean Sailors’ Night, I go on with the tradition of describing my relationship with them using the alphabet as my guide.

I ended last year with A, B and C, and now I continue with letter D.

D – daw - daw Ati nga daw Hapon. Tomas. he is our closest contact with Philippine history. That we were once an Austro-Polynesian race driven out by the Malay Race for a golden salakot and a very long golden necklace, the same attitude which explains why Filipinos nowadays sell their country for borloloys. And Tomas is also a living testimony that once in our history we were overran by the Japanese Imperial Army. And so when Tomas passes by, stand erect and dignified, for history may be passing us by.

Tomas is a diligent worker always remaining in the background but just the same working diligently and silently. He never had any big role in the community. He was always the sacrificial lamb of the Council when it comes to selecting the best person who needs the job most. He was always by-passed with the reason that Tomas is alright, he can fend for himself and there are others who need this job more than him.

E – Erryl, actually I chose Exam as in Civil Service Exams. This year's Civil Service exams is I think the most memorable Civil Service Exams in Philippine history.

Erryl will be remembered by his many famous or should I say infamous statements. One time when we were calling him pre (pre, pre, pre - short for pare - compadre), he got so mad he wanted it immediately abolished. So the community agreed and placed on the freeboard a declaration abolishing everything related to pre – dulaon ang pre-college, ihaboy ang “pre”-board, wala na “pre”-day kag wala man “pre”-aft.  The latest was what he said to the community which instantly became a hit – tungod kay wala may naga ako kon sin-o ang nangawat inako niya nga m***** sia. Terrible, que horror! But Erryl is one of a kind and probably that’s the mishap if you’re one of a kind. He has always a mind of his own which may prove to be quite difficult if you happen to be his SD or his diad. You have to be in the inner circle of the Blessed Trinity to understand him at times. That may be the reason why for his SD he chose Fr. Richard who has the patience of Job and for his diad he chose Maynard, the Lord himself.

E rryl had been appointed lex. He wanted to put order in the community the way he kept his bed and his locker in order - spick and span. Erryl got into a difficult conflict when he insisted on standing on his own principles and he was almost sent out a la Ala, I mean a la J***** Ala. Sometimes I can’t help but get irritated with him. He feels he can control, he feels he is the master of everything, he feels he is on top of everything. But if you have gone through what he has been through you will come to know him as one lovable person. Erryl is one guy I have learned to care for, though I admit I was a bit late.

F - feeling secure, that's how I felt whenever  I'm with Al Sonza – I have always felt secure around Al.  He does not impose himself too much.  He knows what I want.  He came to know what I expected.  In a class of 9 worlds he is like the gravity that connects us all, the pull where we can converge and unite.  Thank you Al.

G - good old Randy – Randy is my perennial suki during the IC last year. He would knock at my door and barge in without an appointment. And looking back I wonder how he ever did that and why on earth have I permitted that. Randy is one person who really values his formation. It is a quality which I believe must be present in all of his. And what is that quality? It is the capacity to say, the three magic words in formation – "please help me."  Our formation program could not resolve all your issues even if we are that ma-id-id. But if we have formed that very important quality of asking for help when help is needed, the church would be a lot safer in her ministers.

H ******

I – Insik, Chinese new year, Chinese chorizo, Chinese community – Ladio. I met Ladio a year and a half ago. He was already here for the past seven years then. That was the year when we became friends. He is the only person who would dare approach me at the height of my infamous wrath, and when he comes he would hit me right in the heart which explains why I can instantly calm down and recover a more serene demeanor. Ladio is a head person. I am a heart person and probably that is the reason why he balances my extremes.

J ack, if there is one person I feel so guilty about in the way I treated him it would be Jack. I still can’t reconcile with the thought in the way I reacted to him during those years. A year ago I wanted to reconcile with him but I don’t know how. So I got this weird idea of easing out Maynard from the library so that I can put him there. I told him Jack there are two things I value so much in this seminary – the first things are the things in liturgy, the second are the book. I am giving you the library because I want to tell you that I trust you, I trust you. I don’t know what effect it had on him. So I continued to resent my actuations towards him until at last he gave me a hint that he has finally forgiven me. In Bohol he was so desperate he no longer had any load for his cellphone. Getting my chance I offered him pasa load, in fact I gave him 200 pesos. And there and then he forgave me and we became friends again. If only he told me a year ago that his forgiveness is worth 200 pesos only I could not have gone into so much trouble.

Jack is one good person though there were times that I refused to see these goodness in him. He was a good lex, he was a good student, he is a good person.

K ing – you have called King by so many names. You call him "alcoholic" since he uses a lot of alcohol during those times he doesn’t take a bath; you called him once an SC a "Smooth Criminal" kay pino sia magdala - a characteristic he has passed on, I have heard, to E***** Perez. I call him my driver, my confidant, and one of my very best friends. We never really got to talk much probably because we have learned to understand each other in our silence. I can only say that when things happen King was there. He was there by my side when I cried like a baby at the side walk after a bout of frustration with my work in the seminary. I knew we became friends when we would pass each other in the pasillo and avoid each other's gaze. We disagreed on a lot of things though, but I know, because that is what I also feel for him, that he respects me for who I am and for what I believe in as his formator.

L – the lord, in small letter. He never talked before and we would prod him to speak his mind. In fact it was one long exercise which I have to deal with him in his IC. This time around, however, if Maynard talks, everybody would want him to shut up!  He is the composer of a very original composition even Tito, Vic and Joey would never have thought about – the famous "Christmas Ocho."  In high spirits he told Magalong to go back home to "Pomololok," and he was the only person who dared to call Fr. Julius "paka" right on his face because of his nose! Now you know why I have some guilt feelings with this IC thing. If I didn’t force him to talk it would not have been like this for Maynard and for everybody else who now wants to shut him up. But Maynard is a man of wisdom. He may say it in a way that would make you laugh but he has a lot of gems of thought to give us.