Big Heart for the Poor

For Fr. Camomot, preaching was not enough. He deemed it useless to talk about Jesus, if he didn't become like Jesus to everybody. The Word had to become flesh.

The good priest's selflessness and total detachment from material things is attested to by people who had personal encounters with him. These people say that Fr. Camomot had worn-out clothes, albeit clean and he looked neat and tidy in those. He wore his shoes for as long as the pair still held up together, no matter how tattered.

He would give his personal belongings to people who needed it more. He wouldn't mind not keeping something for himself as long as he could provide others with their needs. Fr. Camomot's generosity was exemplary.

His brother Elpidio recalls, “He loved the poor so much that he would give whatever he had to those who asked for help. [While he was always like that since child], his being kind, merciful, and generous, especially to the poor, increased when he was in the active ministry of the Roman Catholic priesthood.”

One time, a poor man visited Fr. Camomot in the convent to ask for help. The priest told the man to get money from the box where the church kept the donations. His nephew, who was around, reported to him that the man took a very large amount of money. Fr. Camomot simply told him, “Okay, [if you like] just get [something] from there too.”

The humble priest was not in the habit of saving money. He said money was not the reason for his entering the priesthood. Tertuliano Seguerra, who was an acolyte when Fr. Camomot was assigned in Talisay, summed up the qualities that made Fr. Camomot special: “He was an extraordinary man of faith. He totally entrusted himself to God. [Even other] priests looked up to him. He was very calm, tactful, and never talked bad of others.”

Fr. Camomot's reputation was unsullied, and he was admired for his dedication in serving the people, especially the less fortunate. “He was concerned about his fellowmen, and he never considered himself as someone superior to others. He was the hope of the helpless. He was so willing to help the needy even to the extent of denying his personal needs,” Tertuliano added.

Known for his generosity, Fr. Camomot was a ready target for beggars, and even for those who want to take advantage of his kindness. A long queue of people was often seen outside his parish, begging for alms, food, or medicine.

One time, a man sold him chicken, which the priest bought just so that the man would have money. But when Fr. Camomot left the chicken in the cage, the man stole it and later sold it to him gain. When he knew that he was deceived, Fr. Camomot simply scratched his head and did not say a word.

His younger sister Remedios recalled that there was an old woman who would wait for Fr. Camomot to finish his Mass in order to ask for money. “We told him that the woman was just using his money for jai-alai (an illegal numbers game). He would only say, ‘We wish she would win.'”