Requiem for eminent person

Rolando Villanueva del Carmen, a distinguished professor of criminal justice (law) in the College of  Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, passed away last week.

He received a bachelor of laws degree (the equivalent of a J.D. degree) from Silliman University in Dumaguete City, a master of comparative law(M.C.I.) from Southern Methodist University, a master of laws (L.L.M.) from the University of California at Berkeley, and a  doctor of the science of laws (J.S.D.) from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He has authored numerous books and articles on law and criminal justice.

He lectured nationally and internationally on various law-related topics. His  book, Criminal Procedure: Law and Practice (Wadsworth) has been translated into Japanese, Korean, and Chinese and is used extensively in those countries. He was a  recipient of many national and state awards given annually by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences during its annual convention, chiefly  the Academy Fellow Award (1990), the Bruce Smith Award (1997), and the Founder’s Award (2005).

Dr. Del Carmen’s support to Silliman has been exemplary, according to his former student, Dr. Eusebio Kho. He gave scholarships to law students. He supported the SUAKCREME Marine Laboratory of  Dr. Angel Alcala, the Salonga Law Center. Last year he and Mrs. Erlyn del Carmen donated the Dr. Rolando del Carmen Center of Excellence to Silliman.  This center gives full tuition, board and lodging for four years to highly gifted students.

Rolando finished as valedictorian of  high school Class ’49 at Misamis Institute, now Misamis University,  Ozamiz City.

Rolando’s daughter. Dr. Jocelyn del Carmen, a medical eye surgeon who works in Palo Alto, CA, announced that her father’s remains will be interred at 11 a.m.  on Nov. 21 at the Texas State cemetery in Austin, Texas.

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It seems more and more alumni organizations have been busy these days. And to think that  most if not all, alumni organizations  are composed of graduates of universities, colleges, schools who have bonded  with their former mentors, faculty members or even classmates as “volunteers” to undertake a worthy activity or project for a worthy cause.

One such organization is the CEU Alumni Foundation Inc. headed by Paz Lucido who was just recently inducted president the second time of its 17-man board for this year, 2018 to 2020.

Dr. Lucido, along with the new officers and board of trustees,  have their hands full after a successful strategic planning workshop. They have embarked on a series of fundraising activities as their priority thrust is to engage the foundation officers in launching a scholarship program for deserving indigent students to enjoy quality education in their alma mater.  

After all, Centro Escolar University has had a bounty of achievers in the professional licensure examinations such as topping  the 2018 board examinations in dentistry, pharmacy, and optometry as well as landing in the first 10 positions of the board. This has been a track record consistently enjoyed by the university for the past decade.

The foundation’s scholarship program, according to Dr. Lucido, aims to provide study grants, leadership awards, and other incentives that would sustain and enhance the academic capabilities of deserving students not only in the sciences but open as well new interests in other fields like in the arts, mass communication, education, communication technology, among others.

Thus, the CEU AFI will engage the production talents of Spotlight Artists Center in the showing of its Filipino stage musical comedy “The Dirty Old Musical’’ (DOM)  produced by Maria Isabel Sena or popularly known on stage as “Isay Alvarez.” She has performed in Miss Saigon and other Broadway musicals and at the  Cultural Center of the Philippines stage presentations. The show will be on March 16, 2019  at the Music Museum, Greenhills, Ortigas, San Juan.

This musical stage comedy is played by renowned artists led by Robert Sena, Bo Cerrudo, Noni Buencamino, Carlo Orosa, Ima Castro  Kitkat and other stage luminaries. It is a nostalgic journey that revolves around aging members of a once popular Beach Boys Band who meet hilarious predicaments of andropause and other physiological problems prevailing among senior citizens.  Could they still do a concert?

This is their problem. Thus, the riot and other complicating subplots will surely tickle the bones of stage audiences. Ticket holders are also assured to enjoy the musical’s popular playlist which includes OPM hits of the ’70s and ‘80s  such as “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musica,” “Bikining Itim,” “Kastilyong Buhangin,“ “Legs,” “Babaero,” and many more.

This Filipino musical comedy stage production is packaged as a “finished production.” This has been shown in the past years but given new twists every showtime which have made people clamor for repeat performances here and abroad.

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From Chuchay Andrada  and Melanie of Mama Sita’s Foundation remind us that coconut sap vinegar (sukang tuba) is far better than apple cider vinegar. Many Filipino cooks prefer to use coconut vinegar to favor favorite dishes like adobo, kinilaw and sinigang. Coconut vinegar can be made from coconut water or from coconut  sap.

Coconut water is the liquid found inside the coconut shell along with the coconut flesh. Coconut sap is the liquid extracted from coconut blossoms. It is locally called tuba, and is sweet when freshly harvested. Tuba can then be made into an alcoholic drink (raw coconut wine tuba or refined into lambanog), coco sugar or sukang tuba (coconut sap vinegar).

It is said that coconut sap offers more health benefits than coconut water because of the concentration of essential vitamins and minerals. More so, according to Melanie,  our very own sukang tuba (not the ones with artificial flavor enhancers), may actually be far superior than the more popular  apple cider vinegar (AC).

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