Atty. Dante Arcos

by Edgar A. Basares Jr.

Aemilianum College of Law newest addition to the legal profession in Sorsogon is ATTY. DANTE L. ARCOS. ATTY. ARCOS made it in last year’s bar examination (released last Sunday March 29) – touted as one of the hardest with but a total passing percentile of only 22.91% of the 5,626 bar examinees. The passing rate would have been an all time low of 5%, had not the Supreme Court adjusted the passing rate from 75% to 70%.

Of course, the community of law students of Aemilianum is happy for Atty. ARCOS. As of this writing, the community is planning for a motorcade around the city. College Dean Atty. Kager Gerona was ecstatic and proud that he intends to bring out the test booklets of Atty. Arcos in his subject to show to the lower years how good he is. Last Sunday, after a thanksgiving mass at Aemilianum Chapel, Atty. Arcos dropped by and showed himself to all law students then taking their final examinations and was greeted with cheers by the community. Immediately he was besieged with the million dollar questions: Are you going to teach? Are you going to immediately go into private practice?

Atty. Dante Arcos is destined to become a lawyer. After finishing his Accountancy course from the Philippine School of Business Administration he worked with the Sandiganbayan as court interpreter at the same time studying law in Manila. Transferring back to the province, he worked as Legal Researcher at RTC Branch 51 and continued his law course at the Aemilianum College of Law. His exposure to court litigations and procedures augmented his classroom instruction; molded his competency in the study of the law and equipped him with confidence to hurdle the bar exams.

Atty. Arcos is also a SANO and belonged to batch 86 of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Seminary. Known to us simply as Cacoy and Tetet, we, his classmates, were not surprised, and even expected him to pass. He is the second lawyer in the class, next after Atty. Junel Relativo who is now based in Naga City. You see, even during our seminary years, he was already showing signs of becoming a lawyer as he was one of the very few who can transgress seminary rules and get away with it. He covered his tracks well that he was one of the very few who have perfected the art of escaping from the seminary for days without even being noticed. He was the ninja of the class –who operates so silently and subtlety that only he can catch a chicken in the middle of the night without eliciting any sound making the Fr. Rector wonder where the chickens have gone. Even in his academics, Cacoy is devoid of a bang and a fanfare. He would just sit there silently watching an algebraic problem or a latin maxim or a Spanish phrase and before we know it already have the solution or the translation in his mind.

Amidst the euphoric preparation of the community of law students to parade Atty. Dante Arcos around the city, we the Sorsogon based Maelstrom Class (OLPS Batch 86) are silently preparing our own gathering and salutation for Cacoy. We have deliberately cancelled our customary Black Saturday get together this year in anticipation for the bar result of Cacoy.

We were never wrong.

Congrats to Atty Dante!

buligs te-dants nadale mo padi! ayos! san-o an irinuman ta attorney?

a temple, a mosque, and a church

The Singosari temple, i think its the only remaining ancient Buddhist temple in East Java.
















The Malang Mosque taken from the park where I jog every other day.












And the Catholic church in downtown Malang

Carinderia ala Jakarta

I took this picture last 27 February, the day I arrived in Jakarta. This was infront of the airport hotel where I stayed for a night before proceeding to Malang.

Except for the cigarette brand you would think this picture was taken in the Philippines.

Being the minority

I noticed it was raining as I left my keys at the front desk. There is some distance going towards the street so I hopped towards a waiting rickshaw while avoiding the puddles.

“Gereja katolik?” I asked the rickshaw driver. He nodded.

“Sapulo ribu?” I asked to make sure about the fare.

“Sapulo ribu” the driver replied.

And there we went, going against traffic. I guessed the polisi don’t mind the rickshaws. We passed by the mosque, I saw some people huddled there because of the rain.

I paid the driver the agreed fare as soon as we arrived at the church. I went in through the front archway. Unlike churches back home this one would not have a direct passage to the aisle and the altar. There’s an anti-room, I think purposely to block direct view of what’s inside.

I dipped my hand in Holy water and made the sign of the cross. The mass had already started as I went in. And, as Enniek have told me, the service was in the vernacular. I had to play it by ear.

I was very distracted. I was observing and comparing things with those back home. The pews were the same. There were hymnals and mass booklets for everyone. I kept on reading the Bahasa writing on the Stations of the Cross. There were three girls and a boy assisting the priest.

Then came the consecration of the Eucharist.

The people clasped their hands in deep prayer, heads halfway to a bow. As the priest raised the host and wine people lowered their heads to a full bow and raised their clasped hands even higher.

That really struck me.

I couldn’t help but think of how great the faith of these people. The church was only half full, but their faith combined could fill Quiapo anytime. Imagine them with their religion in this predominantly muslim country. Indonesia tries to present itself as a country of diversity with muslims as the majority. But in this little piece of earth, inside this church, I am with people of my faith. It is here that I don’t feel alone.

After the mass I stayed for a few minutes still mincing on my thoughts. Afterwards I stood up and slowly walked out feeling good about myself. The rain had already stopped. A rickshaw driver offered me a ride. I declined. It was a good night for a walk across Malang Park.

As soon as I stepped into the sidewalk I heard the prayer from the mosque, calling people from their faith to congregate in prayer.

Suddenly I was the minority again.

Happy Birthday Moonvale and Rene!!!

sorry mga padi naurhi an greets namon