Br. Bernard S. Oca FSC: The Eighth President of DLSZ

Br. Bernard S. Oca FSC, or Br. Bernie, was officially inducted as the eighth President of De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ) during the solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist last 24 June 2013. The occasion was graced by one of the sisters of the president, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, members of the DLSZ Board of Trustees, De La Salle Brothers, alumni, parents, students, Lasallian Partners and distinguished guests. 

A Eucharistic Celebration, presided by Msgr. Rufino Suplido, preceded the Installation Rite. Br. Armin Luistro FSC, Department of Education Secretary and former DLSZ President, read the letter of appointment that was signed by the Chairman of the DLSZ Board of Trustees, Br. Jose Mari Jimenez FSC. It was followed by the Presentation of the Presidential Medal. Julia Therese P. Sabitsana (DLSZ 2025), one of DLSZ’s Brother President Scholars, carried the medal. Br. Dennis Magbanua FSC, outgoing DLSZ President, then bestowed the medal to Br. Bernie. Br. Armin administered the Oath of Office while Jay La Salle, a Br. Rafael Donato FSC Night High School student, held the Bible for Br. Bernie.

The acceptance speech of Br. Bernie highlighted President Corazon C. Aquino as his source of inspiration. He was inspired by her selfless response to God’s call to serve our country when she took on Ninoy Aquino’s fight for democracy. He stressed a correlation between being a nationalist and a Lasallian; that DLSZ, as a Catholic institution, should form saints and heroes or heroines who will contribute to the betterment of our country. 

Br. Bernie animatedly invited Br. Armin, to also impart some words. Br. Armin eagerly agreed and shared his experience during one of his school visitations around the country. He emphasized the importance of having a decent school that the youth deserves. DLSZ, as one of the premier schools in the Philippines, is blessed enough that it should continue St. John Baptist de La Salle’s mission to serve the deprived sectors of our community.

In the parting, Br. Bernie expressed his gratitude to Br. Dennis for handing him an already excellent school. With his remarkable experience as a Lasallian educator and leader, it allows him to hit the ground running and continue to lead in forming “Christian achievers for God and country”.

Forest Instead of Trees: Residencia Aspirants Formation Session 1

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Why does the prospect of meeting new people frighten me? Whydo I blurt out things without thinking about the consequences? Why do I get"kutob" about certain things? Why do I see the forest instead of thetrees?

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These and many other questions were explored and answered inthe first Formation Session facilitated by Br. Sockie for the ResidenciaAspirants at the Family Den of the Residencia De La Salle in DLSU-D. Thesession focused on the Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) personality type ofeach Aspirant in the hopes of helping them understand themselves in four areas:

Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outerworld or on your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) orIntroversion (I).

Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basicinformation you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This iscalled Sensing (S) or Intuition (N).

Decisions: When making decisions, do you preferto first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and specialcircumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F).

Structure: In dealing with the outside world, doyou prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to newinformation and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P). (From: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/)

What was interesting was that all the Residencia Aspirants,including Br. Sockie, are Fs (Feeling Type), who look at people first overlogic and consistency. The group quipped: "We desire mercy, notsacrifice."

The Formation Sessions of the Residencia Aspirants are heldevery Semester with different facilitators as part of the personal growthaspect of the Aspirants.

—By Br. Sockie de la Rosa FSC 

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Distinguished Teacher, Dr. RA

Dr. Romeo P. Ariniego, FPCP, FPCC, former vice president for academics of De La Salle Health Sciences Institute and one of the most revered faculty and former dean of the College of Medicine was conferred the Distinguished Teacher Award 2013 last 29 May 2013, during the 44th Annual Convention of the Philippine Heart Association. 

For most of the College of Medicine’s alumni, the award couldn’t be more fitting for the mentor they lovingly call “Dr. RA”. As a teacher of medicine, he has left significant marks in many of past and current DLSHSI faculty and administrators; they always talk about him with respect, affection, and admiration. Known to be always ready to crack his whip during teaching rounds for students who fail to know by heart their patient’s condition, Dr. RA is also a caring and concerned mentor who does not hesitate to help students in need. For years now, his home and his extensive medicine library has been open to scholars who need a place to stay and who want to learn with the doctor. His clinic always has the longest queue of patients of all ages – and conditions – at De La Salle University Medical Center. 

Dr. RA has now donated said home to the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute to ensure that DLSHSI scholars will always have a place to stay even after he is gone. He also gave a very sizable donation for the construction of the DLSHSI library, which was named in his honor. Asked why he chose to donate for the construction of the library, Dr. RA said, “I know how important a library is especially for poor students. Throughout my years of studying, I survived because of the kind librarians who were lenient when it came to my borrowing of books because they knew I didn’t have the money to buy my own copies.”

Dr. RA is also a popular champion of the DLSHSI support staff. In 2007, he established an endowment fund to support the children of support staff who want to become doctors. This scholarship fund currently benefits a medical student who is the daughter of a DLSHSI staff. 

Despite all the accolades he has received – Distinguished Service Award from the Philippine Heart Association, National Lorenzo M. Tañada CHIMES Award from De La Salle Philippines, and the International Health Professional distinction – Dr. RA remains the same compassionate man who up to this day, receives gifts of fruits, crops, and chickens from his patients in lieu of a consultation or professional fee.  

Vocation Road Tour: Bacolod

Last 26-28 June, Br. Alex Diaz FSC was here in Bacolod City for his Vocation Road Tour. The tour consisted of visiting the different La Salle schools present in the Philippine Sector. Its purpose is to promote the De La Salle Brothers vocation. On his first day, he had a talk at the Gallaga Theater with USLS-IS High School students from the IS Acolytes, the Search-In Core group, and the Student Affairs Council. He shared about his vocation, what it feels like to be a Brother and how he was able to respond to God’s call.

In the afternoon he had a question and answer forum with two selected Grade 11 classes. He also interacted with some selected high school students through the Brew with Bro at the High School Campus Ministry Office. There, he was able to answer questions about the Brothers, which were formed from the curious minds of the young boys who wanted to know more. He also talked about his different experiences as a brother, the steps he took to become a brother, his main ministry work as the National Vocations Promoter, and many other things, hoping to inspire some of the boys present.

In the evening, Br. Alex had a meeting with the Bacolod BACon (Brothers, Aspirants, and Contacts) about his plans and goals in promoting vocations for this year and the following years. True to its famous hospitality, the dinner was hosted by the Vocations Ministry Office at the Moon Café, a Mexican inspired restaurant. After having dinner and sharing stories, the group went to another famous culinary spot, the Calea for dessert.

On the Second day, Br. Alex had a talk with College students from selected RS classes in the morning and in the afternoon. There was also a lunch meeting at the Ledesma Boardroom with the Local Vocation Team (LVT). After Br. Alex’s talk in the afternoon, he went to the Bacolod Brother’s house to again have Brew with Bro with 20 selected College students and Faculty from the IS. There, the students and faculty interacted with the brothers while having a small merienda.

On the third day Br. Alex went to St. Joseph School-La Salle to meet with the newly formed Local Vocation Team and also had conversations with the students.

Last 29 June, for the first time in the Philippine history, the Sector reached fifty Filipino brothers. And hopefully with Br. Alex at the helm and the Vocation Road Tours, fifty is just the beginning. Truly, the Vocation Road Tour serves as an instrument that will help us start to respond to God’s call. It is a chance to consider another option in life and to choose what we really want to do, to be the person we want to be or to be the person that God intended us to be. Let us all help each other in promoting vocations and continue to live Jesus in our hearts forever.

—By Emmanuel John Paul Locsin

Project FREE: Tarlac

Last 22 June, some 680 teachers from various public schools in the province of Tarlac received their doctorates and masters degrees in the field of education through the Project Flagships to Reach Educational Excellence (Project FREE). The project is an initiative of the Eduardo Cojuangco Foundation and is under the auspices of the University of St. La Salle in cooperation with the Tarlac State University and the local government of the province of Tarlac. Aimed at improving the quality of education through improvements in the education of teachers, the project previously graduated a batch of 780 public school teachers also from Tarlac in June 2013. Faculty from Tarlac State University (TSU) and the University of St. La Salle (USLS) collaborated in mentoring the public school teachers of Tarlac who graduated from this program. 

On hand to witness the graduation rites were project sponsors, Ambassador Eduardo and Mrs. Gretchen Cojuangco; members of the local government of Tarlac led by Gov. Victor Yap and Congressman Henry Cojuangco; USLS officials led by Br. Raymundo Suplido FSC, Dr. Therese Jochico, Vice-Chancellor for Academics and Dr. Elsie Coscolluela, Project FREE Director; and key officials of the Department of Education led by graduation guest speaker, DepEd Secretary, Br. Armin Luistro FSC. 

Tarlac is the second province to have benefitted from Project FREE. The fourth district of Negros Occidental was the first to have benefitted from Project FREE in 2002. The Eduardo Cojuanco Foundation, in cooperation with Br. Gus Boquer, then president of University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, launched the project in Negros Occidental where 1,340 public school teachers were able to earn doctoral and masters degrees in education. Follow-up studies have shown marked improvements in the performance of students in public schools in national exams after their teachers underwent further studies.

 

DLSU-D Grants Honoris Causa to Cardinal Tagle

De La Salle University-Dasmariñas (DLSU-D) conferred an honorary degree, Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa), to His Eminence Luis Antonio Gokim Cardinal Tagle, D.D. The solemn ceremony was held on 19 June at Ugnayang La Salle of DLSU-D. 

The conferment of the honorary degree is in recognition of his achievements and meaningful contributions to the DLSU-D community. Cardinal Tagle generously and selflessly served as one of the members of the Board of Trustees of the University from 2005 to 2012. Even after serving as Bishop of the Diocese of Imus, Cardinal Tagle continues to inspire and motivate the academic community through the excellence he constantly exhibits and the simplicity and humility that he consistently exudes. The Medal of St. John Baptist de La Salle was also awarded to Cardinal Tagle during the same academic convocation. The Medal is given as a gesture of esteem and appreciation for His Eminence’s valuable contribution as Pastoral leader, in his capacity as former Bishop of the Diocese of Imus, and as now Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Manila. It is also in appreciation for his commitment and support in advancing the Lasallian mission towards making a difference in the lives of countless persons. 


New faces at DLSP-CHA

Welcome the new team members of the Central House Administration

This school year, we welcome new members of De La Salle Philippines (DLSP) Central House Administration team.

Ms. Pam Roldan (1) joined the Central Procurement Unit (CPU) as its Head. Ms. Claudeth Cantoria (2) will be working as Advancement Assistant in the Advancement Unit (AdU). Mr. Louie Montemar (3) joined the Lasallian Mission Services (LMS) department as Coordinator of the Lasallian Education Commission with Mr. Gladstone Cuarteros (4) as Coordinator of the Lasallian Justice and Peace Commission. Mr. Migs Ortega (5) will be joining the Communications & Resource Services (CoRe) department as Communications Associate, along with Mr. Demy Cruz Jr. (6) as Multimedia Artist.

 

LSGH Recognized for LCLE

 The Grade School Department of La Salle Green Hills was featured in the 21 May edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. LSGH was cited during the Second Excellence in Educational Transformation Awards (EETA). A portion of the article is quoted below:

The LSGH Grade School Department was recognised particularly for its Learner-Centered Learning Environment (LCLE) and Technology Management Center (TMC), spearheading the use of technology and Internet in improving students’ capabilities as learners.”

Other schools given the same award are: Singapore School Manila, Statefields School Inc., Don Bosco Technology Center-Cebu, Southville International School and Colleges and Diocesan Schools of Pagadian.

They were recognised for exceptional innovations in their school systems, including curriculum design, learning materials, learning methodologies, administrative systems and processes and learning spaces and places. Each received 300,000.

This is organised by Bayan Academy, Rex Bookstore and Knowledge Channel Foundation.

You may read the full article here. 

Remembering Elmer Mariquit

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfNcSRV6l4U?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&enablejsapi=1&w=854&h=480]

 Kuya Elmer, an alumnus of La Salle University, was a former Lasallian Volunteer and, recently, a teacher in the La Salle Academy (LSA) Night High School. He died [in the morning of 28 May 2013] at Mercy Hospital, Iligan. I met him when he joined the Lasallian Volunteer Program (LSVP) in 2002. He was assigned for two years in Mt. Agad-Agad, Langilanon, Iligan teaching nursery to the children of the farming communities. After two years he was transferred to the mountains of Canumay, San Jose, Antipolo teaching the Alternative Learning System. In his last year in LSVP in 2005, his kidneys were diagnosed both dysfunctional and needs to undergo dialysis three times a week in order to survive and prolong his life. He transferred to Iligan to be with his family. LSA invited him to teach in the Night High School. The De La Salle Brothers supported him since his condition was first diagnosed in 2005. I had an opportunity to visit him at the Mercy Hospital, Iligan during my LSA Lasallian CARES visit last March. In our conversation, he would always express how deeply grateful he was to the De La Salle Brothers for being a “real brother” to him, especially Brs. Edmundo Ferndandez, JJ Jimenez and Raffy Reyes FSC. 

After all the physical suffering you had in life, Elmer, I am sure God will reward you with eternal life in heaven!

Text by Vangie de Peralta
Video by Br. Mikey Cua FSC

Announcing the Arrival of the Scholastics

HABEMUS! On the 8th of May, Brs. Butch Alcudia, Joseph Azrael Daluz, Toby dela Cruz and Dan Sanding FSC, arrived in Bacolod City fresh from their 30-day silent retreat in Cebu. They will be in Bacolod for one school year teaching in St. Joseph School-La Salle (SJS-LS) and study at the University of St. La Salle. Of the four brothers, Br. Toby is no longer a stranger to Bacolod having been here during the first quarter of the year during his school exposure, also at SJS-LS. 

Accompanying them were Br. Rey Mejias FSC, their director at the House of Studies in DLSU, and Br. Timothy FSC of Myanmar. Br. Rey or Br. Cocoy, for some who know him, ensured the safe delivery of the “precious package” to Bacolod. The following day was devoted to their presentation of their synthesis of what they have learned throughout their formation as Post-Novices. On their free days, they went to the Balay Negrense and the San Diego Pro-Cathedral in the city of Silay, tried out famous local delicacies at El Ideal and visited the recently opened mall, The District North Point.

Joining them in the Brothers Community is its new Director, Br. Bong Servando FSC. Which means Bacolod City will now have eight Brothers! Finally, after a long period of lacking young Brothers, the Bacolod Lasallian community will get not just one, but four. Their presence will also mean a lot of exciting things to hope for, especially on vocation promotion and formation. 

Brothers, mabubusog kayo sa pagmamahal ng mga tao dito at ng kulturang puno ng pagkain ng Bacolod.

READY. SET. GO. Live Jesus in our Hearts — FOREVER!

By Raphael Miguel Crisostomo (Edited by Br. Butch Alcudia FSC)