SD PortalXtra


October 2012


FOUR continued social sciences. The landscape is new to me and locating some places that retained much meaning and memories was challenging to this old alumnus – and somewhat wrenching to no longer see some of them. I had to see these ―changes‖ from my own prism. And all in four days.


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Lorna Pena Reyes and OSA awardee Dr. Enrico Sobong. Throughout my undergraduate and law years at Silliman, they and countless others peppered (and spiced) one singular experience (mine) on this campus by the sea – years as classmates or fellow cohorts, as teacher or colleagues or friends. On a much smaller cam- pus, Silliman was a place where everyone knew one an- other, albeit in varied levels and degrees of familiarity. It was at a Wednesday jaunt to Malatapay that seren-


Coffee break with Maj. Ragay, Col. Festejo and Col. Malahay and recalling ROTC days


Eugene Malahay (who goes back to my ROTC


years) was very helpful in taking me around and I can’t thank him enough – making the surrounding places in- cluding Valencia and Sibulan easily accessible were it not for the limited time to do so. One can reconnect with places in a cursory manner, but not as easily done with people … and sometimes, this time especially, one makes do at a pace so regrettably brief and woefully compressed. The Beatles had a line about people and places we remember all our lives … and that old famili- arity was in full abundance during this trip, and even though encounters were brief and mostly resulting from chance, one can take comfort that even the long years still generate slivers of affinity with things and people Silliman. For instance, I met President Malayang dur- ing his visit to Lubbock in 2008, but before that never on campus. Came across Rachel and Sam Gregorio at Bethel House – I last saw them in 1972 in Ann Arbor when they were coopted as babysitters for my son Dom- inic. Flitting encounters included Noel Villalba, Jimmy Magbanua, Hope Torres, Ruby Agus, Eve Villaher- mosa, and the Vicuna siblings (Vivien, Florante, and Virgie along with engineer hubby Lionel) as well ROTC folks Col. Bruno Festejo, Major Noel Ragay and Col. Malahay. And at the Luce performance of Handu Lantaw, said hello to iconic twins Myrna and


dipity provided a bonus for my trip – Dr. Rolando del Carmen was hosting a ―tabo‖ lunch for a visiting family group. Atty. DelC (as he is affec- tionately known to those who knew him from student days) was one of two mentors who mostly shaped my eight years as a student, the other one being the late Atty. Teodoro Cortes. And during his breakfast invitation the next day, one would almost wish that such a meal could have lasted hours more. Alas, even more than those who helped spring up brief mo- ments of recall during these four days (e.g., burning can- dles at both ends, wearing my heart on my sleeve, keep- ing the light on at my Woodward room all night. Did I really do all that?) much regret remain because so many who left indeli- ble imprints during my student years have moved on -- Dr. Luz Ausejo, President Cicero Calderon, Estanislao Alviola, Jr., Dean Cortes and the ubiquitous Cafete- ria mainstays Susan and Dadong. This is why, when


Malatapay meeting with mentor DelC


Silliman years coincided with those of university administrators Dr. Calderon, Dr. Paul Lauby and Dr. Proceso Udarbe. A/S dean Alvarez, also a Pan Hellenic sis, is a current link to my student years.


Arts and Sciences dean Margie Alvarez graciously offered to


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