WHEN I heard that he passed, I recalled my assignment, er, our supposed collaborative work for his hometown in Carmen, Bohol. I remember asking him for more details so I could complete the story, but we didn’t get around to accomplishing it. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be. But I appreciated him fully when he understood my anger after the four Acacia trees in Taloto were felled. Now there’s someone who respected my wrath.
But we’re well ahead of the story.
I knew him from my elementary days when he was a debonair young priest who held Masses at the smaller Taloto Church. Standing tall and handsome on the lectern with a resounding voice, a stern look, and a flashy motorcycle to boot, I could hear the hush-hush conversations about how good-looking he was from where I was seated. I couldn’t blame the ladies. The man was too handsome to be true!
Looking back, I believe he quietly communicated a certain quality . . . I couldn’t quite figure it out until I heard the speeches delivered by his former students and the thoughts articulated by my favorite priest, Mons. Boy Nunag.
But let’s reserve that for the next article. For now, let’s hear what his former teacher and former student have to say about him.
I. Through the lens of Msgr. Vicente Nunag III
Fr. Khing, a Paring Bol-anon legend, succumbed to the big C at 72. A proficient writer and intellectual thinker, he preached the truth no matter whose shoes he stepped on. When priests were accused of being leftists, he rode a horse and donned a cowboy hat during big protest rallies. Having a mind of his own, he shunned colonialists, racists, authoritarians, and bullies. A prime mover of many diocesan activities, he was the brains behind the Iwag Sa Diosnong Agi-anan (ISDA), a global but exclusive Paring Bol-anon monthly newsletter that ran for decades, the yearly Paring Bol-anon Awards held during the Clergy Day at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary (IHMS), and the organizer of a scrappy basketball team composed of seminary working staff that graced the Taloto Basketball Summer Leagues, among many more. Truly blazing trails, he never ran out of firsts, borne out of his pioneering mind. He was indeed an era.
(Mons. Vicente Nunag III is a graduate of the IHMS. He completed his studies in Philosophy and Theology at the Central Seminary of the University of Santo Tomas and received his initial appointment as a formator at IHMS. He served as the editor of ISDA, helped compile the daily outcomes of the First Diocesan Synod, and originated the comic strips “Pads” and “Migs.” During his period of activism, he ranked first on the order of battle list at Camp Dagohoy. He played a key role in organizing BCCs and BECs in his parish assignments.)
II. Through the pen of Fr. Aloysius Cartagenas
I have had good formators and professors at IHMS. In their own ways, each of them has been a part of my journey, as a person, as a priest, and now as a husband and a father. Fr. Khing was not just one of them. He stood out as the most influential to me. His love for God’s people was outstanding, his passion for church reforms prophetic. He dreamed of a servant-church, one that defends and promotes the total well-being of everyone, especially the poor.
Gifted with a beautiful mind, he loved discussing, arguing, and debating, not for argument’s sake, not to insult, not to disrespect authority, but to search for the truth, thus reaching a collective understanding or agreement. On the outside, it was easy to call him strict, but deep down, he just wanted to bring out the best outcome in every situation.
His love for the Paring Bol-anon was second to none. Before the advent of the Internet and Facebook, there existed ISDA, which linked all Boholano priests and friends all over the country, and all over the world.
Today, the local church of Tagbilaran stands on the success of its first Diocesan Synod. But before that, there was the Diocesan Thrust, and one of its prime movers was Fr. Khing.
Muchas gracias, Padre Khing. Adiós, mi querido profesor, mi hermano Josefino y mi compañero de la lucha. Nos vemos en la otra vida.
(Fr. Aloysius “Aloy” Cartagenas, a Bol-anon priest residing in Ireland, originates from Loon. He graduated from the Jesuit San Jose Seminary. He earned his doctorate in Louvain, Belgium, and upon his return, dedicated himself to modernizing the Tagbilaran Clergy and played a significant role in the successful holding of the First Diocesan Synod. Subsequently, he assumed the position of Rector at the San Carlos Seminary in Cebu.)
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