Scriptum 11thissue

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Scriptum Issue No. 11 3rd Quarter 2006

Class Notes Fontana Seminary Day Celebration. Coinciding with the Seminary days back home, August 19-20 were the dates marked by Soc, Liklik, Kriss formerly known as McAbs and Nox for a family outing at the Fontana Leisure resort inside the Clark airbase. Reserved was a fully air-conditioned 3room villa with manicured lawn that Kriss formerly known as McAbs desecrated with Hi-ace tread marks. Friday before the event, the group met at Bo's Café in Glorietta to plan the outing. Soc with Xavier Arcamo and Melvin F o r t u n a t e l y , Liklik was able to Castro floating down a lazy river. contact Nick Castro who was staying in San Pedro, Laguna and Nick was able to help in the planning. He volunteered to cook, having had prior kitchen experience at the Nikko Dusit Hotel. The meeting was quick and simple. Since Kriss formerly known as McAbs was the only one who could not be present for the planning, he was assigned to bring all the kitchen essentials like kaldero, kutsilo, kaha, luwag, posporo, rice cooker, and others. Of course, he wasn't told about it. Saturday, Nox with his family met up with Soc and Nick at the Shell station in NLEX. Nick came with his son, Melvin. Liklik had texted earlier saying that we would be late since he had to bring someone to the hotel. Kriss formerly know as McAbs as always also texted that he would be late. But that was expected of him. So they proceeded to Fontana and checked in at the Villa. It was drizzling, thus there was nothing much to do except to enjoy the coziness of the place. Liklik and family arrived at around 3:30PM , followed in a few minutes by McAbs and family. Soc and Nick were insistent on cooking food for the group. So with Liklik in tow, they went to the market to buy food. By 5:30, there was a lot of activity as barbeque was grilled outside by Soc, Kriss formerly known as McAbs The celebration is never complete a n d N o x . N i c k without the mass. Here Soc cooked the other celebrates the mass with the group in food. But it was Fontana. Leddy who turned out to be a superwoman in the kitchen. She washed dishes, mixed the barbeque sauce, cooked food, arranged the things and cleaned up the place.

It would have been a nice occasion to watch the sky for Mars which would be at spot nearest to Earth--something that wouldn't happen again for the next several hundred years. But it was drizzling that night. Dinner was served at around 7PM. And food according to the children, the best and honest gauge, was superb. Conversation went late into the night. But this time, unlike the Ayeychemes days, less spirits were consumed. The following day, the group woke up to the shrieks and giggles of 1 year old Luke Arcamo who was already awake at 4AM. Soc's plan to jog early in the morning fizzled out as Kriss formerly known as McAbs pronounced some dire quack medical findings that showed blood pressure to be higher in the morning and that's why it was not advisable. He also made other authoritative pronouncements about many subjects including sex. Soc who used to be a hypochondriac took his words as dogma and decided not to jog that morning. Breakfast was served at 7:00AM and a holy mass was celebrated where the batch members were given time to share. They then went for a swimming and came back for a quick lunch. They checked out at around 12:30PM. Before going home, they passed by the Puregold Duty Free shop where they decided to split up from there. OoOoo Song for the Soul. The Alma Mater song entitled “IHMS We Love You” that Fr Yodie Pacudan composed and Fr Jonathan Pacudan wrote, is a certified hit in the IHMS Yahoo eGroup. An orchestral version was created by Fr Arnold Zamora, an MP3 version of which he sent to the group. It is a nice piece of song that makes you remember the Ayeychemes, really. Download your copy from the IHMS Yahoo eGroup website: http://egroups.yahoo.com/groups/ihms/files OoOoo Reflections on a Batch Reunion. The College Batch '78 reunion last July 11-13 proved to be highly successful. Two reflections about the event were written and can be viewed on the Yahoo eGroup website. Those are classic, elegant pieces of writing done by Mannix Cimafranca and by Nardy Concon. Don't miss those articles. Several photos are also posted online by Charlie Ayco. ooOoo An August Celebration. A gathering of IHMS alumni in Manila will be held on August 26, coinciding with the birthday of Fr Bobot Clemen. Fr Bobot will host lunch at his parish, the San Bartolome Parish in Novaliches. Dinner will be hosted by Rudy Sales at #27 Puerto Rico, Loyola Grand Villas, Loyola Heights, Quezon City Let’s hope one of them, Jerome Cubelo maybe, will post on the Yahoo eGroup an account of what happened .

(NB: Many of our batch mates still nurture the hope of reading a classic AlPatens editorial. We will not abandon all hope. But for now, we can only pray and nag.)

SCRIPTUM Newsletter SCRIPTUM is published quarterly by the IHMS HS batch 80 and College Batch 84 for the purpose of continuing the “storytelling” that we always loved to do. It is given free to all members of the two batches. It is also open to contributions from its members. If you want to sponsor an issue, please email us. It will not cost you much. EDITORIAL BOARD: Editor-in-Chief: Al Patenio Circulation Managers: Juntabs, MarJals and Arnold Cespon. Business Managers: Kriss (formerly known as McAbs) and Juntabs Contributors (nga hangtod karon wa pa gihapon makacontribute): Members of HS Batch 80 and College Batch 84.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, Taloto, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines

SCRIPTUM The Unofficial and Unauthorized Newsletter of the IHMS Batch HS 80 and College 84

3rd Quarter 2006

Issue No. 11

EDITORIAL

SCRIPTUM, I, nt. something written.

A Brand of Brotherhood Like pensionados enjoying the fruits of their labor, Nox, Nick, Liklik, Soc, and McAbs are seen here relaxing in the dining room of a 3-bedroom villa in Fontana, Clark.

Group picture in Fontana. Foreground from left: the Akiatan family composed of Leddy, Trixie, Liklik and Alyssa; Soc beside Nick. Behind from left: the Abcede family composed of Miriam, McAbs and Raja. Arcamo family is composed of Tina, Xeth, (Luke who was sleeping when this was taken) and Nox. Beside Nox is Melvin, the son of Nick.

Few understand the different brand of brotherhood that exists in IHMS. It is not formalized by a blood compact, but it runs in the blood of an alumnus. Mao nga mahinangup--when one meets one. It is not celebrated with pageantry, for it was forged in the silent companionship, like during siesta time when we conspire to stealthily escape from the dorm to enjoy the freedom of the outdoors . . . didto sa kalibunan or in silent prayer during times of difficulty. It is not proven by physically hurting someone, like what fraternities do; but it goes beyond the pains that we share for having left family and friends behind and having had no one but each other to lend support. It did not happen overnight. Rather, it was nurtured like a plant over time. Thus, it also survives time. No wonder, we talked to each other during the reunion as if everything happened yesterday. But come to think about it--it was our silver anniversary! It is based on a common love for music--no, not the dumb, repetitive and hypnotic music of the young but the elegant classical music that woke us up in the morning and soothed our soul. It is expressed in unbridled boisterous laughter and even in no-holds-barred jokes that are oft-repeated, where one's failures and weaknesses are exposed,

Contact Us If you belong to any of the batches, whether you lasted for one day or eight years, please contact us. Email: [email protected] [email protected] Visit: http://egroups.yahoo.com/group/ihms Postal: c/o Fr. Soc Mesiona, MCPO Box 1006 Makati City, Philippines

accepted and even loved. And thus one can really be one self without pretensions. It is also marked by a love for the quiet solitude. It even makes us communicate with one another without words. Ask Oloy and RamCims who can laugh at a piece of stick at the slightest hint or remembrance of a person. Or, Soc, McAbs and Nox at the mention of a single word. Yes, there is a link that binds us together, which other people may not fully comprehend. It is a different brand of brotherhood forged in a sequestered life inside the seminary, as we went through the pains and joys of growing up to adulthood in IHMS. (MSA)

Messages “Daghang salamat jst rcvd 10th issue of scriptum, -a sure hit 4 d few & chosen ones “IHMS alumni” Rodulfo 'katz' Reyes college batch '81.” (Sent 1808-2006 04:35 PM) From the Yahoo eGroup From: Jecebu Ceballos <[email protected]> Date: Aug 18, 2006 2:39 AM Soc, Bilib ko nimo ug memory. Sa-a na kaha to si Ronald? Anyway, as always I am laughing and crying my heart out reading the Scriptum. As I said before, I always wonder how you guys could remember these events. I really wonder if we had digital cameras then and have pictures, boy are we going to have a blast. I could picture Alex standing in front of Imok. Jojo with Oloy and Ronald. But, your writing I guess makes it more imaginative to the mind. It also allows my neurons to be stimulated and hopefully prevent Alzheimers. Maybe those blue pills can help, sa-a naman tung sample nga gihatag sa medrep. Para man unta to sa akong iro! Thanks again for keeping the memories alive and sharing it with all of us. And yes, it does make us reflect life and hope our children can experience it in their own ways. Daghang Salamat and please continue although I am still waiting for McPatens editorial! Jecebu

The Name of the Brotherhood By Soc Mesiona It was like any ordinary evening in the seminary, just after supper. The seminarians were leisurely relaxing. The studious ones spent their free time in the study hall. Others went to the chapel to visit the Blessed Sacrament. Still others preferred watching the PBA game on TV. But not for Nick Castro, Rene Relampagos and me who had something else in mind. We had earlier agreed to spend the evening somewhere else, on the roof garden, to do something else, an initiation rite. I cannot recall how we came up with the idea. But the initiation was the first move towards solidifying the triumvirate. Call it a clique stemming from an adolescent craving for belongingness. We wanted to call it a fraternity. Ok, it was a fraternity but one thing was sure. We never planned to do anything illegal. Honestly. We just

wanted to strengthen our bond of friendship. So while everyone was busy

doing his own thing that evening, we were also doing our own at the roof garden. And the timing was perfect because the place was quiet and dimly lit. Nobody was there, not even Gene Eligan who was a regular visitor. Only the stars, the moon, the fishermen's lantern in a far off distance, and the electric lights from the city were sole witnesses.

Rene acted as the leader as he explained the mechanics of the initiation. There was no hazing of sort. Only some rituals of commitment to the so-called fraternity or brotherhood which I cannot recall now how it was done. The ritual did not take us long. Perhaps only about twenty minutes. We ended with a commitment to keep the fraternity a secret, even to our classmates. (In fact, we did, until right now as I write this.) As a sign of our new-found secret brotherhood we had a special handshake that we used whenever and wherever we meet. That evening happened when we were in second year high school. I doubt if we were ever serious about what we did that evening. In fact, we never bothered to renew the ritual. But what would last after that quiet evening at the roof garden was the

You may get your copy of Scriptum at Libro Bohol Bookstore 75 J.A. Clarin St. , Tagbilaran City Tel: 411-2164 Or, download them at egroups.yahoo.com/group/ihms/files

Writing Scriptum In the previous issue, we decided to remove the “sponsors section” since we have not gotten anything from them except for pledges and promises. Unbeknownst to them, whenever we receive a solicitous offer to sponsor an issue of Scriptum, we have made it our practice to list down their names under our list of “Bolada y Bulatik”. The list is long. But we would rather not reveal its content. The other list we keep is called, “Promises Fulfilled”. Up to now this list is empty. So, if you want to be de-listed from the first list, then you know what to do. In the meantime, let the pledges swell our first list. Well, seriously, we hope you will continue to laugh at our jokes and misadventures. But it would greatly help if you too can share your experiences with us.

special handshake and of course the friendship that would continue even when we parted ways after graduating from high school. By the way, we never even had a name for our group.

Looking eastward from the roof garden, a favorite hangout.

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Scriptum Issue No. 11 3rd Quarter 2006

When we were in Second Year College, we decided to go on a tour to visit the home of each member of the class. It was the start of semester break in 1981. There were nine of us including Ramir Cimafranca who was already a Manila boy having transferred to UST Central Seminary that year. The members of the class were Oloy Malanog, Soc Mesiona, Nick Castro, McAbs Abcede, Juntabs Tabel, Mario Ingente, Mario Jala, and me. We planned our itinerary, identifying the host in each stop: Nick Castro in Duero, Mario Jala in San Miguel, Soc Mesiona in Sevilla, and Jun Tabel in Bilar. But first, before we went, we had a class requirement to hurdle. ooOoo The Stage Play. Both our Pilipino and English class required us to write a full length play and to stage the play in the auditorium as part of our first semester requirements. In our English class, our teacher divided us into two groups for the staging of the play. In our Pilipino class, we suggested to your teacher that we divided ourselves into two. Writing and staging one play for English and another one for Pilipino, we thought, was too taxing. So we had better ideas. It was one of those moments when I was inspired to write. I wrote the script for our group. The other group asked if I could make a slight variation of the script for their group. Well, I decided to write another one for them. We then collaborated to translate the script to Pilipino for our Pilipino class. And that was how we hit two birds with one stone. I cannot recall the titles or the exact storylines of both plays. But both were love stories--something we were poor at and sorely missed. Too bad we never bothered to keep a copy of the script for posterity. But, I remember, our teachers were very pleased with our scripts and presentations, even if our minds were somewhere else. ooOoo Night swimming in Duero. Our first stop was Duero. We stayed in Nick Castor's house. To make our stay a little more memorable, he organized a basketball game against the locals. We thought it was a simple friendly game in a private court. We were not prepared for what greeted us. The basketball court was jam-packed with people anxious to see their local bets compete against the seminarians from the City. The first thing we noticed as we were warming up was the board and the ring. The ring was higher than usual. And it was much smaller than usual. The board too was narrower than usual. We couldn't even hit the basket even while we were warming up and nobody was guarding us. We were already terrified at the prospect of losing. But we couldn't back out for we were right smack in the middle of the spot lights. In our team, only Oloy, Marjals and Ingents could really play serious basketball. The rest of us, because of our height, were only good at intimidating the opponent before the start of the game. In actual play, we were good substitutes when nobody else could play. Ramir was intimidating because of his height and massive extremities; Nick, Juntabs, and Soc because of their looks. McAbs and I were the lean players that neither looked intimidating nor competent to play. Before the start, the locals wanted a 30-30-minute game. But we protested and asked for a 20-20 because, we said, we were extremely tired from the trip. Ahh . . . pasumangil! We put up an extremely good fight in the first two minutes. But after that, it was a disaster. As expected it was a lopsided game . . . in their favor, of course. We couldn't even hit the ring from the free throw line. As the minutes ground so slowly in the first half, we silently agonized and prayed for the clock to tick faster and faster and get it over with. On the bench some of us must have been dreaming of time travel. But there was the second half to contend with. As the locals exhibited their master at our expense, the cheering gradually subsided. Probably, pity must have settled in its stead. I don't remember how it ended, but I remember feeling humiliated. So we vented our frustration on the food and beer and tuba served by the Castro family. And we drowned our humiliation in the cold rough sea that greeted us that night. We stayed on the beach for a couple of hours only since it was so cold even with the bonfire.

Scriptum Issue No. 11 3rd Quarter 2006

Tour of Bohol By Manox Arcamo We slept soundly that night, dead tired after a long trip and an embarrassing game of basketball. ooOoo The Walk to Tumok. Our next stop was San Miguel, which in mid afternoon was a ghost town. The place was literally deserted. We disembarked and looked around. It was so quiet. “Are we there yet?” We didn't even know we had arrived. “Is this the town proper? Is this the market place? Where is the crowd?” Marjals pointed towards the west where a balsahan was “parked”. He told us that a balsahan would take us to Tumok. He estimated that if we were to start walking immediately, we would reach their house before sundown. (In my own estimate, a good two and a half hours walk.) But what made me notice was the way they measured time not by the hands of the clock but by the movement of the sun. I knew I was in another world. A huge white brahma cattle pulled the balsahan with our bags on it. I never thought cows could pull such a heavy load. Sometimes we would even ride on the balsahan. But we pitied the cow. After all, it was sacred in other parts of the world. The scenery was so stunning. It was so peaceful. We enjoyed every minute of the walk. Since the cow was so slow, we would walk ahead of the balsahan and scout the area looking for a beautiful spot. There was a slight mound where we could see the blue waters of Talibon. Some of us spent a few minutes enjoying the view, as the cow inched its way towards us. The breeze was soothing as the sun started down the horizon. San Miguel rested on high elevation. The road we traveled was gravel and meandering. There were no houses on the road side. I didn't even recall encountering a single soul on the road. The afternoon was undisturbed. Except for the creaking sound produced by the balsahan, I swear that the other sound we heard was the rustling of the tall cogon. The road winded through rolling plains. Near one of those hills, hidden by the tall grasses, RamCims left a souvenir of himself. And he was quick enough to reach the balsahan before it turned the next bend. It was almost dark when we finally arrived in Marjals' house. We were famished, too. Chicken was hastily cooked and served. It was full moon and the wind was cold. The hot kinutil after dinner was superb. It soothed the tired mind to a restful sleep. The following day, we were again scheduled to play a game of basketball against the locals. This time, we were well rested and didn't have an excuse. Well, we thought we were in a strange world that measured time through the movements of the sun. They probably didn't know much about basketball, too. The locals were warming up at around 10AM when we arrived at the court. They stopped playing, obviously intimidated by our height and bearing. They literally gawked at us as we scrutinized the battlefield and kicked some dusts. It was getting hot. The cement floor was uneven. But the basketball ring and the board were of the right height and size. RamCims stood out for his height. When he came to our side of the court, he jumped high to reach the ring and it quivered hard when his fingers touched it. He hasn't even touched the ball yet. And the locals watching, gasped and gaped. They couldn't believe they would be playing against an obviously superior visiting team.

We warmed up the way professionals do. The locals couldn't get their acts together; they fumbled, for they were watching us. They were even ashamed of touching the ball. They just wanted to ogle. RamCims played center. The other team could field no

one even slightly above his chin. Naturally, when the game started, we took first possession of the ball. I think we even scored the first shot. Now we were playing serious basketball. Unfortunately, if I remember it correctly, that was the only time we threatened them. We never thought that, in such a far away place, they would play a good game of basketball--and teach us a lesson or two. The rest of the game was easy--for them! Again, it was

Dreaming of what could have been if he were not a bench warmer, Juntabs tries an imaginary ball.

lopsided--in there favor. First half we wanted to surrender, but pride prevented us. We blamed the home court advantage. Then we blamed the heat of the sun at a high altitude. We were not used to it. It affected our bearing. Half time, they served cold boco with milk (which must have been a specialty). We realized it was not good when you're exposed to the heat of the sun. Our stomach churned. Napasmo intawon! But we held on to our pride. We could blame the ice-cold buko on a sunny day, but we couldn't quit. I do not know how we finished the game, but all throughout we were all praying for a swift conclusion. We shook their hands after the game, like real sportsmen. But deep within we were nursing our wounded pride. We promised never to show our face in that place again. That was also the last time that our batch played basketball as a team. I can't remember the hour of the day when we started our walk back to Sawang for I literally lost track of time. But it was afternoon. The walk back to “civilization”, as we joked, was quick and uneventful, except for the conflagration that Nick caused. A huge fire was said to have occurred that afternoon and into the night, the origin of which has remained a mystery to the people of Tumok until today. ooOoo The Busay of Sevilla. Our next stop was Sevilla, where according to common belief the only flat surface is a table. We discovered for our selves that it was true. Even the Mesiona residence that stood a few meters from the roadside was hidden from view. For it was on a slight elevation a few meters from the road. And to get there, you have to climb a winding footpath. The area was forested and shadowy. The huge trees seemed to muffle the sounds that we made. Fortunately for us, there was no basketball game scheduled in Sevilla. No, it was not because of the terrain but because Soc probably thought that we have had enough of humiliation in court already. We visited the home of Soc's friends. I am not sure if it was during this particular trip when I recall visiting a house at the farthest barrio of Sevilla. It was almost 6PM when we reached the house. I can't remember whose house it was. But I remember hearing the distant clang of the church bell signaling the Angelus. There was a distinctive character in its sound with each peal prolonged, accented by another before the previous one totally faded. It was calming. The most beautiful church bell sound I had ever heard. The highlight of our stopover in Sevilla was our picnic in Busay. It was the same river that dissected Loboc and emptied into the beaches of Loay. There was a white water rapid. But the current was not that strong since it was not raining. I really didn't want to swim in a river, since I always had the impression that a muddy carabao somewhere upstream was bathing. But it was fun seeing the entire group in the water. I wanted to have a piece of the fun. So who cares about bathing carabaos upstream? Well, we had lunch there, and really had a great time. On the road to Bilar. We were excited to visit Bilar since JunTabs had always been a good host and would provide an unlimited supply of cold beer. In general, the visit was uneventful since by then we were already tired from our trip. What I recall from this trip to Bilar was the overcrowded bus that we took going there. It rained hard when the bus started to negotiate the dangerous winding road with a deep ravine on the right side. An old man with a

sack of goods boarded and couldn't sit. The goodhearted RamCims offered the old man his seat. The old man was so grateful that he thanked RamCims this way: “Ang Dios lang ang magbayad sa imoha, doy!” Ramir who was always quick with a repartee answered, “Ngano man diay? Utangan ba diay ang Diyos sa imo nga Sija man ang imong pabayron?” JunTabs heard the comments and the boisterous laughter was unstoppable, if not scandalous. ooOoo Last stop in Tagbilaran. Our last stop was Tagbilaran. We didn't plan to stay overnight. But it was there where we planned to split up and go on our separate ways. I am not sure if it was during this time when RamCims, Soc, Oloy and I were at my house in the afternoon. If I remember if correctly, we were supposed to hear mass at the Cathedral. A nice, fitting activity to end the fun-filled tour. We changed to more decent clothes. RamCims and Oloy borrowed leather shoes from me. We were walking towards the Cathedral when Oloy complained about the stones on the road. He moved away from the edge of the road. He felt the same way and when he looked at the pair of shoes he was wearing one was flat and black, the other light colored with high soles. We started laughing as we accompanied him back to the house to change shoes. We reached the Cathedral in time for the mass. We met the others. I guess that was how we culminated our tour that semester break.

The pathway leading towards the tennis and basketball courts, where once stood a row of calamansi.

Jokes in Time Kini tinuod nga mga panghitabo niadtong High School pa kami. Ambot lang kun unsang tuiga. Pero naa ra tunga-tunga sa 1976 ug 1980.

Tugnaw nga Siesta Hapit na siesta time, misulod si Rene sa dorm samtang nagkanta ug “Feeeeliiiings. . . ”. Misinggit si Loel, “Bukot kay bugnaw kayo!” Reverse Psycho Bag-ong style sa pag-disiplina ang among nasinati kang Fr Cempron. Gitawag man kuno 'to ug “reverse psychology.” Usa ka higayon niana, na-late si Nick Castro gikan sa Monthly Going Home. Ang ijang silut mao ang pag-gawas sa seminaryo kada adlaw. Perteng lipaya ni Nick kay mao man pud ang ijang gusto. Unang adlaw, nagpaibog pa sa ijang klasmeyt. Ika-duhang adlaw ok pa gihapon. Ikatulong adlaw, reklamo na kay nahurot ang allowance. Nanaad nga dili na gyud kuno mousab nga magpa-late sa sunod MGH. Magpa-print sa Cebu Requirement sa YDT class nga magpa-print ug t-shirt. Ganahan sab ang mga seminarista kay sikat lagi ang mag sul-ob ug t-shirt nga adunay nakasulat nga IHMS. Zosimo: “Deadline sa pag submit sa inyong puting t-shirt ug bayad sa printing ugma sa hapon, kinahanglan gyud mo submit na mo kay adto ra ba kini ipa-imprinta sa Cebu. Ako kining dalhon (sa Cebu) ugma sa gabii. Ang dili maka submit way grado.” Nagka dipo-dipo intawon ang mga seminarista sa pagpangita'g ibayad kay adto lagi sa Cebu ang imprinta. Lisod kun ma-biyaan kay layo ra ba ang Cebu. Ang dili maka submit wala ra ba po'y grado. Sus, problemaha. Apan wala damha makaplagan nga ang Cebu diay duol sa carpentry shop ni Nong Namoc ug Nong Rito. Inig ka human ug kaon, mahilig magdula ug pool ang ubang seminarista.

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Namatikdan nila nga aduna'y sige'g trabaho diha sa may carpentry shop. Haskang buanga. Si Pacheco man diay ang busy kayo nga sige'g imprenta sa among t-shirt nga abi namo'g gipadala sa Cebu. Maayo pud mangilad si Zosimo da! May he rest in peace. Apan, sa kaayo sa mga seminarista, wala gyud pud nila supha si Zosimo mahitungod sa pag-imprenta. Gisakyan lang. Ang uban naghatag ug putting t-shirt kang Pacheco aron maoy himoong trapohan. Ang resulta, multi-colored psychedelic design nga maoy nauso sa seminaryo adtong panahuna. Wala intawon kahibalo si Zosimo nga didto gihimo ang psychedelic-designed tshirts sa ija pong printer . . . sa Cebu, duol sa kwarto ni Eli nga anak ni Nong Namoc. Makapila Oras kadto sa klase ug si Loel Maglente nag antos intawon sa pag pugong-pugong pag-adto sa banyo. Gipaningot ug bugnaw. Kay lisud na mapugngan nagdali-dali siya'g saka sa dormitoryo kay aduna may C.R. didto. Gihubo niya ang iyang pantalon, gibutang kini sa ibabaw sa katre ug midali pagsulod sa banyo. Gihuwasan tawon si Loel paghuman niya'g gamit sa banyo, hayahay kaayo ang pamati samtang nagtutaghoy nga mibalik sa gibutangan sa iyang pantalon. Mannerism kadto ni Loel nga magkuot-kuot ug unya magsimhotsimhot sa ijang tudlo. Timing pud nga dihang ijang gisulob ang ijang pantaloon ug unja nagsimhot-simhot, kalit ug guho si Fr. Lopena. Fr. Lopena: (medyo dang singhag nga nag tudlo kang Loel) “ LOEL!!!” Loel, nataranta, ang ijang tudlo naa sa ijang ilong: “Pa-padddreee…?” Fr. Lopena: (nga ang tingog pinaguwa sa ilong) “Makapila?” Loel: (nangawot sa iyang ulo, gamit ang tudlo nga gisimhot-simhot ganiha) “Ha? Wa, dre, oy! Nalibang ra ko.” Fr. Lopena: (nagka kusog ang tingog nga style pinaguwa sa ilong) “Makapila lagi!”

A Brief History of Scriptum The first ever attempt of our batch to publish a newsletter was in November 1998 right after our very first reunion of sort in October 1998. The masthead still bore the title Baboga. And it was a single sheet computer printout on a legal bond paper. It was not until the 4th Qtr of 2003 when the word Scriptum was first used in the masthead and the issues were religiously published every quarter from thereon. This time it was done by a professional printer and printed in glossy paper. We haven’t missed an issue since then. We’ve come a long way, don’t you think so? Starting with the issue number 2 an electronic copy in PDF format has been made available and downloadable online. We do not know where this will take us as we continue to tell our stories.

A Spiritual Camping in Bilar by Manox Arcamo Our tour in 2nd year college left an indelible mark in our hearts. So the following year, when we were in our 3rd year, we decided to go on an outing in the forest of Bilar. The first time we asked permission, we used “camping” as a reason. But we were declined. So we brainstormed and thought hard to find a convincing reason. Days later, we approached our superior again and told him that we were going on a “spiritual camping” to discern our vocation. It was approved. There were only seven of us in the batch, namely, Oloy, Juntabs, Ingents, McAbs, MarJals, Soc and me. So off we went to Bilar, specifically to Camp Magsaysay. There was an eerie feeling when we entered the narrow pathway leading to the camp. It was dark because of the foliage that covered the path. Dried leaves crackled under our feet. The air was moist and cold. People seeing us must have thought that we were foreigners-Russian peasants, to be more precise. We wore “leftovers” -we insisted on calling them--from the pile of relief goods we

sorted in Taloto church. We had prepared the clothes for the prisoners. Our Sunday apostolate was the provincial jail in Capitol Hills. But those wooly winter clothes we decided to set aside since they wouldn't have any use for the prisoners in the hot, cramped and stuffy prison. It was Ingents who first thought of segregating them by making a pile of those winter clothes at his side. It was for the poor, according to him. When asked, his definition of poor perfectly fit his own situation--as if he was describing himself. So naturally, he should also be a beneficiary. Well, that's how we got to use those Russian peasant clothes that we wore during the camping. We carried a couple of air gun with us. I had my trusty tirador with me. The place was so quiet; the birds nonchalant and unconcerned as we tried hard to shoot at them and missed. We tried anything to entertain ourselves in the wilderness. We shouted as hard as we could. We explored the place. We made shooting targets out of beer cans. There were two Israeli tourists who visited the camp in the morning. We made friends with them, by inviting them to our makeshift shooting range. They were great shooters. We learned later that they both served in the Israeli Defense Force, with the male companion serving as battle tank commander with the rank of captain. The woman was a lieutenant.

The IHMS logo on the floor of the chapel.The photo was taken last November 2006.

Later that day, McAbs devised a trap (lit-ag) for the chicken that wondered in the vicinity. It was dusk when his trap caught a haw. Ingents and Marjals were our expert chefs. They cooked and served it for dinner. They said it tasted like chicken. For me, it looked like a giant lizard and must have tasted like lizard. So I didn't partake of it. We built a bonfire and gathered around it. We talked and drank beer. For coffee, McAbs was again at his elements. He took an empty beer can, put rice inside, and placed it over the fire until the rice turned black. Then he poured water into it, heated it some more and--lo and behold--we had coffee for the night. The taste was wonderful even without sugar. In Magsaysay camp, there was a Marcos-prefab building with chairs and tables. We settled in one of the rooms, using the tables for our bed. The night was bitterly cold. And we didn't have blankets and mosquito nets to protect us from the cold and the insects. But we slept soundly nonetheless. The following day we had to replenish our water jug. So we walked all the way to Tabel Store. But instead of filling it with water, we decided to fill it with beer. We stayed until afternoon until it was time to go home. There was nothing spiritual about the camping, except for the spirits we consumed.