Chapter 4: College and Teaching Years, UP(1951-1959), Epilogues 2005, 2009 and 2014
My first two years was in UPIC (
University of the Philippines, Iloilo College). At that time, it was
only a two year institution. I started as Pre-Med as requested by my
mother. My mom always dreamed of having a physician in the family. I
made good grades, "A"s and "B"s (1.0 and 2.0)
in all my subjects, and obtained college and university scholarships
during my first year. On my second year, I was awarded the Fernando Lopez Scholarship
of free tuition fees for the whole year. The award was given to the
student with the highest grade point average in the whole school. If
there is a tie, the student with the most extracurricular activities
wins the award.
I was also elected President of the University of the
Philippines Student Catholic Action( UPSCA),
Iloilo Chapter. With this activity, I corresponded with the President
of UPSCA in Diliman UP Campus. At that time the president was Constantino
Nieva, a law student from Marinduque. Later, he was ordained as a priest
and studied in Rome, Italy for his Ph.D in Theology. Fr Nieva ( we call
him Tito Tino, now) is the uncle of my wife, Macrine Nieva Jambalos
Katague(RIP).
Life in UPIC went by very fast. In the Fall of 1953, I transferred to UP Diliman, College of Liberal Arts and decided to change my major to Chemistry. This change was inspired by my chemistry professor in UPIC. The fact that I hate the sight of blood, in my Zoology class dissecting frogs, made this change easy.
"There goes my mother's dream" is a phrase I will always remember. My mother always wanted to have a child who will be either a Physician or a Priest . My mother's dream was achieved when my niece, D'Wanie Katague Gregorio finished her MD degree, several years ago.
In Diliman, I resumed my active participation with UPSCA, becoming a member of the UPSCA Student Council representing my college. Our spiritual adviser was the late Fr. John Delaney, a Jesuit priest. The rivalry between the UPSCANS and the FRATS /SORORITIES was the most published and talked topic during that time. During my college years, the UPSCANS dominated student politics and until the death of Fr. John Delaney.
Life in UPIC went by very fast. In the Fall of 1953, I transferred to UP Diliman, College of Liberal Arts and decided to change my major to Chemistry. This change was inspired by my chemistry professor in UPIC. The fact that I hate the sight of blood, in my Zoology class dissecting frogs, made this change easy.
"There goes my mother's dream" is a phrase I will always remember. My mother always wanted to have a child who will be either a Physician or a Priest . My mother's dream was achieved when my niece, D'Wanie Katague Gregorio finished her MD degree, several years ago.
In Diliman, I resumed my active participation with UPSCA, becoming a member of the UPSCA Student Council representing my college. Our spiritual adviser was the late Fr. John Delaney, a Jesuit priest. The rivalry between the UPSCANS and the FRATS /SORORITIES was the most published and talked topic during that time. During my college years, the UPSCANS dominated student politics and until the death of Fr. John Delaney.
A circular chapel( Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice) in the Diliman campus
was one of Fr. Delaney's project. During the ground breaking for the
chapel, the names of one thousand (1000) students, faculty members and
their families who went to mass and communion everyday for one year were
buried in the church foundation. What an honor that my name was one of
the one thousand names included in the church foundation.
The chapel is known for its architectural design, the church is recognized as a National Historical Landmark and a Cultural Treasure by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, formerly the National Historical Institute, and the National Museum of the Philippines respectively. It was designed by the late National Artist for Architecture, Leandro Locsin, one of four National Artists who collaborated on the project. According to a post from the UP Diliman website, it is the only structure in the country where the works of four national artists can be found. Alfredo Junio served as the structural engineer for the project.
It was Fr. Tino who first introduced me to his niece, Macrine Nieva Jambalos. That year, I also joined the "Chemical Society". As a neophyte, one of my task was to look for Macrine. I was not able to do it. At the same time, one member of the Chemical Society who resided in the same dormitory with Macrine knew that she was also looking for me. So we were playing "HIDE and SEEK'. Finally, Macrine and I met in the sacristy of the old chapel and the rest is history. Our college romance is too long to be included in this article. It will be another chapter in this book.
The chapel is known for its architectural design, the church is recognized as a National Historical Landmark and a Cultural Treasure by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, formerly the National Historical Institute, and the National Museum of the Philippines respectively. It was designed by the late National Artist for Architecture, Leandro Locsin, one of four National Artists who collaborated on the project. According to a post from the UP Diliman website, it is the only structure in the country where the works of four national artists can be found. Alfredo Junio served as the structural engineer for the project.
It was Fr. Tino who first introduced me to his niece, Macrine Nieva Jambalos. That year, I also joined the "Chemical Society". As a neophyte, one of my task was to look for Macrine. I was not able to do it. At the same time, one member of the Chemical Society who resided in the same dormitory with Macrine knew that she was also looking for me. So we were playing "HIDE and SEEK'. Finally, Macrine and I met in the sacristy of the old chapel and the rest is history. Our college romance is too long to be included in this article. It will be another chapter in this book.
In 1955, I graduated with my
B.S.in Chemistry degree. Right after graduation, I was
appointed Instructor in Chemistry and taught General and Qualitative
laboratory courses to pre-med, nursing and engineering students up to
1959. I was only 24 years old at that time.
The Oblation Run, UPLB( photo from photobucket.com)
The two pictures above are the "OBLATION RUN", an annual activity that had been attracting nationwide visitors and the press in UP. There was no Oblation Run during my college years. The photo is from the web, by photobucket.com (pinoyblogosphere).
The Oblation Run is an annual tradition of the members of the Alpha Phi Omega, one of the prominent U.P. fraternities. Members of the fraternity run around the campus naked (a concept known as streaking) to protest their sentiments about a current political or economic situation. The run started in 1977 to protest the banning of the movie, “Hubad na Bayani,” which depicted human rights abuses in the martial law era.
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The following are excerpts from article by Paulo Alcazaren( City Sense, STAR) written several years ago brought pleasant memories of my college years and my first job as an Instructor in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines, Department of Chemistry ( 1957-1959).
December 20, 1955 ( also my 21st birthday) was the date when the first mass was held and the blessing of the chapel by Archbishop Rufino Santos. It was attended by an overflowing crowd of UP students and faculty members including most of the "1000" whose names were in the chapel foundation.
I am proud to remember, that my name is one of the 1000 names buried in the Foundation of the Chapel for completing the requirement of daily mass and communion for one year and pledging 5% of my student allowance to the building fund.
This article also reminded me of the war and struggle to control student government and campus life between the UPSCANS and the Fraternities/ Sororities. I was an UPSCAN then and one of the faithful apostles of Fr. John Patrick Delaney. Fr. John has a lot of influence on my life from that time and even today. His words of wisdom, charisma and encouragement still rings in my 86 years old body today. I love you, Fr. John! May you rest in Peace eternally!
CHAPEL OF SACRIFICE
UP, DILIMAN, December 21, 2005 (STAR) CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren - My first memory of the University of the Philippines was in 1965. My father had bought me a toy rocket ship and we launched it from one of the many open green spaces set within the lush campus landscape. I thought at the time that it was cool that we were the first to bring the space age to the UP. I was wrong. I found out later that it had come much earlier – in 1955 – with the completion of the Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice, affectionately known as Diliman’s "flying saucer."
Less than 10 years after that rocket launch, I found myself enrolled at the UP and painting that domed chapel in watercolor for a class in architectural rendering. That prompted my first visit and the experience was profound. I had never been in a circular church before and it felt strange to see the altar in the center. Nevertheless, I was drawn to it. Despite its small scale (only a hundred feet across), the space had an impact and a focus few structures here could match then, and that holds true even today.
The interior space was enhanced with artwork – a two-sided crucifix above showing the tortured, then the risen Lord, an abstracted river of life in a terrazzo-patterned floor below and 15 striking murals (Stations of the Cross) between the dome’s 32 columns – and added to the whole effect of embracing the visitor spatially and spiritually. The chapel was wonderfully open, blending the interior with the green outside. Finally, the setting – a simple, green lawn rising gently from the road – completed the postcard-pretty scene.
A Priest, Four Artists & Two Engineers
Fr. John Delaney, the controversial but charismatic Jesuit chaplain assigned to the campus, orchestrated the project. National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin cut his teeth designing it. Dean Alfredo Juinio of the UP College of Engineering came up with the innovative thin-shell approach which a young David Consunji implemented to perfection using the simplest of machinery and lots of guts.
Finally, three cutting-edge artists – Napoleon Abueva, Arturo Luz and Vincente Manansala – created the crucifix, floor and murals respectively, which started them on the road to national artist status. (Another national artist, in music this time, Jose Maceda, would premier his concert "Pagsamba" there in 1968 and repeat it regularly in the same venue.) One renowned religious leader, four national artists and two giants in Philippine engineering and construction make for a really special structure …and a compelling story of how it got built.
The UP transferred to Diliman in 1949. It was meant to do so in 1942 as part of a massive transfer of civic structures that included a new capitol complex at the elliptical circle. The war intervened. Immediately after, the future campus was commandeered by the American Armed Forces as their headquarters. The two Juan Arellano-designed structures built in 1941 meant for the colleges of law and education became military offices. Around it rose dozens of quonset huts and a chapel of wood, galvanized iron roofing, bamboo and sawali that had a distinctive vernacular-inspired roof (my suspicion is that it was also Arellano-designed because of some references in the literature to his experimentation in pitch-roofed silhouettes for the state university’s architecture).
Unstable Architecture And A Troubled Up
That chapel deteriorated into stables towards the end of the UP’s military term. It was in shambles when Fr. Delaney found it but he quickly went to work to clean it up, aided by an ever growing flock of students, faculty and residents. After the patch-up, the UP chapel became the religious center of the campus. In the early ‘50s it was shared with the Protestant and Aglipayan congregations reflecting the open spirit of community in UP then.
UPSCANS
In front of the Old Chapel after Mass with Fr. John Delaney. Fr John
was my inspiration and hero at that time. His words and action still
reverberates in my mind today! The growing population of students and residents in the 493-hectare campus, however, took its toll and Fr. Delaney, as well as the Protestant church leaders, finally decided it was time to build new and separate chapels. Under UP president Vidal Tan, the campus also accommodated requests and allocated parcels in the non-academic north section of the university for both.
Those were trying years for Delaney, president Tan and the university. Issues of academic freedom, the threat of sectarianism (fueled by Fr. Delany’s extremely pro-active involvement in campus life and the growing political clout of the Delaney-mentored UP Student Catholic Action organization), and fraternity and sorority violence (which the chaplain tried his best to solve) made for a more complicated narrative, whose total complexion colored the entire decade.
It was in the middle of this maelstrom that the idea for the "saucer" started. In May 1954 the Protestant chapel was first to start construction. The modern structure, by university architect Cesar Concio, was completed a year later. The Protestant Chapel of the Risen Lord was funded by donations from America. The Catholic congregation was not so lucky and had to scrounge and scrape, egged on by the tireless Fr. Delaney to "give till it hurt." Fr. Delaney also did not want to sell out to corporate sponsorship or be beholden to endowments from the rich. Almost all of the P150,000 it took (remember, the peso was 2:1 back then) was raised by the UP congregation. Students missed their lunches and faculty donated portions of their salary to the fund. No wonder the chapel was named The Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice!
When It Rained, They Poured
This type of roof had never been built in the country. It took the ingenuity of Consunji to construct it within the constraints of the meager budget and the lack of equipment needed to pour the shell within the 18-hour window Junio set. The solution was ingenious and daring – four construction towers and a continuous ramp circling the structure allowed ordinary concrete mixers (churning out high-strength concrete) to supply a squad of workers in buggies rotating to pour the concrete.
The pour date was Aug. 25, 1955. It started to drizzle in the early morning and threatened to wreck the operation (the water would dilute the mix and weaken the concrete). But Fr. Delaney held a prayer vigil with UPSCANs taking turns asking for divine intervention. They got it as the site remained totally dry even as other parts of the large campus were drenched, even the University Theater, where the Nobel Prize winner for literature, William Faulkner, delivered a lecture.
The Chapel And Up’s Current Malaise
At four in the morning on Dec. 20, 1955 the chapel was blessed by Archbishop Rufino J. Santos. Fr. Delaney said the first mass (also the first Christmas mass) to an overflowing crowd. In his sermon, he thanked all those who made sacrifices to see that the chapel would be completed. The mood of the congregation was joyous and it spilled over to January only to be dashed by the news of Delaney’s death from a stroke. The sacrifices and trials he faced in the last few years had taken its toll. His body was brought from the Ateneo to the new chapel for the requiem mass, starting a tradition of honoring those of UP who had made a difference.
News of Fr Delaney deathThe new chapel and the loss of their mentor only spurred UPSCANs to carry on their perceived mission of shaping campus life. In the years that followed they took political control of the student council stirring up a hornet’s nest of trouble that ended in the suspension of student political life in UP until a decision by the Supreme Court in the early ‘60s.
Personal Note: In 2009, my wife and I attended mass in the chapel during our annual vacation to the Philippines from US. I was also shock of the appearance and landscaping of the surrounding area, I started to cry, hiding my tears from wife.
My wife and I have pleasant memories of our participation in the UPSCA choir for three years under the leadership of the Late Professor Antonio Molina. I first met my wife in the old UP Chapel, through her uncle Fr. Constantino Nieva, who was President of UPSCA in 1952. In 1957, we got married and the decoration of our wedding cake was a 1:1000 miniature scale of the Chapel as shown below.
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EPILOGUE: 2014 Personal Tour of the Teaching Building, Institute of Chemistry by Renan del Rosario
On May 7, 2014 Renan del Rosario, 1977 chemistry graduate and one of the advisers of the University of the Philippines Chemistry Alumni, Inc that year treated me with lunch and a personal tour of the new Institute of Chemistry Teaching Building at the UP Diliman National Science Complex. It was one of the highlights of my 90-day snow birding sojourn in the Philippines that year. I was able to take photographs of the Donor Wall which included my name(see photo above).
EPILOGUE: 2014 Personal Tour of the Teaching Building, Institute of Chemistry by Renan del Rosario
On May 7, 2014 Renan del Rosario, 1977 chemistry graduate and one of the advisers of the University of the Philippines Chemistry Alumni, Inc that year treated me with lunch and a personal tour of the new Institute of Chemistry Teaching Building at the UP Diliman National Science Complex. It was one of the highlights of my 90-day snow birding sojourn in the Philippines that year. I was able to take photographs of the Donor Wall which included my name(see photo above).
The Donor Wall is right at the
entrance of the building just by the side of the guard podium. The
following are some of the photos I took that day. The day reminded me
of my student and teaching days (1952 to 1959) at the College of
Chemistry now known as the Institute of Chemistry. I was only 24 years
old when I first taught chemistry to Pre-med, Nursing, and Engineering
students in 1956. That was my first job after my Bachelor's degree graduation in October,1955.
,Outside the Teaching Building
At the Entrance
,Outside the Teaching Building
At the Entrance**About StoryWorth:
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