Articles of Althonians
I
Said to Myself... Cool!
By:
Brod Fernan Adem
29 August 2005
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
-----------------------
(1984 - Survived: Alpha Omicron Chapter)
(1985 - Reorganizer and former Grand
Altho - Kappa
Chapter)
It all started during the
provincial athletic meet that was held in our town of Nabunturan,
Davao de Oro sometime in 1981. I was
then a high school student. What I saw was that some
of our local lads had handshake to some out-of-town lads in a
strange manner. These guys crazily twisted their right
arm when they made their handshake. I said to
myself…cool!
I
entered college in 1982 and during my May 1984 summer vacation to my
hometown, I saw a man wearing a white t-shirt with the front side
marked with “ALTHONIANS” and something about their national
convention in Davao City in April 1984. The words
written at the back of his t-shirt was “I
WAS THERE”. I said to myself … cool! - a
copycat of my t-shirt when I attended the Boy Scout Jamboree in
Calinan, Davao City in 1978.
I
just did not realize that the twisted handshake and the Althonians
t-shirt would become part of my life when I returned to MSU-IIT in
Iligan City after my summer vacation.
The
Alpha Theta Omega Fraternity and Sorority did not recruit me but I
literally hunted the members of this organization in MSU-IIT to join
their ranks. The reason? Well, let’s
just be contented with that fact.
I
was not successful during my initial search but when I transferred
to a new boarding house, I learned that my board mate Apyong is an
Althonians. So, for almost one month, I pestered him
constantly for the information on when they will conduct their
initiation. But when he finally told me the schedule,
I suddenly froze and said to myself… cool, shall I really enter the
den of the lion? Yes - because I have big reason and
it should be fulfilled.
Few
days before the initiation, I urged my best buddy, board mate and
town mate Rene Recto to join me. I met in the school
campus my former high school classmate Ador Morente and I also
invited him to join. Both chaps did not deny my
request and without much ado, the three of us plus seven other
neophytes marched into the abyss in July 24, 1984. After
the hardships and the test of my physical and mental stamina, I
finally belong to the Althonians family. My personal
objective was achieved.
I thought everything would end there since I’m an Althonians already but
during my last 3 months of stay in MSU-IIT before I will move to
Davao to start my in-plant training, I experienced the bright side
of being an Althonians. Almost once every 2 weeks, we
will wake up at 4:00 AM to do a dawn serenade (mananita) to one of
our brothers/ sisters who is celebrating his/her birthday, then eat
cake rice, pancit canton, hot coffee and pandesal. When
the brothers and sisters will meet at the campus yard, rest assured
there would be a riot of fun and laughter.
The
climax of my stay in Alpha Omicron (MSU-IIT) was during my
acceptance ceremony wherein our guest of honor was no other than
Brod Benjie Jumawan - one of the eight founders of the Alpha Theta
Omega.
My three months stay
in MSU-IIT as an Althonians is too short but within this span of
time, it had transformed me personally. (I
guess so!) I become
more outspoken and aggressive to pursue my ideas - like the
reactivation of the Kappa Chapter when I transferred to CIT, Cebu
City to pursue my engineering course.
About my original objective why I want to be an Althonians? … Well,
it doesn't matter now actually but one thing is sure, I did not make
a mistake in joining this organization.
Photo with brods in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro (Alpha Iota
Chapter). Brods Cosal, Esmer, your's truly and Bebot.
