Showing posts with label Notre Dame of Tacurong Colle. Show all posts

Footprints of a Friend….

(Tribute to Ruel Lucentales)

By: Apolinario B Villalobos

When we were young

He said, “I will be great someday”

I said, “I have the same dream.”

He was diligent in his studies

And even excelled in other fields

Despite odds that limited our quest

That we hurdled to satisfy our needs.

After graduation in college

He said, “I want to raise a family”

I said, “Go ahead, get a wife oozing with beauty and sanity.”

He got a beauty and both raised two children

Who grew to be caring and responsible

Making them both happy and they did not ask for more.

When we met again

He said, “Somehow, I will try my best to help others”.

I said, “That, I hope to see”.

He was braving the danger along the way

As he visited settlements of evacuees.

With him was a jolly entourage clad in blue chalico -

Brave men and women, pride of then Region XI’s DSW.

When he was to be promoted

He said, “Friend, I will be transferred to Manila, what do you say?”

I said, “Go ahead, consider it as part of your destiny”.

Then I saw him on TV braving the thick ashfall of Mt. Pinatubo.

Skipping meals and being away from his family for days

Became just part of daily routine enjoyed by him -

And all these he did without a single complaint.

When told about our class reunion in August 21, 2010

He said to a classmate, “Ed, I will surely be part of our homecoming in Notre Dame.”

Ed said, “You must, as the rest are expecting you to be there.”

Others were told and were elated that at last, he could make it, come what may.

He was excited, of course, to meet classmates last seen more than twenty years ago.

But, a slight twist of his destiny changed all these

When on a fateful day he breathed his last

The day that bore his final footprint on the sands of life

That bore witness to his greatness -

As a struggling youth with a dream

As a patient brother to his siblings

As a loving husband to a beautiful wife

As a doting father to two caring children

As a worker who cares for his colleagues and those in need

As a man who did not fail to look back

To his footprints while on his way to greatness

To fulfill his destiny…

To you Ruel, our friend, our brod, we say:

YOU ARE, INDEED, GREAT!

Nimfa Gromio Castillo: Nag-night Class noong High School

Hanggang Abutin ang Pangarap na Maging Titser

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Kalimitan, kapag sinabing “night school student”, inaasahan nang nagtatrabaho siya sa araw. At, yan ang nangyari kay Nimfa G. Castillo na dahil sa pagtiyagang maipagpatuloy ang pag-aaral ay nakaraos din hanggang makarating ng kolehiyo at makatapos ng Bachelor of Elementary Education at nag-specialize sa Filipino. Ipinakita ni Nimfa na pwedeng pagsabayin ang pagtrabaho at pag-aaral. Mapalad siya at ang Notre Dame of Tacurong Boys High School ay nagbukas ng ganitong pagkakataon para sa mga may pangarap sa buhay.

Maganda ang pinili niyang kurso dahil malawak ang nasasaklaw nito, bukod sa pagtuturo sa mga bata. Noon kasing lumipat siya sa Cotabato City ay nabigyan siya ng pagkakataong maging tagapagsalita ng ahensiyang may kinalaman sa “4Ps” ng gobyerno. Isa siyang tagapagpaliwanag ng programa at dahil sa ginawa niya ay marami siyang nakausap na mga nanay na umasa sa programa upang kahit papaano ay madagdagan ang badyet nila sa gastusin ng isang anak man lang, sa eskwela. Ang iba sa kanila ay nagtitiyaga sa ugali ng mga asawang iresponsable, na ang iba ay “nag-aalaga” sa kanila ng walang humpay na pagbugbog. Ang mga kuwento nila ang lalong nagbigay ng inspirasyon kay Nimfa upang paigtingin ang paghubog sa mga batang tinuturuan niya.

Nagkurus ang landas namin sa facebook nang pumasok ang request niya para sa koneksyon namin na tinanggap ko naman agad. Subalit hanggang doon na lang kung hindi ko na-check ang kanyang facebook kaya nalaman kong teacher pala siya. Tuwang-tuwa naman ako dahil kabilang ang mga titser sa mga kinabibiliban ko.

Sa kanilang school ay nagko-coach siya ng elocution sa mga batang may potential na pinapadala nila sa mga paligsahan. At, para sa mga materyal na magagamit naman ay palagi din siyang kumukunsulta kay Ding Lazado na dati niyang teacher sa Notre Dame. Nakapagpanalo na si Nimfa ng pambato ng school nila na tinuruan, gamit ang isang isinulat ni Ding Lazado.

Angkan ng mga madasalin ang kinabibilangan ni Nimfa na nakatira sa New Isabela, isang barangay ng Tacurong at nagtuturo sa isang private prep school.  Kamag-anak din niya si Amor Taganas na  assistant ng kura paruko ng San Pedro Calungsod parish. Pareho silang tahimik lang kung magtrabaho, kimi, at mapagpakumbaba.

Kung paghubog ng ugali ng bata ang pag-uusapan, dapat ang titser na maghuhubog ay kakikitaan ng mga ugaling kailangan ng bata upang maging makabuluhang mamamayan ng bansa habang lumalaki siya….at yan ang pinapakita ni Nimfa. Pareho kami ng pananaw na dapat ang sistema ng edukasyon ay maibalik sa dati….kung saan, nagagamit uli ang mga libro at ang layunin ng mga ito ay upang makatulong sa mga bata, hindi magpakuba o magpahirap dahil sa dami ng binibitbit tuwing papasok sa eskwela.

Ms. Bernardita S. Paclibar and Ms. Nenita P. Bernardo

…my beloved cousins, my strict teachers

By Apolinario Villalobos

Looking back to the days when I was young, I fondly recall my cousins who have been part of my growing up. One was “Ms. Paclibar”, a cousin who was also my teacher in Grade Three, and who was known for her strictness. She was fair, as inside the classroom, I was treated as just one of her pupils. I also experienced spanking and ear-pinching. But every time I visited my “lola” Sayong, their mother, she would offer me fruits from their yard, especially, ripe guavas. If none has been picked on that day, she would tell her younger sister, Heidi (but I fondly called “Lily) to pick some for me.

She chose to stay single till the day she died, as were most of the teachers of the past years. It was a most appropriate decision because when their parents were ageing, she contributed a lot in caring for them. When I was in college, I recalled her hair to have changed color from brownish black into cloudy white, but fitted her mestiza features. That was also the time that she began calling me by my nickname, while I called her “nang Deting”,  as when I was in elementary she would call me in school by my family name. I failed to attend her wake and funeral as I was out of the country when the news of her demise reached me.

In college, a cousin was also one of my teachers, “Ms. Bernardo”. She handled our science subjects. A University of the Philippines graduate (BS Pharmacy), she was supposed to be a pharmacist by profession. But after a short stint in such field, she chose to stay put in our town and teach in the only Catholic school, the Notre Dame. Practically, she was among the pioneers of the school together with the Canzanas, Jamorabons, Romeros, Josefina Lechonsito, and, Mr. Nicolo who later became principal of the Tacurong Pilot School.

As a science teacher she was in-charge of the school “laboratory” with its donated few microscopes, few boxes of thin crystal slides, preserved insect specimen in jars of formalin, and science reference books. It was in that sparsely –furnished room where I saw my first amoeba and other flagellates, cross section of leaves and stems, and microbes in a drop of water from a canal. What took root in my memory was her admonishment of the whole class for the failure of one or two classmates , with a clear reminder that no one can help us but ourselves in order to have passing grades. Being a perfectionist, she expected all of us to pass, and eventually, graduate. We shared the same idea that the school and books can help but intellect is innate in all of us, hence, we become what we are by our own doing...which made me proud of her and our parochial school with its sparsely furnished library.

She exuded sophistication in her tailored dresses, mostly cotton, as she gracefully walked her way from their house to the school and her being slender helped a lot in radiating such image. Her seemingly eternally coiffed hair also added to her classiness.

Their father was our clan’s “Tata” who contributed a lot in making our town what it is today, a flourishing city, as he was a long-termer Vice-Mayor. When he finally succumbed to complications which forced him to stay home, my cousin and teacher whom we fondly call “nene Nita” stayed by his side, until a full-time caregiver was hired.

Today, at an advanced age of almost eighty, “nene Nita” lives at their ancestral house with her youngest sister, Judith, while the younger brother, Nonito, lives not far from them.

Both the Paclibars and Bernardos are among the pioneer families of Tacurong City. But, to my two strict teachers…and beloved cousins, my recognition is more than their being members of the prominent pioneer families of our place. They are among those to whom I owe much of what I am today.

Bonifacio E. Valdez: an image of hard-earned success

By Apolinario Villalobos

Friends call him “Boni”, lanky and tall, though, with a sure gait when he walks. He was the Corp Commandeer of the PMT in high school, aside from being an orator, debater, athlete, and as expected, valedictorian in their high school batch of 1972. Born to a farming couple, he and his siblings were disciplined in the ways of Ilocano – thrifty and hardworking.

Life after graduating from high school was not as rosy as he expected, especially, because he had to deal with culture shock when he left Tacurong which was a typical third-class municipality at the time, to live in Manila, where he took BS General which he finished in 1976. It prepared him for a medical course which he finished in the Lyceum Northwestern University of Dagupan in 1980.

He went back to Manila in 1981 for an internship at Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center and later transferred to another hospital in Teresa, Rizal, then moved on to the Medical Center- Manila. During those years, he sold drugs on the side, the earnings from which augmented his meager allowance as an intern. Finally, he was taken in, as a company physician by the First Holdings Company, his first full-time job.

To enhance his calling, he took up Anesthesiology as a Fellow at the University of the Philippines Anesthesiologist Center for Western Pacific. His endeavor pushed him further when he got employed at the Ministry of Health, in the Sultanate of Oman where he honed his medical profession from 1987 to 1991. Another opportunity knocked at his door, this time, a better job in the United States, but he opted to go home to Tacurong where he had been dreaming to build a school.

To better prepare himself as an educator in the field of medicine, he took time to refine his skill in anesthesiology in the different hospitals of Tacurong, neighboring towns, as well as, the Davao Medical Center, now, the Southern Philippines Medical Center, a high-tech medical facility in Davao City. During his stint at the aforementioned medical center in Davao City, he sacrificed going home Tacurong on weekends to be with his family.

His struggle paid off when he finally established his school, the VMMC in 2002, with a system derived from what is currently prevailing in the United States. Initially, the VMMC trained caregivers for Canada where he had established tie-ups with healthcare agencies. The long-ranged planning of Dr. Valdez, earned for VMMC a reputation as the first institution in the province of Sultan Kudarat to offer an immediate employment abroad after several months of training. Today, the VMMC also offers basic education and TESDA courses, aside from functioning as a hospital.

In recognition for his achievements, he is currently involved in the different undertakings that pertain to education, health care, and medicine. He is the Vice-President of the Higher Education Institutions in Region 12; Chairman of the Red Cross - Sultan Kudarat Chapter; Board Member of the Mindanao Technical, Vocational and Educational Training; President of the Sultan Kudarat Association of Private and Technical Institutions; and Board Member of the Regional Technical Skills Development Council for Region 12.

Over a simple lunch in  an Adriatico mall, Malate, Manila, we relished the happy days in the campus of the Notre Dame of Tacurong College during its struggling days. He also shared with a hearty laugh, his experience in Manila, especially, during the twilight days of the Marcos-imposed Martial Law. He was seriously engrossed in his political activities that his name got included in the “hot list” of student activists. To save his neck, he bid his comrades goodbye and went home.

The indefatigable Dr. Valdez confided that he has other plans for his beloved birthplace. It is not surprising for a guy whose dreams and struggle brought him far despite his family’s financial handicap. Being used to a simple life, he added that he is contented with his frugal lifestyle and foremost in his mind today, is on how he could share the blessings that he earned by dint of hard work. From being a farmer’s son once, he is now an educator, resource person on community leadership and holistic health, and a medical practitioner, though, with a bigger dream….and of course, with his fellow Tacurongnons still in mind.

Tacurong City Patroness: Nuestra Seῆora de La Candelaria

…guiding light of Notre Dame of Tacurong College

By Apolinario Villalobos

The swampy barrio of what was once Pamansang (later, Talakudong), the old name of Tacurong, formed part of Buluan. The barrio was accessible then, via the Rio Grande de Mindanao. Makeshift wharfs were located at Dulawan, Maganoy, and Buluan, according to Mr. Menandro Lapuz who, together with his two brothers, Felipe and Eusebio, came all the way from Nueva Ecija during the early part of the 1940’s to seek their fortune. The road that led to the already progressive Koronadal was nothing but a “feeder road” with its length furrowed by the sledges drawn by water buffaloes. Another “feeder road” cut through the grasslands that led to Surallah via Isulan. A tamer road led to Cotabato via Esperanza and Maganoy. 

The Pamansang of long ago was a typical barrio, greened by the profuse growth of talahib, cogon, enyam and acacia trees, as well as, bamboo grooves. There was a makeshift chapel occasionally made alive by visits of priests from Koronadal. Not long after, several priests who belonged to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) came, to build the foundation of the Notre Dame of Tacurong. Simultaneously, pioneer settlers of the land joined hands in expanding the chapel. The advocacy of the early educators of Notre Dame was not limited within the confines of the school, but extended to the spread of Christianiy, through the first chapel which was yet empty of any venerated image.

One of the early teachers of Notre Dame who hailed from Iloilo, Mrs. Josefina Legayada-Lechonsito, suggested a patroness for enshrinement in the chapel – the miraculous Lady of Candelaria, whose image has been venerated in Jaro, Iloilo since the early 1800’s. Her suggestion was eventually, heeded. The bell followed, donated by Don Vicente and Dona Salud  Garcia, Don Juan Garcia and his wife, Mrs. Maria Montilla, and Mr. and Mrs. Roberto Tulio. The four massive posts for the bell tower were donated by Mr. Menandro Lapuz.

Soon the patroness became known even among the settlers in areas around Tacurong. The celebration held during the first week of February attracted devotees who flocked to the continually improved chapel which necessitated expansion to accommodate them. When Tacurong became the center of evacuation during the unrest in early 70’s, the church was always filled with devotees who sought intercession so that peace would prevail, a call which was heeded, as Tacurong now enjoys tranquility and harmony despite cultural diversity of the locals.

When Notre Dame of Tacurong for boys was established by the missionary priests of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, they opened its gate to all who would like to learn, regardless of their religious affiliation.  It was therefore, not surprising when Muslim youth from Maganoy, Buluan, Sultan sa Barongis, Datu Piang, and Dulawan, donned the green- striped khaki pants and white t-shirt uniform, although, they were exempted from joining Religion class, scheduled novenas and rosaries.

 

Along with the establishment of the Notre Dame high school for boys, the Notre Dame high school for girls was also established and administered by the Dominican nuns of the Order of Preachers (O.P.).  Just like its counterpart for boys, the Girls Department was also some kind of an educational institution without barrier. Muslim girls donned the green skirt and white blouse uniform, although, not required too, to attend Religion class, and scheduled novenas and rosaries.

Later, the sisters of the Oblates of Notre Dame (OND), arrived to assist the priests in their effort to reach out to the far barrios that needed to be visited regularly.

To make sure that graduates of the two Notre Dame high schools could pursue even the first two years of their college education, preparatory courses were offered, leading to Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (BSEEd), Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE), Liberal Arts (LA), and Bachelor of Science in Commerce (BSC). Despite the trying times that tested the financial acumen of the college administration, somehow, third and fourth year levels were opened not long after. The school which started with small rooms to accommodate high school students has metamorphosed into a progressive college, with courses that big colleges and universities also offer.

With the Lady of Candelaria as the inspiring and moving spirit behind the enthusiastic pioneer educators and religious groups, many things were accomplished for Tacurong. What they did set the trend of progress. More schools were established, such as Lyceum of the Philippines and Magsaysay Memorial College, even vocational schools such as Grimaldo Fashion School and Parisienne Academy. The public market flourished and resulted to a more healthy business environment that encouraged the trek of more migrants to Tacurong.

There are stories about miraculous transformation of lives of locals that they attribute to the Lady of Candelaria, but which are kept as of yet, though, sometimes, they are shared discreetly. As a gratitude to the patroness, they maintain their vow to come home from where they are permanently settled today, to be part of the annual fiesta celebration.

Tacurongnons attest to a unique miracle that involved the quick transformation of the once swampy barrio into a progressive town, and eventually, a city. Strongly felt, too, is the prevailing harmony among the locals who are composed of Muslims, Christians and indigenous tribes. The harmony clearly oozes with goodwill, prompting the local government to refer to Tacurong as the “City of Goodwill”.

As an added information, the devotion to the Lady of the Candle or Candelaria, originated in the city of Candelaria,Tenerife, one of the islands of Canary Islands, where it is regarded as a “black Madonna”, hence, the name Our Lady of Candelaria or Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria.  Although, the basilica that enshrines the patroness is located at Candelaria, she is considered as the patroness of the whole Canary Islands.