SPU Manila INTER-OFFICE BULLETIN - St. Paul University Manila

SPU Manila INTER-OFFICE BULLETIN
Vol. II No. 21 20 April 2009
MESSAGE OF THANKS FROM THE FAMILY OF WAM
As mentioned in the IOB last week, the father of Ms. Wynna Marie A. Medina, President of St. Paul
University Manila, passed away three weeks after suffering a stroke and was laid to rest on Maundy
Thursday.
Members of the SPU Manila community, as well as alumni, went to the wake and the funeral
of Atty. Rodolfo Medina, who was the father of eight Paulinians.
Late last week, Ms. Medina sent the following message of thanks through the internet:
When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.
A Message of Thanks
Our father, ATTY. RODOLFO (DIDING) G. MEDINA, lived a full life of service to others. He was a
loving and protective husband and father, a nurturing grandfather, and the most faithful of friends.
To everyone who stood by us and prayed with us in our most trying time as a family, during Dad's
swift illness and his peaceful passing--- we are grateful.
Thank you for your prayers which helped ease his passage into the next life. And, thank you for your
prayers and presence which eased our grief as you reminded us that he is now in a place where
happiness and peace prevail. Thank you for every smile you put on his face, for every challenge you
gave him, and for every tear you shed for his passing.
On behalf of our mother, Luz Aquino Medina, and his surviving siblings – Dr. Francisco (Paquing)
Medina, Chit Medina-Gonzalez, Capt. Wally Medina -- we, his children, thank you.
Wilhelmina and Raymundo Panlilio, Wynna Medina, Wanda Manikan(deceased), Wonina and Armando
Bonifacio, Winifred and Steve Albano, Wendeline and Joseph Tumolva, Atty. Jose Gerardo (Boyet)
and Rissa Bolongaita Medina, Wilma Worden.
ALUMNI NEWS
FROM THE SPMAFI
At a recent meeting of the Board of Trustees of the St. Paul Manila Alumni Foundation, Inc.
(SPMAFI), the trustees accepted proposals from the Steering Committee for the SPU Manila
Centennial for two initial fund-raising activities: a ballroom and line dancing with the Spirit of ’67 in
July and a dinner-concert of D’Angelos in November.

The fund-raisers were suggested by Beth Sison-Tagle, Chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee for the SPU Manila Centennial and presented to the alumni, on whose help the success of
the fund-raising activities depends. The events will be held to raise seed money for other fundraising
activities, which are intended to build up a Centennial Fund for student scholarships and
professorial chairs.
The university hopes to set up three professorial chairs: Fr. James B. Reuter SJ Professorial
Chair in Drama, Estelita G. Juco Professorial Chair in Education, and Mother Madeleine Denoga, SPC
Professorial Chair in Nursing. Each chair will require an initial funding of P 2,000,000.00.
Another centennial project that will need the full cooperation of the alumni is the proposed
museum, which will be located under the chapel, the space which used to be the library, and before
that, the social hall.
The SPMAFI will invite representatives of past and future jubilarian classes to the next
meeting of the Board on 6 May 2009.
UPDATE ON FR. REUTER AND XAVIER HOUSE
The Reuter Babies, a group composed of former students who have worked with Fr. James B. Reuter,
SJ in his theatrical productions, sent this petition to Fr. Jose Cecilio J. Magadia, SJ, Provincial of the
Jesuit Province:
We, the undersigned, respectfully implore you, Father Jose
Cecilio J. Magadia, to delay the sale of Xavier House while
Father James B. Reuter is still alive.
His expressed intention has always been to obey the wishes of
his superiors. However, we fear that any move will place him in
a situation that will further weaken him and ultimately hasten
his death. The stress of packing and moving out into a new
environment will put a toll on his enlarged heart, his weakened
lungs (he has to be attached to an oxygen tank 24/7), his
arthritic ankles and knees (he is wheelchair-bound), and the
rest of his 93-year old body (he has a caregiver 24/7). It is
common knowledge that the elderly experience extreme
difficulty in coping with change and need the comfort of familiar faces and surroundings. This is what
Xavier House provides.
We ask this not just because of this great man's deep and enduring service to the Jesuit community
and the Filipino nation; Or just because this inspirational leader deserves nothing but the best; And
not only because this man, like any man in the twilight years of his life, has every right to the best
possible quality of life in his dying months. But we ask this because most of us will someday find
ourselves old and frail, too, dependent on our own family for comfort and care.
We pray that you ask him to stay. We believe that is the right thing to do and we hope that you will
come to that conclusion as well.

Following is the statement of Fr. Magadia, sent by Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, President of the Ateneo
de Manila University:
March 31, 2008
Statement regarding the 'sale' of Xavier House
In its issue of 31 March 2009, the Philippine Daily Inquirer
(PDI) ran a front page article on the 'sale' of Xavier House that
demands some clarifications, not only because of its
misstatements of fact but also on account of the innuendoes
and implications it fosters.
1. The article falsely claims that a done deal has been made
between the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus and the
SM Group for the purchase of the Xavier House property. The
Provincial and Province Treasurer are quoted as denying this; but a source from the SM Group
(conveniently left unnamed) is produced to state the contrary. In no uncertain terms the article
adopts the latter as the correct version. This is not true. The Province has had no contact with the
SM Group, has not even gotten to the point of putting the Xavier House property up for sale.
2. The PDI article also tends to misrepresent the whole issue as if it were nothing more than a
money-making scheme. It brushes aside the reality that the Province is in real financial straits,
exacerbated by the ongoing world financial crisis. The rising costs of medical care for our senior and
infirm Jesuits and formation for our younger men have taken a toll on province resources. These
resources are dedicated to almost a third of Philippine Jesuits who are in formation, and an even
bigger group of some 110 who are over 70 years of age, 61 of whom are 80 and above. Along with
this, the Province also has to support other works that are not self-sufficient. It is unfortunate that
people do not realize that the Province is not Ateneo de Manila or Xavier School, and that funds do
not come out of one big pot that is commonly shared.
3. Fr. James Reuter, with whom I spoke this morning, is very much dismayed at and disturbed by
the PDI article. He lamented the distortions it presented and the picture of him and of the Jesuits
that the article unfairly painted. Father Reuter continues to affirm that the Society of Jesus he
entered almost seventy-five years ago has always cared for him and will continue to do so to the
end. He well knows that despite all difficulties, the Philippine Province remains committed to make
sure that all our Jesuits in our different communities are provided for and attended to.
PAULINIANS ALL: GROUP SITE ON FACEBOOK
Bernardita Azurin Quimpo, AB ’67, has created a group site on Facebook.
Called PAULINIANS ALL, the site is open to alumnae/alumni, students, faculty,
staff and NUNS of all St. Paul schools in the Philippines.

Paulinians from different St. Paul schools and universities, like
St/ Paul University Manila, St. Paul University Quezon City, St. Paul
University Dumaguete, St. Paul University Tuguegarao, St. Paul
University Iloilo, St. Paul College of Makati, St. Paul College Pasig,
St. Paul College Paranaque, and Rosary College Vigan have signed
up, sent pictures, and shared news and comments with their fellow
Paulinians here and abroad.
Some sample pictures sent to the site are the following:
High School 1963, St. Paul College of Manila …
AB 1967, SPCM with some Sisters ……
As of the first week of April, the site had over 2,000 members. Congratulations, Bernie, for
proving that the Paulinian spirit is alive and well and shining through!
LAST WEEK’S ACTIVITIES IN SPU MANILA
14 April 2009
European Week (Linggo de Lingua 2) Meeting
1:30 - 4:00 P.M.
Coffee Shop, HRMTC
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16 April 2009
SMI-IC Presidents’ Meeting
9:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.
SMI-IC Presidents’ Meeting with Liaison Officers and Committee Chairs
3:00 - 6:00 p.m.
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