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PEOPLE
Father Araneta's
promise By WILBUR REDUBLADO I received this article by Father M A Bernad SJ in my mails through fellow alumni. I thought this is worth sharing to fellow Xavier University alumni and alumnae in case the question comes up about how Ateneo de Cagayan became Xavier University. c c c ON THE FEAST OF ST IGNATIUS on July 31, 1956, Father Francisco Araneta (pictured above) assumed office as rector of the Ateneo de Cagayan. He at once set about to hasten the process of raising the institution to the status of a university. The idea was not original with him. The process had been started in a small way by his predecessor, Father Andrew F Cervini. Father Cervini told me that the idea had been suggested to him by Archbishop James T G Hayes SJ, who had founded the Ateneo de Cagayan as a high school in 1933, but who would now like to see it become the first university in Mindanao. What Father Cervini envisioned was a slow gradual process of growth. What Father Araneta did was to hasten the process in order to obtain immediate results. It was not easy because the Ateneo de Cagayan was far from ready for such a step. There was a college of arts and sciences, a school of agriculture, a school of commerce and a graduate school. But only one of the professors, Father Frederick Fox, possessed a doctorate. When Father Fox returned to the United States, there was no one with a doctorate. Father Araneta's first step was to ask superiors that Father Francis Madigan, who had just completed doctoral studies in socilology at North Carolina and who was intended for the Ateneo de Manila, be assigned instead to the Ateneo de Cagayan. Father Araneta and Father Madigan together founded RIMCU (Research Institute for Mindanao Culture). In 1957, the application for university status was filed with the Department of Education. Many friends in Manila helped in the process, but there were also several obstacles. When the matter seemed hopeless, Father Araneta made a promise to St Francis Xavier: If the university charter should be granted in time to be announced at the Commencement Exercises in March 1958, he would name the new university "Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan." The government approval arrived a few days before the Commencement Exercises. So at those Exercises the announcement was made: the institution was now a university, officially named " Xavier University, the Ateneo de Cagayan." It was the first university in Mindanao, and the first Jesuit university in the Philippines. In the summer that followed, when I came to Cagayan to teach in the summer school (as in previous years) Father Araneta asked me to design a new seal for the university, which would include all the former symbols and in addition include one representing St.Francis Xavier. It was not easy to include all these elements and still to follow the heraldic rules. When I completed my design, Father Araneta submitted it for criticism to the heraldic expert, Bishop Madriaga of Lingayen-Dagupan. Bishop Madriaga approved the design in toto. It is now the University Seal. The name " Xavier University" was adopted in 1958. Next year, 2008, it will be 50 years that this institution has been a university under that name. #
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By ROBERTO 'Obet' DIONISIO Gawad Kalinga. Two simple obscure words conjure a view in mind of helping the poor. And at the forefront of this movement is its founder Tony Meloto (pictured), an Atenean who has been driven by and living the word of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
'Whatever you do to the least of your brothers, you do this unto me,' says the Lord. And true to this heavenly maxim, Mr Meloto started a movement that steamrolled, first within the Philippines then to different foreign countries where there are Filipino migrants. It started as a small caravan of volunteer workers. Later on some Ateneans, inspired by the leadership of Mr Meloto, joined the bandwagon of hope and rebuilding the future of the poor. Other prestigious colleges and universities joined in and, not long after, big corporations jumped in to give financial assistance. The first small caravan has now become the rallying point where thousands of individuals have opened their hearts to bring forth the wisdom of this movement. And from a simple local undertaking in Payatas, it has spread to different towns, provinces, and has now become a nationwide phenomenon. The whole world has noticed the success of this movement and are now using the same approach as a model for helping the needy in many countries. Indeed, Gawad Kalinga is now the template in several countries for assisting and uplifting self-esteem of less fortunate people. As gleaned from the talk he delivered to the Ateneo Alumni Australia during a dinner tendered in his honor at Corregidor restaurant in Sydney's west recently, Mr Meloto enlightened the fellow alumni and guestw with his vision of how he was able to attain his objective and purpose. He knew that others before him had similar intentions, but had failed to succeed. He did not wish to suffer the same consequences and the same predicament of getting bogged down along the process. So Mr Meloto took a different and new path. Unlike other pioneers before him who started social and charitable movements through handouts, he moved away from the traditional approach used by his predecessors. Instead of providing the daily immediate needs of the poor, he first made an analysis of the problem. Being first a marketing man and a management executive later, he identified the root cause of sufferings among the poor. From his hands-on experience of living with squatters who were under the clutches of several criminal syndicates, he was able to understand and feel the inner cries of the poor. Mr Meloto started with building self-belief and self-esteem among the fathers of the families who are still considered head of the family. He took them away from a life of crime. Knowing that giving money might be gambled away or may be used in unproductive ways, he refrained from giving cash dole outs. Instead, Mr Meloto encouraged those with potential to study and rebuild themselves intellectually. Along the way, he taught them how to have gain employment and earning a living by legitimate means to improve develop their self-respect. Moreover, Mr Meloto inspired poor people to have hope in life, notwithstanding their humble status. To complement the education of parents, he then addressed the basic needs of the family: a shelter and a roof over their heads which they can call a home. He saw that most people wanted to help but were not given to joining a movement without a clear-cut mission, so he outlined his vision and projects to those whom he deemed able to assist him in his mission. Mr Meloto conducted talks with concerned groups of people and conceived the idea of calling for volunteers. He embarked in on a campaign for donations from wealthy individuals and business organisations. He made representations with local government officials and agencies to uphold families' legal rights over the land and houses they would construct. He provided free manpower to build homes for the poor, assigned people with integrity to oversee the construction process to avoid kick backs and overpayment in procurement of materials. And the rest is history. Mr Meloto, in his words, was not a bright student in his early school days. He admitted failing several subjects, and had to study doubly hard on other subjects to avoid losing his place at the Ateneo. But through hard work and persistence, he succeeded in his chosen career. He attained unprecedented success in his work. Years later, however, Mr Meloto still felt there was a vacuum in his life. Something was missing. He had everything he needed in life, more than enough than what was needed by his family and himself. There was something void within himself. He could not feel a sense of fulfilment despite all the wealth he had accumulated. And maybe through some divine intervention and being always guided by his Jesuit education from Ateneo, he unconsciously echoed and put into fruition the lyrics in the song: 'Paghahandog Ng Sarili' written by the founder of the Jesuit Order, St Ignatious de Loyola, which was translated in Pilipino. In particular, his humanitarian work embodied that line in the song which says: 'Ipagkaloob mo lamang ang pag-ibig mo, ang lahat tatalikdan ko.'. Tony Meloto left a life of luxury and comfort, and lived with the poor in the Philippines. Then and there, he realized his real calling in life. To help the poor fly high in the sky, just like any other eagle. Gawad Kalinga was born. # ________________________________ Bedan has soft
The young Loyzaga boys had spent their first eight years of school at the Ateneo de Manila before going to San Beda for four years of high school. Caloy (pictured at a basketball gymnasium in Sydney), who migrated to Australia and now resides in Southport on Queensland's Gold Coast, had no qualms about providing a straight answer: ''Firstly, when my sons were growing up, we lived near Antipolo, which was closer to the Ateneo in Loyola Heights than to San Beda College in Mendiola,'' he said. ''Secondly, two Jesuits who had been close to me influenced my decision to send Chito and Joey to the Ateneo. ''The Ateneo sports moderator, Father Martin, and another teacher, Father Donelan, became my very good friends and were instrumental in helping me place my sons at the Ateneo. But when I was elected a councillor of the city of Manila my family moved back to my birthplace in Sta Mesa, which was closer to San Beda so I sent my sons there.'' Father Donelan had played basketball socially with Caloy in earlier days, at the Ateneo's old gym in Padre Faura. The priest had asked Caloy to enrol at the Ateneo. ''But Father Donelan could not offer me free tuition, and my parents could not afford Ateneo's tuition fees,'' Caloy said. ''San Beda offered me free tuition fees, so I became a Bedan.'' The Red Lions of San Beda roared mightily in Loyzaga's time in the red-and-white. And his star shone all through the 1950s, and early 1960s in the pro ranks with YCO Painters. San Beda was good to Caloy, too, giving him a good education and the chance to show his basketball brilliance. We can only thank Caloy for sharing his sons Chito and Joey with the rest of the Ateneo. # |
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Jesuit
schools alumni in Australia hosted a dinner in Sydney's west recently
for this humble but now famous Atenean.
The
question has often been asked of the Philippines' greatest basketball
player, Carlos 'Caloy' Loyzaga, an alumnus of Ateneo's fiercest sports
rival in the 1950s, San Beda College: 'Why did the pride of Bedan sports
send his sons Chito and Joey to the Ateneo for their first years of
schooling instead of San Beda?'