Mga Bungang Isip ni Christopher Zoloan

Tribute to Dr. Pablito Mallari

“Sir Jun, he was my Teacher, The one I Idolized as a Very Humble Yet Learned Man”

Bago po ako magsimula, isa po munang DISCLAIMER:

Hindi po ako talagang magaling sa pagsasalita. Sa katunayan nga po e hindi ako sanay sa mga ganitong pagkakataon; kadalasan, mali-mali ang aking mga sinasabi kapag hindi pinaghahandaan, kaya pinipili kong manahimik na lang, ngunit iba po ang pagkakataong ito, kaya nga po may script akong hawak ngayon e. Hindi po talaga ako mabokang tao or extemporaneous ngunit sa paraang pasulat, marami po akong nasasabi, again, kaya nga po may script akong hawak ngayon. Magkagayon po, minabuti ko nang gumamit ng conversational type of taglish para maunawaan po ako.

Sino po ba ako para magsalita ngayon? Hindi ko naman po mabibilang ang sarili ko na “friend of the family” ni Sir Jun; at lalong hindi rin po nila ako kamag-anak. Hindi ko rin po claimed na kilala ko talaga si Sir Jun, so hindi rin po kami ‘close’; in fact, right after college e madalang ko na pong makahalubilo ang mga dati kong guro at propesor at naging abala sa aking trabaho. Hindi rin po ako “churchmate” since I am a progressive Catholic, at kahit ako po hindi ko rin alam na pastor po pala si Sir Jun. Isa lamang po akong regular na estudyante ni Sir Jun, in fact, “irregular” nga po kung iisipin. Kung bakit ko po nasabi ‘yon, I am going to try to explain:

When I was in college, ako iyong ilan sa mga taong may sariling mundo. You know, those skinny, pale students na hindi maboka (kaya nga po may script), tahimik lang, at nasa isang bahagi lang ng study center ng Columban College, may binabasa o kaya pinakikinggan, yun. Kasama po ako doon. Hindi ako social, at hindi rin naman anti-social; and to blend in noon ang means ko ay magbaliw-baliwan at gumawa ng mga awkward na bagay to let out the joker inside me, kung minsan lang po ay nagba-backfire, if you know what I mean.

My first encounter with the couple Pablito and Olivia, was through a somewhat Philippine and British flag-colored College English book called “English Plus”. Mahilig po kasi akong tumalon sa dulo o saan mang bahagi ng textbook at hanapin ang “About the Author”, so I got acquainted with the two Professors through a textbook. Di ko expected noon that the encounter would go beyond that. 

Lagalag po akong estudyante. Kadalasan loner. Lagalag in the sense na hindi ako sumasama sa “block section” or “block course”, paiba-iba po ako ng mga kasamang course at dahil do’n, di lang BEED or BSED mga classmates ko, kadalasan may AB-E, mga taga Commerce Dept, Computer Courses, Library Sciences, pati Engineering courses nakasabay ko sa ilang mga subjects. May topak din ako sa pagtatake ng subjects, na pati hindi prescribed sa course ko, basta interesante para sa akin, e tine-take ko. Yan po ang isa sa dahilan kaya it took me 4 and a half years instead of 4, to finish my course, but that is beside the point.

Ang pagiging lagalag ko sa pag-aaral ng college ang naging dahilan kung bakit ako naging estudyante ng Great Mallari Couple, kasi nagtake ako ng mga subjects na pang AB-E. Bakit? Kasi tingin ko magaganda ang mga subjects at medyo naboboring ako that time sa mga subjects na pang-BEED. Saka nagsisimula na akong magsulat ng mga maiikling kwento noon, advocating romanticism and dreamy stories, at magpahayag na rin ng mga liberal (read: RADIKAL) na ideya ko noon, as well as continue my love for poetry and the classics, Edgar Allan Poe in particular so I said, “Why not take those subjects? I might enhance myself.” Ang original at talagang Professor ko sa mga English subjects that time is Ma’am Olive, but due to my “lagalag” schedule and getting lost in the sense, na-WOW MALI po ako.

Jumping Jupiter! NASA MALING KWARTO AKO AT MALING ENGLISH SUBJECT, at IBANG PROFESSOR that day! To add to the confusion, sure na sure pa ako na tama ang pinasukan ko kasi parehong MALLARI ang nasa Schedule Card! Nakatingin ang mga students sa akin, mostly di ko kilala, with an inquisitive and funny look in their faces. May isang estudyante nang humahagikgik nang palihim, at may ilang babae na na nagtatanungan kung bigla daw ba talagang nailipat si ‘Rizal’ at classmate na nila sa subject na yon. [Explanatory note: May mga Filipino Month presentations kasi sa College noon, at tuwing Lingo ng Wika, nagpapalabas ng Sabayang Pagbigkas ang Educ Department. Sa dalawang magkasunod na taon, ginagawa akong props ng mga kasama ko at “laging binabaril sa Bagumbayan!” Take note po, nanghihiram pa ako ng “sinauna at inaamag na Frock Coat” kay Mrs. Cruz, ang Museum Curator ng Columban noon, to complete the “Bumangon sa Hukay si Rizal effect”.]

The Prof was Sir Jun. Hindi niya ako tinawanan kahit pa tinatawanan ko na ang sarili ko (at natutunaw na sa kahihiyan), instead he smiled amiably. “Everyone who enters this class and wants to learn, is my student, even if his or her classcard indicates the contrary. Maupo ka iho.” So naupo ako sa klase nya. Hindi ko naman masasabi na “sit-in” ako kasi if I will follow Sir Jun’s logic that day, “I entered his class (though by accident) and I want to learn”. It happened that I attended his class not only on that fateful day, but for another 2 or 3 meetings… until such a time that I was told to go to my real class… The blessing is carried over, because with Ma’am Olive I got the same level of learning, of education, of closeness to God. Ika nga, take one, you also have the other. Package deal ang Mallari Couple, kung may couples’ watch at couples’ T-shirt, may couple blessings din.

To those who have seen, or actually conversed with Sir Jun in this lifetime – I know you would confirm this – Sir Jun never had to lecture you about goodness, humility, and the Grace of God… because he lives it. You can feel the spirit of goodness, humility, wisdom, and God’s grace oozing from his very personality. Hindi ako nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na makinig sa kanyang mga sermons or pastorals, but you know, he never really had to. Kasi pagtuturo pa lang nya ng any subjects, you will feel blessed. You will feel this sense of calmness, and wholeness, and peace, just by being with the man. There is always sincerity, and truth, with his words. I can still feel it now, this past few days that I visited his wake, this calmness of soul that I have been searching from time to time… even now he’s gone… to the Lord God who made us experience being with this wonderful person, Sir Jun still affects me.

Sir Jun and Ma’am Olive are the people who inspired me to write. In fact, they are actually the basis of some of my philosophies in life… of my holistic being, of what I am as a person. I said to myself, “Kung may tao lang na karapat-dapat kong tularan, si Dr. Pablito Mallari ‘yun.” I secretly idolized the man.

  Sir Jun once told me,
“Kung gusto mo talaga ang pagsusulat, magsulat ka lang. Magsulat ka lang… it doesn’t matter if it is not published, it doesn’t matter if konti lang ang bumabasa or wala pang nakababasa. If you expressed the truth with it, and you feel happy, that’s it! Everything you write or do, the Lord is proud of you, and by doing it you know? You also glorify Him.”

Time passed by. I left college and nawalan na ako ng communication sa mga Mallari. Kung meron man, madalang. The once, skinny, pale, dreamy, poetic, romanticist nerd of the past has been subjected to the world, to DepED… becoming a bitter, at times radical, realist. A bad awakening perhaps? But still awakening. Sa marahas na mundo na bawat kilos ng tao na labag sa anumang kabutihang loob, sa burokrasyang ang bawat tao ay makinang napapalitan, sa gitna ng kaguluhan kung saan nakikita mong malinaw ang pangangailangan ng bawat isa ngunit di mo matugunan pagka’t maraming balakid, mga balakid na pinalalala ng mga taong tila walang kabuuan ng kaluluwa, dito ako nagising. Isang bangungot.

Humingi ako ng mga payo, at ang mga payo naman ay praktikal, ngunit may kulang sa bawat praktikalidad na naririnig ko… kulang ng kaluluwa. Sa nakabibinging ingay ng mundo, na-miss ko ang katahimikan ng kolehiyo, na-miss ko ang classroom at mga aral ni Sir Jun at Ma’am Olive. Siguro sa lahat ng ito, ang kailangan ng mundo ay mga taong tulad ni Sir Jun?

Hanggang sa isang napaka-abalang araw habang nag-ii-scroll ako ng Facebook page, nadaanan ng mata ko ang balita. Baka nagkamali lang ako, namalikmata, naguluhan ng tingin? Natulala ako… wala na.. wala ni si Sir Jun. The humble, yet very wise, learned man… one of the most honorable men I knew… is gone…

Who knows what might have happened? What if…? Maybe another Tuesdays With Morrie life story? But it was not to be.

Still I’m glad that in such a short time, in such simple ways, Sir Jun touched my heart… my soul… my life. I’m glad I have known Ma’am Olive and Sir Jun. I’m proud that they are my professsors.

His soul is now with the Lord. I will surely miss him.