By the Jal-o River

The sad event that pulverized most of the centuries-old churches in Bohol and Cebu last Tuesday, October 15, 2013 calls to mind the collapse of San Rafael Parish Church on June 14, 1990. Not to be taken as of equal weight with those declared National Cultural Treasures, the total destruction of the Balete Church by a 6.3 earthquake that jolted the Panay Island more than a decade ago has afforded the faithful of Balete a new face for their Catholicity. The rubble of a ruined Balete Church, June 1990 With the new structure forming as part of the facade of the Baleten-on community, the younger generations are without clue of the rubble underneath the modernized plaza of the Balete Church. Children of today are robbed of the pastime of pulverizing chips of bricks that toddlers of old used to polish their nails. Blocks of bricks and broken coral stones were everywhere in the vicinity of the St. Rafael Church and the convent. Old folks used to tell that they were remnants of the olde

My mentor and confessor, Fr. Rudy Arreza, OSA woke me up early today. Don't get me wrong. Fr. Rudy is long dead. As a matter of fact, today (October 11) is his second death anniversary. But it is true that he woke me up around three o'clock in the morning today. Here lies the remains of Fr. Rudy Rolling Hills Memorial Park, Bacolod City (Photo, courtesy of Fr. Pederito Aparece, OSA) I went to sleep early last night. I was tired of the long day that passed. Yet I managed to say the Compline before I hit the bed. Now that thing is unusual. (But that is going out of the topic) My sleep was however deep and restful, at least, initially. For by three o'clock, the slumber was interrupted by the barking of my dogs. Perhaps some fisherfolks are passing by, I reasoned out, or perhaps, some bearcats are on the prowl again, hunting for ripe Rambutan. So I tried to go back to sleep. Then, slowly, he wandered into my mind--Fr. Rudy.    I have maintained that it was no coi