Parada Sillimaniana 2009

The official color of the medical school: green for life and neon for modernity.
Go SUMS!

Pretty ladies, the corps of sponsors

Sillimanian cycling enthusiasts join the parade.
Stay healthy, Dumaguete!

I'm not a member of the SUFA (SU Faculty Association) but I like their banner.

The SU Medical Center contingent led by Admin Bert Montebon on the front row.


(Thank you Budoy Lim for sharing the pics.)

Silliman Alumni news

[Isn't it Ow-ful that I live in Dumaguete and work in Silliman and yet I get an October letter from the Alumni Office in the middle of November? Oh, never mind, do read on and read about the latest in and around our dear alma mater beside the dark blue southern seas.]



October 2008

Dear Fellow Sillimanian:

October is Obama-inspired month all over the world. As alumni of an American-established institution, let's celebrate the making of a great page in history with some lines and pages from the past:

"The pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war - and frequently the words of the pursuer fall on deaf ears." – John F. Kennedy

Trivia 1: All Philippine presidents, from Aguinaldo to Arroyo, have visited the Silliman campus. General Emilio Aguinaldo's speech at Silliman Hall was in Spanish.

Trivia 2: Silliman produced Philippine president Carlos P. Garcia, the class president of Silliman University High School Class of 1917. He briefly took pre-law courses at Silliman and studied at Philippine Law School where he earned his Law degree in 1923.

Trivia 3: The first high-ranking American public official who visited the Silliman campus is Charles Warren Fairbanks, the 26th Vice President of the USA (in office: March 4, 1905 – March 4, 1909).

Trivia 4: Former US President Jimmy Carter came to visit Dumaguete to start the Habitat for Humanity International's 1999 Jimmy Carter Work Project.

One of our very own alumni from Africa is also making waves. Silliman University graduate program alumnus DR. KAMBALE KARAFULI was recently elected Rector (President) of the Université Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs, Democratique République du Congo, Afrique. Congo's new university president is very loyal to Silliman. Her daughter Baraka will be enrolling in the coming school year in our College of Nursing and is considering finishing a degree at the Silliman University Medical School (SUMS).

Silliman University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III was elected as the country's representative to the Executive Committee of the Association of Christian Universities & Colleges in Asia (ACUCA) during its biennial conference and 17th general assembly held at the Ateneo de Manila University. Dr. Malayang as the successor of Ateneo’s Fr. Bienvenido Nebres will serve with the Executive Committee until 2010.

Other reasons to rejoice in October: ZIFF CALVIN Z. MARABILLO, a graduate of the Silliman University College of Business Administration ranked 2nd with 92.14 rating in the Certified Public Accountant licensure examination. Marabillo graduated Cum Laude last March.

The SU College of Engineering & Design, CHED's Center of Development in Mechanical Engineering, had a passing rate of 89 percent in the Mechanical Engineering licensure exam given on Oct. 14 and 15.

Silliman University is building a tradition of gratefulness. Among the five major avenues to say "thank you" is the conferral of The Order of Horace B. Silliman, the highest expression of gratitude. On October 7, Dr. Wilfred Uytengsu, Chairman of Alaska Milk Corporation and the Uytengsu Foundation, was conferred in ceremonies held in Manila. The Uytengsu family gave our beloved campus four landmarks: the Uytengsu Engineering Building in the historical zone, the Computer Center along Hibbard Avenue, the new College of Computer Studies building right behind the Computer Center and the Alaska Basketball court near Woodward Hall. Present during the conferral were Silliman University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III, SU Board of Trustees Chairperson Prof. Leonor M. Briones, Dr. Uytengsu's son Steven, CEO of Alaska, other executives of Alaska, and a good number of Sillimanians in Manila.

The conferral of the Order of Horace B. Silliman came as a surprise to our beloved Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Proceso U. Udarbe who was inducted on his 84th birthday on October 29. Aside from donating a new campus landmark, the Udarbe Memory Chapel, the Udarbe family also supported the scholarship program of the Divinity School. Proceeds of the books of Dr. Udarbe were also donated to the Divinity School. Members of the Udarbe family came all the way from the cities of Cabadbaran and Manila to witness the conferral. The Ating Pamana under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista also serenaded the birthday celebrator. Dr. Udarbe is the only Sillimanian who has been honored with all of the university's highest citations: a Professor Emeritus in Theology in 1991, a Pastor Emeritus in 1995, an Outstanding Sillimanian award in 2002, and his recent induction into the Order of Horace B. Silliman.

We are happy to announce the founding on October 3 of the Delaware Valley Sillimanians and Friends. This new alumni group has elected FLOR MANIGSACA-BAYAWA as president.
"We have evolved not for personal gain, but for the very reason of meeting our inner want to give back to our Alma Mater, the aspirations that we all shared in the past," were among the inspiring words of the president-elect.

Recent visitor on campus was the past president of the Silliman University Alumni Association of Northern California (SUAANC) ROLANDO V. MAGDAMO. He shared the highlights of the 25th Anniversary event of their alumni group that was held on August 30. With the theme "25 Years of Keeping and Spreading The Silliman Spirit," SUAANC pledged to continue standing strong for the love of Silliman.

Reflecting on the celebration, the Founding President NELLY A. JOCSON, expressed it as, "a theme that binds us all together – that of finding ways to serve others." The new president of the chapter, CHARITO BARTOLO LOPEZ made a promise on behalf of the group: "We want to continue and nourish the wonderful fellowship we have learned in Silliman University by continuing the on-going activities of our organization and do even more…." More power to the new alumni groups all over the world, and to those celebrating milestones.

IN MEMORIAM: PHILIPPE REPOSO (AB Anthro '71, LLB '75) on October 29 and VENANCIO BANDOQUILLO SR. also in October.

Thank you for always being there for dear old Silliman. Dr. Malayang has requested this office to regularly update you about happenings on campus. We are also interested in knowing what you and your alumni chapter are doing. Please keep in touch and update your file with our office if you have not done so. We would truly appreciate it. You may reach the President's Office through this email address: pres@su.edu.ph or our Alumni Affairs Office through this address: alumni@su.edu.ph or sillimanualumni@yahoo.com

For a Greater Silliman,

Jocelyn "Jong" Somoza dela Cruz

Director

cc: President Ben S. Malayang III

how to study for the board exams

Well, here's one tip: a Formula Wall, where all the equations and must-know facts are written.

Courtesy of Kira Katrina Ma, the newest, prettiest, sweetest,

REGISTERED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER in the Philippines!!!

Congratulations, Ate KringKring! We are so proud of you!

And by the way, Silliman University has been ranked among the top performing schools nationwide for doing well in the September 2008 licensure exam for electrical engineers.

jude, kring2x, ernie

6 x 5 x 6 or the number of years it took them to finish college

pasayawa ko day

Pasayawa ko, Inday
Sayaw lang sa uban
Ikaw may gusto ko
Nganong ako nga anaa may uban
Pagaksa nalang ko, Day
Di ko lagi kay wa koy gusto

Irog irog, unsay irog
Sibog sibog unsay sibog
Unsay sibog

Sibog ngari'g dyutay

Pastilan nimo, Inday

Pagkawala moy kalooy
Oy ang gugma, Undo

Di madala'g looy looy

Pahaluka nalang ku'g dyutay
Unsay halok oy unsay dyutay
Irog irog, unsay irog
Sibog sibog unsay sibog
Unsay sibog, sibog ngarig dyutay

Pahaluka ko, Day. Asa man?
Sa imong aping. Ngano man?
Ako ay molakaw. Asa man?
Ngadto sa Davao. Aw diay.

Maayo niini maghimo

Kita'g handuman
Unsa man? Panyong binurdahan
Sineprahan sa imong ngalan. Aw diay

Paminaw ra, Undo. Ngano man?
Aniay tambag. Unsa man?
Paghinayhinay, Do. Ngano man?
Ikaw mabonggo. Aw diay

Maayo pa, Undo, palayo

Nalang kanako. Ngano man?
Kay dili ka gayud makadama
Ning akung dughan. Aw diay

Paliton ko, Day, ang imong kaanyag
Aniay lima nga akung ihatag
Dawata na kini
Ayaw diha ug tinunto, Undo
Ngano ba ug dili dili ko mamenyo

Madubok ikaw. Bisan. Sigi na lagi. Dili
Wa nay mupunit. Ngano bag way molingi
Kay ang gugma ko dili kabayran
Ug lima lang ka pesos
Aron lang magum-os.

Tingali unya ikaw magbasol
Niaanang imong hikug-hikug

Sigi sigi na, ha ha ha ha
Aniay lima, ha ha ha ha
Lima kalibo ni, be tan-awon ta be
Bwahahaha wa ka kuyapi che che

* more dance sculptures outside the Luce Auditorium

raise it up

Never let it be said that Batch '78 did not rise up to a challenge.

We are so privileged to have an artist among our ranks who designed this banner for us.


After the oohhhs and aahhhs during our meeting last Friday, we had to make a very crucial decision. Who would have the honor of carrying the above banner (ala-ancient Roman army style) during the Founder's Day city parade? We looked around and scrutinized our able-bodied classmates.

One promptly said, "Who me? I can't carry a pole with a heavy tarpaulin banner all over the city." Another one said, "Why are you looking at me? I'm taking maintenance medications!" Another one suggested, "How about using silky cloth like alpha-geena instead of tarpaulin? That would be lighter." And so on and so forth, they had one excuse after another not to carry the tarp banner on a pole.

Girls (one eyebrow up): "We thought you are SOLID. How come you are complaining?"

Boys (vehemently): "Oh, we ARE solid in all OTHER things. Except that we're too... mature to be carrying poles during the parade!"

Yeah, right. I say, more like LIQUID, considering the amount we've allocated for drinks during the (this is Abe's description) "seven-day, action-packed, high intensity reunion celebration." Well, I hope all this talk is not just hot air, for that would mean the solid has transformed not only to liquid but to GAS!

*muchas gracias, bsmton

class of?

Despite yesterday's banners, I hope nobody got confused.

I belong to Batch '78, gladly and loyally so.

To everyone out there, please make doubly sure you know what class you belong to. Don't be like the gentleman in this poem, which I found at Ms. Ellen Bailey's site, to my delight.

CLASS REUNION

by Jim C. Carpenter

I read an ad in the paper one day
In the Dallas Morning News
All about my class reunion in
A town near Santa Cruz

I tried to decide if I should go
To meet my friends and peers
And see how classmates from the past
Had aged in all these years

I finally resolved that I should go
And see what I could see
And meet my friends from the senior class
Of nineteen fifty-three

I rented a tux and a black toupee
Then brushed my shoes and hair
I trimmed my mustache and my beard
And changed my under wear

I emptied the bottle of after shave
And rented a limousine
I brushed my teeth with Ultra-Bright
Then gargled some Listerine

I soon arrived in splendid form
With a flower on my chest
Sporting a rented diamond ring
And smelling my very best

Now I was dressed in the finest garb
Like a monarch at a feast
When I discovered that no one there
Seemed familiar in the least

Well not a soul remembered me
And my heart dropped to the floor
When I remembered that I was in
The class of fifty-four .

reunion banners

A banner with an attitude.


No, that banner above is not Ours. It belongs to SUHS Batch '73 (5 years older than us). And it is now on display at the Hibbard Fence facing Silliman Avenue, fronting Insular Hotel.

And along said fence is also this banner below which belongs to SUHS Batch '83 (5 years younger than us).

And so, nasaan na ang banner ng magagaling na Batch '78?

Duh... ahh... ehh... coming soon. :-)

minding the manila meeting (and menu as well)

Even as we, the Dumaguete Group of Batch '78, are semi-frantically fine tuning the details of our upcoming 30th reunion, the Manila Group has also been having their own "tapoks" or meetings.

I asked Erlyn, "So, what have you discussed during your last meeting?"

Erlyn goes, "Meeting? What meeting? Oh, we had a very brief meeting. But we had a lot of Kaon, Karaoke and Katawa. (Food, singing and laughter). Hehehehe."

Here's Rolito's account of their "meeting." (posted with permission)

I am again requested by the Manila group to update you regarding our meeting held last Saturday, 26 July. Present were Hya, Evalyn, Mitch, Rolito and of course the gracious hosts, Atit and Erlyn. Mitch presented the sample T-shirt with the print and these will be ready a week before Hya's departure for Dumaguete on the 23rd. As earlier mentioned by Mitch, the T shirt design is simple but worth wearing for our 30th class reunion.

For the Manila group people who were not able to attend that meeting, which happens to be our last meeting before the big activity this August, you missed what our hosts prepared. The best kinilaw in town, the delicious lechon from Cebu, courtesy of Evalyn kay birthday lagi niya, the chocolates from Canada, the aromatic tea from China, the yummy buko pie from Tagaytay and the ginger tea with malunggay from Amlan, bwahahahahaha, the sugarcane wine from Ilocos, the nilaw-uy nga isda with camote tops from new manila, the sweety banana cue, definitely not from Bergado's but from Yaya, etcetera etcetera.

Sorry, guys, but I think it was the longest meeting we had because we started at lunch time and we took pa our dinner. Actually, the meeting lasted for about 10 minutes only and the tabi and kaon and tabi and kaon maoy nakapadugay.

The manila group will host any visiting classmate (local or foreign). So please give us a call/text so that we can pick you up. Mitch dugangi ra ni ako gisulti kay morag naa pa to lain. See you guys.

Such posting elicits a wail from Jun U., hankering for Filipino food all the way from Berkeley. "I am so hungry right now! When can I eat those kinds of food again?!"

Rolito immediately comforts him.

"Jun, when you take your vacation to Pinas, paramdam ka lang hahahahahaha. The Manila group is very willing to adopt you or anybody from Class '78. The D. family is opening their doors and windows? hehehe and perhaps the roof bwahahahahaha for any vacationing classmate. Kidding aside, that was one of the agenda we had during our meeting. Kay usahay makadungog na lang mi from the Dumaguete group that so and so arrived on this date and left on this date. Siguro connecting flight. Or just very excited to see their loved ones. Anyway, basta kung kinsa anhi ug Manila please give us a call or a text and we will be there, naks, with open arms, bwahahahahahahaha. Patilawon mo sa mga luto nga wala sa States or any resto or carinderia. Patented na sa ila Atit ug Erlyn."

And so the banter goes on and on. And it's expected to heat up some more as the grand event approaches. I always believe that part of the fun of any activity, is the planning and dreaming about it.

finally finalized

SUHS Class '78

30th Grand Reunion and Homecoming
August 23 – 29 2008
Dumaguete City

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

DAY 1: August 23, Saturday: FAMILY DAY (and night) at the beach

Debonaire’s beach house, Bacong, overnight, bring families

DAY 2: August 24, Sunday: THREE ACTIVITIES

A. SU Church Service - offering in memory of our dearly departed classmates

B. Community service (Feeding the street children) - Pastoral Center, Cathedral grounds

C. Formal dinner, tribute to teachers - Don Atilano, formal wear/Sunday dress, NOT gown and coat and tie, NOT jeans and tshirt, NOT rubber shoes

DAY 3: August 25, Monday : RESORT HOPPING

A. Jo’s by the Sea in Sibulan – lunch

B. Private Residence in Dauin – afternoon snacks and swim

DAY 4: August 26, Tuesday: TWO ACTIVITIES

A. SUHS Alumni Homecoming - 2 pm, pledge for another scholar starting next school year

B. Ballroom/Disco Dancing – El Camino Blanco, exclusive

DAY 5: August 27, Wednesday: THREE ACTIVITIES

A. City parade- tshirts donated by Manila group

B. Halo-halo – Chowking or Bethel

C. Boys VS Girls : Boys night out/ Girls to spa

DAY 6: August 28, Thursday: UNIVERSITY GRAND REUNION

SU Quadrangle, 7 pm, dinner with all reunioning alumni

DAY 7: August 29, Friday: FAREWELL PARTY, Rummel’s place

Many, many heartfelt thanks to our generous sponsors and thank you in advance to those who would like to sponsor the activities that are not fully funded yet. Just email me or Abe for details.

SALAMAT KAAYO SANGATANAN.

p.s. have you started taking your vitamins already? ;p

a flyer about flying

This flyer was inserted in today's newspaper circulated in Dumaguete:

This is a kind of milestone in Dumaguete aviation history because once upon a time, before Air Philippines and Cebu Pacific came to be, Philippine Airlines totally pulled out all their flights to and from Dumaguete. For several months or maybe a couple of years, I'm not very sure now how long it was, the airport runway became a veritable grazing ground for cattle as well as the perfect practice place for beginning motorists. This was like a blow to us, a little island in our archipelagic geography, because before this absolute PAL pull-out, we had flights to Manila and to Cebu. Stunned and grumbling, commuters from Dumaguete had to go to Cebu or Bacolod by land or by sea to be able to get flights to Manila. Or take the slow boat from Dumaguete direct to Manila, which would mean spending more than 24 hours at sea.

Flash forward several years later, (don't expect exact numbers from me, I'm totally duh with them) and we had four flights a day that left and arrived within minutes of each other! I'm not going to argue with the flight schedulers, I know they know what they are doing. There's a whole Country to arrange flight schedules for, afterall.

So now we're going to have PAL flying MNL/DGT/MNL twice a day. This is in addition to the present three/four round trip flights that we have. Cebu Pacific flies twice a day, everyday. Air Philippines flies twice a day on some days and once a day on other days. Wow, that's great for the flyers. Especially with the SU Founder's Day celebration coming up fast, these flights are most welcome.

I remember (here goes) that during SU's centennial (2001), one or two planes were chartered to fly reunioning alumni all the way from America. Or maybe it was just a whole plane booked by Sillimanians, I can't be absolutely sure of my data, forgive me, I'm not a journalist, and these stories are products of my, you know... fading memory. But can you imagine that? Flying all the way from America to Manila (and transfering to a smaller plane for the domestic leg) and you are all schoolmates in the plane?! What a noisy flight it must have been!

as promised...

You have been warned, this is going to be a trip down memory lane. Especially dedicated to my widening (ang katawan) and wrinkling (ang mukha) yet steadfastly beloved classmates. This movie was painstakingly made by A.C., the teenage daughter of, Jojo G. and his wife, Zeny, who all live in far away Tracy, California.


Painstaking because we were the biggest batch in the history of Silliman University High School, (or so we claim). We were the only batch with six sections (approximately 40 students per section), all the way from A to F. This was always a source of constant jest for us, because those in section F were those who kept Failing in one subject or another. But looking back, 30 years into the future, we're glad we don't go by "sections" anymore, we're just one big happy class.

A little lesson here: being nerdy and "bright" (characterized as being focused on studies and intellectual pursuits, epitomized by being in Section A or B) or being in the "lower sections" (that would be anything other than Section A or B, with special focus on beauty and personality, love lives, brawls and such) in high school was not very predictive of what we have become after three decades. Meaning, the proportion of "successful" and "messed-up" classmates is evenly distributed all throughout. But then again, there would be the factor of How Is Success Defined And How Is Messed Up A Mess Up? And the follow up question of How To Shift Between Success And Super Mess Up And Vice Versa.

But never mind the answers to those questions. The most beautiful thing about Batch '78 is that no matter what section we belonged to before, today and these past years, we have embraced and stood by each other, Successed or Messed, irregardless. So if you're a batchmate and you're hesitant to come because you're thinking "maulaw ko..." Phooeey. Have no more second thoughts. The "official" celebration begins on August 23, Saturday. The unofficial ones will begin anytime you contact us. You know our numbers, right?

The above movie is already Part III, actually. A.C. had made Part I and Part II a few months ago.

Daghang salamat, A.C.!

pasaylu-a

Pasaylu-a ko is a Visayan term which means "pardon me" or "forgive me" and this early I would like to apologize if in the coming weeks my posts will be full of phrases like "I remember when..." or "Once upon a time..." or "Dati-rati..." or "We used to..." and other such goo.

The reasons for this are the following:

1. I'm really old enough to have lots of subjects where the above lines are very useful.

2. It's almost August and that means it's going to be Silliman University's Founder's Day.

3. It's the 30th reunion year of my high school batch.

Number one is undebatable and needs no further explanation.

Number two is something that perhaps only Sillimanians and those married to or are very closely related to Sillimanians can fully understand. It's called the Silliman Spirit. Hard to define but truly palpable nonetheless.

And number three, my beloved classmates are coming home for a weeklong celebration of our 30th reunion. We are all so like looking forward to this, would you believe we've been planning this for five years already?! Yes, ever since our 25th. And of course, every year, actually many times during the year, in Dumaguete/Manila/America we would have our little tapoks (gatherings) and always the topics would include, "What are we going to do on our 30th?!" Oh, we know the answers to that already but we just love to talk and discuss and argue and talk some more about it. Ees such fun, it is.

So let me just begin this "Once-upon-a-time" posting series with this antique photograph of my Auntie Mary, me (way before my high school years), and goodness gracious, you young people, do you know what that behemoth behind us is?

It's the iPod of the 60's!

Yeah, music was not very mobile then. This music storer and player was as big as a ref. And we had it right in the porch of my lolo and lola's house, where I grew up. Since nobody could lug around a full sized jukebox, music lovers flocked to my grandparents house to put coins into the slots and actually dance to the music! I can't remember any of the songs right now but I surely remember this young man who wore boots and a hat, and who would go to lolo and lola's house early in the morning to put coins in the jukebox and do this really lively cowboy dance! What a treat for me, who was not going to kindergarten yet. I was as smitten as any five year old could be. I can't remember his name though.

But here's someone whose name I know and have known for more than 30 years already. Avant-garde and a man of the modern world, he dreams of someday having his very own life-sized jukebox at home.

dance

" Dancing rings"

That's the name of Jose Datuin's stainless-steel work that won the grand prize for sculpture in the international Sport and Art Contest in connection with the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "'Dancing Rings' recasts the conventionally horizontal Olympic logo into a vertical leap of faith, much like a gymnast or a classical dancer in action, to signify both human grace and human solidarity," says the report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

And these here below are "dancing sculptures" outside the Luce Auditorium (gray building in the background) in Silliman campus. The following images will not have captions as actions do speak louder than words. You can make your own captions, if you like. ;p

Padolina and Pacquiao

Headlines for March 16:

1. Manny Pacquiao wins boxing match versus Juan Marquez.

2. Silliman University Commencement Exercises

Here's some info about the commencement speaker as copied from the Silliman Net News. Do visit or bookmark that site for updates on Silliman happenings.

CEU President is 95th University Commencement Speaker

With science and technology as this school year’s theme, Silliman University will have as Speaker for its 95th University Commencement Exercises a respected academician and a notable figure in the field of chemistry. Dr. Ma. Christina Padolina, presently President of Centro Escolar University and former Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education, will address Sunday this year’s graduating class of 829 students.

A recipient of the Outstanding Chemist in Academe Award from the Philippine Federation of Chemistry Societies, Dr. Padolina has extensive experience in research and development work, including involvements in national and international programs.

She has served as Member of the Governing Board of the Regional Institute for Higher Education Development of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, and as Coordinator of the Regional Working Group on Satellite Communication Application of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Up to this date, she is a Member of the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines and the Pre-service Management Board of the Philippines-Australia Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao.

Dr. Padolina, who was Chancellor of University of the Philippines Open University from March 1995 to February 2001, has also authored various publications in both local and foreign scientific journals and has published four books.

A native of Ilocus Sur, Dr. Padolina holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.


.

tWS (the Weekly Sillimanian)

The school year is about to end and my friend, Odie, asked me to savor every issue of the Weekly Sillimanian (tWS) as these next few weeks will be his last as editor-in-chief of the school paper. Indeed last week's issue was special to me, not only because it was Odie's fourth-to-the-last one, but because several entries were of personal significance to me.

1. My son Patrick’s name was there as he is one of the 571 Silliman students honored for academic excellence this year. :0)

2. On the front page I read the news that my literature teacher, Dr. Cesar Ruiz Aquino, has finally launched his second book entitled In Samarkand: Poems and Verseliterations. Samarkand is an ancient city in Central Asia, currently the second largest city in Uzbekistan. Dr. Aquino’s first book, Checkmeta, published in 2004, won a National Book Award under the personal anthology category.

3. Columnist Jan Paolo Bastareche wrote about his voracious hunger for books in “Bulimia for Books.” I can relate to that.

4. Mario Trinidad, Jr., an English major, wrote a feature article about something that hit so close to home because he expressed my sentiments exactly about the craze for the glorified flipflops called Havaianas, which I learned, is the Portuguese name for Hawaiian. When Havaianas floored the Philippines in 2002 I was aghast. The price was not double, not triple, not even quadruple the price of regular flipflops. The price was thirty times the regular flipflops!! O_o It would be quite insane to spend so much for slippers.

But I don’t know, maybe it was PMS or hormonal cycles or was it lunar eclipses, but one day I found myself getting a pair of such. I figured, since my doctor friends were making rounds in it and my literature classmates were wearing it to class, I had a good solution to my perennial problem of costume change from being a physician to being a student of literature and vice versa in the course of one day. But I guess that didn’t work out too well. I hear talk that the medical center is going to impose a new dress code. Bring back decency and respectability to the medical profession, etc. So in my car, there are several pairs of shoes and sets of clothes/costumes, for the myriad roles that I play. Mi coche es mi casa.

5. Here’s a special love story!

There is a new column in the Weekly Sillimanian called "In Retrospect" which features recollections of alumni, faculty, staff, students, retirees about what life in Silliman has been for them. Published last week was this memoir by my friend, Didil. This story is special to me because I was one of their campers when their love story began! (I like how that sounded, like they were camp counselors, which they were, and I was a "kid," when in fact there's not a lot of years between our ages. Hehe.)

________________

By: Atty. Jose Riodil D. Montebon, University Legal Counsel

I am 53, she’s 47. Approaching 25 years of marriage, we have three wonderful children and two beautiful grandkids. We’ve shared a ministry for youth and children for 20 years, we’ve both invested our energies, talents and resources for the church and we’ve been blessed with a life surrounded by warm and sincere family, friends and colleagues. And together, we share fulfillment in each other’s accomplishments and the privilege to serve those in need.

Thirty-one years ago, we were personalities on the Silliman campus. Both Silliman products since early childhood, we moved around in our own little circles, knowing each other only by reputation. Seemingly worlds and a generation apart, it’s a wonder we ever met. But we did and we fell in love!

In the summer of 1977, we worked together as camp counselors for the SU Church youth camp. Seated together on the bus, our new acquaintance quickly transformed into an intimate friendship after the hour and a half ride to the campsite. We became so animated and engrossed with each other, neither hardly noticed or minded the bumpy, often winding and very dusty ride. I have never met anyone so smart, so beautiful and so challenging. The time at camp was magical for both of us, and the Carpenters’ song ‘You’ had special meaning along with Dennis Lambert’s ‘Of all the things.’ So this summer love nurtured and was nurtured in music, and I took to writing her songs… not all images are real, some we see and some we feel; still like children we must be, fresh as morning gay and free…

At the end of that summer, I left for law school and she continued her studies at Silliman. Being apart was unbearably lonely, but our letters, written with the regularity of our heartbeats, kept us connected and inspired. After she graudated from Silliman, she followed me to pursue her masters at the UP. From there, I joined a law firm, and she worked with the National Museum. In the summer of 1983, we got married and began to build our life together. Sustained by the love we found since that bus ride in the summer of 1977, and strengthened by our common faith in God, we have weathered many storms and trials typical for young couples. And as our family grew, so has our love. From a precocious young couple, now gently crowned with middle age, ours is a love which has become sweeter in the prime of life.

Mayet and Didil

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Silliman Alumni News

Here's a letter which I got from our SUHS Batch '78 Website.


Dear Fellow Sillimanian:

We say goodbye to 2007 by sharing with you a favorite line from the musical “Hairspray.” The play became one of the best films in 2007. The character Motormouth Maybelle played by Queen Latifah had the best punchline: “Oh, oh, oh... you can't stop today as it comes speeding down the track! Child, yesterday is history, and it's never coming back! 'Cause tomorrow is a brand new day, and it don't know white from black! 'Cause the world keeps spinnin' 'round and 'round, and my heart's keepin' time to the speed of sound... I was lost 'till I heard the drums and I found my way, 'cause you can't stop the beat!” The spirit in the University is somewhat like this, many changes are unfolding but “yesterday” is not a total “history” for so many positive points are being relived and preserved which feel like they are new gigs to our current generations of Sillimanians.

2008 started on a sad note with the death of Silliman’s longest-serving mission worker (since 1949) James A. Palmore on January 4. The nightly vigils at the Udarbe Memory Chapel became evening reunions for Sillimanians. The Palmore children, Billy Grey, David Alan, Paul and Shelley were all there. There were more gatherings after the funeral which became events for retelling the contributions of James and Mimi Palmore to Silliman’s life. These led to an idea Marietta which was launched in a special fellowship organized by Didil and Marietta Montebon at Plantasia, Maslog on January 12, to create avenues for “Sharing Vignettes of the Silliman Spirit.” During this fellowship in honor of the Palmores, we had fun listening to varied tales of Silliman life. Something like this will be organized in the next Founders Day.

The Weekly Sillimanian started this month a regular corner called IN RESTROSPECT featuring short recollections of our faculty, staff, students and retirees. Published so far were Dr. Angel C. Alcala’s recollection of the quality of teaching during his days at the Biology Department, Ernesto “Buddy” Ravello’s on the frolics of campus kids like him, Atty. Alexander G. Amor’s Weekly Sillimanian days as editor, and Dr. Samuel B. Gregorio’s pioneering works in rabies control in the university. Other alumni who wish to share their own vignettes on campus life may e-mail them to our office.

The spirit of gratitude continues with the induction of the United Sates Agency for International Development (USAID) into the Order of Horace B. Silliman on January 24. USAID Mission Director Mr. Jon Lindborg represented the Agency. In his acceptance speech, he took a personal note that he was born Presbyterian just like the University. Also appreciated was a video presentation made by Ian Casocot on the USAID contributions to Silliman University: $114,285 that made possible the establishment of 19 Family Planning clinics all over Negros Oriental in 1960 under the Silliman University Family Planning Research Office, the P1.5 million acquisition of two alternating current generators in 1975 servicing the Medical Center and the entire campus, the $1,275,000 for the construction of the modern library complex in 1979, and the $1M grant for The Silliman University Center of Excellence in Coastal Resource Management (COE-CRM) in 1996.

Another pleasant news early this year is about the Silliman University Library System being named the Most Outstanding Philippine Library of the Year (2007) by the Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians (PAARL). The recognition was given on January 25 at a program held at the Jose Rizal University Auditorium on Shaw Boulevard, Metro Manila. This honor strengthens Silliman’s role as a leading academic institution in the country. It is the first library outside of Metro Manila that has been so honored, following the library of the Asian Development Bank, the International Rice Research Institute and the library of the Ateneo de Manila.

The alumni had a moment of pride and glory on national television when on a live telecast via ANC last January 23, the Silliman University Debate Society (SUDS) won a slot in the octofinal round of the “Square Off: The Asian Universities Debate Championship (AUDC).” Going against the University of the Philippines-Cebu, the Silliman team impressed the judges with new arguments on an old debate “This house believes that public elementary and high schools should use the vernacular as the medium of instruction.” Noel Valente of Silliman was adjudged Best Speaker.

Globe Dumaguete Manager Jacqueline V. Antonio, a Sillimanian, informed us that the distribution of the MySILLIMAN SIM did very well last year. In 2008, Globe expanded the availability of the exclusive SIM for Sillimanians to include the alumni. She said in an e-mail that the “primary feature is the call rate of P3.50/minute to ALL MySILLIMAN SIMs… and the text rate of .75 centavos/text to ALL MySILLIMAN SIMs.” Our alumni will be able to access a menu of school events and updates, and any office can have access to the MySILLIMAN SIM numbers of alumni in case there is a need to send a “text broadcast” to them. The SIM costs P99 only. Every SIM which the alumni group sells will mean an incentive of P20 for the organization.

IN MEMORIAM (from most recent): ENGR. EMMANUEL B. GREGORIO on January 30; NOE CABANAG on January 28; Butuan-based lawyer LEANDRO ECHAVEZ on January 27; NELIA ANITO on January 17; ATTY. JOVITO CAGAANAN on January 11; ENGR. JAMES PALMORE on January 4; ordained pastor ENGR. DANNY S. SERATE also on January 4; DR. IMELDA YARED FLORES on December 28; PROF. EMILIANO YGNALAGA, SR. on December 23; LUDY S. PEREZ on December 2; JO CHAN of SUHS ’55 on December 1; and LEILANIE NONADO-SITOY (Psychology ’86 Magna cum Laude) on November 12. If you know of a Sillimanian not in our memorial list, please let us know.


Thank you for always being there for dear old Silliman. Dr. Malayang has requested this office to regularly update you on events and activities on the campus and on what the University is doing to continue building up its tradition of excellent Christian learning. We are also interested in knowing what you and your alumni chapter are doing. Please keep in touch and update your file with our office if you have not done so. We would truly appreciate it. You may reach the President’s Office at: pres@su.edu.ph or our Alumni Affairs Office at: alumni@su.edu.ph... or sillimanualumni@yahoo.com

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For a Greater Silliman,


Jocelyn “Jong” Somoza de la Cruz
Director
SU Alumni and External Affairs