fEATURE | COVER sTORY
Tales of legacy: The story of a True-Blooded wriTTen by MDPN. BRYAN L. HOLZKNECHT, MDPN. NIÑO B. MALDECIR and MDPN. ANTHONY KEN J. BUCASAS PHOTOS by MDPN. JAYLAND E. SINGUILLO
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amang (crawl)! Ma seaman ka pa (will you still become a seafarer)? The skies were gray that day. Roaring. Crying. But it would not stop a legacy. Dirt already covered everyone’s clothes and faces. Wiped. Tasted. But it would not stop a true-blooded. Minor scratches in the arms are being visible, kissed by sweat making it to swell. But it would not stop a Lacsonian. No storm can blow away a legacy’s spirit. They would crawl to the rough roads and swim into mud pools, cover their whole body with grease and paint while being cursed by words coming from their seniors. It was indeed a memorable day for every each and every one. The origin of their mark as Lacsonian Vanguard. The Initiation day. We look back to the humble beginning. The oldest yearbook that has the evidence of the earliest initiation was back in 1962. Records show that Lacsonians has been tested through time. Back in 1972, Captain Bonifacio Gerochi Jr. was no idea what it takes to be called a true-blooded Laconian. By heart, he knew that he has the spirit to take the challenge without any hesitation. For days he waited. Days where he felt that there is
something that is missing to his identity. Until it came. Refreshing his memories back then, it took him to remember being a student in Iloilo Maritime Academy located at Muelle Loney St, Iloilo City Proper. He’s wearing an oversized white shirt full of dirt. His eyesight only focuses on one object in front of him. There is a puddle of stagnant water waiting for him to be swallowed. A guy in uniform radiates intimidation as be shouted to him orders that he knew he cannot just run over. His days during his initiation were truly a treasure. Now, Capt. Gerochi teaches in the institution where he was nurtured to become a seasoned seafarer. Another tale emerged when one of its alumni defied the odds -2/M Jerry Alingalan who majorly instructs navigation. Back in the old days of 1981, the institution was not yet fully developed
JBLFMU’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS JBLFMU, the former Iloilo Maritime Academy, is the first maritime school in the Visayas and Mindanao regions; and the first private maritime education and training institution in the Philippines. The late Captain Juan Bautista Lacson, its founder, was a seafarer himself, who wanted to share his knowledge and professional experience.The institution opened originally as a Review Center to assist seafarers in preparation for the licensure examinations for the Marine Deck and Engine Officers in May 1931. When World War II broke out, the review school closed. Capt. Lacson went back to the US to serve as a U.S. Coast Guard Officer. When the war ended, Capt. Lacson perceived the potential of the marine profession being the fastest and the least expensive to join. He retired from the U.S. Coast Guard, went back to the Philippines and together with his brother, Frank Lacson, a pilot and a US government disability pensioner, drew a 2-year nautical curriculum. Source: http://www.jblfmu.edu.ph/humble-beginning
The DOLPHIN | OCTOBER 2019
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