The

ILLINI

Official Publication of the Association of Filipino Physicians in Southern Illinois

Volume IV, Fall-Winter, 2014

Contents (Hyperlinked: Hold Ctrl then click on page number to go directly into article or simply scroll down)
2 AFPSI Flies Another Banner Year
Challenged by its own record set a year before when it hosted three organizations, AFPSI emerges with flying
colors in celebrating its 36th anniversary.

5 PEACE Expands Projects

In addition to providing potable water, the foundation will develop scholarship, feeding and dental health
programs. It is inviting proposals from the prospective recipients or their representatives.

11 Meet Me in St. Louis Louis

Come April all roads lead to St. Louis. Read why.

12 Sir Juan Castro Named KOR Central Area Commander

His rapid rise in the ranks has been exceptionally phenomenal.

13 Ciudad de Zamboanga: Troubled City of Contrast (Pictorial). (Cosme R. Cagas, MD)

A melting pot of diverse cultures, the scarred city remains a mix of the beautiful and the ugly.

20 The Jeepney: A Fading Philippine Icon (Renato Pinzon,MD)

The primacy of the ubiquitous and anachronistic Philippine jeepney is under challenge as modern
means of transport roll in.

23 Mano Po Vs. Warehousing Your Parents in the Nursing Home (Eugenio Amparo, MD)
For grandparents to live with grandchildren is preferable to hauling them off into nursing homes.

25 Interrupted Prayer (Cosme R. Cagas)

Chapter 1 of the WWII historical novel, I Shall Return. Kindle edition now on sale for less than $3.00

27 Silliman University Honors Dr. Eusebio and Mrs. Grace Kho (Sam Buot, LLB)
Dr. Kho serves as guest speaker and Mrs. Kho receives a special award.

31 Walking the Gospel (Cosme R. Cagas, MD)

A message of love and the ultimate solution to sin, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is given free to all.

34 Living Truths from the Lips of a Child. On Birth and Death (Felipe Galang)
Dying is part of living.

35 The Coral Castle (a poem) (Lestrino C. Baquiran, MD)

36 Go, Yes, Go Gentle Into That Good Night (a poem) (Carmelo C. Dichoso, MD)
37 Go Gentle Into That Good Night : A Reply To Dylan Thomas (Carmelo C. Dichoso, MD)

AFPSI Flies Another Banner Year

Challenged by its own record set a year before when it hosted three organizations-- the APPA,
PEACE and the UPMASA So. Il-MO Chapter-- during the Singing for the Philippines and its
traditional Spring Ball, AFPSI emerged once more with flying colors when it celebrated the 36th
year of its founding under the leadership of President Evelyn Yu. Its Spring Ball and Installation
of New Officers 2014 featured a fashion show, Mrs. AFPSI, Miss AFPSI, Miss Jr. AFPSI, and
Miss Little AFPSI, the brainchild of the Auxiliary, and the inspired participation of the popular
APPA president Leonor Pagtakhan So, as the honored guest.
Installed by Dr. Pagtakhan So were the officers for 2014-15 (see masthead), the AFPSI led by
Dr. Emma Sunga, fourth from left, top photo, and the Auxiliary officers led by Mrs. Lily Sanots
third from left, bottom photo, below:

Dr. Emma Sunga becomes the fifth lady president of AFPSI, Drs. Nenita Prieto Basa, Gloria Dycoco,
Virginia Caballero Dauz and Evelyn Yu, preceded her, and the fourth president whose physician
spousesDr. Virgilio Dycoco, Dr. Urbano Dauz and Dr. Cesar Yu had assumed the position before
them.
2

The Association of Filipino

Physicians of Southern Illinois
Officers, 2014-15
Emma Sunga, MD- President
David Deloso, MD- Vice Pres.
Nicolas Pineda, MD, Pres.-elect
Claravel B. Criste, MD- Secretary
Elcee Cagas Conner-Treasurer
Raymund Pineda, MD-Auditor
Enrico T. Farinas, MD- Bus. Man.
Virgilio R. Pilapil, MD- APPA
Delegate
Cesar Yu, MD-Executive Director
Evelyn Yu, MD, Imm. P. Pres.
Board of Governors
Calixto Aquino, MD
David M. Conner, MD
Arnel Garcia, MD
Marcos Sunga, MD
Cesar Yu, MD
Board of Advisers
Cosme R. Cagas, MD
Urbano Dauz, MD
Elvira Salarda, MD
Jose Villegas, MD
Evelyn Yu, MD
Auxiliary Officers 2014-2015
Lily Santos -President
Julie Garcia, Vice Pres.
Georgina Cagas Zurliene-Secretary
Virgie Abinoja-Treasurer
Kay Pineda-PRO
Elcee Cagas Conner, Imm. P. Pres.
Board of Governors
Wilma Aquino
Ann Butalid
Linda Cagas
Grace Farinas
Board of Advisers
Elcee Cagas Conner
Tessie Deleste
Ynna Naguit
Elena Pilapil
Editorial Board
Cosme R. Cagas, MD- Editor
Urbano Dauz, MD
David Deloso, MD
Rebecca Geronimo, BSN
Virgilio R. Pilapil, MD
Associate Editors
Office of the Editor
1 Bunkum Woods Drive
Fairview Heights, IL 62208
Crcagas@aol.com
ccagas2@gmail.com

We present below pictures that tell in part the gaiety, the

splendor and the pageantry of that memorable evening of
May 10, 2014 at the Regency Ballroom, Hilton Garden Inn,
OFallon, IL.

Back to Contents

PEACE EXPANDS PROJECTS

While the construction of artesian wells and other potable water projects continues as its
signature activity, the Philippine Economic and Cultural Endowment during its annual meeting
on August 2, 2014 approved to expand to other charities including scholarship, feeding and
dental health programs. The recommendation came from the executive director who reported that
despite his repeated invitations to Philippine contacts, there had been a dearth of proposals for
the water projects. So far in 2014, two artesian wells have been built and three are under construction.

Oroquieta, Misamis Occ. 2011

Lucban,Quezon 2014

Tacloban, Leyte 2014

PEACE is encouraging its officers and members to invite their relatives and friends in the
Philippines to generate reasonable proposals for potable water projects on behalf of the poor. Dr.
David J. Mulvaney of Jackson, TN, a friend of PEACE president Augustus Soriano, Dr. Eusebio
C. Kho, Engr. Robert and Dr. Benita Kiamco and Dr. Lestrino C. Baquiran have contributed
seed money to these new projects.

A portion who attended the PEACE business meeting. From left, seated, Mrs. Fely Santos,
Dr. Virginia C. Dauz, Dr. Nenita L. Suarez, Mrs. Linda S. Cagas, Engr. Djien So, and standing,
Dr. Ramon Lopez (secretary), Dr. Ramon Suarez, Dr. Daniel Santos (adviser), Dr. Edwin Siroy
(auditor), Dr. Urbano Dauz (president-elect), Dr. Eusebio C. Kho, Dr. Wilfrido Feliciano (governor),
Dr. Lestrino C. Baquiran (adviser) and Dr. Cosme R. Cagas (exec. director).

Founders of No Scalpel Vasectomy Drs. Ramon and Nenita Suarez

(center) receive donation from Dr. Eusebio C. Kho (left).

Awards

PEACE immediate past president Dr. Virgilio R. Pilapil of Springfield, IL was given the second
Lifetime Achievement Award in the foundations 28-year history in fitting ceremonies at the
Marriott Griffin Gate Hotel and Resort in Lexington Kentucky on August 2, 2014. The first Life
Achievement awardee, former president Dr. Lestrino C. Baquiran of New York City presented it
to President-elect Dr. Urbano Dauz of Shelbyville, IL on Dr. Pilapils behalf (illness in the
family prevented his accepting the award in person). The award penned by awards committee
chairman Dr. Carmelo C. Dichoso and given by President Dr. Augustus Soriano reads in part:
FOR LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION,
TEACHING, LEADERSHIP, WRITING, AND THE PRACTICE OF THE
ART AND SCIENCE OF MEDICINE. HIS COMPREHENSIVE ENDEAVORS
HAVE ENCOMPASSED DECADES OF OUTSTANDING MILITARY SERVICE,
REPETITIVE DONATIONS OF MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, MEDICATIONS AND
MEDICAL BOOKS TO PHILIPPINE HOSPITALS, PARTICIPATION IN
YEARLY MEDICAL MISSIONS TO THE PHILIPPINES, AND THE
ESTABLISMENT OF SEVERAL SCHOLARSHIPS IN THE UNITED STATES
AND THE PHILIPPINES. THE TOTALITY OF HIS UNREMITTING LIFES
WORK TRANSLATES INTO SERVICE TO OTHERS.

From left, Dr. Augustus Soriano, Dr. Lestrino C. Baquiran and Dr. Urbano Dauz

The foundation awarded the founders of the No Scalpel Vasectomy Incorporated Dr. Ramon
Suarez, Dr. Nenita Suarez, Engr. Robert Kiamco and Dr. Benita Kiamco--as Humanitarians
of the Year. The group with the cooperation of many friends and supporters have been performing no scalpel vasectomy to hundreds, annually since 2001 in the Philippines, five times in Haiti
and three times in Kenya. Also composed by Dr. Dichoso, the award given by President Soriano

From left, PEACE president Augustus Soriano, Dr. Daniel Santos

Drs. Ramon and Nenita Suarez, and Dr. Cosme R. Cagas

and presented by previous awardee Dr. Daniel Santos, reads in part:

FOR THEIR PERTINACEOUS CAMPAIGN AIMED AT PERFORMING FREE
No-Scalpel Vasectomies ON WILLING INDIVIDUALS PRIMARILY IN
UNDERDEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. WHILE THEIR
HUMANITARIAN WORK HAS SO FAR BROUGHT THEM TO KENYA, HAITI
AND THE PHILIPPINES, THEIR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO GO WORLDWIDE.
THIS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE PROCEDURE FACILITATES FAMILY
PLANNING, CURBS RUNAWAY POPULATION GROWTH AND ITS
ATTENDANT PROBLEMS OF OVERCROWDING, CRIME, DISEASE AND
JOBLESSNESS, AND LOWERS MORTALITY RATES CAUSED BY
PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH IN THESE COUNTRIES.

Dr. Ramon Suarez, the president of NSVI first learned the no scalpel technique in 1989 from Dr.
Li Shunquiang of China who developed it and invented the instruments. A urologist, he has since
taught the procedure to residents and many physicians and medical workers wordwide.
This years humanitarian of the year award is the sixth in PEACEs history. The previous
awardees were Dr. Eusebio C. Kho, Drs. Manuel and Fe Cacdac, Dr. Daniel Santos, Dr. Jesus Ho
and Dr. Augustus Soriano.
In a related but separate development, Elcee Cagas Conner, PEACE treasurer and former
president of the APPA Auxiliary received a the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the
Association of Philippine Physicians in America. The founder of the Asia Pacific Association for
Respiratory Care and heavily involved in charitable work for the Philippines, she had served as
two time president of the auxiliaries of both the Association of Filipino Physicians in Southern
Illinois and the Philippine Medical Association of the Greater St. Louis.

Elcee Cagas Conner receives Humanitarian Award of the Year from APPA president
Dr. Leonor Pagtakhan So as former APPA presidents Drs. Renato Judalena,

Henry Eugenio and Rick F. de Leon witness with admiration.

PEACE member and former APPA president Dr. Romeo Perez of St. Louis also received a
humanitarian award from the APPA for his role in rehabilitating an elementary school in
Cabatuan, Ormoc, Leyte.

From left, Dr. Leonor Pagtakhan So, Dr. Romeo Perez

Dr. Henry Eugenio and Dr. Isabel Perez

The APPA Connection

This years PEACE meeting was held in conjunction with the annual convention of the Association of Philippine Physicians in America. In part, this is by way of returning the favor to the
APPA when it held its spring meeting in OFallon, IL (during the presidency of Dr. Jose Tejero),
joining AFPSI, UPMASA So IL.-MO. Chapter and PEACE in the historic Singing for the

Philippines and AFPSI Spring Ball in May 2012; a show of support to APPA president Leonor
Pagtakhan So who had established friendship with the officers and members of AFPSI and the
PMA GSL during her visits in 2013; and to Dr. Augustus Soriano who is incidentally the
president-elect of the APPA. PEACE founder Dr. Cosme R. Cagas has repeatedly acknowledged
that PEACE is a child of the APPA as is the case with UPMASA. AFPSI has been a component
society of the APPA since 1978.

PEACE members at brunch, August 3, 2014.

10

Back to Contents

Meet Me in St. Louis Louis

Meet Me in St. Louis Louis. So goes the song that celebrated the 1904 Louisiana Purchase
Expedition, more popularly known as the St. Louis Worlds Fair.

Come meet me there, at the fair. Well, not exactly but sort of. You see, come April 24-26, 2015, all roads
will lead to St. Louis and you can meet us there, though not at the fair but close.
Let me explain: the UPMASA So. Illinois-MO Chapter (Dr. Necita Roa, president) will host the national
organizations Spring Meeting that weekend at the Frontenac Hilton Hotel. But it will not do it alone. The
smallest of the fifteen UPMASA chapters by head count, it has invited other organizations in the area to
quintuple the fun. The Association of Filipino Physicians of Southern Illinois (AFPSI, Dr. Emma Sunga,
president), the Philippine Economic and Cultural Endowment (PEACE, Dr. Augustus Soriano, president,
Dr. Urbano Dauz, president-elect), the Philippine Medical Association of Greater St. Louis (PMAGSL,
Dr. Conrado Abinoja, president-elect) and the PMAGSL Mission Foundation (Dr. Necita Roa, president)
have agreed to muster their individual and collective manpower for mutual benefits. Truly, united they
stand and divided Well, you know the clich
The confederation of these now small (attrition + limited infusion of young blood) organizations takes its
clue from the historic example set by AFPSI two years before when it hosted with great hurrah the
Singing for the Philippines officially co-sponsored by PEACE and UPMASA So. IL-MO Chapter and the
Spring Meeting of the APPA, the only occasion when all four were gathered under one roof.

PEACE Makers at Singing for the Philippines, May 2012, OFallon, Illinois

11

Back to Contents

Sir Juan Castro Named KOR Area Commander

Sir Juan Castro, MD, KCR, founder of the KOR St. Louis Chapter in St. Louis, MO, has been
appointed recently as Central Area Commander with jurisdiction covering eighteen states in
North America. This position was formerly occupied by immediate past commander Sir Lito
Capati, KGOR, whose brother Sir Allan Capati, KCR, commander of the Magiting Chapter in
Peoria, Illinois was newly appointed deputy commander of the area. Sir Juan reports to Sir
Francis Sison, KGOR, the new Regional Commander and to Sir Jerry Singson KGCR, the new
Supreme Commander.

Sir Juan Castros more than deserved rapid rise in the ranks of the KOR has been exceptionally
phenomenal. Starting as a member of the Lincolnland Chapter of Springfield, IL with title of
KOR in 2010, he was immediately promoted to KCR in 2012, the year he founded the St. Louis
Chapter. His avid interest in all things about the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal,
which encompasses teachings, history, biography, literature, and the collection of artifacts is
second to none. He has written several articles about Rizal. His gallery in St. Louis recently
renamed Museo de Filipinas that features books, paintings, sculptors and other artifacts about
Rizal probably has the most extensive Filipiniana collection outside of the Philippines.
A retired physician with specialty in Internal Medicine, Sir Juan Castro originally hails from
Mexico, Pampanga and graduated from the University of Sto. Tomas Faculty of Medicine in
1956. His wife, Zenaida, also a physician and a UST graduate of 1956 shares his life-long
interest in the collection of Philippine-related artifacts.

12

Back to Contents

Ciudad de Zamboanga: Troubled City of Contrast

A Pictorial Essay
Cosme R. Cagas, MD
La Ciudad de Zamboanga began as the center of the Suban-on culture known as Jambangan.
The Spaniards established it on June 23, 1635, the day the Jesuit priest-engineer Melchor de
Vera laid the cornerstone of the fortress originally called Real Fuerza de San Jose, more
popularly known later as Fort Pilar, its most prominent landmark to this day (now a museum).

The Courtyard of Fort Pilar (from the internet).

Chavacano. As a Filipino I pledge to never waste rice

When in January, 1987 Drs. Soraya Abubakar and Leila Lopez took me to a tour of the City of
Flowers, I saw a bustling city populated by a diverse and restive people speaking many languages, Chavacano being the language preferred by the older generation. Among the beautiful
sites was the famous and beautiful Pasonangka Park with its fabled tree house. Construction of
the park was started in 1912 by the Gen. John J. Pershing, then the American Governor of the
Moro Province.

Entrance to Pasonangka Park. Guide Victor Calulut (left) and the author.

13

Today, the city, the third biggest in the Philippines by land area, is home to more than a million.
I was told that most, if not all major Muslim politicians in the Zamboanga peninsula, Basilan,
Tawi-tawi and Sulu maintain a residence there.
Because of its proximity to Jolo and Basilan, the home bases of the Grupong Abu Sayyaf,
Zamboanga City has been identified with unrest, violence and kidnapping. My family had
repeatedly forbidden me to go there.
On the second week of September 2013 about 300 Muslims led by Commander Ustadz Habier
Malik and allegedly under the direction of former University of the Philippines political science
lecturer Nur Misuari, who leads a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front, attacked the
city, occupying five coastal and two mainland villages and taking 198 hostages. The government
deployed about 4,500 soldiers and policemen to fight the insurgency. In the ensuing three weeks
of battle 10,000 homes were razed to the ground, displacing close to 24,000 families or 120,000
individuals who fled to evacuation centers. When active fighting ceased on September 28, the
sordid counts tell part of the tragic story: government side--25 dead, 184 wounded; MNLF208
dead (including Malik), 294 taken prisoners; and civilians12 dead, 79 wounded.
I took the pictures below shortly before Christmas 2013 (less than three months after the
fighting).

Heart of commercial district at Mayor Cesar Climaco Ave.

As in most Philippine cities, it is crowded.

City Hall. The rebels failed to occupy it.

The brightest spot in the city today is a reclaimed area located behind iconic Fort Pilar called
Paseo del Mar. Its excellent view of the harbor, fine restaurants and good illumination at night
attract locals and tourists alike.

The seaport, view from the Paseo del Mar

A restaurant at Paseo del Mar

Historic Fort Pilar

\
Gyrating and dancing fountain
at the Paseo.

A centuries-old canon points to the sea on top Fort Pilar

Tower mosque. I was told this was used as

sniper site by Maliks sister and therefore
the top was blown away by mortar shelling.
Rebuilt since.

Exit of Barangay Rio Hondo, site of ground zero fighting.

Still closed off to people and traffic.

Ateneo de Zamboanga and church

Guard stands alert at entrance to medical center.

The following ghastly sights at ground zero Barangay Sta. Barbara show the aftermath:

At the Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex, the principal evacuation center, refugees crowd in
the bleachers or in tents or shanties on the muddy grounds:

Along RT Lim Boulevard by the sea, Badjaos live in makeshift homes and transact modest
business against the wall on one side, at the island between the lanes, and by the shore with their
back to the ocean on the other side:

La ciudad de Zamboanga today remains a mix of the beautiful and the ugly, a melting pot of
diverse cultures, scarred with old and recent battles and beset with serious and complex social,
economic and political problems. We pray to Divine Providence for the ultimate solution, the
same fervent prayer we offer for the rest of the Philippines.
Acknowledgment
I thank Rev. Max Maregmen, Victor Calulut and other members of the Zamboanga United
Methodist Church for their hospitality and for giving me the grand tour of the Ciudad.

19

Back to Contents

The Jeepney: A Fading Philippine Icon

Renato Pinzon, MD
For as long as I can remember the jeepney embodied the promise of the internal combustion
engine in the Philippines. A practical and cheap means of public conveyance, it ruled the streets
and roads of the cities and the nation. The gaily decorated public utility jeepney (PUJ) is not only
a practical demonstration of the adaptability and practicality of Filipinos but personify their
identity in the neo-colonial period. Board any PUJ and one finds the driver/operators personal
altar occupying a central place of honor on the dashboard. To doubly ensure a safe passage and
journey, a medal of Saint Christopher and icons of lesser saints and religious incantations are
likewise de riguer. If the interior reflect the straight-laced Catholic Spanish past, its exterior is
all-American. Air brush and sticker arts featuring NBA team logos, Hollywood stars and nudes
replete with sexually suggestive graffiti bordering on soft porn emblazon the outside. If one
accepts the central thesis of postcolonial identity studies that a decolonised people adopt the
trappings, if not the identity of their former colonizers, what better representation can be found
than the ubiquitous jeepney? For many adolescent boys like me growing up in the mid to late
60s, a shiny stainless privately owned jeepney seemed to be the ultimate driving machine. Sadly
the primacy of the jeepney is now under challenge by new wheeled entries. In 2011 according to
the NSCB (National Statistical Coordination Board) there were 7,138,942 registered vehicles:
1,764,865 public utility vehicles (bus and jeepney); 788,372 cars; 8,769 private buses; 298,789
trucks; 3,206,255 motorcycles and tricycles and the balance consisting of trailers, diplomatic and
other exempted vehicles. Accounting for 50% of registered vehicles the most significant growth
occurred in the 2 and 3 wheeled segments and the number of PUJs has actually decreased. The
NSCB also monitors national passenger traffic and in 2011 the number of Filipinos travelling
within the national borders numbered 49,815,295. Curiously the NSCB data show that
25,384,389 passengers disembarked at their destination although only 24,430,906 boarded at
their embarkation point. While the fecundity of the Filipina is not to be questioned; I seriously
doubt that a million births occurred in transit. More than likely these were police, military and
relatives and friends of drivers and conductors travelling without valid tickets using the timehonored badge system.

A Baguio jeepney in full regalia

20

The rise in private ownership of cars and motorcycles can generally be attributed to an
improvement in the Philippine economy. But the ready availability of consumer financing and
the automatic transmission led the growth spurt. It was not very long ago that only the old rich
could afford an outright cash purchase or a hefty down payment. Due to a favorable balance of
payment in the past two decades, banks and other financial institutions have not only liberalized
their lending requirements but reduced their interest rates as well. The banks aggressively
promote these programs to families of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) and to well-paid
domestic workers in the information technology and BPO (business process outsourcing)
industry. While unskilled OFWs still buy PUJs as investments for their families (Katas ng
Saudi and Dubai Girl) the better educated and skilled prefer private cars and vans. Popular
models targeted to this niche market include the Toyota Innova, Isuzu Crosswind and the
Mitsubishi Adventure. These models belong to the genre known as AUV (Asian Utility Vehicle)
and incorporate a large percentage of Philippine component parts and assembly. More
importantly they have 3 row seating and 3 generations of Cruzes, Reyeses and Pinzons can often
be spotted cruising around town in sun-screened air-conditioned glory. These newly enfranchised
and recently motorized families comprise an upwardly mobile consuming citizenry the likes of
which was hard to imagine when the jeepneys were the unchallenged king of the road.

There are still 50,000 of them roaring around the capital district
and 0.5 million plying provincial capitals and the rural back roads
In metropolitan Manila the PUJ has been largely relegated to a secondary role. Most city
commuters prefer the enclosed air-conditioned comfort of light rail trains, buses, share-fare
minivans and taxis. Still there are 50,000 of them roaring around the capital district and 0.5
million plying provincial capitals and the rural back roads. At a time when innovations in
automotive safety, convenience and pollution reduction have leapfrogged forward, the Philippine
jeepney has remained immutable and anachronistic. Made out of heavy gauge galvanized or
stainless steel welded to a light truck chassis, it is cumbersome and ponderous; as maneuverable
as an M1A1 main battle tank. Its open compartment and bench seating resists seat belts and air
bags. Its tall, boxy rigid profile has the aerodynamic characteristics of a barn. The puny ex-US
Army Willys four-banger have given way to larger and more powerful surplus Japanese or
Korean diesel engines. Trailing a plume of incompletely burned oil and noxious gasses, the
Philippine jeepney goes about its business of hauling people and goods (often jumbled together
higgledy-piggledy) as cheaply as possible. There is a minimum of passenger comfort obliging
everyone to seat butt-cheek to butt-cheek, its human cargo inhaling a miasma of body odors,
diesel fumes and open sewers. Though all jeepneys are a constant danger to the environment and
its passengers no two jeepneys are alike. Even if made by the same shop and despite the
unchanging basic design, the choice of engine, drive train, chassis, art work and accessories lend
them to infinite customization. The hood, side panels, lights, mirrors, horns, flaps and mudguards
are prey to the owners and craftmans creative often vivid inspiration and imagination. Though
jeepneys are unique and one of a kind there are regional variations. Jeepneys in Baguio are
weatherized; with solid rear and side doors, movable window panels and carry signature bold
color stripes on side panels. Due to local conditions Baguio jeepneys seat higher and have roof
racks for additional cargo (and passengers). In contrast, those plying the Binan-Calamba (Laguna
province) route are starkly plain even spartan with little or no sticker art works or hood

ornamentations. They have a low rakish roofline devoid of racks, the roof themselves made out
of durable canvas stretched over stainless steel tubes. The headliner and interior is often panelled
in quilts and tufts in a pleasing diamond pattern of faux leather, suede or satin. The side windows
are open and have no partitions and only simple grill works adorn these elegant low-slung, softtopped and surprisingly stylish jeepneys.
These regional variations are symptomatic of the declining fortune of the Philippine jeepney
industry. In its heydays Sarao and Francisco Motors, the two largest manufacturers turned out
10-12 units per day. Last year Saraos total output was 40 and most jeepneys are now assembled
in neighborhood back lots in build one-sell one operations. Due to rising fuel and franchising
costs operating margins are thin. When a unit breaks down the lack of standardization in parts
and manufacture drives repair costs up. With so many more nimble and fuel-efficient alternatives
available the jeepney driver has to compensate for his ungainly machine. Keeping an eye out for
likely passengers he is expected to multitasks; to simultaneously change radio stations, change
gears, change lanes and make change and to not miss the occasional beaver shot, camel toe or
cleavage on his inside rear view mirrors. The Philippine jeepney is more than a sum of its parts.
It has come to symbolize the inventiveness, spontaneity and raucous capriciousness of the
Filipino spirit. A soldier born of the last world war it may have outlived its usefulness but it will
give ground only grudgingly and just fade away.

The minimalist Calamba jeepney

REFERENCES
http://www.nscb.gov.ph/secstat/d_trans.asp
http://www.stuartxchange.org/Jeepney.html

22

Back to Contents

"Mano, Po" Versus Warehousing Your Parents in a Nursing Home

Eugenio Amparo, MD
In the Philippine fishing village where I was born and where our ancestral home stands to this
day, we observe the custom of "Mano, Po" or "Amen." You take the hand of someone older than
you and press it to your forehead in a gesture of respect. If you happened to be the youngest you
had to do this for everyone. You did this when you arrived at the house, before you left and when
the church bell rang to announce the Angelus at six in the evening. Now that I have grandchildren, aged eleven and six, I miss that custom. But it is too late. My children and grandchildren grew up in America and I did not raise them properly; I did not teach them our language
and customs in the mistaken notion of ensuring their assimilation into American culture. They
would have learned English and American customs regardless and they would have grown up
bilingual and bicultural.

My daughter-in-law, who is of Irish descent, was born and raised in California and calls her
father by his first name, not Dad, so she calls me by my first name. I'm glad my daughter's boy
friend calls me Dr. Amparo and I don't discourage him. Because I grew up in the Philippines
everyone older than me had a title of respect: Manong or Kuya, Tito or Tita, Maninoy or Ninong;
this included close family friends who weren't blood relatives. My younger sister and brother call
me Manong to this day.
I admire the American traditions of individualism and self-sufficiency but I also dread growing
old in America. I see gray haired old people using wheelchairs or walkers in the restaurants in
my part of Sacramento. I rarely see them with their children or grandchildren, who are probably
too busy with their own lives of rugged individualism and self-sufficiency.
I know I'm old because I long for the old days and the old ways which I see when I visit friends
and relatives in the Philippines. I live in a cul-de-sac of four homes, each with four bedrooms,
each with two retired adults. The cul-de-sac never hears the laughter of children at play except
for the rare occasions when my grandchildren are visiting. Contrast that with my friends and
relatives in the Philippines. They need not worry about their homes becoming empty nests; on
the contrary the population of the nests grow, thanks to their grandchildren who live there with
their children.
23

Yes, it is a tradeoff because Grandma and Grandpa lose their privacy, but it may be a worthwhile
tradeoff if the children and grandchildren take care of Grandma and Grandpa in their house with
the help of caregivers, instead of warehousing them in a nursing home. It may be a worthwhile
tradeoff if Grandma and Grandpa are not lonely.
Suicide rates among elderly South Koreans have increased as a result of the sudden economic
boom. Parents took care of their children and spent their savings to give their children a good
education with the underlying social agreement that the children would take care of them in their
old age. This worked for a while and there was no need for social security checks. But the
economic boom has drawn the children away from the rural areas to the cities or has made the
children too busy to care for their parents.

The economic boom is to blame for the erosion of the

Confucian virtue of filial piety
China, where filial piety is one of the most treasured traditional virtues, passed laws that require adult
children to visit their parents. The economic boom is likewise to blame for the erosion of the Confucian
virtue of filial piety. Adult children are too busy or live too far away from the rural areas to visit their
parents.
During my last two visits to Manila, I saw what seemed like an economic boom, particularly in Bonifacio
City. I cannot help but wonder whether our economic boom will likewise erode our own traditions of
filial piety. I can imagine a young adult working in a call center or business processes center living in his
own apartment and rarely visiting his aging parents somewhere in the province.
Everything comes with a price. Perhaps loneliness in old age is the price we pay for industrialization and
economic growth, the price we pay for living in a highly industrialized country with the world's largest
national economy, the price we pay for rugged individualism and self-sufficiency.
My aunt and my late uncle lived most of their adult lives in America. Despite the fact that my cousin
installed an elevator in her home for their sake they did not want to live with their daughter and her
family. They eventually ended up in our ancestral home which has trained caregivers in addition to family
members. I should probably make a reservation in my ancestral home where I am called Mano Gene.

REFERENCES
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/world/asia/in-korea-changes-in-society-and-familydynamics-drive-rise-in-elderly-suicides.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/03/world/asia/filial-piety-once-a-virtue-in-china-is-nowthe-law.html

24

Back to Contents

Interrupted Prayer
(Chapter 1 of the WWII historical novel, I Shall Return* by Cosme R. Cagas)

Six hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7,

1941, Japanese air squadrons destroyed half of General
Douglas MacArthurs Air Force. On Dec. 8, the Japanese
landed at Batan Island. On Dec. 19-20, transports reached
Davao and from there, Jolo on Christmas Eve.
My turn to sleep with Fermin became the most unusual of nights. It all began when he stirred me awake
for the prayer at midnight.

My grandmother had started to recite another round of Hail Mary in Spanish when I heard
repetitive knocks at the front door of the main house, urgent knocks, and knocks that must have
been so loud that otherwise it would have been impossible to hear from where we were1* (see
Chapter Notes), making me think I actually heard them despite the pounding of heavy rain against
the galvanized iron roof, convincing me it was not only my imagination but pummeling on solid
wood, impelling me to interrupt a sacred hour.
But she held my attention when suddenly she shifted from her rote Spanish to a prayer in earnest
in Visayan beseeching God to protect my uncle offering her life in exchange for his return.2*
When she resumed in Spanish, this time with Our Father, I wanted to be sure, one-hundred
percent sure. So I tried to drown out my grandmothers drone; closed my eyes to concentrate on
the knocks that remained muffled by the rain and the wind, urgent and repetitive knocks in a
rhythm of threes; and listened carefully until I was fully convinced, giving me the courage to
finally interrupt the prayer at midnight
Someones knocking at the door, I whispered to my grandfather.
Quiet Junior, were at prayer, my grandfather admonished firmly.
But I could not finish because he cut me short, saying, At this hour, no it must be the
wind and the rain.
Fermin came to my rescue. I hear it too! Its not the rain Papa--someones really knocking!
With that Lolo Itong, as I called my grandpa, advised my grandmother to stop the prayer. We
quickly crossed ourselves and stood up. With a coconut oil lamp, Lolo Itong led us to the main
house. There, my mother Salud already had opened the front door and let in a teenager into the
dining room on the second floor. He was panting, soaking wet, water dripping into the shiny dark
hardwood floor. My mother handed him a thirsty white Cannon towel and seated him on a rattan
chair by the window.
Seeing my grandparents, the boy, almost a man, began to rise as he brushed his disheveled
hair with the fingers of his right hand. My grandfather, instantly recognizing him, motioned for
25

him to stay seated as he greeted, Julian!

He blurted his addresses of respect to my grandparents, even as he shivered and panted.
Please pardon my intrusion its very late he paused for a good breath, but, he continued, Manong3* Awi is home he just arrived his mother sent me...
Awi! my grandparents and my mother exclaimed in a chorus. How about Titoyis Titoy
with him?
Im sorry, Nong3* Titoy is not with him.
What did Awi say? Where is Titoy? my grandmother asked, anxiety evident in her voice.
He didnt say But his mother asked that I let you know right away They say Manong
Awi is very sick with high fever and maybe dying.
Lola Imang, as I called my grandma, started to cry, soon she was sobbing. She kept on
repeating, Titoy, oh Titoy, my son
My grandfather, now with moist eyes, put a comforting arm around her shoulders and calmly
said, Dont worry, Ill go see talk to Awi first thing in the morning. You all go back to sleep.
No! my grandmother said resolutely. We will all go now! Her now meant a final, absolute NOW. Yes, even in this weather, at this starkly dark dawn.
Chapter Notes are omitted in this reprint

(*Soft and hardbound copies are available from the author, www.outskirtspress.com, www.amazon.com, Barnes
and Noble and other outlets; ebook from outskirts press and kindle edition from Amazon on sale for less than $3.
Eight readers review in Amazon,).

26

Back to Contents

SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY HONORS DRS. EUSEBIO AND MRS. GRACE KHO

Samuel Buot, LLB
The trip was an international homecoming of Sillimanians from North America, joined by
Sillimanians from The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. It started in a
less than propitious manner with the one hour delay of my flight from Phoenix followed by the
cancellation of our international flight by PAL to the Philippines. We were welcomed by a
blistering rain threatening to be a typhoon. This was followed by a dreadful flood on Roxas
Boulevard, a very common event in that reclaimed area with its terminally insufficient and
inefficient drainage. Vehicles were stuck as people went about their business of living, pedaling
and wading through high waters. Kindly enough, PAL booked us at the Embassy Suites in LA
for the overnight stay and at the Diamond Hotel in Manila for another overnight stay. After being
out of the country for a long time, often skipping Manila, I have not heard of Diamond Hotel. It
is actually a five-star luxury hotel along the hotel row on the Roxas Boulevard. It was where
Secretary of State Chuck Hagel was booked. There were more than twenty Sillimanians on the
plane and we were met by the Department of Tourism employees who met us with leis. They
facilitated all our luggage transfer and our transference to the hotel. This was pleasant surprise
for a change considering our few traumatic experiences of customs corruption and harassment in
the past. Personally, no one has ever met me in Manila with leis, much less by the Department of
Tourism. During our arrival in Dumaguete, we were scheduled to be met by the Silliman band
and some welcoming team. Due to the many schedule changes, we had to fend for ourselves and
survive the debilitating humidity, finding transport to our hotels. Sweating mud is not too far
from the truth with the blistering heat and enervating mugginess. We had to take frequent
showers to mitigate the insufferable discomfort.

A welcome rondalla was at the gate playing wistful and

nostalgic Filipino kundimans, obviously tugging at our
heartstrings and toying with our emotions
August 21 - The evening was a humbling experience. We were entertained at the Alta Tierra, a
resort hotel only 15 minutes from downtown Dumaguete, yet up in the clouds where the clime
was cool and the resort was surprisingly stunning. Resorts are sprouting all over the country in
places and sceneries, we once dismissed as blas. We were bussed in an air-conditioned Silliman
bus. The scenery was remarkable - overlooking treetops and the city of Dumaguete below with a
view of Taon Strait at a distance. A welcome rondalla was at the gate playing wistful and
nostalgic Filipino kundimans, obviously tugging at our heartstrings and toying with our
emotions. At the end of a lapping pool, a cow and four pigs were roasting - the setting was just
plush and lavish, with white tents, elegant table settings with proper silverware and glass
settings, spotless white table cloth with red napkins for accent and contrast, a fruit, candy, bread
and cheese baskets, bottles of wine and bottled water - a luxury we seldom enjoy in a more
practical, functional and utilitarian USA - not in my humble circle anyway. They were starting to
slice off parts of the cow and crispy lechon skin, with piles of diverse succulent appetizers
which I rightfully feared would ruin my appetite for the banquet. The wafting aroma of burning
27

Guest speaker and class valedictorian Eusebio Kho

animal flesh awakens primal instincts, triggering my salivary glands.

There were hundreds of faces, not one of whom I recognized as I searched my memory file. True
to my outgoing self, I introduced myself then followed a mild commotion and whispers as they
announced my name to the groups I visited with the humbling quizzical look of who is he?
The memory links started - recalling friends and classmates with the whispers turning to
excitement of seemingly discovering a hidden memento in a treasure chest of the past. Some
aged like wine and some left traces of the wear and the imperceptible and gradual corrosion and
erosion of time. Oh well, Im sure they saw me that way too. We were happy and grateful to be
still around after some sixty years of absence. I was a social butterfly hopping from table to table
hoping to find closer friends to spend the rest of the evening. It was a very difficult choice. Of
course there has been a diaspora of Sillimanians world-wide - thus the reason for our sentimental
homecoming.
The following day, our dear and outstanding friend Dr. Seb C. Kho, was the speaker at the
School of Medicine. There was a conflict of schedule between the opening of the plenary
sessions and his speech. Fortunately enough, Seb went to the plenary session. Thereafter we left
for his speech at the School of Medicine. He graciously asked me to sit at his side. Since this was
a medical school, I was expecting him to talk on some weighty topic on medicine and technology
but he instead talked about the history of Silliman University with its early efforts to provide
health care to faculty, students and staff. Dr. Seb retraced the hospital history and the early
university efforts in establishing medical service. He recalled names and persons, many of who
were great, familiar and fabled names in the pantheon of distinguished physicians to an awed
audience. The humble beginnings later led to the establishment of the School of Medicine. Seb
disclosed facts and trivia as was never searched and researched before. This reminded the young
doctors-to-be of the humble beginnings of the Silliman Mission Hospital, its pioneers and Dr.
Khos eventual role from a pre-med student to a resident and now as a primary supporter and
sponsor of the Medical School, the hospital and the university. With the medical school's short
history, the performance of the college has been phenomenal with consistent 100% passing and
placing in the top ten of the board exams since its founding. After his speech, Dean Amante of

the School of Medicine invited Seb and his family for lunch. True to his thoughtful and caring
nature of never leaving a friend behind, he dragged me to lunch with the Dean. It was a very

L to R: Dr. Jane A. Lupisan-Belarmino, SU V-P for Development; Matthew Ryan Kho; Dr. Kho; Mrs. Grace Kho; Dr. Angel C.
Alcala, former SU President; SU Pres. Ben Malayang III; Dr. Ma. Estella Lezama, Dean, Business College; Madame Rosita LimTan, sister of Madame Grace.

pleasant luncheon meeting. Madame Grace was her usual dignified, unpretentious yet regal self
and their son Matthew was the ever ready photographer.
That evening, Seb invited me to his sister-in-law's home, Madame Rose, for dinner. Seb sent
Matthew to pick me up at the hotel, his seeming regular task of pampering me. It was a
sumptuous dinner and in keeping with the host's solicitousness, they were as gracious as the rest
of the family was friendly and amiable. I have been at the Lim Poh mansion in Tagbilaran as a
member of an International Goodwill Team and as a hungry student, representing the Filipinos in
Silliman. It was the first time I experienced a Lauriat, a Chinese feast that serves you dozens of
dishes, one at a time. Bad news for starved students who voraciously stuff their faces too early
with appetizers - my first lesson on self-control and gluttony, as the dishes increasingly looked
more delicious. I digressed. Dinner started with a prayer, a far departure from the ungrateful
indulgence of most banquets of the wealthy.

Madame Grace C. Lim - Kho received the Order of

Horace Brinsmade Silliman Award for the chair she
generously established at the College of Business Administration
The following day, Madame Grace C. Lim - Kho received the Order of Horace Brinsmade
Silliman Award for the chair she generously established at the College of Business
Administration, from which she graduated. Madame Grace is as gracious as her name suggests humble, unassuming, modest, kind and a benevolent person to a fault despite her affluent
upbringings as the daughter of shipping magnate Lim Poh, owner of Sweet Lines. As students,

we commuted on Sweet Grace, named after Madame Grace Lim - Kho and Sweet Rose, her
sister. Yet, during her speech she talked of their hard times while raising a family and undergoing all the hardships of immigrants - meantime declining family support. What a classy
couple! Seb was true to his honorable and dignified self and Grace, a faithful and devoted wife,
accepted their plight graciously. There were moments of fear and insecurity during Seb's stint in
the Gulf War for which Seb served his host country so gallantly and unselfishly. He attained the
rank of full Colonel. During the ceremonies, they were honored by the SU President Ben
Malayang, Dr. Jane A. Lupisan-Belarmino, and SU VP for Development, Dr. Angel C. Alcala,
former SU President and Dr. Ma. Estella Lezama, Dean of the Business College.
During the Gala Ball, I again sat with Dr. Seb and Matthew at the table. It was another grand ball
at the Negros Oriental Provincial Capital Ballroom. Here again, we hopped from table to table
trying to visit with long lost friends - fifty to sixty years unseen and often forgotten, recalled past
joys and glories, and compared notes on children and grandchildren. We posed for pictures with
our old friends and university dignitaries. Seb was easily a standout as a welcome homecoming
guest and celebrity. At Vespers on the 24th, both Seb and I received medallions as former
Outstanding Sillimanian Awardees - noting that many of the working students and unheralded
students have gone into the world and carved for themselves and for the university a niche for
their outstanding work. For me, Seb was not a surprise outcome. He was always outstanding and
destined to be great. That same evening we attended a dinner sponsored by the HS Class of 1952.
Seb, our class Valedictorian, the Salutatorian Atty. Luisa Arrieta and the First Honorable
Mention Engr. Edgar Arrieta were present, together with some of the hunks and lovely ladies
during our time. Out of the 256 on our yearbook, only 16 showed up. Our conversation often
reverted to those missing and gone to be with the Lord. Of course some have dispersed over the
globe and the others were unable to attend due to health and other issues. All told - we were the
only few who showed up for the event. The thought and the reality were sad and sobering.
Together with them on this trip was their son Matthew, a well-mannered, soft-spoken, dignified
and with a great sense of humor. He was as humble and proper as his parents. He volunteered to
take all pictures, often missing the opportunity to be in it. At the end of the conference, he was
headed for Japan to teach. What a guy! What friends! What a family and what great honor and
pleasure to share great moments.
All in all, it was a memorable trip with great and outstanding friends, especially one like Dr. Seb
Kho and his family, recalling his storied past and great experiences. Again, the return trip was
almost as inauspicious and ill-starred. I sat at the LA airport from 8PM to 9:25AM the following
day due to cancelled and delayed flights. Oh well, all's well that ends well.

28

Back to Contents

WALKING THE GOSPEL

(Basis of message delivered at United Methodist churches in the Philippines in 2013
using English mixed with Cebuano, Tagalog and Ilocano. Actual delivery depended
upon the audience and the circumstances. Only Ilocano is included here.)

Cosme R. Cagas, MD
When I was a student at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, sometimes
on Sundays, I treated myself to a movie or minor shopping in Manila. It cost me ten centavos to
go there and ten centavos to get back. Because of limited budget, my ten centavos then might as
well be one thousand pesos today. So my ride on the bus was not free, I had to pay for it. Later in
this talk, I will tell you where the bus ride is free.
Today I will talk about the Gospel or Good News.
What is the Gospel? Anya ti Naimbag nga Damag?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of love. It is the ultimate solution to the problem of sin
It is for sinners like you and me it is for us all!
In Old Testament times (Idi tiempo ti Daan nga Tulag) the Jewish people (dagati Hudeo) atone
for their sins by sacrificing animals as burned offerings. The smoke from the burned animal
which was supposed to be the best in the herd, was most pleasing to God; that way their sins
were forgiven. In New Testament times (Idi tiempo ti Baro nga Tulag), we cleanse ourselves
through faith in Jesus Christ.
How? Kasano?
God the father sent his son Jesus Christ to be born a human being so that we may have a clearer
idea of God. He sacrificed his life, dying a horrible death on the cross to free man, all men and
women, of their sins. He became the sacrificial lamb to save man. So for us, we dont need to
sacrifice animals anymore for Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for us! Remember John 3:16? Its
probably the most quoted passage from the New Testament and probably in the world. Lets
recite it together: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
How do we know that Jesus was not only man but God as well? He performed miracles
(nagaramid ti adu nga milagro): He converted water into wine (pinagbalin na nga arak iti
danum); He healed the sick; He restored the sights of blind men. Moreover, He raised the dead
back to life. Remember Lazarus who was dead four days? Jesus himself died on the cross as
witnessed by many and then rose as flesh and blood on the third day! That Jesus was resurrected,
gives us hope that we too will rise again after we die! Job foretold resurrection (19:25-26): For fI
know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and
though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
29

There are many beliefs or ways of life in this world. But only in Christianity that we have a God
who was born a man, died and then lived again! Thus, we celebrate the empty tomb, the greatest
miracle of all!
How do we respond to the Gospel?
Kasano ngarud ti isungbat tayo iti Gospel?
We have to ride the bus! Earlier I spoke about paying for the bus ride from Diliman, Quezon
City to Manila and back. My ride on the bus was not free, I had to pay for it.
But the ride of your life, our ride to eternal life is free and available to all. Jesus already paid
for it! But each of us must make a decision whether to ride that bus or not. Riding the bus means
we accept and believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior. Riding the bus means we believe Jesus
when he said, I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).
Once we are in that bus, we try as hard as we can to sin no more. Why is it important to be
without sin? Sin sets us apart from God. We want to be rid of sin because when we die we want
to live again with God forever. Romans 6:23 states, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
While St. Paul scares us about death without God, in the next breath, he reassures us that with
God we gain life without end.
Is That Enough
Umanay Kadi Daytan?
To be a Christian is difficult. It requires sacrifices and responsibilities. The earliest Christians under
Imperial Rome were persecuted and murdered for their belief. No less than the Apostle Peter was
crucified there upside down. No less than the once persecutor (immuna nga nagparigat) of Christians
turned evangelist, St. Paul, was killed there (likely by beheading (napugutan). Even today in certain parts
of the world the faith of Christians presents a danger to their lives and those of their families.
Fortunately for us we live in a democratic country where majority are Christians and in places where they
are a minority, most live in harmony with Muslims. My Muslim friends tell me that their quarrel is not
with Christians but with the government. (The radicals or lawless are another story).
Sin does not happen only onceit is a lifelong struggle to stay away from it. Thats why it is important
to feed our faith, to make it grow. The universal rule holds for all including faith: use it or lose it!
So as Christians we have to continuously feed our faith by worship and with good works in order for it to
grow. Faith without works is dead! (James 2: 26). St. Augustine called it external manifestations of what
is inside. Our actions mirror what is in our hearts!
Four things to do
James (2:24) also says, a person is considered righteous by what he does and not by faith alone.
Accordingly, we can nurture our faith by doing four things:

1. Worship and prayerin the privacy of our homes and by attending church. These can be
accomplished by acts, by words, by songs or by simply pouring our heart to God in silence and
meditation.
2. Bible study and other ways of better knowing God such as by reading wholesome materials about
God, seeing and sensing God in nature and other ways. Remember the poem and song. All Things Bright
and Beautiful? Lets recite it together
3. Service to fellowmen. God has charged us the responsibility to become our brothers keepers. We
can serve in many ways according to the gifts that God has given us: we can serve our fellow Christians
near us (down the hall), people in our community (around the corner) and people everywhere
(around the world -- sangalubungan).
4. Tithing. We give a part of our earnings to God. Tithing means giving 10 percent. As for giving
back to God, some would ask, How can I give when I and my family ourselves are poor and in need?
God does not require us to give much, only a little of what we have. He is simply asking all of us, rich
and poor alike, to return a fraction of whatever he has given us. Remember that poor widow in the bible
who had only two mites to give to God? Here is an example of a mite called lepton that was in circulation
during Jesus time. (Please pass it on for everybody to see). Look how tiny it is! Jesus said: Truly I tell
you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth;
but she, out of her poverty, put in everythingall she had to live on (Mark 12:43-44). Her two tiny
leptons made all the difference in Gods eyes!
Our coming here today is part of fulfilling that Christian responsibility. We come here from across the
wide Pacific Ocean to express what is in our hearts, our love of Christ and our love for you.
Acknowledgment
I thank Drs. Angelita Narcise Kurle of Florida, Lorna Abad of Manila
and Urbano Dauz of Illinois for teaching me Ilocano.

Rev. Max Maregmen (right) and

Victor Calulut, lay leader.

33

Philippine Christ Missions scholars at Sta. Mesa United Methodist

Church, QC. At far right standing is Rev. Sonny de la Pea. At
front left is James Dunn who had traveled with the author to the
Philippines four times in seven years.
Back to Contents

LIVING TRUTH FROM THE LIPS OF A CHILD

On Birth and Death and the "Dash" In-Between
Felipe Galang
Our grandchild Isabella who we call "Apo#1" had a not-so-simple response when I told her that
her 4-year-old younger brother Colt cried when I responded to his question on why the wrinkles
on my hand. I erred by giving too much information on the process of being old and of dying
someday. My 4-year-old Apo#2 hugged me and cried "Lolo (grandpa), I don't want you to die!"
My analogy of plants looking dead in winter did not help. Colt continued to hug me and cried.
Isabella, who was about age 7, listened and simply said, "Lolo, dying is a part of living". I was surprised
and wondered: how did she learn that idea and what does that really mean? I recalled that at about age 3,
she was moving her lips as she played with leaves. Her mom asked her why the lip movement, to which
she replied, "I am sophisticating." We were likewise surprised and wondered how she got that long word.
Bella's words at age 7 sounded simple because of its life-death reality we know and see all around us.
Today, 5 September 2014, I am reminded of the words of Paul in his letter to a church in Philippi
(Philippians 1:21): To live is Christ, and to die is gain. And Paul continues in verse 23 that God comforts
us with the knowledge that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, which is far better
than present living. How do the thoughts or God's Word through Paul dovetail with our grandkid Bella's
"dying is a part of living"? Let's quote Paul from the Compass bible, same verse Phil. 1:21: For my life is
about the Anointed One (Jesus Christ) and Him alone. And my death, when that comes, will mean great
gain for me.
So, when living that is focused on and about Christ and Him alone is the greatest gain, dying becomes a
great gain that is rooted and anchored on the greatest gain. Dying after living in Christ is similar to
"ending to begin" as "commencement" is to graduation from schools the ending of an education is the
beginning of a new way of living. Aren't we glad to graduate:-- to end in order to begin" -- applying our
learning to being productive and earning? That is one view.
Another view: Our physical birth starts our living but is not within our influence or control. Living after
birth and prior to death is the "dash or -" in which we live our daily chores within our life span. That life
span or living is decreed to end in dying on which we have no control even when somehow we may be
able to delay death. The whole process of life starts with our decreed birth and ends with decreed death.
Therefore, our life or our living includes our birth and our death. When life is in Christ Jesus, that "dash"
is our blessed opportunity to see and savor being "born again" or being born anew. That birth from above
starts a new life in Christ which continues for eternity or forever. When Paul in his letter to the Philippians (Phil. 1:21) talks about to live in Christ as the greatest gain, Paul sees that dying is a part of that
living "dash" called living in eternity with God. The "dash" in Christ ends with the "dust" in God Who
created us to be part of His Family or Kingdom for the best plan ever for all mankind -- that is for all of
us!

Our grandkid Isabella was and is right that dying is a part of living! Now, I am beginning
to grasp that reality with the hope that this little story will tell us the most joyful and biggest
story ever told by Jesus Himself who will come again to celebrate our victory! (Compass Bible
2014, p. 95).
34

Back to Contents

The Coral Castle

Singlehandedly, secretively,
Eddie Leedskalnin, 43 years old,
Five feet tall, 100 pounds thin,
Turned spurned love to a coral castle
Turned abrupt rejection to a lifelong
devotion
To his much younger, almost wife, his
Sweet Sixteen
Uncovering, cutting, carving, positioning
Limestone underneath
Florida City's thin top-soil
Stones formed from the calcified accretions
Extinct corals secreted thousand years ago.
He was sure she would come back to him
And he would be ready
With massive chairs, tables, bathtub, kitchen
And for their expected children,
Cribs, cradles, playroom
Even a discipline corner.
He would impress her with the
Sixteen steps down to the well

Sixteen steps up to their love nest in the

tower
And as befits a castle,
Even thrones.
After building thick, mortarless walls
Nine ton but easy to open gates,
He sculpted stone decorations along the
walls

35

An obelisk topped by the Latvian star,

Mars, Jupiter, Saturn with its rings
Seasonal crescents of the moon
Sundial, its shadows tracking stone time
A telescope whose coinciding wires
Located Polaris, the unmoving North Star
Qualifying them, connecting them
To the Immensity
She never came.
He must have known the secrets of the
ancient builders
Works not inspired by love
But subservience to wild, arbitrary gods
Vain and cruel kings.
He knew how to induce magnetic currents
Their flow in predictable grids
The exact distances governed by pi and
roots of
Patterned integers at which these forces
Are transferred to flywheel, tripods, pulleys,
levers
Exploiting the laws of weight and balance.
To the end, he did not reveal his secrets
He would only say, Its easy if you know
how
Yes, how unporous love floats porous stone.

-- Lestrino C. Baquiran. MD

Back to Contents

Go, Yes, Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Go, yes, go gentle into that good night
Old men, take heart, rejoice at close of day
Meet, greet, embrace the dying of the light
Wise men think right that dark, indeed, is right
After the lightning and after the fray
They, they go gentle into that good night
Good men, grappling with might, weary from fight
Their good deeds marked in stone and here to stay
Meet, greet, embrace the dying of the light
Wild men whose ways are high and out of sight
But learn the sun will fade, doubtless set, they
They too go gentle into that good night
Grave men, terminal, pining for times bright
But soon resign to fate, theres no delay
Meet, greet, embrace the dying of the light
And you, my old friend, there in your twilight
Hear me now through your fading ears, I say
Go, yes, go gentle into that good night
Meet, greet, embrace the dying of the light.
-- Carmelo C. Dichoso, MD

36

Back to Contents

Go Gentle Into That Good Night

A Reply To Dylan Thomas
Carmelo C. Dichoso, MD
John David, Dylan Thomas father, was reportedly a robust and militant man. When in his
eighties he became frail and blind, Dylan Thomas was so perturbed that he goaded himself to
write his arguably most famous poem, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. Its a lovely
poem, a villanelle, with a rhyme scheme that alternates night and day, and where each line
contains exactly ten syllables. The author cogently makes use of metaphors, metonymy and
personifications, exaggerations, a simile, a paradox and an oxymoron (blinding sight).
Nevertheless, with all due respect, I beg to differ with Mr. Thomas on two counts:
1. He tried to prevail upon his father to not accept the inevitable.
2. He compounded the problem by urging his father to rage, rage against the dying of the
light. I could think of no better way to register my dissent than to rewrite his poem, using the
same rhyme scheme and the ten-syllable-per-line rule . My version, therefore, is a semiplagiarized form of his poem but with a message thats diametrically opposed to his.
In the poem, Mr. Thomas commits what in our age or perhaps in all other ages many people are
guilty of : the inability or refusal to get resigned to the finite nature of human life. It is a problem
that clogs up many Intensive Care Units and hospital rooms with terminal patients who truly
need to be let go, to die in peace and dignity. Very recently, the wife of a patient of mine who
was on a respirator and very clearly hopeless, flabbergasted and saddened me when she said,
My biggest mistake, Doc, throughout this ordeal was to show up in the hospital with my
husbands Final Directive. The directive which was signed by the patient and incorporated into
his hospital chart unequivocally stated that he did not want any life-sustaining measures in the
event that he developed a terminal illness. He was an elderly chronic hemodialysis patient who
was encephalopathic, septic, hypotensive and had sustained progressive gangrene of his fingers
and toes from prolonged exposure to vasopressors. She wanted me to give him everything that
modern medicine could offer. Of course I had to heed my patients wishes, but not before I told
her that she was being unfair and cruel to her husband by not respecting his final wish.
To not accept death is a colossal self-delusion that unnecessarily prolongs pain and anguish,
causes incalculable disappointment when high hopes are finally proven false, interferes with
putting ones personal affairs in order, and taxes -- sometimes decimates -- peoples financial
resources, not to mention the states. In some instances, some of which have been subjects of
media frenzy, it has led to protracted and expensive litigation as well as enmity and vilification
among members of the same family, and among the families that are involved, the latest example
being the Terry Sciavo case. It is this irrational denial of our mortality that we should all rage
against.
I would have liked to see Dylan Thomas father calmly, peacefully and privately accept the
ravages of aging and his impending death, after the lightning and after the fray, without
37

obtrusiveness on the part of the son. It is more gutsy to yield to death under this circumstance
than to fight it. And I would have liked to see Dylan Thomas celebrate instead of mourn his
fathers eventual demise. Yes, the death of an elderly person should be an occasion for joyful
observance over the passing of a long life, which in many instances, is punctuated by noteworthy
and memorable accomplishments as well as manifestations of love for family. I would also like
to see more of the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who readily and gracefully nodded to the
inevitable despite obviously gargantuan resources, and of the royal family of Princess Grace of
Monaco who did the same under similar circumstances. It would be a bright day on Planet Earth
when we could all declare without equivocation: Yes, we are mortals.

38
Back to Contents