It all started during the provincial athletic meet that was held in our town of Nabunturan, Davao (now Compostela Valley ) sometime in 1981.  I was then a high school student.  What I saw was that some of our local lads had handshake to some out-of-town lads in a strange manner.  These guys crazily twisted their right arm when they made their handshake.  I said to myself…cool!

I entered college in 1982 and during my May 1984 summer vacation to my hometown, I saw a man wearing a white t-shirt with the front side marked with “ALTHONIANS” and something about their national convention in Davao City in April 1984.  The words written at the back of his t-shirt was “I WAS THERE”.  I said to myself … cool! - a copycat of my t-shirt when I attended the Boy Scout Jamboree in Calinan, Davao City in 1978.

I just did not realize that the twisted handshake and the Althonians t-shirt would become part of my life when I returned to MSU-IIT in Iligan City after my summer vacation.

The Alpha Theta Omega Fraternity and Sorority did not recruit me but I literally hunted the members of this organization in MSU-IIT to join their ranks.  The reason?  Well, let’s just be contented with that fact.

I was not successful during my initial search but when I transferred to a new boarding house, I learned that my board mate Apyong is an Althonians.  So, for almost one month, I pestered him constantly for the information on when they will conduct their initiation.  But when he finally told me the schedule, I suddenly froze and said to myself… cool, shall I really enter the den of the lion?   Yes - because I have big reason and it should be fulfilled.

Few days before the initiation, I urged my best buddy, board mate and town mate Rene Recto to join me.  I met in the school campus my former high school classmate Ador Morente and I also invited him to join.  Both chaps did not deny my request and without much ado, the three of us plus seven other neophytes marched into the abyss in July 24, 1984.  After the hardships and the test of my physical and mental stamina, I finally belong to the Althonians family.  My personal objective was achieved.

I thought everything would end there since I’m an Althonians already but during my last 3 months of stay in MSU-IIT before I will move to Davao to start my in-plant training, I experienced the bright side of being an Althonians.  Almost once every 2 weeks, we will wake up at 4:00 AM to do a dawn serenade (mananita) to one of our brothers/ sisters who is celebrating his/her birthday, then eat cake rice, pancit canton, hot coffee and pandesal.  When the brothers and sisters will meet at the campus yard, rest assured there would be a riot of fun and laughter.

The climax of my stay in Alpha Omicron (MSU-IIT) was during my acceptance ceremony wherein our guest of honor was no other than Brod Benjie Jumawan - one of the eight founders of the Alpha Theta Omega.

My three months stay in MSU-IIT as an Althonians is too short but within this span of time, it had transformed me personally.  (I guess so!)  I become more outspoken and aggressive to pursue my ideas - like the reactivation of the Kappa Chapter when I transferred to CIT, Cebu City to pursue my engineering course.