Iwas in the supermarket that afternoon when suddenly my cell phone rang. It was a strange number. I did not know it but decided to put down my bags and answer. “Hello, this is Father Ed Martinez,” the voice said. Of course I remembered him. I had last met him in Davao, when he was president of the Ateneo de Davao University and he felt, to me anyway, like an old friend. But that’s the way I feel about a lot of Jesuits, like they are old friends. They were, after all, buddies of my uncle, Father Jose Arguelles Cruz, S.J. Tiotots, we used to call him in our family. He was my mother’s youngest brother and a beloved surrogate father to my cousins and me. Tiotots passed away in think in 1999. Oh my goodness, was it that long ago?

“Tweetums,” Father Ed said, “I would like to invite you to visit a new school in Marikina.” There it is again — Marikina. That afternoon I was struggling with the knowledge that my office — now in Makati, only a ten-minute walk from my home — would be moving to our head office in Marikina. The place must be demanding my attention, I thought. So I agreed to go.

“There it is,” I told my driver, pointing to a large building with Ingenium written at the top. He had given me a strange look when he first heard the word. Ingenium, Latin for bringing to their fullest fulfillment and fruition the native talents and gifts that God has so richly bestowed each one so that we may all care for one another. Once you learn how to say it, it is a lovely name for a school.

I think I arrived at a time when classes had been dismissed. As you entered the school there was a big area with a stage at one end and classrooms all around. The atmosphere was huge but charming. Clusters of children were running and laughing around. Down by the stage a group of girls were having a girl scouts meeting.

Father Ed came out to meet me and led me to the office of Dr. Salve Borlagdan, the school’s president and director. Salve has a PH.D. in Community Development from UP Los Banos and a whole list of other overwhelming graduate courses that fully qualify her for this position. She is a very pleasant, intelligent woman, who brought to mind one of my mother’s wishes for me. We once had a farm immediately behind the UP Los Banos and there was a time when my mother was trying to convince me to study Community Development. I could have grown up like her, I thought.

They told me about their school. Salve began a pre-school in Marikina. It grew and grew. She is the niece of Father Ed whose last job with the Jesuit order was as president of the Ateneo de Davao. Then he hit retirement age and became the chaplain at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and the chaplain at one of the Marikina hospitals. Through different routes their lives happily converged and they set up the Ingenium school. Both of them wanted to have a more meaningful life, to contribute something of greater significance, to change things for the better. They were both convinced that significant change in society involved change in human persons. To effect this change, the key was education and the most effective educational intervention was in basic education.

Their professional training and expertise then found a common focus. Most of the graduate studies of Father Martinez focused on the theory and process of knowing and learning and all his work was in the management of schools. Salve Borlagdan’s work and studies centered on community development and social learning. All the training and professional experience of both they have brought to creating a school for basic education (grade school, which eventually will expand into high school) that will be directed to their mission. They want to contribute to the making of a better Philippines. Isn’t that a wonderful idea?

We walk around the first floor of the school where the lower grades are. The rooms are charming with high ceilings and big windows — my architectural choice. Each room has ceiling fans and bulletin boards. In the center of the room is a cluster of small tables and chairs. “Our maximum number of students per section is twenty,” Salve says. “More than that is considered too big for a class.” I read the poetry written by children on the bulletin boards after a trip to the zoo. “They still write very creatively, natural to children. When they grow up they will lose that if you teach them English the way most educational institutions teach. I hope you make an effort to keep the creativity alive. In the future creativity is so important.” They both agree with me.

Up the broad stairwell we go. The stairs have slip-proof tiles. “Children are safe here,” I comment. At the side of the stairs is a ramp that goes all the way up to the fourth floor. The children take that ramp if their school bags have wheels. I like that. It’s very innovative. “I wish I still had children or grandchildren who might go to this school,” I say, “but they live so far away.”

“We also take in special children, those who are not seriously impaired,” I think Salve said. I think that’s wonderful, as we walk through their big library with a lot of computers, their music room with a few ethnic instruments, their simple chapel. This is really a charming school. I wish they had it when my children were of school age.

But — if you are close enough to Marikina and you are looking for an ideal school for your children, I recommend you check this school out. You may call any of their telephones: 941-5867, 942-0921, 942-1151 and ask them how to get there. Go see for yourself. I went and saw for myself. I was very glad I took Father Ed’s call that afternoon at the supermarket.

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