Issue No. 1 Vol .
1 December 2005
The official Newsletter of Malate Catholic School Batch 1988
January 2005 Event
by Jasmin Osilla - Ortillo
Left - Right: Abby, Aleli, Aileen, Vangie, John, Christian and Raynil
A follow-up reunion was held on La
Corona Hotel, Ermita, Manila, on January
15, 2005, a hotel endorsed by Ms. Vangie-
Abaquin Baraquiel.
The party started at 7:00PM with an
ice-breaker game called Human Bingo, a
game that initiates camaraderie among
Batch 88. It was then followed by a sump-
tuous dinner served by the hotel. More
games and raffle went after.
In this Issue ..........
January 2005 Event ............. pp 1 & 3
Editor’s Note ........................ pp. 2
Batch 88 Summer Outing ..... pp 4
Zoom In .............................. pp 5 - 6
E - Legal ............................. pp 5 - 7
Life’s Colors ........................ pp 8
G.I.S. .................................. pp 9
Badminton Games .............. pp 9
BoC and Mission Statement .. pp 10
Editor - In - Chief
Alma Ferma
Feature Writers
It was the first time the girls and
the boys, who are now ladies and Jasmin Osilla - Ortillo
gentlemen, joined in one meaningful
activity after 14 years being separated from Cleo Jalimao - Tenorio
each other.
Atty. Mike Limosnero
Our batch would not forget our spon-
Rene Navarro
sors for the raffle and game prizes: Alma
“Bubut’ Ferma, Cleotilde Jalimao-Tenorio, Catherine Sunga
Monette Suratos-Alaquin, Jasmin Osilla-
Ortillo, Vangie Abaquin-Baraquiel and An- Randy Datan
gela Villanueva-Cruz.
continue on page 3
Editor’s Note
Christmas is the season of giving and hope!

For kids all over the world, Christmas is waiting for Santa Claus
for the greatest gift. For us who are kids at heart and are hopeful,
Christmas is a time of thanksgiving and hoping.

Many have been accomplished this year -January gathering, our summer
outing in May, Grand Inuman Session in July, badminton fellowship in September
and October and the birth of our newsletter-Malateans 88!

This year the challenges were great. Despite that, we have been blessed
with many moments of victories. We have tons of good things to look back at
and even better to look forward to.

Many thanks to
... great friendships built from the gatherings and conversations in
yahoo groups
... great ideas of social projects
... the support from dedicated and willing batch members
... financial help from many generous hearts

But most of all, e give back our thanks and praise to our Lord for all
blessings in our lives, family, children and friends.

Surely, there is no reason to pout, no reason to cry Santa Claus has come
to our lives and filled our socks with gifts.

So we remain thankful and hopeful.

For next year will be a better year for us for sure!

Merry Christmas!

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January Event ...... continued from page 1

The winners for the 2 major prizes of free nights at La Corona
Hotel, Pagsanjan, Laguna were Ms. Vida Vasquez-Gonzales
and Ms. Aileen Ventigan. Congratulations to all the winners!
Towards the end of the event, plan for the batch was
instigated. Nine Board of Conveners were elected to act as
Officers of Batch’88 namely:
They are tasked to manage the Batch activities. Rene
Navarro then became the Chairman of the Board; Mike
Limosnero became the Vice Chairman; Jasmin Osilla- Ortillo
became the President; and Ms Cleotilde Jalimao-Tenorio
became the Secretary.
Good luck to all the BOC members!

Rene Navarro, Michael Ross Limosnero, Randy Datan,

Nicanor “Koi” Roxas, Alma Ferma, Aileen Ventigan, Alma
Nimfa “Anfa” Bentilanon- Nicdao, Cleotilde Jalimao-Tenorio
and Jasmin Osilla-Ortillo.

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Batch 88 Summer Outing
by Cleo Jalimao - Tenorio

It was the14th of May but it’s not just an ordinary day

... It was our Batch Summer outing!!! Yes... when most
people are still sleeping, my whole family was all busy pre-
paring .... ... swimsuits, trunks, shorts .... what else? Of
course food .... Sure it saves us a lot for we got Vickoy’s
Catering ... (also an Alumnus).

For very reasonable cost,we had crispy noodles, bar-

becue, adobo, stuffed shrimps and sandwiches......
.
But of course, let’s not forget to thank our very gener-
ous batchmate, Raynil who allowed us to use their family
owned resort in Laguna at NO COST....
Taken from MCS 88 Outing last May 14, 2005 at Pansol, Laguna.
The program was simple... all the kids and fellow Back /Left - Right: Rajesh and wife, Raynil, Cleo and Aileen
batchmates enjoyed the swimming and glorious food .... Front/Right - Left: Randy, Andro, Rene, Nikka and husband,
add to that, the continuous flow of drinks that the food com- Thirdy, Toto and Wife
mittee prepared. While some take turns in the karaoke, ( Do you see something strange in this photo??? )
reminiscing the old days singing some of the hits of the
80’s....!
We can surely call it a day!!! Exhausted but it was a memorable experience with all our batchmates and their
families......

For our next summer outing, we are hopeful to see more familiar faces as this year’s team strive harder to increase
our active 88 alumni participants.

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 Engr. Estelito G. Perello
Contributed by Rene M. Navarro ( from EVP Writer )
Or Kuya Lito as he is fondly called by family and
friends is the President and the man behind EVP
Consultancy Services Corporation, One of the leading mi-
gration companies in the country and the corporate Vice-
President ofa top caliber Orient Aviation Flying School.
He is an Engineer, entrepreneur, pilot, art patron and
a pious person. Engr. Estelito G. Perello is indeed a man of
many facets and pursuits, a “jack of all trade.”
Annulment? Get over it.
by Atty. Mike Limosnero
In my line of work, I often get asked by people want-
ing or needing an opinion on some legal concern or an-
other. The more interesting, of course, are actual cases
where one gets to match wits with the other party or even
with the entire court (particularly, if you get to represent
the less popular side).
But the queries that really pique my attention are the
casual ones that go, “Attorney, gaano ba kabilis ang an-
nulment?” or, “Attorney, may kaibigan akong gustong
magpa-annul…” They grab my attention not only for the
frequency they get asked, but especially in the offhand
way the questions are poised. About one in four casual
acquaintances result in such a query and they cut across
Born to middle-class and religious oriented parents in
Indang , Cavite, Capt. Perello scaled up the ladder of the
corporate and business industry in the year 1995. A young
Filipino entrepreneur,who has so much ardor and commit-
ment in providing assistance to every family who aspires
and long for a better future, financial stability and develop-
ment. Taking part in this humble mission is an amiable
character that Capt. Perello maintains to bear in mind and
heart.
continue on page 6
Such conversations tend to be carried on in the third
person and it is only at the last instance that the asker
admits being the subject, if at all.
After going through
Psychological incapacity is this a couple of
NOT a ground for “annulment”. times, it became
apparent that,
somehow, the
message came across that remaining married is now a
matter of choice; and if you chose not to, you could simply
have your “annulment” drawn up and be free.
This is a mistaken notion. And this mistake has
lead to a lot of disappointments for people filing “annulment”
cases, expecting the courts to hand it to them as a matter
of right, only to have the results come up very differently.
continue on page 6
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Zoom In ....... continued from page 5
Engr . Estelito
Perello held various expe-
riences in different noted
industries like Saudi En-
gineering Group Interna-
tional, Siemens Interna-
tional, PLDT and
ETISALAT. His previous
jobs here in the country
and abroad polished his
management and
entrepreneural skills. At
present he continues to be an active service provider, the
creation of EVPT Trade and Technology Training Center, a
technical vocational school is an evident proof of his great
desire to participate in providing quality education to ev-
ery Filipinos. At this time he also holds position as Trustee
at JAFFA Educational Foundation Inc.
Aside from the migration company and the school that
Engr. Perello is maintaining which he had practically built
from scratch, different company affiliates have been con-
scientiously created like EVP Travel and Mind Design
and thus, continuously growing.
-Legal ...... continued from page 3
A Mistake Revisited
The culprit in all this is the invention of
“psychological incapacity”.
Psychological incapacity, as a ground to terminate
a marriage, has been both praised and reviled by the two
sides of the divorce issue. On the one hand, supporters
say this provides loveless marriages a way to peacefully
resolve and allow the parties to licitly look for their bliss
elsewhere. On the other, opponents charge that this
rewards irresponsibility by permitting a partner to withdraw
from the marriage at the slightest inconvenience.
In the midst of all this, the Supreme Court stepped
in and, exercising its prerogative to interpret the laws,
imposed a very strict standard in the application of
psychological incapacity. But why did the Supreme Court
do so?
Correcting a Mistake
Let’s start at the top. Psychological incapacity is NOT
a ground for “annulment”. It is a ground for “declaration of
nullity” of a marriage. What’s the diff? Annulment means
that the marriage is valid until annulled. Something de-
clared a nullity retroacts to its beginning, meaning,
Born with humble beginning on April 1, 1971, his el-
ementary days at Villamor Airbase Elementary School and
completing secondary at Malate Cathilic School, he ob-
tained tertiary degree in Electrical Engineering from the
University of the East and attended trainings on Business
Management, computer Systems, Private Ground Pilot and
flight courses. All of these were tediously accomplished
by Engr. Perello because of his vision in life. He is a be-
liever and has a strong faith on the potentials and
capabilitites of every Filipino to turn this country better.
After graduating from college, Engr. Estelito Perello
did not waste time and money. He has been consistently
looking for possible means of improving himself and takes
every challenge of opportunities.
More than being an expert in business, Engr. Estelito
G. Perello at 35 years old is also a faithful husband to Viola
Vicedo - Perello and a dedicated father to Vernon, Vincent
and Via, a pious and devout catholic an inspiration to his
siblings and to the rest of the Perello clan, active members
of various non-governmental organizations including reli-
gious and charismatic groups. Engr. Perello’s reason for
hardwork straddles both for business and passion to be a
good provider to his family and he is one of the few who
managed to excel in both.
it was never valid to begin with. Some practical differences
are that cases for annullable marriages, such as where
the consent of one of the partners was obtained through
intimidation, must be filed within a deadline or else, the
marriage is considered ratified and can no longer be
annulled. In the case of declaration of nullity, there is no
deadline. The last reason is perhaps the most significant.
The Supreme Court got involved because people
were going to court in literal droves on the banner of
psychological incapacity and the trial courts were equally
at a loss to dispose of the cases. The problem was that
the law does not define what psychological incapacity is,
but leaves it to the courts to decide on a case-to-case basis.
The mayhem that ensued was epic. At one time, the Office
of the Solicitor General reported that as many as 400 cases
for declaration of nullity based on psychological incapacity
were being filed a day! The nightmare scenario of this
turning out to be a most liberal divorce law was coming
true…. And so the Supreme Court stepped in.
Enter Molina vs. Molina.
In a few short years, many cases involving
psychological incapacity reached the Supreme Court,
mostly on the vigorous opposition by the Solicitor General
who fought valiantly the tide of cases exploiting the law’s
ambiguity. None has been as significant, however, as the
case of Molina vs. Molina (1997).
continue on page 7
6
E-Legal ...... continued from page 4
The Molinas were an ideal test case. Mrs. Molina
filed a case for declaration of nullity of her marriage based
on a charge of psychological incapacity against her
husband who, she alleged, failed to fulfill the essential
marriage obligations, and for being highly immature and
being habitually quarrelsome. She presented her own
testimony, that of her two friends, a social worker and a
psychiatrist. Her husband did not show up during the trial
at all.
The case terminated and the trial court declared the
Molinas’ marriage void. The Solicitor General, however,
decided to fight this and brought the case up to the Court
of Appeals. The Court of Appeals likewise declared the
marriage void. And then the case was elevated to the
Supreme Court.
but little resembling the unrestrained propensity of the good
old days.
What this means for the rest of us
In the numbers game, pre-Molina, the success rate
of applications for declarations of nullity based on
psychological incapacity was about 80%. Immediately after
Molina, it was down to about less than 10%. Presently, I
would estimate it to be about a conservative 15%, to a
liberal 25%.
But why, one may ask, even after the clear statement
in the Molina case, is the figure of successful applicants
very low? After all, we may reasonably assume that
potential litigants should have taken consideration of the
restrictions before filing their case. The sad thing is that
few applicants do.

Reality Bites When the tremors caused by the Molina case

subsided, so did people’s memories. What was left was
the notion that psychological incapacity was just another
At the time the Molinas’ case reached the Supreme
divorce-in-disguise, and people acted accordingly.
Court, the number of cases based on psychological
Unfortunately, the restrictions are very real, and so are
incapacity was cresting at an all-time high. The irony was
people’s disappointments when they come to court one
that, since the Molinas represented a typical case study, it
day and realize their case became just another statistic in
also provided the perfect opportunity for the Supreme Court
failure.
to intervene. And so it did.
The truth is, there is no divorce law in the Philippines;
When the dust finally settled, all prior notions and in-
and, if the CBCP has their way, there never will be. This is
terpretations of psychological incapacity had been swept
either a good or bad thing, depending on which side of the
aside, and in place was a very rigid criteria which effec-
secular fence you’re on. What is important though is that
tively disqualified every applicant up to that time. Among
potential applicants know about it and so avoid needless
these criteria were: That the root cause of the incapacity
and costly lawsuits; or else find alternative ways to achieve
must be medically and clinically identified and proven by
matrimonial liberation.
expert testimony; it must be subsisting at the time of
the marriage; it must be grave, incurable and permanent,
among others.
Next issue: The Great Escape And The Other Ways
Such a restrictive verdict pre-empted all would-be
Out
filers and, indeed, the number of cases filed based on
psychological incapacity practically went nil.
e-mail: mikelimosnero@yahoo.com
Before this, countless cases similar to the Molinas
were decided in favor of nullifying the marriage. The
Molinas were just out of luck.

Back to the future

As is the nature of things, the Molinas’ fate was soon

consigned to history and hopefuls once again test the
waters of judicial tolerance by asking the courts for
matrimonial reprieve. By this time though, the courts have
likewise mellowed to the concept and a new consensus of
sorts was reached – giving due regard to petitions for
declaration of nullity that comply with the Molina restrictions,

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 Life’s Colors
by Catherine G. Sunga

I was sorting out some papers that one afternoon in I guess the situation at that time was not the way it
May the year 2002. In fact it was the only productive thing was supposed to be so I sat and laid my sketchbook on
I thought I could do. I had the liberty to do as I please the the table and started to look out for an inspiration. In front
entire day for I was jobless. I was terminated from my job of me was an empty white mug. The mug I used earlier in
as a Legal Secretary by the Managing Director of the law the morning to have coffee while I was reading the
firm I was working for. I made a mistake in sending out a Classified Ads section of a local newspaper in looking for a
document to a client and my boss has new job. It was empty. It was
decided that my mistake was so grievous empty but in my head I began
that I had to be disposed like tissue to picture it with freshly picked
paper. flowers. It contained flowers of
my favorite colors. And my
Everything was black and grey that hand started to move. The
afternoon as I cleared my desk of what water colored pencil, the brush
you may call ‘abubots’. In my head is a dabbed in water took turns in
picture of how could I have prevented my hands maneuver. Time
the situation from happening and how I stood still. I was submerged in
blamed myself for not paying more a very deep state of thought that
attention. But it was too late. My boss for some time made me forget
didn’t even have the courage to tell me the worries of what’s next to
personally that I was fired. He had the come. I forgot about the money
Financial Controller break the news to that needs to be sent home at
me an hour after my lunch break. The the end of the month, I forgot
office boys who grew very fond of me about the bills to be paid, I forgot
were teary eyed as I stood up carrying about the visa that would be
my box filled with my things, thanked cancelled very soon unless I
them for their assistance and bid them find a new job. It made me
goodbye. forget.

I wish I could erase the memory of that painful day At present, whenever I look at the expression of colors
but it still lingers, to this very moment. As I go through with I have made on that piece of paper. It reminds me of colors.
my sorting I found my water colored pencils and my That black and grey day of my life and a thought that
sketchbook which I have set aside. I had the urge to make transformed into an image of beautiful colors on that one
use of it since now I had the time. In the middle of this afternoon of May 2002.
torment, of not knowing what will happen to my future, I
was blessed with time. The time to express in color, any
thought that I see in my head. A passion which
unfortunately can not be relived every single moment not
because I don’t want to but because I just won’t have the
time if everything was the way it was.

8
by Randy Datan
In celebration of the 1st year anniversary of the first Maybe you are wondering why the event was called
joint gathering of Batch 88 graduates from Boys & Girls G.I.S., its a well known fact that the spirit of San Miguel
High Departments that was held on July 30, 2004 at Pen- brings people closer. Be it on parties or just want to talk
cil First office in Makati, the Board of Conveners (BoC) things out. Sabi nga nila, “Iba ang may pinagsamahan”
had come-up with the G.I.S. last July 29, 2005 also in Pen- Kaya tagay na!!!
cil First Office but in thier new location on Bautista St., Vito
Cruz, Manila. The event was aimed to serves as a follow
through fellowship activity and to increase camaraderie
among our batchmates.

There were new comers arrived namely Jorge de

Guzman, Noemi Pamintuan and Margarita Ravina. The
party lasted until 4AM (para sa mga matitibay sa puyatan
at malalakas sa inuman...)

by Rene Navarro

Another fellowship activity organized by the BoC was sports oriented in nature, as it is the newest trend and fastest
growing sport in the country.

The Badminton Fun/Fellowship Games were held in the afternoon of September 24 & October 15, 2005 at Planet
Badminton, J. Victor, Makati City.

9
 MCS Batch 88 Board of
MCS Batch 88Mission and Vision Conveners (BoC)
Chairman : Rene Navarro
Vice Chairman : Atty. Mike Limosnero
ƒ to gather the members of MCS Batch 1988; President : Jasmin Osilla-Ortillo
Secretary : Cleo Jalimao-Tenorio
ƒ to serve as the support system of its members through Asst. Secretary : Anfa Bentilanon-
networking, financial and community services; and, Nicdao
ƒ to help MCS, our alma mater, in its diverse causes. Treasurer : Alma Ferma
Conveners : Randy Datan
Aileen Ventigan
Koi Roxas

MCS 88 Board of Conveners (BoC)

L - R: Rene, Jasmin, Alma, Aileen, Cleo, Anfa, Randy and Mike

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