10th RYLTI Alumni: Kamaong Bato

"I wonder what has happened to the scholars of the 10th YCMA Rizal Youth Leadership Training Institute.

A yearly training of the YMCA of the Philippines, it aims to inculcate among youth leaders the ideals and aspirations of Rizal and the other heroes. The 10th was held from May 22 to June 20, 1972 (that's right, I perfectly remember) in Cagayan de Oro City.

I remember Nick Tabigo-on, our group facilitator, Ely Galang, the delegates from all over the Philippines whose names escape me, but whose faces are etched in my memory. Some were radicals, particularly those from Mindanao, some moderates, some poets, all campus leaders/personalities.

This was one among the last gatherings of student leaders where everyone felt free to say whatever he/she had in mind. I was a naive, promdi guy who shied away from discussions, but I wrote well and my workbook was in fact chosen by then Senator Emmanuel Pelaez as the best. He offered me a job in his office, which I refused, to my great regret later.

It was an awakening for me, that month-long interlude from school, reading and writing about Rizal, discussing our ideas for the future of the nation. It was the divine spark, so to speak, that kindled my yearning to make a difference for my country, although subsequent events made it difficult to be on the right track. A few months later, Marcos declared martial law, and the bright ideas of youth were crushed by the rule of iron."
 
by Sigfredo Iñigo aka "Kamaong Bato"  San Jose City, Philippines

http://www.thoughts.com/KamaongBato/