By Mene Dimaano
The genius of SANO lies in the imperfection of the organization; like its pioneers and trailblazers are not perfect, however the main objectives are noble. Its genius is to be amended and improved by the new generation to come; through the sign of times. The SANO and OLPS are one; the failure of one to strive means a catastrophe to the other.
SANO is a volunteer action; It is not compulsory, but a responsibility. Usually, volunteer actions are based on personal reactionary involvement to the community. When a problem or situation arises that affects the quality of life, we counter act with volunteer service and support to a community. But as a SANO volunteer action and as a responsibility; we do not hesitate how to help; we make efforts that really make a difference. No matter how insurmountable the problem is, we always find a solution.
Responsibility is what we were honed and trained to a multiple discipline; if not, institutionalized, to supine in our back and accept the burden of challenges that is sometimes greater than life. Some how we owe this to those who mentored us, if not to the institution. It is then a responsibility to respond voluntarily with out inhibition to a call for help and support of the institution (OPLS).
The genius of SANO is not to criticize the religious sectors or the person that represent it. It does not condemn the past history of any organization, religion or its shortcomings. Rather SANO offer atonements, suggestions and constructive solutions. We believe on the philosophy of education and civilization. No matter how vivid the difference of what is right and wrong or sometime the issue of moral to immoral has gone too far, we always find time to think both more deeply and more broadly before we suggest solutions and not to condemnation alone.
The genius of SANO does not depend to the few who rules, but to the greater number of subject whose diversity of ideas are infinite and their actions are colossal. We stand firm and believe to its principles and not to be influence by negative gradient of some, for negative concepts are always present and they are perennial as the grass.
And lastly the genius of SANO is with in us, for that is what we are and what we will always be. We are branded EX-SEMINARIANS and it will reverberate for the rest of our lives.
By Mene Dimaano
All roads lead back to OLPS.
It is our alma mater, a segment of our past, a constituent of our journey from childhood to manhood and a part of the essence of our own lives.
For clarification, let us define some terms:
Alumnus – a person who graduated from OLPS.
SANO – acronym for Sorsogon Association of the Non-Ordained, an organization formed by alumni of OLPS
‘sano’ – a person who answered the call for priesthood and enrolled in OLPS, regardless of the duration of time he spent inside the seminary. The term is used for an OLPS classmate, or even for a cousin (many seminarians come from the same towns and they are usually related)
A brief history of SANO: The camaraderie of all who set foot on the grounds of OLPS is always vivid whenever ‘sano’ gather. There have been occasional reunions of different batches, and sometimes a composite of different batches. On one such occasion, a record high attendance was achieved with an informal reunion of “alumni,” with priests, major seminarians and ex-seminarians alike enjoying a whole day of fun. The clergy and seminarians called themselves the “wholly one” (from the Wholly Moses movie) while the ex-seminarians branded themselves the “honest ones”.
The old St. Peter and Paul Cathedral patio was the place where the “honest ones” would hang out after Sunday mass. The eagerness of everyone to tell tales of their fun experiences in OLPS was always in their faces. Some stories were repetitive and redundant, but the cause and effect was always the same as when these stories were first heard. These Sunday meet-ups had become such a routine that everyone assumed it was now part of Sunday ritual.
One time, however, the rhythm of the Sunday ritual was broken. The fun and laughter that usually filled the air was nowhere to be found. Anxiety and anger was on the alumni faces. News from the chancery was the cause. It was said that the Bishop was planning to close the high school department of OLPS.
There were valid and justifiable reasons. Only a few graduates of OLPS now pursue the vocation of priesthood. The pre-college program is seen as more effective in preparing young boys for priestly formation. Enrollees across the province were also declining, and maintaining the seminary had become a herculean task for the diocese of Sorsogon.
The impact of the news was worrisome. So one rainy night in February, a group of alumni gathered to talk strategy and think of ways to help their old school. A big step was about to unfold. The night started with casual kantiyawan, people calling each other by aliases and monickers earned during their seminary years. But the oldest participant suggested that everyone call each other ‘sano’ (from the word ‘paisano’), and without any reservation the group complied.
OLPS’s dire situation was in the agenda. Opinions, ideas and personal views on how to help it were laid out and discussed. But then, everyone quickly agreed that OLPS alumni must constitute a formal organization for any of its ideas and plans to take shape.
It took a while to find a name for the organization, until someone suggested the acronym SANO: SORSOGON ASOCIATION OF THE NON-ORDAINED. It was quickly adopted (with apologies to those ‘sano’ who did not reside in Sorsogon, but since OLPS was in Sorsogon the name made sense).
An ad hoc committee was formed and elected. A constitution and set of by-laws were also drafted by several alumni lawyers and law students. The alumni gathered several times to discuss and agree on the organization’s objectives. The first major hurdle, of course, was funding. To jumpstart its activities, SANO’s initial funds came from the personal pockets of every member. (I remember putting out P100 and suggested that it be made the yearly due from each member. The late Joe Sanchez corrected me and said it should be P50. I was surprised, but understood why. Half went to senor San Miguel!).
To inform other ‘sano’ about the group and recruit them to its activities, young members--single, energetic and with more time to spare—were designated. Sorsogon had no phone system or Internet at that time, only radio, so establishing contact with other OLPS alumni required commitment.
Senior ‘sano’ and alumni were the priority of the recruitment drive--people like Judge Owen Amor, Mayor Ding Ramos of Gubat, Edgar Cabase of LTO Sorsogon, SPHO head Dr. Arthuro Perdigon, and Rev. Theoduro Rey. (Again, apologies to those whose names I forget to mention, but whose dedication and commitment could not be doubted.)
The response of most alumni and sano was amazing! There is no record of anyone who refused the invitation to join the organization. “Sin duda, sin pensar,” every ‘sano’ embraced the concept of SANO.
On April 10, 1993 at Rizal beach, Gubat, Sorsogon, the SORSOGON ASSOCIATION OF THE NON-ORDAINED. INC. held its first general assembly and induction program. The theme: BURUGKOS.
Its objectives:
- Organize ex-seminarians from OLPS
- Finalize the drafted constitution and by-laws through democratic voting.
- Induct the Board Members.
- Promote OPLS and increase the number of enrollees through a planned ‘Oplan Balik Seminario.’
- Increase the organization’s funds for any future projects
- Organize SANO and Alumni for the forthcoming golden anniversary of OLPS.
On October 16, 1993, the first general homecoming of OLPS alumni organized by SANO materialized. Well, that’s another story. For now, the legacy continues…
“ALL GREAT THINGS START SMALL. THE PYRAMID OF EGYPT AND THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA BOTH STARTED FROM A GRAIN OF SAND. RATHER THAN BEING PREOCCUPIED AND GETTING OVERWHELMED WITH THE THOUGHT OF CHANGING THE SYSTEM OF THE DIOCESE OF SORSOGON, THE CHRISTIAN FAITH OR THE WORLD, WE CAN TAKE SMALL STEPS IN OUR OWN LIVES, TOWARD OLPS AND IN THE COMMUNITIES WE LIVE IN THAT CAN HAVE REAL IMPACT. SANO IS ONE WAY OF MAKING SUCH CHANGES COME TRUE.
(much thanks to yayes and gibbs for the edits)
Calling the attention of the OLPS Alumni Association Inc. officers! What are your plans for this years' Alumni Homecoming? madali na tabi an October,we are waiting for your announcements or whatever plans you have(if there is any). Hope to hear from you soon!
break muna tayo sa saving olps thing ha, kay bagan mamundo didi hehehe
here's a pix of the Sunday scrimmage at Amoranto Covered Court in QC of B92 and other sano. all sano are welcome daw to join the weekend ball game-- more deets at their blog
i was reminded about the OLPS mailing list after i looked for bombi manda's addy and read his email about setting up a mailing list.
i was forever planning to set this up but things always come up and and OLPS Admin office and alumni never was able to forward me the email addresses of SANOs.
so to hasten things up, may i request you to send me the email addresses of your batchmates or any sano u know of. pls send the list to olpseminarista @ yahoo com. pls. dont forget to include class/batch info kay dili ko bistado gabos na sano.
salamatonon tabi. have a good week ahead :D
mga sano, kindly post your comments, suggestions/ reflections, whatever re "saving olps".
i try as much as possible to give everyone a free rein on whatever they post here but i just implore everybody to be clear, civil, learned, factual and gentlemen enough to sign off on your comments using your real names. at this point, being an anonymous coward is not really helpful ;-)
below are the comments generated by post here about a nearly empty refectory with its suggestion of diminishing number of seminarians in OLPS minor.
i myself was taken aback by that sight -more from the sense of sadness that it exudes and the jarring realization that maybe the end is just around the corner.
reading these comments however gave me hope about OLPS surviving this current predicament. these comments -insightful, provocative, assertive and creative, reflects our care for the OLPS legacy and for the Sano brotherhood. i hope for the discussion to continue and i expect that we will translate these into a concrete plan of action. it would be nice also if some clergy and members of the SANO board of directors can join the discussion -- just to round things up :-)
lastly, anybody is most welcome to help me summarize these pala :-)
read all comments here...
yup! this is the refectory circa 2006. i never associated refectory as a sad place -- eating there was fun coz we fought over food, told funny stories, shared baon and of course the merienda time ..isakaramusa hehehe. but here it looks sad and feels really empty.
so counting the chairs i assume there are only about 58 seminarians.
and even the priests' table (ano ngani an tawag sadto?) has also gotten smaller
looks like OLPS is beginning to fade away... :-(
what can the alumni kaya do to revive OLPS? any suggestions?
got the pix pala from batch 93
mga sano living abroad and elsewhere (with a fast internet connection) here's an internet station playing nothing but pinoy rock, alternative music, blues and r&b from the 70's to present-- just perfect to wash away those pung-aw!
the station is maintained by a kababayan living in los angeles california. you can even buy the songs (.99$) or the album yata. visit his website here --
download the real player first to play the station or if you are a regular to live365.com then all is a-ok.
listen to pinoy rock here!!!
Here's a recent writeup by my great-writer-in-the-making batchmate Yayes Basares, reflecting on the influence of Pax to the seminarians then and an admiration for Pax as a rector..
here's an excerpt...
Our seminary before was run like a well oiled machine; precise and on the dot in every scheduled activity. The Father Rector, Mons. Pax, herded his flock and made them follow a strict regimen day in and day out giving emphasis on punctuality. The moment we rose until the time we retired we already knew what to follow, how to do things, and where to do them.
His authority on our lives was not confined within its walls for even as we went home we were required to serve the parish.
To our young minds then, discipline and order was a fearsome image. We sulked in corners whenever Mons. Pax made his rounds with that patented clinking of keys as he walked down the corridor; always fearful of what mistake we might have made or what he might find in us. There was fear in hearing his booming voice, his sharp stare was enough to make us toe the line. Order and discipline was Mons. Pax's daily menu. He became the personification of authority every one at our age loved to hate.
Continue reading the writeup here... and visit our blog too :-)
i was intrigued by an anonymous comment inthe shoutbox so i googled larry manda and i got this. here's a pix of larry manda in one of his shoots. the caption was "Paul Tañedo (holding camera) assisted by Larry Manda, cameraman". they were making the film "Ebolusyon"
p.s to anonymous posters please identify yourself. type your name in the name field box
a brilliant meditation on the human condition
We held our summer reunion in Cebu last may 19-22, generously hosted by tyrone.
we're kinda like celebrating our batch's 20th anniversary in a very extended way so we're having lots of reunions lately -hehehe. plus we have something up our sleeves that we're planning to get up and rolling so watch out :-)
finally the long awaited world cup here. anybody know which local cable/channel will be showing the games live?
i spent a good deal of time channel surfing last night and wasn't able to see live the kick off and and germany's win over costa rica 
more new pix at the batch87 blog. fr. dandy seems to have taken a liking to html recently and has tweaked the site templates. way to go fr. dandy
this is a group of B85-87 sanos recently liberated from the stern clutches of the seminary hehehe enjoying life as Ex-Sems in the universities of legazpi city
Sano Richard Montano (B89) with lovely wife Rowena Deyto (from Bacon, Sorsogon) and daughter Raissa. Richard does IT work in an NY company
Sano Bong with his lovely wife Vilma Cantuba (of Manila and Naga). They have a daughter named Camille.
Sano Bong is an NY lawyer specializing in immigration. you can learn more about his work by visiting his website http://sanezlaw.com/
woweeee!!! dagdag na naman na SANO blog!!! kaya lang wara pa laman hehehe anyway Batch 89 we'll keep u in mind
sano richard montano created it and is calling out for his batchmates to help him maintain it.
the comments feature is currently turned off in their blog so his batchmates may leave their messages for him here in the meantime
Batch 93 has a new blog here. Welcome to the blog community of OLPS. It's fun here. Hain na blogs san iba na batches?:)
