More than four months of preparation was needed for this one big day to happen, and I think that each and every effort has been worth it. As executive chairman for the 12th Bukluran Inter-College Seminary games, all I could say that in spite of a few glitches and misunderstandings, everything was a huge success.
This has been an effort of the whole San Jose Seminary community of fifty, for hosting more than 500 seminarians from 8 seminaries from South Luzon. It was consisted of countless hours of fundraising, contacting people, arranging appointments and meetings, and organizing all things just to be able to guarantee that seminarians will have a good day.
During the day itself, everyone was relatively up by 5:30am in the morning. Most of us have to rush back and forth to the Church of the Gesu, where each seminary will register and wait for the Mass. After everyone was inside and the concelebrants and the presider, Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Manila, were all set, we began the mass. Everything went well as the San Carlos Seminary servers were able to do it well along with the assigned readers and commentators. Though we had to tweak a lot of songs, the Bukas Palad Music Ministry was able to do a good job as well. The mass finished by 9:00am, and the theologians together with Ken Habana, the Accommodations Head, led the seminarians back to San Jose and straight to the College Covered Courts.
The merienda and the Opening Program started at about 10:15am, hosted by Nathan and Portia. Prior to that, we had each seminary prepare for a simple cheer before everything else. I was quite surprised that what they did was really prepared, as they were really livelier than the usual cheers that we did way back 2008. After that, we asked the Ateneo High School's IndAK to perform a simple dance number, followed by the Torch Lighting Ceremony led by Justin and me (for the second half). The Amazing Race, which lasted for about an hour and a half, capped off the morning activities.
A sumptuous lunch was served, and everyone was able to eat well before the games began. During that time, I was asked to be one of the table officials for basketball, and in my three years of attending Bukluran (our community was not able to participate during my first year because of the typhoon and the cancellation of a holiday), it was only then that I was able to watch the whole series of basketball games, and I have to say that each seminary has greatly improved in terms of sports. While UST Central Seminary was able to breeze through the whole tournament bracket (for they haven't lost their key players. One of their players were really good that we just had to give an Eric Salamat salute to him), St. Francis de Sales, the other finalist, had a pretty hard time defeating the powerhouse basketball team of San Carlos Seminary, as well as Mount St. Aloysius College Seminary. Eventually, UST grabbed their second straight championship in basketball, while St. Peter's College Seminary grabbed the volleyball championship.
The evening liturgy was also a highlight. Basically, we just had a repeat of what we did during the 80th San Jose Alumni Homecoming, and for me it was quite pleasing that everyone was able to catch up with it. Of course, we have to thank the Lord and the Blessed Mother for all the graces that made this big event possible.
I believe that Bukluran is at its highest point during the dinner and the evening program, consisted of many different presentations which were unbelievable and, in the words of our Father Rector, magis-tic. Together with Entablado's short cute play and Coro de Sta. Cecilia's early caroling, presentations ranged from black light performances (which should have been done not just to "holy songs," but also to pop and rnb greats), to outstanding ethnic and hip-hop dance numbers which include a bit of good stunts (which say don't go "CADs" on me) , and even "tunog-tao" remixes, which amused everyone. San Jose, in part, gave the seminaries a replica of the Caedo statue, a certificate, the 2009 Pilosopo Tasyo and the special issue of the College community newsletter, Sangay. Though we were not able to have our presentation which every year astounds everyone (last Triple Encounter with USTCS and SCS we did a mix of I Wanna Make Love/Jai Ho/Thriller/Nobody), I believe that we already have something in store next year. Overall, the presentations were truly unbelievable.
During the end of the program, I was able to give the concluding remarks as the Executive Chairman with much emotions and passion flowing over, as I was able to highlight that this event is a way of thanking the Lord for calling us together towards a common goal. Father Rector and I was able to pass the Bukluran flag to Mount Saint Aloysius College Seminary in Gumaca for next year, as we thanked everyone for participating well and went home.
Even at this moment, I have been receiving text messages of gratitude for everything that happened during that fateful day. And all I could say is that everything is the work of the Lord, I am happy to be able to lead and bring everyone together for this event, and I thank everyone: from the San Jose community, to our classmates and friends who helped out, to the seminary heads, and most of all, to the Lord and our Blessed Mother, in making this event, technically impossible, possible. Ad majorem Dei gloriam!
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