The first time I heard about Fr. Ruben J Villote was when I read a magazine an aunt brought home when she visited us. It was the late 80s and there emerged in the metropolis a Satanic cult which targeted the vulnerable of society, the young people. An article in that magazine featured this menace and Fr. Villote (a.k.a. Fr. Ben or Erps; a colloquial for erpat or father) was one of the resource persons being interviewed. I can't remember what he exactly said. The only thing I remembered was a photo of a bespectacled man.
In a few years' time, I heard about him again through a fellow parishioner, the late Ms. Luisa "Tia Lucing" De Jesus. Tia Lucing and others from Gagalangin such as Tita Baby Martelino were regular visitors at the Center for Migrant Youth (CMY) in Cordillera St., Quezon City (It's now located in Fairview). Fr. Ben was the founder and at that time the center's director. The center, according to the San Jose Seminary website, "offers shelter, school assistance, and pastoral accompaniment for youths from rural areas who migrated to the metropolis".
I got the chance to finally meet the man when Tia Lucing invited me and the AP Youth to join them every second Sunday of the month.
Every week, different groups of people would flock to the center to meet Fr. Ben and his wards and bring with them donations such as canned goods, rice, sugar, etc. We arrived a few minutes before the morning Mass. Fr. Ben was outside the chapel welcoming people. Tia Lucing introduced me to him and - surprise, surprise- I discovered that he hailed from Gagalangin! His family's house is located along R. Fernandez St, just next to Our Lady of Piat Clinic. I found out too that he and my uncle Sonny (Dr. Paulino V. Albano Jr.) were schoolmates at the San Jose Seminary.
Before the start of the Mass, Fr. Ben would have a flag ceremony where one of the wards would hoist the Philippine flag and then we'll all sing "Pilipinas kong mahal". The chapel didn't have pews - all leave their shoes outside and then sit on the mat. The altar table was as small as a dulang or coffee table with a small chair for the priest to sit on to. He asked me to do the second reading, but before that, he introduced me to everyone as "pamangkin ni Sonny, (ang) kababata ko" (My contemporary Sonny's nephew).
Erps was a soft spoken priest who wasn't in the habit of delivering long homilies. There seems a different flavour of the liturgy every time we attended Mass at the center. He made it personal, intimate, thought-provoking. One time, he had sampaguita garlands ready for guests who had celebrations (e.g. birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) at about that time - Tia Lucing got a garland in October as that's when her natal day is remembered. There was also one Mass when the Gospel was about gratitude and he asked us to tell the person next to us how we appreciated them. I expressed my sincere thanks to the person next to me for her friendship. Guess who it was? It was Nidz who is now my wife!
As we bid CMY adieu, Fr. Ben would tell us "Ikumusta n'yo ako kay Fr. Mar." (Send my regards to Fr. Mar). Fr. Mario "Mar" Enriquez was our parish priest then. (Strangely, Fr. Ben seemed not have been invited to any parish events I know of. Perhaps he was, but was unable to do so because of the demands of his ministry. Puzzling too is that he wasn't recognized by the parish for his efforts. The parish has focused more on awarding its officers, but not those people who have received the light of faith from the parish and shared it unconditionally to the dark alleys where Christ is never heard!)
My regular visits to CMY was cut when I stepped down from the APY presidency, but because of my closeness to Tia Lucing, she would keep me updated. From time to time, I would read Fr. Ben's articles in a popular newspaper. The last time I talked to him was when I informed him of Lola Piling's death. He was close to my grandparents, my Dad told me.
What touched me about Fr. Ben was his love and devotion for the youth who have migrated to the city in search of better opportunities. More often than not, people leaving home and family (with the notion that Metro Manila is a paradise) end up frustrated, depressed, stuck in the rut. And it is during these low moments that they become exposed to the menace around them: drugs, prostitution, exploitation, etc. The center is indeed heaven-sent! (Previous to this ministry, he engaged with the poor in his role as parish priest and chaplain.)
Fr. Ben could have opted for a much easier ministry as a priest, but he decided to stay on through thick and thin. I read that one time there was no food and he went to the prayer room to surrender everything to Divine Providence. He heard a knock from the door - there were visitors who unexpectedly popped in to share their food!
He could have chosen to retire and be looked after by his relatives (he had Alzheimer's disease and was confined on a wheel chair), but he preferred to remain with his spiritual children till the end. Like the Good Shepherd who offered His life for the sheep.
Thank you, Erps for showing us how to care for the vulnerable, for what Jesus called "the least of my brethren". May you now enjoy the reward He has reserved for those willing "to journey towards the more radical and painful work of renewing the world and
restoring all things in Christ so that justice and righteousness may begin to
prevail in the New Heaven and the New Earth as a sign of the Second
Coming" (taken from Fr. Ben's words when he was interviewed for a magazine's Christmas edition).
