Fatal Attraction

Weak information dissemination or lack of student participation? This has been the dilemma confronted by the SAMAHAN Central Board in an effort to address the recurring grievances of the Ateneans : tuition fee increases, internet fee charges, no permit no exam policy, and the inefficiency of the school clinic, to mention a few. Initial actions have been taken to provide temporary answers to these problems, yet it seemed like another round of a student summit is not worth anticipating in the next semesters to come. Though not as poorly attended as the previous one, the number of students present was still insufficient to formally call it a summit. Yes apparently, there were pips from the student government but where are the student representatives from every divisions and every year levels who each have different concerns to raise? Did the SAMAHAN fail to inform the entire Ateneo studentry or it’s just that Ateneans are apathetic?

A third year Nursing student captured the limelight as the open forum started. She opened up three striking concerns. First was the controversy of the  fake Sayawtenista and Cheerdance tickets that were being passed around during the Ateneo Fiesta. It turned out, the ones who got fake tickets enjoyed the show, while the ones who got the real and original ones were out there, peeping through the cyclone wires of the covered court just to see their friends cheering for their divisions. Secondly, the futility of the Ateneo website to offer up to date events and happenings in the school. Hence, the Nursing student sincerely expressed her dismay over the failure of the Ateneo website to provide information of the students’ class standings in their personal online accounts per grading period. Was the Ateneo website only made for aesthetic purposes, just to live up to its claim as being a globally competitive educational institution with state-of-the-art facilities? Last and the most striking of all, was an earnest request from the third year Nursing students to the Ateneo Administration, for a provision of carpools that will drive them safely to their places of assignment. Speaking in front on behalf of the Nursing students, she told the entire audience how the bombings in Digos gave them goosebumps and fear. If not for the event that the Ateneo having no classes during that time (since it was the teacher’s retreat), they must have gone back to Davao in ASHES.

I doubt if the Amphitheater was made free for the students with its maintenance worth a thousand per hour. And for that, I think I am entitled for a personal declaration that the Ateneo Student Summit was a huge failure. It did not really feed to what the students want to happen. There was only a presentation of concerns raised punto-por-punto and an exchange of feedbacking and voila! That’s it! There was no guarantee of a hard and fast resolution. Yes, I mean it! Hard and fast, since these issues have been coming back again and again semester per semester. The fact that there was no presence of the Ateneo Administration panel, in which must have played a critical role in the students’ discourse, made it appear that the summit was as good as settling down troubles in a coffee table. Indeed, the Ateneo Student Summit made no difference. Peace out!

I woke up with a smile on my face. Today’s gonna be the first time I will become a “ninong”. 9am, I hooked up at Christel’s (my second-degree cousin and Lizzie’s mummie) place. And everyone’s excited for the christening of Lizzie. Every person in the household worked fast and furious for the party later while my co-padrinos and madrinas were all pampered up in their best look. 10am, Lizzie gets to celebrate her first holy mass with us. All of us seemed to be so charmed by her babyishness. We kept on flashing our most foolish faces just to see her toothless smile. Lizzie was born February 13 this year, just a day before Valentine’s. She was an angel. Her eyes were like stars that whenever I look at her, I can’t stop from curling my nose and giving her a soft pinch on her rosy cheeks. Her natural scent and the plumpness of her arms makes me wanna bite and bite her all over again. She then responds with giggles and jerks. I have wittily noticed, Lizzie’s receptive with anything bright and colorful and she easily turns her head whenever she hears guitar strings being strummed. I bet Lizzzie’s gonna grow up a rockstar! Grewl!

11Am, the holy mass ended and everyone’s firing up in hunger, then a cloud popped out above every heads with an image of a juicy and crispy “lechon”. The fire was so unstoppable that I excused myself from them for awhile and bought some “kakanin” to ease the emptiness inside. I came back half-filled with a lady in her late sixties having a talk in front. She was stuff-talking and guilt-tripping on the rightful ways of becoming a godfather/godmother to their “ina-anaks” as a sort of pre-baptismal seminar for us. The sermon has ended finally by 11:30am and the priest turned over. He then started off the baptismal rite with a prayer. Everything went alright until we found ourselves scowling when the priest chimed in a piece of advice. “Non-Catholics are not allowed to be ninongs and ninangs!”, he said with firmness in his voice. Hello! I mean, he doesn’t have to remind us about that. Mummie dogs don’t even allow mummie cats to take care of their puppies. Or is it just he intends to hit someone in the crowd who doesn’t look like a Catholic just because he doesn’t do the sign of the cross. (Grins!)

Anyway, the christening of Lizzie moved on. Her little head was poured with water and oil and in turn, we professed our commitment to turn away from evil and proclaimed our responsibility to be her second parents. 12am. After all that has been said and done, everyone hurried back home and an abundance of food and warm people welcomed Lizzie with hugs and kisses. We partied till we drop and because I could not get up, 10pm, I decided to sleep over at Lizzie’s place and we bonded like she was my own child. I felt the father spirit in me slowly unleashing every time I get to play with her. It was a great day for me and for Lizze as well. Then, a spark of question dawned in my thinking, am I ready to become a father? Oh no! Peace out!