Archived below are selected postings on our Corkboard section dating back to the inception of our website:

DLSU's UAAP Appeal Letter

Our Green Archers are again in the thick of the UAAP basketball championship competition despite being rookie-laden and the tournament underdogs. They have played their hearts out despite encountering obstacles along the way. Incredibly, the latest obstacle was when they were ordered by the UAAP to replay what otherwise was a won game against UE last Sept. 1. Though our valiant Green Archers have since won that replayed game, allow me to share the letter submitted by DLSU's board representatives to contest the recommendation made by the Technical Committee. This was emailed to me by DLSUAA President Lito Tanjuatco, who is also concurrently a UAAP board member. The letter details what appears to be convincing arguments to overturn the Technical Committee's recommendation to replay the game [as it turns out, there are reports that they actually did NOT do so but were influenced by some members of the UAAP board to do so]. From the looks of it, our Green Archers will have to win convincingly on the hardcourt to prevent the UAAP board from thwarting our championship drive. But win or lose, the overachieving Green Archers should know the Lasallian community is behind them and proud of their valiant efforts!

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08 Sepetember 2005

Fr. Maximino D. Rendon, C.M. President University Athletic Association of the Philippines c/o Adamson University San Marcelino Street

Manila

Dear Fr. Rendon

This refers to: a) the DLSU-UE game held last 01 September 2005 which DLSU won in overtime with the final score of 86 to 83; b) the protest lodged by UE; and c) the recommendation of the UAAP Technical Committee to reverse the outcome of the game thus, declaring UE as the winner thereof.

In our letter of 05 September 2005, we had served notice that DLSU is contesting the protest lodged by UE. This letter presents in detail the bases for the same.

I. UE’s Protest The matter being contested by UE is the time out granted to DLSU with 1.8 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter or following the go ahead basket made by UE player #18. For ready reference, the following is quoted from UE’s Letter of Protest dated 02 September 2005:

“In this regard, we strongly believe that the referees should not have awarded the ball back to DLSU and that the table officials should not have reset the time because if DLSU really asked for a time out and the table officials have acknowledged their time out, then the table officials should not have allowed the time to run, but instead they should have sounded the buzzer and stopped the clock at 1.8 seconds.”

II. The Crucial Points for Rendering A Decision • Did DLSU call a time out? Answer: 1. DLSU Coach Franz Pumaren confirmed to the Technical Committee members, during the latter’s meeting held last 03 September that he in fact called a time out. 2. Commissioner Joe Lipa, during the same meeting, confirmed that DLSU Coach Franz Pumaren called the said time out. • Statement of the Table Official operating the Game Clock 1. He turned off the game clock after UE’s go ahead basket was made. 2. He turned the game clock on again after DLSU Player #11 received an in bound pass from DLSU Player #6. 3. He turned the game clock off again when he was alerted of DLSU’s timeout. 4. He reset the game clock at 1.8 seconds.

[Note: It was extremely noisy at that time. The game buzzer and the referees’ whistle were not audible. Moreover, hand fans made of cardboard were being flung to the playing court creating/adding to the confusion.

. Statement of the Table Official operating the Time Out Buzzer 1. He confirmed/acknowledged receiving a request for a time out from DLSU Coach Franz Pumaren. 2. He confirmed granting the time out request and pressing the time out buzzer during a “time out opportunity” or a dead ball situation (i.e. immediately after UE’s go ahead basket but before the ball became live again)

3. He alerts the other Table Officials of the time out granted. [Note: Under FIBA rules a time out opportunity: begins when for the non-scoring team, if a field goal is made; and ends when the ball is at the disposal of a player for throw in.]

• Additional Statement of Commissioner Lipa

1. The Table Officials are experienced and enjoy his trust and confidence.

• What are the technical issues in UE’s protest and are these resolved? 1. Did DLSU have an available time out at that time? Answer: YES 2. Was there a time out opportunity when DLSU’s time was granted? Answer: YES.

There is a time gap, no matter how brief, between the time a goal is made and the time that the ball is at the disposal of a player for throw in. The latter entails getting the ball after the completed basket, then crossing the baseline to be able to throw in.

The foregoing refutes the contention that DLSU did not call a time out. DLSU requested for a time out which was acknowledged then granted during a time out opportunity. It also refutes the contention that the time out buzzer was not sounded. The time out buzzer was sounded but was not audible given the noisy conditions at the playing venue.

It also explains why the game clock run past the 1.8 second mark and went to the 0.1 second mark. Additionally, at the 0.1 second mark, the ball was in flight contrary to the contention that it was out of bounds. In fact the ball never went out of bounds, it was caught by one of the referees. At the time the said referee caught the ball, the game clock still stood at the 0.1 second mark. What this proves is that the Table Official operating the Game Clock immediately turned off the game clock when he was alerted about the DLSU time out and not because the ball went out of bounds as may be implied.

Finally, protests are allowed to prosper if they are based on technicality. The technical aspects in UE’s protest have likewise been refuted and resolved as stated above. Beyond these, will be venturing into and interfering with judgment calls which as a matter of principle, the UAAP does not allow. Additionally, the outcome of the game was not decided by the time out in question. In fact, there were (2) ensuing plays that followed: a) the long throw-in of DLSU Player #11 which was tapped out of bounds involving UE players # 7 & 10 (game clock starting at 1.8 seconds and ending at 1.0 second); and b) the completed inbound pass at the other end of the playing court made by DLSU Player # 11 to DLSU Player #9 with the latter receiving the ball with 1.0 second left, attempting a shot from virtually under the basket and releasing the ball with 0.7 second left and the red light behind the backboard only turning on after the ball had touched the ring and was directly above the ring cylinder. During the afore cited (2) ensuing plays and the overtime period that followed, UE could have still won the game.

DLSU submits that on the basis of the above arguments there is sufficient reason for the UAAP Board to declare with finality, DLSU as the winner of the protested/contested game vs. UE held last 01 September 2005.

III. The Recommendation of the Technical Committee After the statements of the DLSU Head Coach, the UAAP Commissioner, the Table Official operating the Game Clock, and the Table Official operating the Time Buzzer were heard, the Technical Committee proceeded to view the video tape (also referred to as electronic device) of the game in question. Thereafter, the Technical Committee after deliberations rendered a decision to uphold UE’s protest, reversing the outcome of the game or declaring UE the winner.

Relying upon the video tape, a conclusion was reached that given the fast pace of the play in question, there was not enough time for a time out to be acknowledged and granted during a time out opportunity.

Let us focus the discussion on the Use of Electronic Devices (video material). For ready reference, attached as Annex A are Excerpts from the UAAP Minutes of Board Meetings held last 02 July 2003 (page 6 of 8; lines 36 to 43), 12 July 2003 (page 2 of 3; lines 9 & 10), and 22 July 2003 (page 5 of 8; lines 31 to 34).

It will be noted that it was only in Season 66 that the UAAP allowed the Use of Electronic Devices to determine the outcome of the game but only with reference to validating whether a shot made in the dying seconds of the 1st Half, 2nd Half, and the Overtime Period will be counted or not and if that shot constitute 2 points or 3 points. In no other instance may an Electronic Device be used and consequently reverse the outcome of the game. We distinctly and vividly recall asking for this qualifying statement and to ensure that the same is reflected in the Minutes of our meetings.

The decision of the Technical Committee to award the game to UE is therefore without effect. In this instance, relying upon a video material to determine the outcome of the game is not permitted.

It should likewise be pointed out that under UAAP rules, “…If the protest is contested, the UAAP President shall call an emergency meeting to resolve the protest within seven (7) calendar days from the receipt of the response”.

Any decision made by the Technical Committee regarding any protest is therefore recommendatory. It does not have a binding effect unless the Protested Team waives its right to contest the Protest. In cases where the Protest is contested, the decision is to be made by the UAAP Board.

IV. Related Matters

The following are matters that are related to the issue at hand. They are ancilliary issues which are being presented for discussion and enlightenment purposes and

in case the same are raised during the deliberations.

1. The conclusion made by the Technical Committee (through the use of a video material) is that there was not enough time for a time out to have been acknowledged and granted during a time out opportunity. This is a hypothesis. What is a fact is that there was a time gap between UE’s go ahead and the exact time at which the ball was at the disposal of DLSU Player #6 for a throw in. 2. Moreover, the direct testimony of the (2) Table Officials and Commissioner Lipa affirming the time out called by DLSU contradicts the above cited Hypothesis. On the part of the Table Official operating the Game Clock, he confirmed turning off the game clock after UE’s go ahead basket, turning it on again when play ensued, and turning it off again when alerted of the time out granted. On the part of the Table Official operating the Time Out Buzzer, he confirmed/acknowledged receiving a time out request from the DLSU Head Coach which he granted during a time out opportunity by pressing the time out buzzer. It should be noted that the narration of events and respective actions taken by the (2) Table Officials are consistent and corroborative. It should also pointed out that the (2) Table Officials were invited to appear before the Technical Committee one after the other. While one was making a statement, the other was not present. 3. It may be cited that the Table Official operating the Time Out Buzzer was inaccurate in his reply to the question on the exact status of the ball during the time out opportunity. This is an ancilliary issue. The main and determining issue is his confirmation of the legitimacy of the time out granted to DLSU. He may have been intimidated and nervous having to appear before the Technical Committee. He can not be expected to remember the minutest detail, especially given the conditions of play at that time. 4. There are many similar instances wherein a time out request was acknowledged, then granted by the Table Official operating the Time Out Buzzer (by his actual sounding of the buzzer) but was belatedly recognized by the other Table Officials and the Referees. The following are examples: • In the same game, a similar incident occurred during the 3rd Quarter with 3:52 left in the game clock. DLSU Player #10 converted a basket, a throw in was made by an unidentified UE player, the inbound pass was received by UE Player #5 around the mid court area, then play was interrupted. A time out had been granted/ the buzzer was sounded but was not audible. Play resumed with UE in possession of the ball and the game clock reset at 3:52. • Another example is the 1st Round game between ADMU and UE held at the Araneta Coliseum last 04 August 2005. There were two instances in this game. The first was during the 4th Quarter after UE Player #17 converted a basket with the game clock at 13.1 seconds. ADMU Player #6 then gets the ball, gives the ball to the referee, the referee gives back the ball to said player, the referee begins the 5 second count, the referee then retrieves the ball. A time out was granted, the buzzer was not audible, the referee belatedly recognizes the time out. The second instance happened in the same quarter. UE Player #11 converts a basket with the game clock at 3.6 seconds, ADMU Player #6 in bounds the ball to ADMU Player #12 who dribbles the ball up to the vicinity of the mid court with the game clock at the 2.1 second mark. Play was stopped. A similar time out was granted. Play resumed with ADMU in possession and the game clock reset at 3.6 seconds.

In the examples cited there were at least 2 instances in each game. These and similar incidents are not surprising given the noisy condition of play at the Blue Eagle Gym and even at the Araneta Coliseum.

V. Conclusion

DLSU respectfully submits to the UAAP Board the contested game between DLSU and UE held last 01 September 2005 and for a final decision to be rendered declaring DLSU as the winner with the final score of DLSU 86 – UE 83 for the following reasons:

1. The questioned time out was in fact called as confirmed by the DLSU Head Coach and likewise confirmed by the UAAP Commissioner;

2. The Table Official operating the Game Clock confirmed that he was alerted about DLSU’s time out, albeit belatedly, given the noisy conditions at that time which explains why the game clock had run from 1.8 seconds up to the time he was alerted about DLSU’s time out which was at the 0.1 second mark.

3. The Table Official operating the Time Out Buzzer confirmed/acknowledged receiving the time out request of the DLSU Head Coach and granting the same during a time out opportunity by sounding the time out buzzer and further alerting the other Table Officials who failed to hear the buzzer given the noisy condition at that time.

4. The technical aspects of UE’s protest have been refuted/resolved; and

5. The decision of the Technical Committee is without effect as it relied on the use of a video material. Given the nature of the protest (i.e. it is not whether a shot in the dying seconds is to be counted or not), the use of electronic devices/video material to render a decision on the said protest is not allowed.

Thank you.

Very truly yours

"A Historical Evolution of Lasallian" Author

Hi guys!

Last May 1, we had a posting by the "DLSAANC Board" titled "A HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE TERM "Lasallian"" on this corkboard. The posting was done by one of our board officers to inform our alumni here the etymology of the term "Lasallian" and acknowledged that it originated from among several alumni egroups. Today, we received word from DLSAA East founding officer Bob Gutierrez that he is the author of that original article. Further, he points out the following correction per his original article:

"Please correct the particular sentences I pointed out from my piece: A HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE TERM LASALLIAN, from the way you posted it on your site: "1995 -- a decade already! -- Bro. Benedict further clarified the usage of the term Lasallian: "the term Lasallian came about in light of ..." To my original:

"In the earliest days of the commercially available Internet, back in March of 1995 --a decade already!-- I clarified the usage of the term Lasallian directly with Bro. Benedict. He replied: "the term Lasallian came about in light of...."

Thanks, Bob, for elucidating us on this matter!

Romi Beza DLS GS'72 LSGH HS'76

A HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE TERM "Lasallian"

Here's a piece on the historical evolution of the term "Lasallian" as found in email exchanges amongst alumni groups. It answers the question many alumni have on why we are now called "Lasallians" and no longer "La Sallites."

A HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE TERM "Lasallian"

Shortly after the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools sought to take its fine tradition of educating the poor to a broader level. While the Institute had always utilized Christian laity from the time of its founding, it decided to re-emphasize it in a major way in order to face the challenges that lay ahead. It issued its Declaration in 1967, stressing the need for diversity and unity. Lay teachers involved themselves more completely in students' wider range of academic activities.

In 1976 the General Chapter then defined "different degrees of belonging to what is being called the 'Lasallian Family.'" A decade later, the concept of "shared mission" was introduced when the new Rule was approved in 1986. DLSU's Corporate Membership (De La Salle University, Inc.) adopted the term Lasallian in its Mission Statement of September 12, 1983, referring to a "Lasallian education."

Following through on the 'Lasallian' Mission, it was Superior General Brother John Johnston who mandated, that henceforth, La Salle schools will no longer be "Brothers' schools" but will instead be "Lasallian schools," in his New Year pastoral letter of January 1, 1988.

The General Chapter of 1993 prioritized "shared mission." From a traditional heritage of a mission of Christian education being almost exclusively promoted by Brothers, the shift was completely defined to be "shared" among

not only Brothers but also parents, students and lay teachers without any tiered distinction in their interactivity of "shared" purpose.

The late Bro. Benedict, in a June 22, 1992 memo re: Words associated with the Founder (St. John Baptist de La Salle) and the Institute (FSC--Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools) clarified correct usage of the term Lasallian when he stated: "In a recent Institute Publication, word was received that an agreement was reached with the Christian Brothers Conference, St. Mary's Press and the Generalate (Rome) that 'henceforth and forever more, we will spell them (words associated with St. John Baptist de La Salle and FSC) and use them properly and correctly (as follows): - Lasallian (only L is upper case) - FSC (no periods, no spaces) - John Baptist de La Salle (complete name)

- De La Salle or St. De La Salle"

In the earliest days of the commercially available Internet, back in March of

1995 -- a decade already! -- Bro. Benedict further clarified the usage of the term Lasallian: "the term Lasallian came about in light of an expanded concept of the Brothers' 'shared mission.' (Lasallian) includes Brothers, students, lay faculty, parents, non-teaching personnel, alumni and any other group of people who share the mission of the Brothers. That's how it goes... on Taft, with 10,000 undergraduates, we have only 5 Brothers working in the University... signs of the times!"

One final thought: it was precisely such historical redirections and participative reaffirmations and collaborations initiated by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (FSC--Fratres Scholarum Christianarum) and enjoined by the global Lasallian community in promoting Lasallian values and education to both the poorest and the privileged alike that more broadly spread an excellence in education wherever a Lasallian education is made available -- provided by over 73,114 lay colleagues teaching almost one million students in 80 countries.

DLSAANC Board- Sunday, May 01, 2005 at 11:01:00 PM

Re: These Hallowed Halls

Hans,

You can purchase this through the De La Salle Unviersity Press (at the Taft Campus) or ask someone on this site to do it for you.

It is a fascinating account of what happened in those dark days to the Brothers and some of the families. It is a re-write by Brother Andrew Gonzalez.

These Hallowed Halls

Alma Mater Trivia from Binky Estrada

Below is the email thread initiated by erstwhile-Nor-Cal-resident-turned-Southern-Cal resident Binky [aka Sal] Estrada on the history of the alma mater song:

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rom: "Sal" To: "'Adie Pena'" Subject: RE: Additional Research for "Alma Mater" Part 3

Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2004 23:10:44 -0700

Adie,

One more tidbit about the Alma Mater song which comes from Bobong Velez - the first time the Alma Mater song was sung in a public setting was during the HS64 graduation ceremonies. Bro. Malachy was the HS principal then.

Sal

-----Original Message----- From: Adie Pena [mailto:adiepena@compass.com.ph] Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 10:57 PM To: fscbrd@mozcom.com; sal@estrada.com; cbquirino@yahoo.com; pdtangco@mozcom.com; t_atayde@hotmail.com

Subject: Re: Additional Research for "Alma Mater" Part 3

Thanks so much for all the help, guys. Would you want to be part of the loop as more info on the "Alma Mater" comes in? Just let me know. ----- 1. Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 12:06:49 +0800 From: "fscbrd" To:

Subject: Re: Additional Research for "Alma Mater" Part 3

As far as I know, Malachy died two or three years ago but I will verify.

Br Rafe S Donato FSC fscbrd@post.harvard.edu De La Salle Lipa 1962 JP Laurel Highway Lipa City, Batangas 4217

Philippines

2. From: "pdt" To: "Adie Pena" Cc: "TONY ATAYDE" Subject: Charlie Quirino

Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 19:52:05 +0800

Mano Adie.... the fol-self-explanatory excerpt from an exchange with our bro Caloy Quirino solves the quiz on "Charlie Q."

philip

30 1950 0604

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"The Taft 1960's 'Carlos' you're referring to is my eldest brother, Carlos Valentin. 'Charlie" is my father (Taft 1929), who passed away several years ago. I'm Carlos Felix, Jr. Honestly, we have more than our fill of Carlos'

in our extended family."

3. From: "Sal" To: Subject: RE: FW: 1st Draft - Generation SG

Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 23:55:44 -0700

More about the Alma Mater history and Poyo Chanco.

-----Original Message----- From: Carlos Quirino [mailto:cbquirino@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 07:21 PM To: Sal

Subject: Re: FW: 1st Draft - Generation SG

Sal

Just looked at your email today. Actually Poyo as "second clarinet" and Jun Flores was "first saxaphone". Unfortunately i was "first clarinet" and Band Major (in the D section - much to the annoyance of Jun who wanted the A section to control everything). I do remember the Alma Mater song very well. Bro Malachy taught us the song first (sort of testing the lyrics and tune). When he was satisfied, he then brought it to band conductor - Sgt Mejico to set the music in notes. Although I do not remember Poyo contributing any words perhaps it would be a "myth" left alone in his honor and memory. The song was created when DLS had a very bad basketball team and was mainly abandoned by the fans and students. It was his intention to show to everyone that we were loyal to our players and school even though they lost every game (or almost all). We purposely sang the song AFTER the game, win or lose (and in those days it was mostly lose!). We first sang the song after losing to Ateneo badly. They were puzzled as to why the La Salle Fans and students were celebrating when indeed they lost the game. They left the basketball court as winners and we cheered our losing team who in our hearts were always winners. It is this tradition that we must not lose and it was the purposeof the song and the beginning of a tradition and we should be very proud of our contribution to it. We were the first

ones to sing this song! Animo La Salle

Christian Brothers v. Jesuits

Allow me to share the interesting email below from Bro. Rafe Donato arising from a query from Winston Baltazar LSGH'74 to Adie Pena LSGH'68 that the rivalry between the Christian Brothers and the Jesuits stem from the latter's complaint that the former was using Latin/Greek/classics in fulfilling their original mission of educating the poor.

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Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 05:15:37 +0800 (CST) Subject: Latin Question From: "Rafe Donato"

To: adiepena@compass.com.ph

Latin Question

As we moved into the 19th century, the Brothers who started missions in the United States were encouraged by American Bishops to open schools catering to liberal arts and the teaching of Latin and Greek. This had a twofold purpose: to professionalize the schools and help in the development of the Church in the new world and to assist the dioceses in training the seminarians towards a classical education.

The success of these endeavors prompted the Jesuits to complain to the Holy See that the Brothers were not obedient to their Rule which forbade them to teach the classics or even to aspire towards a liberal arts degree.

At the General Chapter of 1897 the issue of teaching Latin was brought up and deliberated on. The unanimous decision was that the Brothers everywhere should follow the spirit and letter of the Rule and held firmly against the teaching of Latin and Greek in all schools run by the Brothers.

Appeals were made by Bishops affected by this ban to no avail. The General Chapter which was composed mostly of conservative French Brothers saw the teaching of the classics as somewhat dangerously liberal and intellectual and going against the spirit of the Founder in forbidding his Brothers to aspire for the priesthood.

The original intent of the Brothers’ schools was to teach the fundamentals to children and to provide them with enough skills to earn a livelihood. This shifted quite radically when Irish immigrants were attracted to the teaching profession and joined the Christian Brothers in the United States and who helped in the opening of colleges dedicated to the liberal arts. One of these and probably the most famous in his era was Brother Azarias Mullaney who achieved intellectual distinction at an early age. He became the president of Rock Hill College in Maryland and was a sought after lecturer at secular universities and wrote many distinguished books.

Following the Civil War the Christian Brothers and Jesuits in the East coast competed with each other to recruit students for their respective schools. This rivalry for students may have led the Jesuits to complain to authorities that the Brothers were not obedient to their original charism.

Until 1923 the ban stood in spite of many appeals coming from the Brothers in the United States and many Bishops. It was in the General Chapter of 1923 when the Brother delegates were asked to deliberate on the the appeal of the Pope that the Latin Question was laid to rest. It took a Pope to interene in behalf of the Brothers and hierarchy in America to restore the prominence of Latin and Greek and the classics in the Catholic schools which they managed.

Note: A whole volume entitled THE BROTHERS IN THE UNITED STATES 1900-1925 by Brother William J. Battersby (St. Mary’s College Press, Winona MN 1966 413pp) was devoted to the Latin Question. Such was its importance. The above summary does not do justice to the extent of research that had been done to the subject. I am glad I did the research since I learned many things myself…BRafe Rome May 20, 2004.

Eulogies for Bro. Ben

I just received the latest issue of Abot Tanaw, the institutional publication of DLSU. Allow me to share two eulogies that were published in that issue:

BROTHER J. BENEDICT, FSC

by Br. Armin Luistro, FSC, Brother Visitor of the District of the Phillippines

"In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us; to shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace." -- from the Benedictus

Every morning, the Brothers' communities join the prayer of the Universal Church as we recite this hymn of praise from the Canticle of Zechariah announcing the birth of John, precursor of the Savior. It is a beautiful hymn of praise for those standing at the threshold of redemption -- the people of the Old Testament who lived by the love of what they could not see. This is also our Benedictus today as we lay to rest the mortal remains of our Bro. Benedict who was faithful to his God in life and in death.

In many ways, we gather today as the real family of John Wenceslaus Edward Lidinsky, Jr. born more than 76 years ago in Chicago from a family of Czech immigrants. Brought up in traditional Catholic values by John Sr. and Rose, the young John learned religio, mores et cultura through the quiet, shining example of his parents' life more than their words. His father's exemplary Christian life as well as the young John's love for teaching were the two main driving forces of his decision to join the De La Salle Brothers at the Junior Novitiate in Glencoe, Missouri before he turned 14. His 10-year ministry in the Midwest District engaged him as a Math and Spanish teacher, prefect of discipline, guidance director as well as bus driver and coach. But for more than 45 years, he devoted his vocation, his life to DLSU -- the longest-serving Brother in this school and community.

Like the precursor John, he was a voice crying out in the wilderness, thickskinned and fearless as he worked zealously for those entrusted to his care. And for those who had the privilege of being in his class, he was "the potter who -- with deep faith in God and an astonishing love for the people of his adopted country -- dexterously molded, with steady and firm strokes, young Christian leaders.

Like the prophet John, he confronted and disagreed with his students, colleagues and superiors and gave many unsolicited counsels. He did not mince words. He loved passionately and engaged everyone into a discussion especially of those issues which were the loves of his life, which is his own reckoning were the following, not necessarily in order of priority: teaching, alumni, classical music, reading, writing, the Macintosh and golf.

But I was not privileged as many of you who were his former students, close colleagues and community members. One time he told me straight to my face that he did not vote for me during the elections for Provincial only because "he did not know me then." And, I must confess that the feeling was mutual until today. The past four days since I began communication with Laly Herrera about his condition in Baguio City have opened my eyes and my heart to the very stuff of which Brother Josiah Benedict was made. As I witnessed the many loyal alumni, co-workers and colleague shedding a tear at the passing away of their friend, his facade crumbled before me and I was gifted with an X-ray vision of this "beautiful American." It suddenly dawned on me that there is so much truth in a former student's description of him as "the terrific grouch who was full of heart; the stern disciplinarian yet tender father."

For inside this man's heart of steel, one discovers "the tender compassion of our God." He struggled with tenderness all his life and during those time when he gave in, he was squishy. Among the pile of junk email that I got from him, 90% of which were complaints, he would surprise me with one congratulating me for a report I recently made or a homily I delivered and every once in a while he would call me just to ask when I could come to DLSU so we could go out for a drink. He kept memorial cards of all his deceased Brother-friends in his office table.

Today, we know that Bro. Benedict will receive his hundredfold reward among his many former students and friends in heaven. It will be a grand homecoming for him in heaven. But even those who have been hurt by his strong words may be comforted with that one final lesson we can learn from the life of this committed educator, and it is this: that the opposite of love is not hate nor anger but indifference. For he only fought with those he loved. And in the end, he would always give in to tenderness for we all know he was all bark, no bite.

The last time I saw Bro. Benedict was during the first day of our District Chapter last December. He was not feeling very well at that time so when I invited him for lunch at Greenhills, he said he would rather drive back to Taft. He called me on my cell phone as soon as he reached his room at DLSU just to tell me he was safe home. He told me that he used to do that with his mom every time he ended a visit to their house to return to the Brothers' community. I was not comfortable being mushy with him then. But, I remember telling him to sleep well and rest for the afternoon and to take it easy.

Sleep well, Bro. Ben, you are safe home! Rest well, Bro. Ben, you have been a faithful servant and your work has been accomplished! Take it easy, Bro. Ben, for today God's tender compassion has dawned upon you and now you can rest in peace!

A GOOD TATAY

by Dr. Carmelita Quebengco, DLSU interim president and concurrent DLSU EVP

At DLSU-Manila, Bro. Benedict was our Tatay...not because he was much older, more because he behaved like one. He claimed to have had three Litas -- Lita Reyes, Lita Lucero, Lita Quebengco and being the youngest, some people began calling me his bunso.

Some six years ago, Bro. Andrew, the late Tony Calvo and I received death threats from someone who we knew was one of us on the same campus. After reporting it to the NBI, our lawyers told me to stop driving myself to school and instead to get a driver. I flatly refused, arguing that I was no coward and would go when the Almighty calls. For an entire week, Bro. Ben berated me daily in my office for being too stubborn and living dangerously. However, at 10 o'clock at night, which was way past his bedtime, on each of those days, he also called me up at home, to check whether I had arrived safely and still in one piece ending it with a yell, "Don't be hard headed, get a driver."

We did not see each other often, but whenever there were university problems caused by a few people, he visited my office every day. First, he would scold me for having an excess of patience, then he would slap a bar of chocolate on my desk and say, "Eat that so you'll have enough energy, to banish those who make your life unjustly miserable."

This schoolyear, when I began handling two full-time jobs, he came to the office more regularly, no longer to scold me but to just chat leisurely and humorously, realizing perhaps, that the best way for me to keep my balance and avoid more wrinkles on my face was to make me laugh -- still, shoving something on top of my desk, but this time, an orange.

Another side of him seemed uncomfortable with verbally and directly expressing the more positive, softer, gentler sentiments. Last October, a day before I left the country, he was feeling sick and experiencing much athritic pain. I asked him what I could get for him in the USA -- medicine, food supplement, any form of support that could help relieve his pain. He said -- "Call my sister and tell her I love her." When I replied she'd be happier if he'd tell her himself via email or better yet by phone, he looked very embarassed, chuckled, gestured with his hand signaling dismissal of my suggestion and said, "Oh c'mon just do it for me." And I did.

Remembering BroBen

Allow me to share the recent email exchange between Binky Estrada and Nestie Teoxon [from L.A./DLS Boys Club]. Binky graciously gave his permission to share his personal recollection on BroBen:

Nestie,

I agree with you 100% that Bro. Ben's dedication and devotion to education in the Phil. contributed greatly to making DLSU one of the best schools in the Phil. today, which makes all of us proud to be Lasallians.

Please note that there are some inaccuracies in the write-up below. Bro. Ben was not Polish American -- he was Czech-American. Also, he did not go to St. Mary's in Moraga.

I knew his original name was John Lidinsky, as I used to tell him he was a crazy Czech from Chicago (by email only, since he would still take a swing at me now and then every time we got together here in California). Josiah

is new to me -- had I known this I would have yanked his chain about this too. He might pull my leg tonight as I sleep so I better quit it.

Some of you might not know this but Bro. Ben and I worked together in San Miguel Corp. in the IT dept. (1971-1975) when he wanted to learn about computers to start the computer program in DLSU. It was during these years that our relationship transitioned from principal-student to that of a barkada. We did a lot of crazy things after work. I often kidded him that he was learning more about after-office work than computer work. The one event that I will never forget is when we were driving down Roxas Blvd. one late night and we had both come from Mabini where we would hang out with the San Miguel crowd to QA the beer. I was riding in his VW bug and Bro. Ben and I were very, very happy. When I told him I needed cigs, he suddenly turned the wheel, went over the center island, went against traffic, up the sidewalk next to the seawall, and stopped behind a cigarette vendor's stand. I was very badly shaken and yelled at him and told him he almost got us both killed. He turned to me and with his eagle eyes looked me right in the eye and growled, "Hell, we are both killing ourselves with our smoking and you are worried about my driving???" We both burst out laughing like two very happy drunks.

After I migrated to California late 70's I lost track of all my Manila contacts. One day in 1981-82, I received a phone call at home from a kano asking for Mr. Estrada. I thought it was a telemarketer. When I identified myself, he yelled out with his putangina in kano-speak and from that point on we re-connected. He came to the house that evening for dinner and then "ordered" me to contact Sonny Juico and Freddie Garcia who he said lived in the area. I knew Sonny as George's older brother but could not place

Freddie Garcia. I phoned both of them and before I could even hang up the phone both of those guys were banging on my front door yelling for Bro. Ben and wearing their faded Green Archer t-shirts/jackets. I have not been able to get rid of both those guys from my life since (Sonny is back in Manila but we email each other regularly and he is the godfather of my 19-year old son; Freddie still lives in Santa Clara and we are constantly working on business projects, making zero money, but have a ton of fun making fun of others who are making money). Back to my story, Bro. Ben convinced/threatened the three of us to resurrect the DLSAA alumni group in Northern California, which we did, and that alumni chapter remains to this date as the most active and well organized group in North America.

I always seemed to be around every time they wheeled Bro. Ben out of the operating room after his heart bypasses. The first one was at the Makati Medical Center during the mid 70's. I had smuggled in a bottle of Chivas and as soon as Bro. Ben had opened his eyes, I offered him a shot which he accepted with a grunt. I did the same thing when he went for his second bypass in Stanford in the mid-80's, this time I smuggled in a bottle of California wine. The third time (not sure now if this was Bro. Ben or David Calvo) the doctor caught us having our usual after-surgery drink and to our surprise he told us it was okay and even joined us in a toast. Bro. Ben quit smoking about 20 years ago and since then has been berating me to also

quit. I am sure he will continue to do so from heaven as he watches us all from there.

During one of our happy moments back in our San Miguel days, I challenged him to prove that he was really Kim Novak's cousin. He growled that if we ever found ourselves in California he would arrange for me to meet her (of course that was easy for him to say since both of us had no plans of going anywhere near California then). I reminded him about that promise in the 80's every time we would get together in the San Francisco bay area and he did try a few times to track her down and contact her (he found out from his mother that Kim Novak was now retired and living in Carmel, a 1-2 hour drive from the San Francisco bay area) but we never got to visit her. He did

carry her picture in his wallet -- I told him that was a better photo to keep than one of his (quickly ducking out of reach of his swing).

In the early 90's, when DLSU connected to the internet, I was able to contact the hostmaster and ask for Bro. Ben's email address. I was able to make contact with Bro. Ben and we started corresponding by email. It was only after a few email exchanges that he realized I was sending him emails from California -- he thought all along I was in Manila visiting. Mr. Computer was amazed that he could actually receive and send emails to someone outside of DLSU. And that created a monster. He started asking me

to track down every alumni's email address in the US and before we knew it he was sending out alumni notices through the internet. I was never able to get him to switch from an Apple to a PC -- there was some other alumni who worked at Apple in Cupertino, CA who kept sending him free software and getting him huge discounts on Macs. Oh well, he probably did not care to switch because I warned him that PC's required some thinking.

Bro. Ben was a scary high school principal, a real friend, and my down-to-earth mentor. He loved the Philippines and the Filipinos and repeatedly told me he wanted to die and be buried in the Philippines. I will miss him terribly!

I will personally appreciate your remembering him in your prayers.

Binky

-----Original Message----- From: Nestor Teoxon [mailto:Nteoxon@fmt.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 08:18 AM To: 'LaSallian Boys Club'

Subject: FW: [Lasallian_BoysClub] FW: Remembering Brother Ben

Hi Binky,

I love this. What a fantastic article. People like Brother Ben make us very proud to be a LaSallian.

Nestie

-----Original Message----- From: Sal Estrada [mailto:sal@estrada.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 9:17 PM To: DLSAA Barkada List (E-mail)

Subject: [Lasallian_BoysClub] FW: Remembering Brother Ben

BusinessWorld Online. Tuesday, January 6, 2004 Framework -- By Elfren Sicangco Cruz

Remembering Brother Ben

Last Saturday, January 2, 2004 Brother Josiah Benedict, FSC, passed away, at the age of 76, while vacationing in Baguio City. He first arrived in the Philippines more than 45 years ago on September 28, 1958 on a mission which

started in 1911, the date the first La Salle school opened in the Philippines.

In 1905, the recently appointed Archbishop of Manila, Monsignor Harty first wrote a letter to Brother Gabriel Marie, superior general of the Brothers of the Christian Schools asking that a La Salle school be established in the

Philippines.

At that time, the Catholic faith in the country was being slowly eroded because the Spanish-style, Catholic-supported education was losing ground to the increasingly popular secular education established by the arrival of

nearly a thousand American teachers or Thomasites, who were mainly Protestants.

Archbishop Harty realized that only new educational centers superior to their secular counterparts could restore confidence in the values of a Christian education. But, it was a personal letter from Pope Pius X that

motivated the Brothers to finally agree and the American Brothers started arriving in the Philippines with Brother Benedict as part of the last wave.

Today De La Salle University Manila has become the best private university in the country as attested by the fact that it is the only university that has attained a Level IV PAASCU Accreditation. It owes this stature to the La

Salle Brothers, past and present, who dedicated their lives to the sole mission of educating the youth.

There is no more graphic way to describe Brother Ben, as he was popularly known, except to say that he was an institution in the De La Salle family. He was the embodiment of the mission of the La Salle Brothers which is to provide the finest possible Christian education to society.

There are those who may look for the best words to describe him. But, to me the best description of his life was that he was a teacher. His greatest legacies are the thousands of La Sallians that were influenced and touched

by his life.

Aside from teaching, he is best known for his stewardship of the De La Salle Alumni Association from 1978 to 2002. He provided the emotional and physical link between the school and its thousands of alumni.

Brother Ben was born in Chicago, Illinois and entered the Junior Novitiate at the age of thirteen. He finished his B.S. Mathematics at St. Mary's College, a La Salle school in California where Brother Andrew Gonzales would also finish his college education. He finished two MAs: a Teaching major in Mathematics at the University of Kansas and the Notre Dame University.

After arriving in the Philippines, he became the principal of La Salle High School (then located in Taft) from 1959 to 1963. Many of his students became prominent names in business and government like Peter Garrucho, Ronnie

Zamora, Bomboy Araneta, Jose Cuisia, Ramon del Rosario, Jr., Joey Laurel and Bobby de Ocampo.

After that, he became Dean of the College of Engineering and Chairman of the Mathematics Department of De La Salle College (now DLSU). I remember that he was a highly visible personality in the campus. He was faculty adviser of several campus organizations, especially those geared for engineering students. He even participated in intramural games. I still recall a soccer game where I played for the LiaCom team and he played for the Engineering team.

My elbow was fractured after a bad fall when Cheche Olives, of the Engineering team, tripped me. This was a common occurrence during those days when intramural rivalries were as intense as the UAAP games today.

Anyway, Brother Ben physically carried me to the parking lot and put me in a vehicle to go to the hospital. However, after seeing me off he naturally went back to finish playing in the game.

The '60s were exciting times in all campuses throughout the world. La Salle had its first student strike and its student leaders were at the forefront of the First Quarter Storm protest movement. Brother Ben did not exactly share their views. But, even Chito Sta. Romana, who was then La Salle's acknowledged activist leader, today has fond memories of Brother Ben. According to Chito, " He was an icon in his own right. He molded many La Sallians and not just the engineers."

But, Chito had one interesting anecdote. He was able to return the Philippines only after the first EDSA Revolution, after fourteen years exile in Mainland China. Shortly after his return, he remembers receiving a letter

from Brother Ben asking donations for computers for the university.

Aside from his students, Brother Ben's two other obsessions were computers and raising funds for the school. He became Director of the University Computer Center from 1973 to 1979.

He started the university's journey to its present status as the leader in information technology education in Southeast Asia. He was talking of gigabytes and database management years before the term IT revolution was coined.

But during the last decade of his life, Brother Ben's primary obsession were the alumni and the De La Salle Alumni Association. He had been active in alumni affairs since his arrival in 1958 and was, in fact, the alumni

moderator from 1963 to 1969. For a long while, he ran the Alumni Association almost singlehandedly and saw it grow to a network of close to thirty chapters in six countries.

Danding Lucero, a former DLSAA president, worked closely with him in the restoration of the Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament at the Taft campus. He says, "Brother Ben's network of friends among the alumni is unparalleled.

He was the one willing to spend time with them. They were his family."

Brother Lucian, who was his closest friend, said: "No one has ever organized and followed up the Old Boys, the alumni, better than Ben. He has the record for rattling off hundred of nicknames of former students. He has the record for having the greatest number of warm beds awaiting him anywhere in the world when he is traveling."

Danding Lucero once suggested to Brother Ben that he spend more time in Chicago with his mother and sister. His reply was, "My family knows that the Philippines is my home."

Until his passing away, Brother Ben was still going regularly to his office at the Alumni Association and still answering calls from his La Sallian family. Tonight, at six p.m., will be the alumni mass at the Chapel of the

Most Blessed Sacrament.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2004 is the date of his funeral which will be in Lipa City.

Brother Benedict, FSC may have been born a Polish American. But, he will be buried as a Filipino in the country he has learned to call his home. Romi BezaConcord, CA - Wednesday, January 07, 2004 at 12:48:59 PM

The End of An Era

The untimely passing of Brother Benedict marks the end of an era, particularly to those of us who were fortunate enough to have been at "La Salle Taft High School" during his tenure as principal (1959 to 1963). I transferred to DLSHS in 1960, and I was constantly in fear of running into Brother Benedict, especially when I was running late for class!

Back then, we were La Sallites, not La Sallians. Heaven help you if he asked to see your rosary, and you could not dig it out of your pocket! Remember how you felt when he entered the room to distribute report cards? And who could forget watching him play serious handball with whoever was brave (or dumb) enough to challenge him?

Godspeed, Brother Benedict! There will never be another like you!

LSGH Manos Postings on Bro. Ben

Bro. Josiah Benedict, FSC [1927-2004] touched the lives of many Filipinos during his colorful life on earth. With all due respect to Manos Adie Pena, Deany Bocobo, Kaloy Velhagen as well as Bro. Rafe Donato, FSC, allow me to share some postings on the LSGH Manos website:

From: Adie Pena Date: Sat Jan 3, 2004 3:19 am Subject: Bro. Benedict Passes Away [Update 5]

1. We wrote [Sat, 03 Jan 2004 11:33:30 +0800]: "Polie de los Santos [3-Jan-2004 10:05:00] and Tom Borromeo [3-Jan-2004 11:07:46] wrote time of death was 6:30AM, while Bro. Rafe [Sat Jan 3, 2004 10:12 am] wrote 9:00AM."

The explanation behind that time disparity was provided by RICKY SANTOS. He forwarded this text message [3-Jan-2004 15:03:04]: "At 630AM, he was found unconscious in the bathroom of the Herrera home in Baguio. At 9:00AM, he

was pronounced gone."

2. We wrote [Sat, 03 Jan 2004 12:14:23 +0800]: "I forwarded the message [regarding the Lipa interment] to MIKE ENRIQUEZ who was requesting for some updates. MIKE, being the 'imbestigador' that he is, inquired: 'Why Lipa?

What's the significance of Lipa?'"

Bro. Rafe replied [Sat, 3 Jan 2004 18:14:42 +0800]: "We moved the cemetery of the Brothers from La Loma to Lipa novitiate grounds three years ago. The memorial cloisters is the burial place of all the Brothers. The first

Brother buried there is Br. Gregory Refuerzo (72) who died last October of cancer at the DLSU hospital in Cavite. The bones of brothers buried in La Loma have been transferred to the cloisters. The chapel is patterned after the Parmenie chapel in France where St. la Salle visited often. It will be worth visiting."

Maraming salamat, Ricky and Bro. Rafe.

From: Adie Pena adiepena@compass.com.ph Date: Sun Jan 4, 2004 9:20 pm Subject: Reverend Brother J. Benedict, F.S.C.

"An athletic intellectual with thinning blonde hair, alert of eye and rugged in build..." This phrase was the description accorded to Rev. Brother Josiah Benedict, F.S.C., by the October - 1958, issue of the 'La Sallite,' on the occasion of his arrival at De La Salle College, Manila.

Brother Benedict spent his first semester here teaching religion and algebra to sophomores and freshmen and familiarizing himself with the educational methods used in the Philippines. In March, 1959, he was officially appointed principal of the high school.

During his term of office, Brother Benedict made considerable improvements in the high school set-up. He updated the curriculum by discarding obsolescent textbooks and by instituting new methods of instruction,

particularly in the science courses. He also established a remedial reading class to help those students who had academic difficulties due to slow or faulty reading habits.

Another advance which can be credited to Brother Benedict's administration was the tremendous progress in guidance counselling. In accordance with the College's aim of "developing the whole man," Brother Benedict, together

with the Guidance Director, Rev. Brother J. Lucien, F.S.C., devised a guidance-interview program for the six-hundred high school students.

Brother Benedict's administrative abilitites were so widely recognized that he was elected the chairman of the boys' high school division of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines for the past three

years in succession. In this position, Brother Benedict was able to influence hundreds of high schools all over the Philippines.

At the close of his tenure of office, Brother Benedict left for the U.S. on a vacation. One of the things he planned to do was to visit other Christian Brothers' schools to get "new ideas," and to request (for) textbooks to be used at the newly-established La Sallian high schools in Lipa and Iligan, and at the free-school in Bacolod.

Brother Benedict, F.S.C., a keen administrator, a devoted worker and a loyal friend, will long be remembered for advancing the educational capabilities of D.L.S. in particular, and of the Philippines in general.

'Mabuhay' for a job well done, Brother Benedict, ... may further success be yours in your new position.

-- from the High School Green & White 1963

Note: According to the above publication, Bro. Ben was the Principal of De La Salle High Scool from June, 1959 to January, 1963. He was replaced by Reverend Brother S. Malachy, F.S.C. (yep, the 'Alma Mater' bro with the

harmonica) who assumed office in February, 1963

From: "Dean J. Bocobo" Date: Sun Jan 4, 2004 4:39 am Subject: Re: LSGH-70 Fw: De La Salle Alumni Association: Death of Bro. Ben Second to the last time I saw Bro. Benedict, we discovered, I don't know how, that he and I were born in exactly the same hospital:::Cook County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. The last time I saw Bro. Benedict I used that fact to wheedle a championship game ticket from him. What a soft-hearted guy. He sent me one ticket ::: bleachers! mano deany

Miss the old sour puss already!

----- Original Message ----- From: karl velhagen To: bobgooters@aol.com ; dls70@yahoogroups.com Cc: lsgh_manos@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2004 11:50 AM

Subject: Re: LSGH-70 Fw: De La Salle Alumni Association: Death of Bro. Ben

gentlemen of la salle - br. ben arrived at loyola guadalupe last night, about 2230H, from baguio. he was met by members of the community, br. armin, br. dodo, br. hans, br, jerry, et all. my wife mayanne and i dropped by and we were able to be at his side, prayed over him, just before he was embalmed. to us it appeared that he had an "angelic" smile on his face. we were later joined by mike estaniel, and his wife grace, and jing warren. he are some of the stories shared with us last night... last dec. 23 during the dlsu x'mas party br. ben waited anxiously for mrs. lita quebengco, dlsu interim president, to finish the party..he hugged her like he had never done before, and said "good bye"...not merry x'mas apparently he had bought a new pair of shoes and a small x'mas tree for his room..he had said of his new shoes "over my dead body"...when asked if he should have his shoes on when in his coffin... he had re-written/updated his last will and testament sometime in december. we will miss you br. ben... kaloy

In a message dated 1/3/04 5:54:09 AM Eastern Standard Time, adiepena@compass.com.ph writes: From: Adie Pena Date: Sat Jan 3, 2004 5:54 am

Subject: Fw: De La Salle Alumni Association: Death of Bro. Ben

Delivered-To: adiepena@compass.com.ph From: "De La Salle Alumni Association" Subject: Death of Bro. Ben

Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 17:29:50 +0800

Bulletin No. 2004-01 Sat, 03 Jan. '04 Comments and/or replies to: dlsaa@mail.dlsu.edu.ph

_____________________________________

Death of Bro. J. Benedict, FSC

Bro. J. Benedict, FSC, Executive Director of the De La Salle Alumni Association and VP Emeritus of the Development and Alumni Affairs Office of De La Salle University passed away this morning, January 3, 2004.

His remains will lie at the Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila.

Below is the schedule of masse s which will be held at the Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament:

- January 4 (Sunday) 11:00 a.m. to be officiated by Fr. Pat Lim

- January 6 (Tuesday) 6:00 p.m. Alumni Mass

- January 7 (Wednesday) 8:00 a.m. (last mass before internment at Lipa,

Batangas)

Please include Bro. Ben in your prayers. Romi BezaConcord, CA - Monday, January 05, 2004 at 11:01:37 AM

Let Us Remember Feb. 12, 1945

The following is reprinted from the just-released Feb. 11, 2003 issue of the Philipine Inquirer. The article is quite graphic; nonetheless, it is an interesting historical reading not only for Lasallians but all Filipinos as well.

Sense and Sensibility by Bambi Harper

Let Us Remember Feb. 12, 1945

ON Feb. 12, 1945, no Mass was celebrated at De La Salle College on Taft Avenue in Manila because the shelling from American guns was so intense it would have been dangerous to gather all the refugee families in the chapel. Aside from the 17 Christian Brothers and seven staff members, there were four families quartered in the south wing of the main building. So there were over 50 people there.

Among the families there were those of Judge Jose Carlos, Dr. Antonio Cojuangco, including a son-in-law Servillano Aquino, who was newly married to Trinidad Cojuangco, D. Enrique Vazquez-Prada with his wife and four sons, Dr. Clemente Uychuico, the younger brother of Mrs. Carlos and Mrs. Cojuangco, with his wife and children. Shortly after lunch about two dozen Japanese entered the building to begin the massacre. The chaplain of the De La Salle community, Fr. Francis Cosgrave of theRedemptorist Order in Manila, was giving absolution with his arm raised when the bayonet struck Brother Leo who was kneeling. The brother fell against Father Cosgrave who was then stabbed to death. Brothers Lucian, Gebhard, Paul and Hubert scrambled up the stairs.

Brother Baptist de la Salle grabbed Jose Carlos Jr., aged three, as his mother Juanita fell from a rifle shot while running up the stairs. Behind the mother was Cecilia Carlos, 12, and two maids, Juanita and Felisa. Cecilia was shot and died as she reached the chapel doors. Felisa was slightly wounded and picked up the boy where Brother Baptist had managed to hide him before he died. The other maid, Juanita, had a finger shot out but was otherwise unhurt.

At the chapel door were Rosario Carlos, 21, beside her sister Asela, 20, and two maids, Fortunata, 14, and Regina. A Japanese marine shot Rosario from three feet away. The bullet entered the left side of her chest. She remained conscious and heard the shots and screams of terror. Asela and Fortunata were subjected to bayonet stabs and saber blows. Asela's arms were almost severed, and Fortunata was fatally wounded. In the midst of that carnage, Regina merely suffered a scratch.

In a room beside the chapel, Antonio Cojuangco, 17, was recuperating from typhoid. With him was his male nurse, Filomeno Inolin and his father, Dr. Antonio Cojuangco, as well as the newly weds, Servillano and Trinidad Aquino. Although they had locked the door when the shooting and screaming began, Inolin opened it when the Japanese started banging on it.

Inolin was told to run around, and as he did so the Japanese stabbed him repeatedly. Dr. Cojuangco ran toward the chapel but was overtaken by another Japanese. Servillano Aquino was also asked to turn around, but having witnessed what happened to Inolin, he lunged at the Japanese, who bayoneted him first in the chest and finally in the neck. The sick boy Antonio, who could barely stand, was dragged out of the room and stabbed twice.

Aquino's body was dragged along the floor. His 18-year-old bride of one month rushed toward him, only to be shot and then struck repeatedly with a bayonet. Perhaps the Japanese saw that Aquino was still alive, and forthwith stabbed him twice more. Mercifully, Aquino lost consciousness.

Inside the chapel at the communion rail, a wounded Brother Maximin shouted, "They are going to kill us all!" Brother Anthony tried to stem Brother Maximin's bleeding. At the door were Brothers Lucian, Lambert and Hubert. Brothers Mutwald and Victor crouched between pews. Gebhard and Paul were on the floor in the middle rows. The three brothers at the door were mutilated when they fought off five Japanese led by an officer. The rest of the brothers either bled to death or from the trauma of their wounds.

Antonio Carlos, aged six, sped out of the confessional, only to be chased by a Japanese, who stabbed him in the back. The Japanese lifted Carlos' body up in the air and then dashed it to the ground.

Of the Vasquez-Prada family, the first to fall were the three older sons: Enrique Jr., 24, Herman, 20, and Alfonso, 13. The youngest Fernando, five, was wounded slightly because his mother, Elena Loewinsohn Vasquez-Prada, attacked the Japanese. Elena, fatally wounded -- she was stabbed in the abdomen and had a chunk of her thigh hacked off and the fingers of her hands sliced -- fell on her son, saving him.

Elena did not die at once. It took a couple of days for her to bleed to death. She died as the Americans liberated the college.

Enrique Vasquez-Prada, 59, half-paralyzed from a stroke, crept out of the bathroom on the second floor when an eerie silence settled on the dead and the dying. With the sound of the shelling going unabated, he looked for his family, making his way to the staircase made slippery with blood. He found his three eldest sons dead and his wife dying. He picked up his youngest son and went upstairs. A team of Japanese found him there feeding his son. In front of his son, he was bayoneted to death. The boy later crawled back to his mother in the foyer.

The Japanese later made merry by the entrance to the building, drinking and singing boisterously. At various times, they would return to see if anyone was alive.

* * *

Fifty-nine years later, the Battle of Manila is nearly forgotten. A dozen or so years ago, it occurred to the Department of Foreign Affairs that February was the perfect month to celebrate Filipino-Japanese Friendship Month. So on Wednesday, on the anniversary of the massacre of the innocents, De La Salle University begins the celebration. You'd think there weren't any other months in the year.

Students By Night

By Monjie Lustre

STARWEEK, The Sunday magazine of the Philippine STAR/July 21, 2002, pages 3-5

Not all Lasallians are created equal. There are those like Kiko Pangilinan or Ralph Recto or Ace Barbers or Randy and Rowell Santiago or Ogie Alcasid or Gary V) who rise above their peers achieve fame and fortune. But there are also those who remain nameless and faceless yet whose greatness lie in their mere survival. You could say the difference between such students are, pun intended, like night and day.

Joel de Lota, now 26, used to walk all the way from his home in Tondo to the gates of La Salle Green Hills to attend night school from Monday to Friday. He earned a living buying and selling junk. His work starts before 5 am and ends at 4 pm, after which he immediately leaves for school.

Like many other working students, Joel is the breadwinner of the family. He takes care of his paralyzed mother, his unwed sister and her three children. Both his father and brother died peddling junk. Getting an education (after being out of school for decade) gives Joel a chance at a better life. At present, he divides his day between full-time job as factory worker and classes at the La Salle Green Hills Adult Night School (LSGH-ANHS). He recently purchase a second-hand bicycle which makes it easier to commute from Tondo to Green Hills.

The 23-year-old Nancy Asuncion was a widow with two children when she started studying at ANHS. While hitting the books, she worked first as a meat vendor and later as a domestic helper. She was valedictorian of Batch 2002.

Nanay Lily Orense, at 67, is the second oldest (the oldest is Tatay Nick Aranas who graduated at the age of 73) alumna of ANHS. The laundry woman and vendor persevered with her studies for four years. During the graduation rites last March, she was given the Hot Shot Award for academic excellence as well as commendable determination to complete the course despite all odds.

There are over 800 other students whose stories mirror those of Joel, Nancy and Nanay Lily. Domestic helpers, factory workers, street vendors, janitors, taxi drivers stand at attention every 5 pm on the La Salle grounds for the flag ceremony. After singing the national anthem and declaring the Panatang Makabayan, they raise their clenched fists for a passionate rendition of the school song. Every blessed school day, it is this moment that reminds them that they are, indeed, Lasallians.

The difference between night and day became apparent in 1978 when the La Salle Brothers established the Adult Night High School. That was the year that they coined the terms “Day School” (referring to the population of regular paying high school students who attend classes in the day time) and “Night School” (referring to the students who use the same facilities from 5:30 to 9 pm). The distinction is a politically-correct one since the two share the same curriculum and -- at one point -- the same teachers.

“Our objectives are to provide a terminal secondary education for poor adult students; to develop entrepreneurship among the trainees; to provide value formation to concerned trainees and to assist stu-dents in getting employment,” explains ANHS Principal Tere Gorayeb. “In short, the ANHS was created to give La Sallian education to the marginalized. That's in keeping with the mission/vision of our founder, St. John Baptist de la Salle. Twenty-four years ago, we only had 16 students and four teachers, all from the Day School ... volunteers who considered the ANHS as their apostolate. Back then, they were given an honorarium for the extra work. After only five years, six out of the 16 students graduated. The ANHS was only offering formal education in the beginning. It was after our fifth year that we began offering non-formal education or vocational courses such as computer, basic accounting, public relations, cooking, automotive, etc. These non-formal courses are the same practical arts taken by our Day High School students.”

The Night School is being run by three administrators, 13 full-time teachers, two guidance counselors, a librarian and a registrar. The formal education program is a five-year structured and graded program with the same standards as the La Salle Day School. Meanwhile, the non-formal education program is a ten-month program offering 21 courses. The ANHS requires applicants to be over 18 years old, of meager income and an elementary graduate.

“Those who dropped out of school before they graduated from elementary may take the Department of Education’s Philippine Educcational Placement Test (PEPT). If they pass, they can be declared as elementary graduates. We really don't want to make it hard for the out-of-school youth to go back to school through ANHS. In fact, we only charge them a token fee of P200 a year. That's so they feel that they've paid for their education in some way,” adds Tere. “What about text books? We have more than enough copies in the library for them to borrow and take home. There's no real need to buy their own books.”

Since 1978, the Night School has turned out over 1,000 graduates. Last March, there were 54 graduates from the formal and 335 from the non-formal program. Some of the ANHS alumni have continued their studies, pursuing college as well as graduate degrees. Most now hold better jobs; Tatay Nick, the oldest alumnus, works at the La Salle library.

It is not only the students who have inspiring stories. Many of the teachers at the ANHS have dedicated themselves to making a difference. STARWEEK spoke to four of these teachers who prove that teaching is still an honorable profession.

“I am a teacher by profession,” Teresita “Bobet” Burgos-Gutierrez begins to explain why she was destined to teach at the ANHS. “I used to teach basic English for foreigners at the International School. For a while, I was a speech instructor at Speech Power.”

All that changed when Bobet married Dr. Joel Gutierrez, a La Salle alumnus. She decided to give up her career to concentrate on her “domestic” responsibilities which included raising three boys. “When my eldest son was a high school sophomore, I became active in the PTA. By then, my youngest was already in Kinder 1. I felt my kids didn't need me as much and I had time to do other things. So when I heard about the Adult Night High School -- how it benefited the poor -- I decided to volunteer my time as a teacher. This is now my ninth year. In the beginning, I was handling the Personality Development course. Eventually, we polished it by adding Public Relations and Office Management. We've even honed it further by including oral communication skills. Humbly, I should point out that this is one of the most popular ANHS courses. The surveys we've conducted over the years have shown that my students are the ones who easily land jobs when they graduate. To me, that is the real measure of my achievement as a teacher,” she insists.

A grade school and high school alumnus of La Salle Greenhilis, Gilbert Yang went on to take BS Biology at UP Diliman where he also minored in European Languages and Education. He studied medicine at UERM where he is currently a consultant staff and professor. He had his dermatology training at the UP-PGH. Later, he sub specialized in venereology or HIV and sexually transmitted infections at the University of Liverpool, one of only two such dermatologists in the country.

“The ANHS started when I was in Grade 5. I used to see the ANHS students on campus. I was in third year high school when I decided to volunteer my services. You see, I wanted to be both a teacher and a doctor. Of course, it was faster to be a teacher. So that’s what I did first,” he says.

His determination meant taking 18 units of education as electives while completing his course in Biology. Thanks to semesters of over loads as well as summer classes, Gilbert was eligible to take the teacher's accreditation exam in 1986. He began teaching at ANHS, when he was a college junior. Due to the shortage of volunteer instructors, Gilbert handled various classes in social science, math and English.

“In my case, I felt that med school was making me insane while night school kept me sane. Med school is too cognitive. You mainly use the left side of your brain. I also needed to use the right side of my brain. That's where teaching came in. I consider teaching an art, because making students learn gives me a feeling of achievement that's similar to an artist who creates a painting out of nothing. Teachers here make something out of these students. These students are from the grass roots of society. Once they've completed their education, they're able to land better jobs. Seeing such changes in people's lives is something money cannot buy,” Gilbert stresses.

His dedication to his apostolic work was tested during his medical internship. He got by with very little sleep, spending four of the 12 hours of his free time at La Salle after backbreaking 36-hour shifts in the hospital. How he managed to show up at Night School (bartering his duty days with co-interns) and still become a licensed dermatologist is one for the books. Instead of collapsing from exhaustion, the soft-spoken Gilbert says teaching energized him.

On top of his various activities as a doctor and as a teacher, Gilbert is a part time single parent to a five-year-old daughter, since his wife Cathy works four days a week at the Japan-based Bloomberg news agency. Has he ever thought of quitting from ANHS? “I will only stop teaching at ANHS when I retire. I don't think of this as a burden,” he explains.

In the late 1970s, Oddie Lacsama was one of the Day School faculty members who volunteered their services to the Night School. “We were around eight volunteers in the beginning. It was tough. We didn't even have a faculty room. Every night, we had to clean up after ourselves because we were only squatters. I was teaching all sorts of subjects such as History, Social Studies, Filipino and English. And to think I still had my teaching load at the Day School,” he says.

His 14-year tenure with La Salle was cut short after he completed his master’s degree. Oddie moved to De La Salle University where he taught literature. He stayed there for six years after which he was hired by another university.

His return to the ANHS was brought about by a simple phone call. He called Tere to ask if she knew of Filipino teacher he could hire. She agreed to help him only if he would again volunteer some of his time at the Night School.

“I was really hopeful that one day I would resume teaching here. It was just that I needed to adjust to a new school at which I am now the head of the Filipino department. You could say I just took a short break and now I'm back,” he laughs, explaining his three-year absence.

“In terms of satisfaction, I’m more fulfilled as a teacher here because you can see that the students are really hungry for knowledge. They listen intently and are more diligent in doing the work assigned to them. There is that desire to discover new things.

"During one of our career days, we found out that six to eight of our graduates from one batch already have their college diplomas. I’m happy to say that I was part of their success. That’s price-less. Actually, we feel fulfilled on a daily basis because our students are so appreciative of the work we do. They express their thanks all the time. In terms of teaching satisfaction, this is it for me. This is my benchmark.”

“Though he is considered a senior teacher of the LaSalle High School,” Nonoy Raymundo is one of the newest members of the ANHS faculty. He made his big move from the Day to the Night School in 1999.

“I had my eye on the Night school for some years now. But I only joined the faculty recently because I saw the need to do so, You see, before I retire, I want to give my services to such a cause,” he explains.

Throughout his long teaching career, Nonoy admits that this change has been drastic but welcome. “The Night School students are poor, older, more experienced in life and some of them have been away from school for, would you believe, 20 years. As a teacher, I really feel that I’m helping those who sincerely want to learn. That's a very big motivation for us teachers. In the beginning, I was teaching Math in Filipino because, as you may guess, our students don't speak English well. But we felt that there's a need to upgrade their language skills. So then I began mixing Filipino with English. This year, I'm using more English than Filipino. And the students like it. They see the need to hone their English while learning Math.

“I’ve never done this before so I use many different ways to get the message across. If this thing fails, I try something else. But, once you see them smile as if they finally understand what you're saying, somehow it makes it all worthwhile. I’m slightly surprised at how well some of our students do in Math. But I already had a suspicion that they had the potential but were deterred from developing skills because they did not have an opportunity to study. I can confidently say that some of my students in the Night School can compete with the Day School students.”

Chided for his partiality to his few set of students, Nonoy admits to his biases. However, he does so with the suave of a real gentleman. “It’s like what Brutus said in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: ‘It’s not that I love Caesar less; But I love Rome more.’ The same goes for the Day and Night schools. It's not that I don't love the Day students, but I love the Night students more.”

Charlie Russell, 83

Fellow Lasallians,

Following is an email I received from Bro. Benedict. Many of you will recall that DLSAANC awarded Charlie a plaque at our last Christmas party for being an outstanding alumni. We will all miss Charlie.

Ramon del Rosario

DLSAANC President

With great sadness I report that I got a call from Rusty an hour ago. Charlie Russell died in a racquetball court. If I recall, Charlie was 81. Please spread the word around and remember him in your prayers. They threw the mold away when they made Charlie. May he rest in peace!

--

Brother J. Benedict, FSC
VP Development & Alumni Affairs
De La Salle University
2401 Taft Ave.
P.O. Box 3819

Greetings from Bro. J. Benedict

This may be late but in the light of recent bombings back home, let me share Bro. Ben's recent holiday greetings sent last 12/20/00:

Romi, all the best for the holidays...things are pretty lousy here...pray for us. Regards to all whom you meet. I will probably have to go to DC mayby in April...we are applying for a grant for the medical school. Hope to see you all then...will keep you posted.

God bless all of you!

"Impeach be with you"