I was in Naga City, Bicol the past weekend to help out in the First Regional Engineering Student Leaders Summit organized by the Ayala Young Leaders Alliance – Bicol Chapter with Neil Erich Galicia, AYLC 2006 Alumni from Ateneo de Naga University, as Project Leader. Upon knowing that I will be in town, Fr Rex Hidalgo, Caceres Youth and Campus Ministry Director also invited me to give my “sharing as a young servant-leader” to the youth participants of the Marian Youth Congress of the Archdiocese of Caceres (Naga). All would be happening on the same weekend of the Traslacion - where Ina, the patroness of Bicol will be transfered from the Basilica to the Cathedral via a procession where people as a yearly panata would painstakingly work their way to Ina amidst a mob or men who have had nothing but gin to numb their bodies of the stampede-like experience. So you see, this trip was really was about hitting a lot of birds with one stone.
The epic journey to Naga was preceded by a three-hour videoke session with AYLC 2002 alumni who are based in Manila. Highlights include: Janice Lao is getting married in two weeks. Mon Abrea is, well uhmm, still Mon Abrea! Marie Puyat was dying in anticipation of the results of her auditions with Repertory’s November show of the Sound of Music. Mheng pressed the restart button in the middle of Queenie’s favorite song. Queenie by the way is the honorary AYLC 2002 alumna. It is safe to say now that Doi is the Josh Groban of AYLC 2002. After Luke caught up with the videoke fever but had to wait forever before his order of pizza was served. Mich, the dakilang organizer, will be moving on to a new employer (yey! bigger pay!). At around 11:00PM, after an eventful videoke session which ended 30 minutes too late due to a certain teriyaki chicken sandwich, I jumped into the Globe company car with Jeff and yes the 10-hour trip has officially began. We passed by for Kim and then for the Mr Geld (who took til midnight to finish packing up! thank God for he had Wi-Fi at home, we were preoccupied while waiting). There are two people I would like to give top billing to in this blog entry. First would be Neil, the project leader and second would be Fr. Rex the Archdiocese's Director for anything and everything about youth in Naga.Neil Erich Galicia - he is an alumnus from AYLC 2006, a young man with great passion to make a difference, despite his very 'colorful' life and lack of solid support system he amazed me with his focus, his determination to make the Summit a success come hell (fire broke out a few blocks down the road from where we had the Summit on the second night of the event) or high water (it was raining during our outdoor challenge activities)... Neil, CONGRATULATIONS for a MEGA-successful summit! I am very proud of you!
Fr Rex Hidalgo - he is also known as Father Jollibee because he is a huge fellow, when you see him you just wanna hug him like you usually do when you see a big teddy bear. That is Fr Rex. I first met him when he celebrated the closing mass for the leadership training camp we facilitated for the student leaders of Universidad de Santa Isabel. Hearing about the camp, he has been bugging Sr Josie Onag, VP for Student Services of USI, for my contact details. One Thursday, he went to AFI to give me a visit and to personally hand over his invitation for us to conduct 3 camps for the Archdiocese and for me to speak during the Marian Youth Congress, which by the way was attended by over 3,000 youth. He really put me in a very uncomfortable situation there -- a lot of firsts here for me... i am not one who likes to talk about myself or my life, in front of 3,000 youth, in the altar of the church (see this picture as proof!). I can't remember anymore what I said, or maybe I chose to forgot about it.
It was a 'refreshing' weekend for me. I enjoyed Engineering Student Leaders' witty remarks and computing prowess. I was awed by the Traslacion experience, the sight of Ina bobbing around in the middle of a very emotional crowd, from the moment it left the Basilica until the time it arrived in the Cathedral. I was terrified by the sight of 3,000 young people all squeezed into the pews and on the floor of the Cathedral, staring at me, waiting for my next punch line. I was disheartened by the sight of boarders, families who lost their homes to the fire. I was thrilled listening to the plans of Ace, AJ and Ben - off to Catanduanes to conduct a leadership camp, with nothing but the P800 I donated to them and the passion to reach out to the young leaders there. I had a feast dining at Naga City Wok, in the newly opened Avenue Square Lifestyle Center and meeting Ms Gwen Cu, who was very accommodating and sweet and totally charming. I was moved by Neil's resilience, the epitome of a young person who rose above his circumstance. I was inspired by the dedication of Fr Rex to reawaken his youth ministry, including the young priests in the Archdiocese.
I am grateful that God gave me this weekend. I feel I must have done something right?
In the words of Padre Pio (as seen on one of the posters in the beautiful 200 year old house beside the Cathedral where the monsignor lives) "I can refuse no one, how can I, if the Lord himself wills it so and refuses nothing when I ask him?"
VIVA LA VIRGEN DE PEñAFRANCIA!!!
