FIRST, it was table tennis Olympian Ian Nietes Lariba, who passed away on September 2, 2018, at the young age of 23.
Then, followed suit Lariba’s avid supporters and school directors at Corpus Christi School in Cagayan de Oro ― Dr. Alfonso del Fierro Jr and his wife, Corazon ― during the outbreak of the pandemic two years ago.
In May 2022, Lariba’s high school mentor Corpus Christi sports director Eric Miguel also bid farewell when he succumbed to diabetic complications.
And last week, Lariba’s first elementary coach at the same school Pearl Carmita Mijares-Obenza ― who accompanied her in many Palaro conquests ― apparently died at the age of 58.
Obenza is survived by her husband, Aldo, and two sons Jay-jay and AJ.
She will be laid to rest today, at the Eternal Gardens Greenhills in Barangay Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City.
Considered the last person standing among the pillars of Corpus Christi’s sports greatness, it was by coincidence that ‘Teacher Ching’ as Obenza fondly called in school, would also die of leukemia.
It is the same illness that took the life of the De La Salle standout Lariba, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Athlete of the Year in 2014 and 2016, and the country’s first-ever female qualifier in the Olympics table tennis competition.
“All of them (Lariba, the del Fierros, Miguel, and Teacher Ching) were closely attached to each other,” said her husband Aldo Obenza, a former football stalwart.
“Altogether, they were largely behind in making Corpus Christi School the home of the champions and now they are all gone,” he said in grief.
Teacher Ching and little Yanyan (Lariba) were like mother and daughter before, the former would do every little thing, as chaperon and coach combined, to make the sports prodigy in Mindanao comfortable in every way she does on and off the table tennis arena.
Soon, Lariba’s numerous accomplishments as a champion and top-notch academic performer would inspire and encourage many aspiring student-athletes in the region to enroll at Corpus Christi which offers scholarships in about a dozen sports disciplines.
Not only that the Barangay Macasandig-based Corpus Christi School has contributed the biggest bulk of Palaro qualifiers to Northern Mindanao’s campaign in the yearly national students meet, but it also dominated the now-defunct Mindanao Milo Little Olympics.
With Miguel and Obenza’s dynamic tandem in passionately coordinating the school sports development, Corpus Christi would often end up taking the overall supremacy of the Mindanao Little Olympics both in the elementary and high school divisions.
Fellow academic mentors and school parents also acknowledged Obenza as the best Filipino teacher in elementary that Corpus Christi had ever had.
“You’re one of the amazing teachers I knew. Thank you for always encouraging Kyler that Filipino is fun and easy. Your concern, efforts, patience, and love for the kids were amazing,” wrote Lindsay Marie Cochran.
“Thank you, teacher Ching for being the best Filipino teacher. You always encouraged the students to do their best and helped them learn and enjoy Filipino in a different way. You will be missed,” another parent Mabel Montalvan Siojo shared.
For the school’s erstwhile volleyball coach Roschelle Labitad-Rameri, what made Obenza so valuable was her consistent effort in updating and supporting the activities of her pupils throughout all the years, especially the athletes.
“Like Sir Miguel, Teacher Ching was patient and persistent in her drive to discover and develop in-school athletes. And that was their legacy as sports coordinator that will always be remembered,” Rameri said.
