JV
a Kapampangan, belonged to batch 77 in Don Bosco Juniorate. .
He graduated as a professed cleric in Canlubang in 1982, and spent his
practical training in Cebu where he was loved by his football
players and students.
When he
left, he became VP of the ASH way back 1984. We became good and close
friends then. He was a passionate leader, mentor, organizer, dreamer,
speaker and educator. Multi-talented indeed. He pursued his masteral and
doctoral studies in education.
To
catch up on him, I visited him in his home in Angeles. His
high school kids then, had their own version of a
2 PM Saturday manual work. One was cutting grass, the
other was painting the wall.
Another
time, I went to see him at Clark Polytechnic, which he founded. He was Director
of the school. I saw written on the blackboard, "PREVENTIVE
SYSTEM."
After
giving himself some insulin shot, he went out of his office, made a round of
the building, and enjoyed goofing around and bantering with the
students. At lunchtime he invited me to a modest meal at the
mess hall. In a very jovial mood, sitting at the center of a long
dining table with about seven of his staff around him, he cracked
jokes with them. He was the center of unity of his faculty.
Then he
invited me to attend a seminar the coming week, as resource speaker on
values he was to give in downtown Balibago. I went. Lo and
behold, I counted some 500 factory workers in attendance, gaping in awe and
relishing every bit of his funny antics. His topic? Developing good
habits. That simple.
Just
last month he planned to put up 4 more schools daw for the poor
youth of Pampanga. And so on and so forth...
Astounding.
Remarkable. Very Salesian. Truly Salesian at heart!
Eternal
rest JV, You deserve one finally. What with the so many activities you have
done for the Lord, out of love for Don Bosco and our Blessed
Mother.
Till we
meet again!
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