De la Salle’s relics

On Nov. 8, the relics of St. Jean Baptist de la Salle will visit the De La Salle Andres Soriano Memorial College in Lutopan, Toledo City. The French saint is the founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and is the patron saint of Christian teachers. St. La Salle lived in the 17th century and to him we owe the practical side of education like the use of blackboards, as well as the structure of curriculum that integrated ethics with literature, physics, philosophy and mathematics.

In his time, only the rich could afford to go to school and he worked tirelessly to provide a system of education accessible to the poor. For giving us a concept that levels the playing field, we owe this great saint a lot of gratitude.

The visit of the relic of the spiritual founder of De La Salle Philippines is in connection with the centenary of the foundation of the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila and we in Cebu and the Visayas are very fortunate to be part of the Lasallian celebration. The relic is the arm bone of the saint, thus it is a first class relic. It will arrive at the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Force Base on Nov. 8 on board a private plane. After military honors, a caravan will accompany the relics to Lutopan, Toledo City. It will stay in the De La Salle Andres Soriano Memorial College chapel until Nov. 17.

At a press conference last Friday to announce this wonderful event, I had the opportunity to interact with two gracious ladies who run the affiliate school. Genesa Paragados, ASMC president and Evelyn Cimafranca, school administrator, gave me plenty of interesting back stories about the school named after the family who owns the Atlas Mining and Development Corp. The village in Toledo where the firm is located carries the patriarch’s name as well, a small remembrance for the Soriano family whose business interests made it also possible for Toledo to become a city.

The school was established in 1965 exclusively for dependents of the mining company’s workers. At the request of the Soriano family, the Frateres Scholarum Christianarum or Brothers of the Christian Schools (FSC) in Manila went to Toledo to run the school.

From 1965 to the early 90s, the school enjoyed material privileges through the mining company’s subsidy. In 1992 the country was hit by a severe economic crisis which spelled doom for the mining company. Two years later, AMDC was forced to close down. Many workers were displaced. The teachers of ASMC became distressed and now had to face an uncertain future.

At its peak, the ASMC had a student population of 3,000 and a work force of more than 150.  Ms Cimafranca, a graduate of the school who thus saw how the school thrived and faltered, said its population dropped to 1,000 with 69 faculty and non-teaching staff. Many students had to leave town and drop out of school, while many faculty members were lured to take up offers to work abroad or to teach in other schools that offered better pay.

Fortunately, the school managed to keep its head above water, thanks to the faculty and staff who stuck it out despite their own doubts whether the school would survive.

In 2007, Atlas Mining and Development Corp. resumed operations after a 13-year hiatus. The school remarkably remained focused and despite the economic downturn, managed to upgrade its facilities. Plans to open new courses in line with new trends in education are in the pipeline, although these have to be momentarily set aside to accord its spiritual founder the honor and celebration he deserves.

There’s an interesting story about the preparations. While the local Lasallians are delighted by the visit, they were apprehensive knowing the occasion maybe likened to an important call of a foreign dignitary. Paragados worried because she didn’t have any idea about protocol, and the logistical preparations required of the high-profile visit seemed way out of the school’s reach.

Call it serendipity or action of the Holy Spirit, but just as the local DLSU Board of Trustees made initial preparations last Sept. 12 at the Casino Español de Cebu, the organizing committee of the Duaw Sto. Niño for Naval, Biliran and Calubian, Leyte was also meeting in an adjoining room. As Paragados was leaving, she bumped into her high school classmate in the lobby who was coming out of a meeting with regional officials of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine National Police in connection with the Duaw Sto. Niño.

I had written a number of articles about the duaw, suffice it to say that when Genesa met her high school classmate and duaw organizer Rey Martinez,  big concerns related to the relic’s visit, like security, were at once resolved.

The celebration of the Lasallian centennial in the Philippines is a tribute to the spirit of its founder, a humble and untiring educator whose gifts have blossomed in many parts of the world, including the 17-wide De la Salle district schools throughout the country.

I think the relic’s visit is also St. La Salle’s way of thanking the teachers whose faith and dedication made it possible for his mission to continue despite tremendous pressure for them to leave the school. Thousands of students would have not had the opportunity of gaining Christian education from 1994 to 2007 were it not for the spirit of St. La Salle actively working in the teachers of ASMC in Lutopan, Toledo City.

Well done, Lasallians Gen Paragados, Eve Cimafranca, faculty and staff!