ARCHBISHOP TEOFILO B. CAMOMOT

SYNOPSIS

As soon as the 74-year old “Lolong”, the nickname Archbishop Teofilo B. Camomot has been most famous of among his pastoral ministry, has fallen asleep while riding in his Tamaraw-FX which is driven by his old time driver, Turo, his glowing spirit-like being departs from his body. Unknown to Lolong, the black fumes created by a plague of locusts coming from the Gorgon-like She-Devil, Lilith, the “Beast from the Abyss” who has been haunting him from the past, has been following the car. Turo, who has noticed the black fumes entering the front seat where Lolong is resting, turns the wheel to the left overtaking the cargo truck without knowing that an over-speeding passenger bus is fast-approaching at the opposite lane. The Tamaraw-FX collides with the Amadora Bus Liner passenger bus, overturns, and falls off at the edge of the road. Lolong is hurled outside the car and falls flat on his back with great impact on his bones and skull, which is made visible through the gushing of blood. He hardly opens his eyes. His past flashes before him.

Lolong sees himself as a dazzling and handsome 27-year old being ordained as priest at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral in the midst of the impending World War II. Later, on the account of the war, after the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos bombed by the Japanese Tura-tura planes, Archbishop Gabriel Reyes orders the transfer of the Major Seminary to Dalaguete. The 58-year-old Spanish Rector, Fr. Alfonso Saldaña, takes Lolong with him along with the other two priests and seminarians to a Carmelite convent in Mantalongon, Dalaguete. Unfortunately, a sad incident between a Spaniard and a Filipino took place. In retaliation, the Filipino guerrilleros invaded the convent and took Fr. Saldaña away. Lolong is the only one who braves to follow the guerrilleros in search of the Spanish Rector amidst the penalty of death being imposed for anybody who would leave the convent. In his search for the Spanish Rector, he has encountered the She-Devil Lilith at the foot of the gorge beneath the cliff of Kampakas, which serves as a shortcut road to Badian. With his strong faith in Christ and through prayers he has able to exorcise the She-Devil, the so-called “first wife of Adam and concubine of Satan”, and has able to cross through the gorge. There at the other side of the cliff by the end of the road going to Badian, Lolong finds the rector’s body which has been stripped off of his habit lying naked and dead. That tragic incident leaves a mark on Lolong’s memory forever – sacrificing one’s self for the sake of others.

Lolong has decided to go home and officiated his Canta Misa (first Mass) at the balcony in the second floor of his house. His 42-year-old half-brother, Padre Dado, takes Lolong to his parish in San Fernando to be his assistant. But not long after, Lolong is assigned as the parish priest of Sta. Teresa de Avila Church in Talisay where he has stayed for 12 fruitful years. Within this time, he has engaged himself in the tireless pursuit of souls through pastoral and evangelical work. He has reached out to everyone, whether the same faith or not. He has regularly visited his parishioners, whether they lived around the town proper or in the remotest barrios on the mountaintops. He has guided each and every family to realize the grace of God for making them survive the dark days of the Japanese Occupation and favored them to enjoy the peace of a liberated nation. He then would inspire them to turn to God, for God is always pleased with grateful people. 

But this mission does not pass through without trials and challenges. A woman named Dolores, whom Lolong has perceived as a pawn of the She-Devil, has come to the church to tempt him to fall into lust. Though he has almost fallen into the trap, Lolong has able to triumph over it with his constant daily prayers of his breviary. He has casted away Dolores in shame. But soon a plague of locusts infested the farms. The farmers, who have perceived it to be a manifestation of the power of the She-Devil, call the help of Lolong to cast away the devil that has inflicted their farms. Miraculously, Lolong has casted away the plague of locusts into the pit made by the farmers. After visiting the houses of the farmers, Lolong has realized that most of them are non-Catholics who are indulged in gambling and only go to his parish to ask for alms. He also realizes that Dolores is among them. He has known that Dolores has tried to trap him upon knowing that she is impregnated by an irresponsible man named Jack so that he can be her salvador del mundo, a man who will assume the responsibility of a father to a child that is not his. But still, Lolong, when begged by Dolores, has prayed over her sick siblings who are miraculously healed.

Afraid of her father’s rage after revealing her pregnancy, Dolores has left their home and lives with Jack even though he will never marry her. Enan, out of rage and anger, has fallen seriously ill. He cannot forgive his daughter for her sin. But on the contrary, Lolong who has been fooled for a long time by Enan and his family has forgiven the battered Dolores. He even gives her enough money for her to use while leaving away Jack as soon as she delivers her child to give Jack space and time to contemplate that it will not be easy to raise a child alone.

Even against the will of her husband, Juanita has come to beg Lolong to anoint and heal her dying husband Enan. Though Lolong knows that Enan and his family are non-Catholics but still he comes to visit him only to find the unrepentant Enan beyond hope since “his heart, that is inhabited by Satan, is already poisoned by too much anger and hatred that slowly eaten his soul.” After Enan died, his family converts to Catholicism. Jack and Dolores marry with Lolong as the officiating priest.

Then Lolong sees himself in his middle age, a prior of the St. Elias Chapter for priests of the Carmelite Third Order of the Philippines who is sooner ordained as bishop. Lolong in his 40’s has been assigned as auxiliary bishop in Jaro, Iloilo where he has exercised his function as a staunch defender of Catholic faith. But barely four years after that he is transferred to the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro as Coadjutor Archbishop to Kamahalang Santiago, the local name that has been attributed to the Irish-Spanish American Archbishop James Hayes. Though Lolong is deprived of a true function of his position and assigned to a remote area as a pastor it does not hinder him in continuing on his ministerial work. With the help of his young nephew Oscar who is a newly ordained priest, Lolong has created several religious organizations for laymen, nuns and priests which sparked a conflict between him and Padre Leo, the Vicar General, who in turn caused his reassignment to a much smaller parish. Later on, due to the maltreatment of Kamahalang Santiago that he has experienced and the kidney problem that he has suffered, Lolong has resigned from his post and has returned to Cebu with his nephew.

Lolong in his late 50’s has been gladly received by Cardinal Rosales. But his nephew Oscar has irked the anger of the cardinal due to his liberated attitude who has assigned him to be Lolong’s assistant so that the latter can check on his value formation from time to time. Lolong is assigned for a short while as a parish priest in Pardo. There, another nephew of his named Ramon who also wants to enter the priesthood has been introduced to him and eventually assigned as his new treasurer. Ramon has witnessed how fond Lolong is to the poor – giving them money, rosaries and prayer booklets. He has also witnessed the conflict of ideas and ideologies between Lolong and Oscar. Lolong is proactive with the idea of Marcos declaring Martial Law to repel the Communist rebels but Oscar who looks at it as a sign of dictatorship and greediness of power is against it. When Martial Law has been finally declared by Marcos, Oscar has left to join the CPP-NPA in the mountains of Davao.

But when Lolong in his 60’s has been re-assigned at St. Catherine of Alexandria in Carcar, Oscar comes back and asks for Lolong’s forgiveness before committing himself as professor for a three-year contract at the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos. He also brings with him a letter coming from Cardinal Rosales stating of Lolong's new designation as the Vicar Forane of the Vicariate of Sta. Teresita. On that day also, Lolong’s youngest sister, Remedios, in her early 40’s, has come to hand over her teenage son, Dennis, to the care of her brother. Dennis is a naughty boy who is one time caught by Lourdes, Lolong’s old landlady, stealing money from Lolong’s room and gives it to his barkadas. When confronted by Lolong, Dennis has told Lolong that he is not stealing but only following his words that that money should be given to anybody who would ask for it.

In less than a week, Lolong has been promoted from Vicar Forane to Vicar General. Aside from Carcar four other towns – Argao, Oslob, Malabuyoc and Barili – have been assigned to his care. From that time on, the beggars who are seeking Lolong’s help have grown in number. The convent’s hall has also become an infirmary for the sick people both physically and mentally. Lolong has even done a lot of wonders – levitation, healing the sick, walking on water, bilocation, and exorcising demons. He is even robbed many times but instead of being angry with the robbers he has even shown them more understanding and kindness giving them more than what they are asking for. Seeing that Lolong’s kindness has been highly abused by the people, Padre Benjamin, his assistant, advises him to stop giving money to the people for he is only wasting it to hustlers. But Lolong asks him, “If there were people who spent just to bring the souls to hell, why would I not spend just to bring their souls to heaven?”

Having witnessed the atrocities done during the Martial Law, Lolong in his 70’s has helped Cardinal Vidal in the restoration of faith and dignity of man. He has even joined in the people’s rally during the so-called Edsa Revolution calling Marcos to step down to finally restore democracy. But two years later, Lolong has met his fatal death in the hands of the She-Devil disguising as a car accident. Though his soul has departed from his body and goes up directly to the sky the story of his life does not end there. His life has continued to be both the admonition and the inspirations of many who have seen his Christ-like deeds teaching everyone that “God is in the heart.”