AMDG!

Written on Friday, March 07, 2014

Today, we, the seniors of the Ateneo de Manila University Loyola Schools, had our Pabaon, an event where students, teachers, and staff can deliver their farewell messages before the students grab their diplomas from Fr. Jett's hand later this month. To say the least, I personally wasn't expecting much prior the whole thing. I thought, as I've thought time and time again when it comes to Ateneo-organized activities, that this yearly farewell ritual was just that, an annual gathering of senior students that has become insipid and well, meaningless, primarily for the administrators and teachers who hold it every year.

Every year, I thought, the teachers and organizers would simply re-hash their past statements about being "men and women for others" or living out "Magis" or doing good deeds for the greater Glory of God. But then again, at the back of my head, I thought discontinuing and/or altering this event would probably lead to student disappointment and poor evaluations. As a matter of fact, when a less nostalgic, more forward-looking version of the Pabaon was tried in 2010, students felt as if they were deceived or, in the words of a true Atenean, hassled. (See this)

But all my cynicism regarding the "realness" of the Pabaon gradually evaporated as I listened intently to some of the speeches delivered by guys who I haven't really had any personal encounters with. Ironically enough, and this may sound too mawkishly sentimental, I felt their words. I guess one factor that led to this feeling is me giving my full focus towards the speakers. In most of the Ateneo-organized forums I go to, particularly those dreaded and incomparably boring Sci10 ones, I usually just sit back, let time pass, talk to my seatmates, read class notes, or stare into blank space. This time around however, I gave my all. In my final days here in the Ateneo, I wanted to listen--something that Ateneans, in my observation, don't do much anymore.

Yep, but life goes on.

Anyway, most of the speeches, as I've already suggested, were oozing with "realness." I think what made them real derives from two things: the ability of the speaker to capture the audience and of course, the content of the speeches themselves.

The first reason comes as no surprise. Father Jett, VP Vergara, Sir Libertore, Sir Diccion (who did a good job hosting the program), and Sir Sev Sarmenta (who, by the way, is one of my favorite basketball commentators) have already gained a reputation for being well-loved by students. But even without this smooth relationship with and immense popularity among students, these people were able to deliver their speeches well, with each one having his own style. Sir Sev, unsurprisingly, went with the high-energy speech with all the jokes about Atenean behavior. Ateneans, according to Sev, are fond of using "basically," "first and foremost," and "at the end of the day" when reporting in class or taking oral exams. Even with the jokes, however, Sarmenta finished off his speech by reminding us not to forget the lessons we learned in school, and to continue helping those who are in need. Sir Libertore, a theology professor, delivered a more mellow speech, but it was equally insightful. He challenged us to embrace death, that is, not dying in the literal sense, but the demise of selfishness and the entry into the bigger national community outside Ateneo.  VP Vergara made a particularly honest comment about the mixed feelings that he has in relation to batch 2014's departure. On one hand, he said that he felt a sense of pride, especially when one considers the fact that he became vice president when we were freshmen. On the other hand, there was also a sense of apprehension as to how our batch may turn out in the future. I was struck by this, as I myself am no stranger to anxiety.

After 4 years, its meaning is a lot clearer now.

Still within the topic of apprehension, Fr. Jett's speech, to me, was the best. Anxiety has been constantly part of my psyche this past couple of years. His message gave different interpretations of the famous Jesuit creed, "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam" or "For The Greater Glory of God." His last interpretation was quite simple yet very apt considering the condition of Ateneans today who constantly battle a state of apathy and paralysis. He said, "AMDG also stands for Ang Matakot 'Di Gagalaw." Everyone inside the Irwin Theater were, at least in my observation, suddenly in the midst of a realization. It was as if this AMDG was an elephant in the room that nobody wanted to reveal. In an institution such as the Ateneo which, in public view, caters to career-driven individuals, Father Jett made all 2,000 of us realize that out of the 20,000 applicants, we were chosen not primarily because of pure academic prowess, but because of our hearts. As such, we had and still have the potential to use the knowledge given to us and complement it with a heart that we could share with other people. To me, what Fr. Jett is trying to say is simple: live, love, and share your light to other people.

Ang Matulog 'Di Gagraduate! :)

This challenge was further driven to our hearts by the messages of some of the students' foster parents in their immersion experience. Even if I didn't get to see my Nanay Senyang onscreen, the message brought back my immersion memories. Granted that it only lasted for two days, it nonetheless is one of my most treasured experiences in college. Now that I am close to saying goodbye to college...now that I am on my way down the hill...there is one thing I'll carry with me in everything that I'll be doing in the future...AMDG!