Someone turned the page of Chit’s calendar in her room.

January to May was dead  revolutionary Filipino poets, ending with Eman Lacaba for May;

 it was still on April (Romulo Sandoval)  the last time — it was never turned to May. It’s
a prominent feature in her room because it hovers  in the middle of the wall behind her swivel
chair.

 June onwards was
dedicated to  dead nationalist Filipino  visual and performing artists. It’s now turned
to June, 2011 (filmmaker Ishmael Bernal.)

 Well, the color
matches.

 I asked Khrysta, and
she laughed and said not to frighten her because still had classes up to 7pm
and I said, by someone, I meant a person. I don’t ascribe anything supernatural
 to objects unless they’re floating in mid-air or combusting on their own. The assistant did not notice
it had been turned, and  so,  could not narrow it down . We just surmised   family
members or close friends who were here last Tuesday turned the page to make it current  —  Chit’s urn was brought here then, her 40th day;  before it was brought to San Agustin
Church. When we were discussing the rites that would be performed, i asked my resident “consultant” on beliefs, Khrysta, although she refuses that, the historical background of the 40th day, and she said, and i was surprised to learn,  that it wasn’t even strictly Catholic; that it was based on Filipino folk belief that the soul roamed the earth for 40 days.  

Prof. Roland Simbulan told us a month ago  to make the room functional because, and here, he used the correct tenses (unlike this blog), it’s what Chit would have wanted.

    Photos of the
visual exhibit c/o Office of the  Dean
and the  College Library —  next posts. 

xxx

 “ ‘You will improve’ “

By: Angel Britanico, Philippine Daily, Inquirer,

3:06 am | Saturday, June 4th, 2011

Quote  “Our first assignment for Journalism 102 (News
Reporting) under Professor Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan, was to write a lead  on the walkouts staged against the budget cut for state colleges and
universities. She returned our work the following week, with a disclaimer: “I  have here your papers. Please don’t be discouraged.”

 Quote  “Naturally, we were.

 Quote  “As terror slowly crept into our faces, she
added with a smile: “You still have a long way to go, but you’ll improve.” That  was something we held on to throughout the semester.

 Quote  “Ma’am Simbulan put a premium on working with  what was given—no more, no less—while gleaning the relevance of each news  event. “There are no small beats—only small reporters,” she once said.

 Quote  “She liked to challenge students to become
better versions of themselves, both inside and outside the classroom.  Mid-January this year, I contemplated running as an independent candidate in
the college student council. The idea of running without a party seemed  daunting, I decided to wait it out instead, and to try my luck next voting  season.

 Quote  “On January 18, the point of discussion
turned to the upcoming council elections, and Ma’am asked if any of us were  participating. No one raised their hands. She told our class then, “Oh, you
should run. It’s a memorable experience.”

 Quote  “ I would later find out that the deadline
for filing certificates of candidacy (COC) was moved to the following day,  January 19. After much deliberation, I trooped to the admin office that
afternoon and submitted my COC.

Quote   “ It  was in J102 that I delivered my first room-to-room speech. I hadn’t gotten the  hang of my spiel yet, and I struggled with some parts of it. Ma’am and I were  seated at opposite ends of the conference table, so whenever I looked ahead, I  would see her looking right back, listening.

Quote  “ Storyteller at heart

 Quote   “She was as much a storyteller as she was a
journalist. Our sessions were filled with her lively anecdotes, observations, and instructions.  One of her pieces of  advice for us was to talk to people who are usually ignored, because beneath  their unassuming silence lay a trove of valuable information.

Quote  “Ma’am Simbulan was among the most patient
professors I ever had. On days when we had an article due, it was almost  inevitable for some of us students to be tardy or absent. She never chided  anyone in front of the class, even those who crept in a good 30 or more minutes  after the start of the session.

 Quote  “Once, my classmate Eunille Santos and I
rushed to finish an article for 102 in the journalism department. Ma’am arrived  past 10 am, and upon seeing us huddled over laptop, asked in her usual calm
voice, “Anong ginagawa niyo rito? Let’s go.” In the brief seconds before she  closed the department door behind her, we replied with a smile and uneasy
laughter: “Sige lang po, Ma’am.”

Quote    “ Did  Eunille and I try to enter the room only to find the door locked? No. Did we  learn and submit the rest of our articles on time after that? Yes.

  Quote  “She  was also quick to laugh at herself. Many times, she blamed her lack of spatial  awareness for her inability to maneuver the live–view projector we used in  class.

 Quote  “ Much has been said and written about Ma’am
Simbulan’s strong sense of conviction. She was as steadfast in her principles  as she was in the littlest things. During the campaign, she invited me and
candidates from the opposing political parties to a press conference. My  classmates and I were to cover the event and submit a news article about it the
following week.

 Quote   “At the end of the conference, she expressed
her gratitude to each candidate. “Thank you, Alisa,” she told the first party’s  secretary hopeful. To the second party’s chairperson bet, she said, “Thank you,
Norman.” Then she turned to me. Ma’am addressed everyone by their last name  inside the classroom, with no exceptions. “Thank you, Miss Britanico. You’re
still my student, so you’re still Miss Britanico to me,” she said with a grin.

 Quote  “Finding answers

Quote   “Ma’am once said that journalism was a
Promethean endeavor. Facts are not flowers reporters can pick at their own  leisure; they are more like game animals, always on the move, always demanding
a chase. But of the 5Ws and H of journalism, I find that the “why” is  especially difficult to come by. Some questions just don’t have immediate  answers, and even when they do, the answers are not always gratifying.

Quote   “ I have been monitoring the news, and there
has been great attention to the traffic on Commonwealth Avenue since the  accident last May 13. Radio announcers broadcasted that the MMDA will install  motorcycle patrol units along the “killer highway” to immediately respond to,  if not thwart, any more road accidents in the area.

Quote   “Sometimes when the answer to “why” seems too  out of reach, “what now” is the next best question to answer. Then the “what,”  no matter how undesirable or tragic, will be given context.

  Quote  “At  the risk of having Ma’am Simbulan “tsk-tsk” at me for lack of attribution, I  shall quote something she said as  relayed to the worldwide web by one of her students: “I hope you will  use your skills to turn this country upside down.”

 Quote   “When we recall Ma’am Simbulan’s teachings
and how they have touched us in many  ways, we will do so the same way our mind’s eyes see her—with a smile. Just as the brightest sun is made to set, her life has come to an end, but not  without streaming rays of hope and warmth to the ones she left behind.

 Quote  “ She once told our class, “You still have a
long way to go, but you’ll improve.” That is something we will continue to hold  on to, for ourselves and for the country she loved and served. Because in death
as in life, Ma’am Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan did not only teach by  example—she did better than the instruction.

 Quote  “Veteran journalist and university professor
Lourdes “Chit” Estella Simbulan, 54, was killed in a vehicular crash along  Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City last May 13, 2011.” Closed-quote