A Tribute to Serafin Dinsay

Serafin Dinsay was a friend way back in 1985-86 in St. Augustine Academy, Bayawan, Negros, Oriental. These news came as a shock to me two months ago after I searched his name in the net. The search was out of curiosity, from a desire to get connected with former classmates and friends. Here are the unfortunate news I have copied from the Visayan Daily Star:

THE VISAYAN DAILY STAR [May 10, 2002]
Four killed in payroll holdup
BY JUDY FLORES & ALEX PAL

The paymaster and two others government employees as well as a resident of Sta. Catalina town were killed by about three still unidentified gunmen, in what was tagged as a payroll robbery in barangay Maninihon, Bayawan Negros Oriental, at about 3 p.m. yesterday.


Initial reports from Sta. Catalina identified three of the fatalities as paymaster Librado Dagat, bookkeeper Winnie Capunong, 42, and Serafin Dinsay, 30, driver of the town's L-300 van.

All three were employed at the Municipal Treasurer's Office of the town. The fourth victim, Virginia Edrial, 52, was a midwife who had hitched a ride from Bayawan.

The victims were returning to Sta. Catalina after withdrawing P372,000 from the Land Bank in Bayawan City when they were stopped by two men armed with .45 caliber pistols.

Provincial Attorney Erwin Vergara said that after the victims were divested of the payroll money, they were brought by the suspects to barangay Omod, in Bayawan City, about five kilometers away, where they were shot to death. The suspects fled on two motorcycles, described as a black Honda TMX 155 motorcycle and a blue Kawasaki motorcycle, towards Mabinay town.

A witness called the police to report the incident. The bloodied bodies of the victims were found inside the van which was abandoned in the middle of a sugarcane field. The victims had been shot in various parts of their bodies.

The glass on the right door of the van was shattered and its door riddled with bullets.

Sta. Catalina Police Chief Sr. Insp. Crescenciano Pagnanawon said it was possible that the motorcycles and one of the robbers had been waiting in the sugarcane field, in preparation for their getaway.

PNP Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Drusillo Bolodo immediately ordered hot pursuit operations and the setting up of checkpoints in the towns of Mabinay, Bayawan, Basay, Pamplona and other towns in southern Negros Oriental.

Bolodo, who immediately went to the crime scene, also ordered the PNP Crime Laboratory to proceed to the area to gather fingerprints, that could be used to identify the suspects.

Raymundo Ybanez, OIC of the Provincial Treasurer's Office of Negros Oriental, said it was also possible that the suspects were known to the victims, so they were all killed to prevent identification.* (with reports from Romy Amarado)

THE VISAYAN DAILY STAR [May 10, 2002]
Cops eye local boys in Bayawan rob-slay

BAYAWAN CITY, Negros Oriental -- The Police are pursuing leads indicating the possible involvement of local boys in the Wednesday daytime robbery-slay in Sitio Kamandagan, Barangay Maninihon in Bayawan City that left four government workers of Sta. Catalina town dead.

Provincial Police Director Supt. Drusillo Bolodo said that initial police investigation had identified at least one of the suspects as a resident of Bayawan City.

Bolodo, however, did not reveal any names as hot pursuit operations continue in the hinterlands of southern and central Negros Oriental, where the suspects are believed to have exited from the crime scene.

Spearheading the police investigation are Bayawan Police Chief C/Insp. Alexander Gaudiano and Sta. Catalina Police Chief Sr. Insp Cresenciano Pagnanawon.

On Wednesday, the police said witnesses saw at least two armed men on board the government-owned white L-300 van that carried the four Sta. Catalina municipal workers, speeding along a dirt road up into the interior barangay of Maninihon.

What had attracted the attention of many witnesses was that while the vehicle was moving, the door to the driver's seat was open with an armed man seated close to the driver.

A witness phoned the police while the robbery was still in progress.

The van, with the four dead people inside, was found abandoned near a sugarcane field about six kilometers from the national highway in Sitio Kamandagan minutes later after the witnesses initially saw it speeding past then.

Police and forensic experts from the Negros Oriental PNP Crime Laboratory found empty shells, slugs, and live, expended but warped bullets of .45 caliber from the crime scene.

Ballistic tests are now being conducted even as PCCL Chief Sr. Insp. Alet Virtucio says he believes at least two .45 caliber pistols were used by the suspects.

Except for the driver who sustained two bullet wounds to the face and the upper left portion of his back, the other victims succumbed to a single gunshot wound either to the head or neck.

Killed in Wednesday's rob-slay were Sta. Catalina municipal treasurer's office workers, Serafin Dinsay, Librado Dagat and Winnie Capunong and the local government midwife Virginia Edrial.

Meanwhile, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation in Dumaguete City are now taking DNA samples from personal belongings that were recovered by the police at the juncture of the national highway and the dirt road that led to the crime scene.

Police believe these items belonged to the suspects who may have changed into military attire before they pulled the heist.

A cartographer from the NBI in Bacolod City was also scheduled to arrive in Bayawan City yesterday afternoon to talk to witnesses.

Cartographic sketches of the suspects will be released to the public soon even as Bayawan and Sta. Catalina local officials are set to discuss the possibility of putting up reward money for information leading to the arrest of the killers.*JSF

THE VISAYAN DAILSY STAR [August 2, 2002]
Rebel official under probe for Bayawan holdup-slays
BY VICTOR CAMION

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is now investigating the alleged connivance of a top official of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army Alex-Boncayao Brigade with two of the three persons accused in the Bayawan hold-up slay.

The probe had been based on reports that the two suspects are now the RPA-ABB top officials, who have refused to turn them over to the police. One of the three suspects surrendered to the police a few days after the incident.

P/Insp. Crisaleo Tolentino said they are also looking into the motive of the report, as this could either help come up with the real picture of justice or destroy the peace agreement between the government and the group.

The CIDG said they still believe in the credibility of the group but added that nobody is above the law.

If the report is true, the respondents will be charged for obstruction of justice and for harboring criminals. Provincial Intelligence PNCO SPO3 Herbert Arinaza, in a separate interview, said they also received reports that the amount taken by the hold-uppers in Bayawan was divided into three. "The first 50 percent was supposed to have gone to the regional command of the group, 25 percent supposedly went to the district command, and the remaining 25 percent was allotted for operations.

RPA-ABB Regional Commanding Officer Reynaldo Mallari had earlier offered help to Provincial Director P/Sr. Supt. Drusillo Bolodo in nabbing the suspects.

Mallari also admitted that the three suspects, Raul Villar alias Ka Drilon, the Amaro brothers, Julio and Jaime, were all former members of the RPA-ABB but are under disciplinary action.

The three are now facing charges of robbery with multiple homicide. During the Bayawan hold-up slay they took more than P300,000 in payroll money.

Killed during the incident were Sta. Catalina municipal employee paymaster Librado Dagat, bookkeeper Winnie Capunong, driver Serafin Dinsay and hitchrider Virginia Edrial, a midwife. *VC

Joys and Sorrows: High School Friends/Classmates

This is one of the unusual days. I happened to contact one of my high school classmates way back in 1985-86 at Bayawan, Negros Oriental, Misailah Renacia-Evardo. My last contact of her was when she phoned in 1999, she was getting married at that time in Dumaguete City. Yesterday, I got Ian Espartero's message from Friendster that he was from Bayawan and knew a lot of people from there. After a few exchanges of messages, I got Joy Guevarra's email address, Sr. Marcelle de la Cruz, AR email address [she was our school directress in St. Augustine Academy at that time] and Misai's cell phone number.

I also remembered Marlo Mariño and Serafin Dinsay who were my close barkadas at that time. Unfortunately Serafin was murdered last 2002, I just knew it this year after I search the net: Four Killed in Payroll Holdup. May he rest in peace.

It will be very nice to see old classmates in Bayawan, visit some places there. Bayawan was a memorable place for me. I was there when Evelio Javier was murdered, I was there when EDSA revolution happened. The locus of my young formation was St. Augustine Academy. It was a Giancaldo in the Cinema Paradiso. It opened possibilities for my young mind and heart.

I was assigned to St. Agnes first year class. I was in the second row, last seat to the left of Mrs. Cynthia Villarin class. Since I came from Western Visayas, I did not speak Cebuano. After three weeks, I was speaking Cebuano, thanks to the eloquent speakers like Serafin Dinsay, Misailah, Joy Guevara, Chanet Moncal, and the quiet Marlo Mariño, Maria Aileen Ege, and Dom Pantalita. I had also some classmates who spoke Ilonggo, I think his name was Alvin. And most of all, Sr. Noemi Manzano, who spoke broken Cebuano mixed with Tagalog (sounds like Davao saksak sinagol).

I could remember faces, but names I could not. Some vivid faces: a tall dark girl from Sta. Catalina who really spoke good bisaya, Kristine Armstrong (we got some exchanges of emails before, and I learned she married a Mexican surmaned Carlos), the Carcasonas, the lanky male twins, Edson Teologio whose mother was teaching in SAA, Marilou Oro (my neighbor in NONAS, I lived inside NONAS.).

Misai, pls supply some names... please.....

Meron na meron

Padre Roque J. Ferriols, SJ: Guro, gabay, liwanag at higit sa lahat, kaibigan

Magtatanong tayo, si Padre Roque, nagteteks? Oo naman. Kung babasahin mo ang unang yugto ng kanyang Pilosopiya ng Relihiyon, bukod sa umaapaw ito ng pagtatalakay sa hiwaga ng presensiya at pakikipagtagpo, hindi maiiwasan ng tao na makipagtagpo sa kapwa tao katawan sa katawan, diwa sa diwa. Ang telepono ay sangkap na materyal, ngunit sa pamamag-itan nito, naipapamalas ng tao ang kanyang presensiya sa kapwang nasa malayo, diwa-sa-diwa, habang sa lalim ng kalooban andoon ang pagnanasa na sana man lamang makatagpo ang kapwang nasa malayo sa isang harap-harapang pakikipagkapuwa; diwa sabay katawan.

Nanaisin kong sipiin ang sumusunod mula sa Pilosopiya ng Relihiyon, pahina 14:

Si Alyosha ay nagdadalamhati sa kamatayan ng kanyang minamahal na guro. Itinuturing siyang santo ng mga tao, kaya 't inaasahan niya na hindi mabubulok ang kanyang bangkay. Nagbulong-bulungan ang mga tao. Nalungkot si Alyosha, hindi dahil sa pagkabulok, kundi dahil sa mga bulong-bulungan. Doon siya nakadanas ng hieropaniya: na ang buong buhay makalupa, hanggang sa nakalilitong dalamhati nito, ay pagsasaatin ng banal. Nakatulog siya sa lamay at napanaginipan niya ang namatay. Noong nagising siya, tumayo siya at lumabas sa mabituin na gabi.


"Ang katahimikan ng lupa ay parang naghahalo sa katahimikan ng langit. Ang hiwaga ng lupa at ang hiwaga ng mga bituin ay nagkaisa.

Tumayo si Alyosha, tumanaw at bigla siyang napataub sa lupa. Hindi niya malaman kung bakit niya niyakap ang lupa. Hindi niya masabi kung bakit niya hindi mapigilan ang kanyang pagnanais na halikin ang lupa, halikin ang buong lupa. Hinalik niya ang lupa, umiiyal, humihikbi, dinidiligan ang kanyang luha. At taos puso niyang isinumpa na iibigin niya ang lupa, iibigan niya magpakailanman."

Salin ni Padre Roque sa "The Brothers Karamazov" ni Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor: Ang Hiwaga ng Buhay

Sa bawat yugto ng buhay minsan, kailangan ng inspirasyon. Ito ang bumubuhay tuwing tuyo na ang bukal at balon. Oo nga, hindi naman ako nadadala ng tukso na mawalan ng pag-asa, ni ng paggagayuma ng kawalan ng pag-asa. Ngunit ang mahalaga sa lahat, buhay ang binhing nagpapatuloy na mag-paalab sa puso, kahit na nasa krisis (ang Pilipinas?). sa isang saglit, nagbabago ang anyo ng buhay kung susubukan kong tingnan uli ang mga ito:

Morning Moods

I have to shoot ASAP some pictures for Fr. Daniel Ross SJ, the executive secretary of ASEACCU and JCEA. Here they are:


Finster and Canisius Halls


University Chapel



Finstel Hall along Roxas Avenue

All Rights Reserved 2004

Yugto ng Pakikipagkaibigan

As I browsed through the internet sites, I accidentally saw this long missing article Tag-araw ng Pakikipagkaibigan: Yugto ng Pamamahinga published in Tambuli ng Maralita in its original form. Thanks to the Center for Southeast Asian Studies-Northern Illinois University for putting the article online.

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The Rubbish of Men

Now rain spattered in at the window from the trees and bushes, and it was as dark as a cellar, so that it was barely possible to distinguish objects as faintly darker patches in the blackness. Svidrigaylov , stooping down and leaning with his elbows on the sill, stared into the obscurity for a full five minutes. Through the gloom of the night sounded a cannon shot, then another.

Ah, the signal! The water is rising, he thought. Towards morning, in the lower parts of the town, it will swirl through the streets and flood the basements and cellars, the sewer rats will come up to the surface, and amid the rain and the wind people will begin, dripping wet and cursing, to drag their rubbish to the upper floors...

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment, Part VI, Chapter 6

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For Fyodor from Chisdes

Do you do or think you do?
And if you only think you did,
Did you do what you wanted to?

Body in action does mind's bid,
But not if mind doesn't stop.
Is thought in action hid?

Do you worry if it will flop?
Hesitate for twenty years;
Don't be a soldier or cop.

Such, with purpose, never veers;
With deed, fully alive.
But what use with no fears

If unaware of own strive?
Why bother to even be?
Why bother to thrive?

But if only hear and see,
Contemplate what it's all about,
Questions alone can't make free

To do, to go, to shout.
Do you do or think you do?
"I think, therefore I doubt."

All Rights Reserved 2004

Paglundag sa Bangin

Paano ba lumundag sa bangin?

Kailangang bumitaw
Sa kapatagang natatanaw

Manahimik sa loob
Nang maghintay sa darating

Manatili sa kinalalagyan
Itabi ang maiingay sa isip

Hayaan ang wala
Manahan sa puso at kalooban

Magaan
Walang wala

Hungkag

Ang madilim

Tahimik

Nanatili

Sa Kawalan

Pagpapaubaya

Nasa isang panayam ako kahapon ukol kay Meister Eckhart. Naala-ala kong isa siya sa mga natipuhan kong pilosopong medioebal dahil siguro sa kanyang nakaka-antig na pagtalakay sa kawalan (nothingness) na may bahid ng pagka-Heidegger. Bukod sa isang biglang pagtalikod sa metapisika ni Tomas de Aquino at sa tradisyon ni Agustin, may paglundag at paglusot (Durbursch) si Eckhart lampas sa layunin ng medioebal.

Totoong meron tayong konsepto ukol sa Diyos. Marami tayong simbolo, imahen, analohiya ukol sa Diyos. Tatay, kaibigan, kapatid. Takbuhan, silungan, moog. Pastol, guro, gabay. Samut sari rin ng hierophania na mararanasan sa karanasang Katoliko, maging sa karanasang Protestante at Muslim. Sa panahong medioebal, buhay na buhay ang pagmumunimuni upang tukuyin, bigyang anyo, isa-konsepto ang Diyos. Meron ubod-tigib-apaw, merong existentia et essentia, merong aliquid nihil cogitari possit, merong via negativa at positiva, merong ubod ng kabutihan, merong ubod ng katarungan, merong pinakamaganda sa lahat. Maari nating ihanay ito lahat at bigyan ng pamagat - "mga pagsisikap ng tao."

Nag-aapuhap upang gawing makahulugan ang dilim. Nangangapa ang isip at baka may masumpungan. Meron nga. Ang dami! Pero nanatili ang Diyos lampas sa lahat ng pag-aapuhap at pangangapa ng tao. Lahat ng paglalarawan sa Diyos ay pagsisikap ng tao na dalhin ang Diyos sa kanyang nibel. Imposible.

At nasumpungan ... mga anino sa karimlan.

Kay Eckhart, bitawan ang lahat na pag-aapuhap at pangangapa. Ipaubaya sa Diyos ang lahat na konsepto sa isip. Ibasura ang lahat na natagpuang pangalan at tawag, lahat na analohiya at pagsisikap unawain. Sapagkat lampas sa pag-uunawa sa mga anino ang Diyos.

At pagkatapos na ipinatapon lahat ng ating konsepto ukol sa Diyos, dalisayin ang sarili. Linisan. At kailangang lumundag sa bangin (eternal abyss). Magpatihulog. Walang makakapa, walang masumpungan. Wala.

Walang maapuhap.

Walang makakaunawa.

Wala pa rin.

Walang hangganang paghulog.

Walang hangganang pagpapaubaya...

ng sarili sa Diyos.

yan ang tunay na pagsuko ng sarili

BANGIN NA WALANG HANGGAN ANG DIYOS.

Movies galore

For the past week, I watched some films from the Mass Comm film collection/ archives of the Ateneo de Davao University. I was looking for new European films that I could show to my class who had been editing their experimental abstract short film. I stumbled at some good films, a few of which I saw months ago:

SEX AND LUCIA: Directed by Julio Medem (Paz Vega burns the screen!). I have seen the film five times, and it still has its twist. Most of my students were touched about the crossroads issues of life ... although this film in unrated, it must be for adults only.

FAHRENHEIT 9/11: Directed by Michael Moore (After I saw the film, I called the chairperson of the Mass Comm Dept to stage a film forum. We have the university viewing room seats all taken in advance reservation as of last week, we may have to schedule another screening on Sept 10, 2004.) I think some people in Mindanao will be very much interested to see this film.

CHILDREN OF THE CENTURY: Directed by Diane Kurys (Juliette Binoche was amazing! Just as amazing to her performance in the Three Colors trilogy directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski. It's all about the perils of love, moments of betrayal and "kabaliwan ng pagmamahal.")

SWIMMING POOL: Directed by Francois Ozon (Starred by Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier. For about two thirds of the film, writer/director Francois Ozon presents us with the classic – one might almost say stereotypical - conflict between a moralistic, sexually repressed, almost `frigid' British woman and a beautiful, uninhibited and sensual Continental nymphet. But, as the story progresses, a certain personality transference begins to take place, with Sarah taking on some of the traits of the girl she professes to despise and Julie finding a way to `help' Sarah complete her novel. I can't say that I completely understand the last half hour or so of the film, although I do suspect that the answer lies somewhere along the line of last year's `Adaptation,' which also dealt with the art of writing and the strange blending of the real and the surreal, of truth and fantasy that often accompanies the act. Suffice it to say that you will either go with the film all the way to the end or tune out at about the 70-minute point. Yun lang, for adults only, too. A lot of nudity.)

IRREVERSIBLE: Directed by Francois Ozon (this one can be a good material for a specific topic in film principles - "sex and violence in film". It has an uncut footage of rape, from beginning to end -- like 10-15 minutes. Nakakasuka din, kaya huwag kumain ng marami bago manood.)

The most disturbing film I saw was THE DREAMERS, a film by Bernardo Bertolucci, an Italian director who is no stranger to controversy. [He directed The Last Tango in Paris, starring Marlon Brando. I also enjoyed his 1998 film: Besieged.] Artistic film, set in Paris, 1968. The theme: Fantasy vs Reality. I think we all create our own, little fantasy worlds. Sometimes that's healthy & sometimes it's not. And that's all I'll say about the film. I think it's a film that's best seen when you know nothing about the storyline (as are most films), so you have no preconceived notions or expectations to color your perception.


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