Around 18 Chiro alumni from all over the country came together to celebrate not just the 60th anniversary of the group, but their fulfilled personal lives as well.
Coinciding with the group's National Camp also held in Camp John Hay, the “mini-reunion” served as a time for reminiscing and looking back on how being part of Chiro prepared them for leadership and their professional careers.
The 'Chiro way'
Arguably the most respected alumni, Carlos Canilao, the 68 year-old spritely city administrator of Baguio said of Chiro, “It made me what I am today.”
Canilao credits his professional success to his early exposure to the youth group when he was in Grade 6 in 1958.
“We were told, 'you will not be Chiro forever, but you will have to live the Chiro way throughout your life,'” Canilao, who was also Chiro’s first National Leader, explained.
Initially, this 'Chiro way' translated to being good students, but as Canilao noticed, “[It would later on mean] to be good in our profession.”
Canilao remained active in Chiro even after college. He would go on to teach in the Philippine Military Academy for 27 years. Canilao also became a lawyer.
Life-long impact
Another alumna, Mely Militar, 62, of Pasig city, attested to Chiro's lifetime effect on her.
“Whatever I learned, the skills, the values...I tried to put that into practice.” Militar who joined Chiro when she was 18 was the lone representative of the Philippines to the 1984 World Youth Day in Rome. She summed up what Chiro taught her, “Huwag aalis o hihiwalay kay Kristo. (Do not leave or separate from Christ.)”
Some of the alumni like Susan Avellana, 60, of Cebu said that their enduring personal support of Chiro and willingness to serve are signs that the group formed them well. Avellana, who joined in St. Theresa's College when she was 12, shared, “Seeing the lives of the people that we trained confirmed my commitment to Chiro...I see that they live exemplary lives. Meron kaming mga pari, mga madre, professionals. (We have priests, nuns, professionals.)”
At the end of the 'mini-reunion', the alumni expressed the desire to organize a separate group for Chiro alumni. They also stated their wish to support their local groups of Chiro kids.
Canilao said it best when asked about his wish for the 60th anniversary of Chiro Pilipinas this year, specifically for kids who are not part of the group, “I want them to join Chiro and benefit [from] what gave us a lot of training for life.”
Chiro is a national, parish-based youth organization that aims “to bring the youth closer to Christ” through activities like games, sharing, sports and hiking. [Nirva'ana Delacruz]
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