One of my batchmates when I entered the Jesuits is a guy named Lito Ocon. Lito is one of my closest friends in the Society and next year, Lito will be ordained a Jesuit priest.

Before entering the Jesuits, he was a civil engineer doing design for a Japanese ship company called Tsuneishi. Before becoming a civil engineer, he was a college student in Divine Word College (now Holy Name University) in Tagbilaran, Bohol. His story is stuff for Maalala Mo Kaya (a Filipino sitcom known for its tearkerkers). He worked as a janitor for the Grade School department of the school he was studying in, then as an aide for priests of the Divine Word (SVD) in the SVD residence–cleaning their rooms, shining their shoes, washing their plates.

When he was working in Tsuneishi, he went up to the penthouse of his condo in Japan one night, beheld the stars and started to think that there must be more to life than what he had at the moment. To make the long story short, he entered the Society of Jesus some years afterwards.

I am posting this statement by some of the most respected faculty of Ateneo de Manila University. Most of them I know and some of them were my teachers. I do not intend to fight with anyone about this. But I want you to read it, because it opens up the discussion and makes you think. Honestly, I am sick and tired of people taking a stance without reading the whole bill and just obeying “what the Catholic Church says.” Fundamentalism happens precisely because people do NOT think and just follow blindly. There is a reason why we have a conscience. And there is a reason why we can think.

Now if after reading this, in your conscience you decide to go against the RH Bill, well and good. At least you thought about it already. That is all I ask really for. :-)

This is from my email archives and was sent to me several months ago. With the Ateneo win in the UAAP, I read this with new eyes and with a better and more profound appreciation of my alma mater. Other people will never fully understand, but it is basketball that brings us all together. It is our bane and our boon. And while basketball and the seemingly crazy hype of the Ateneo-La Salle games are what people see in the news, our two schools are so much more than that. I hope this article will make people see a deeper side of Ateneo de Manila. This is what is behind the blue eagle, and the adidas shirts, the basketball superstars, and the blue babble battalion.

This has been making the rounds of emails since the last Ateneo-La Salle game in the elimination round. And since it’s going to be an Ateneo-La Salle Classic Finals this year starting with a slambang Game 1 this Sunday, it would be good to brush up again on our Ateneo-La Salle game. Not sure who made this but would love to know so I can give you a byline.

This is from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Very interesting points and something to think about, specially after our debacle in the last Olympics. In fact there is a new measure for people nowadays. Before, we talked about IQ (Intelligence), and EQ (Emotional Quotient); right now, there is such a thing as AQ (Adversity Quotient). More on that in upcoming articles. I am reprinting an excerpt of the article here; please click on the link below to read the rest of the article.

To overcome adversity is common trait of champions
By Beverly T. Natividad
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:10:00 08/17/2008

THE WORLD’S EYES ARE FIXED on the Beijing Olympics to witness the feats of world champions. But the Olympics really serve to remind us that champions are not only found in the sports arena, they are also found in other areas of life.

A former student, Robbie Paraan, and one of the prenovices in Cebu when I was there, Eric Esteba, are entering the Jesuit Novitiate in Novaliches today. I take a break from Organize-Your-Life Fridays because of this. Here’s a joke that I dedicate to them and all my Jesuit friends.
A Jesuit, a Dominican, and a Franciscan were waiting one morning at the third tee (par 3, 185 yards, slight dog leg to left, water hazard on the right) while a particularly slow group of golfers were flailing away ahead of them.
Dominican: …

This story made me think of our own college basketball players in the UAAP and NCAA. The beauty of Ateneo and La Salle basketball is that it has made basketball very prominent. And because of the coverage of Studio 23, college basketball players have become instant celebrities. I’ve heard of Chris Tiu being mobbed by adoring fans in Cagayan de Oro City for example and having a difficult time walking around the mall because of this. And because college basketball has become quite prominent, highschool players are becoming a “commodity”–we …

This is a pitch for my alma mater. I gave a talk about the Ateneo several years ago to high school students in Cebu City. A part of this article has been repeatedly quoted in alumni newsletters and orientation kits. Here’s the article in full…
Why Go to the Ateneo for College?
Eric Santillan
I’ll just share with you three things about my experience in Ateneo de Manila. In an indirect way, what I’m really doing is answering the question: WHY GO TO THE ATENEO?
Here are three reasons why I think you should …

This will be kinda long so brace yourself. The following essay is something I wrote several years ago when I still swore to the vow of chastity.
It’s not that when I left the Society I threw chastity out the window altogether, but it’s different if you PUBLICLY swore it. There is a real positive pressure to live up to it. Right now, the pressure’s no longer there. But it doesn’t mean I’ve become unchaste. [roll of eyes and evil laugh]
But see, if anything, this essay (which I wrote for the …

When there’s so much that needs to be said, but so little that comes to mind, then comes a moment of silence. I was watching the game with Mark yesterday and I felt hopeful till the end. When Nonoy Baclao shot that three, I felt what I’ve always felt this whole season — we always find a way to win.
But it wasn’t meant to be.
When there’s so much that needs to be said and so little that comes to mind, we can only stare into the future in a …