Featured Alumnus: Jose Florentino C. Sevilleja

Jose Florentino C. Sevilleja, more commonly known among a lot of students as “Teacher Joey”, is someone that you might have seen along the hallways, at the quadrangle, or perhaps in the canteen. But did you know that he is actually an alumnus of Claret School of Quezon City? Teacher Joey is a graduate of Batch 1985, and has gone on to become a teacher, a coach of different sports, and a member of the Philippine Red Cross. He is a winner of different awards as a coach while, as a teacher, he has won numerous Service Awards for the school. A familiar face, but with an unfamiliar back-story to others, take a closer look on the achievements, the past, the views, and the experiences that Teacher Joey classifies as either really good, or “very bad”.

Claretian Roots

Teacher Joey was part of Claret since he was a boy. He enrolled in the school from preschool until high school. He was a part of the Claret football varsity where he played as a sweeper; a position that is very common then. Unfortunately, football in Claret was not as rampant then as it is today. Once, they only had ten players in a game against De La Salle University. He recalls that they fought valiantly, but they lost due to fatigue and lack of players. This was an example of his and his teammates’ dedication to football, even if the odds were stacked against them.

However, he had to stop because of an allergic reaction to grass which, according to him, gave him severe rashes. He has thoroughly enjoyed his stay in Claret despite his lack of success in the academic area. He reckons that Claretian students, without technology, are parallel to the Claretians that he has encountered in his days as a student.

Take To The Water

Teacher Joey is well-known in Claret because of teaching Physical Education and Art Education. He also coaches the chess team. However, he was perhaps most well-known for having coached the swimming team. In his time with the swimming team, he achieved numerous awards as swimming coach, as well as several champion team awards in competitions like AAPS, PAYA, etc.

At best, he would train the team four times a week: three times in the pool, and one session on land. Before a meet, Teacher Joey would tell his swimmers to eat, sleep, and to stretch properly, and most importantly, to do their very best since their best audience is God. After a meet, he would congratulate his swimmers, regardless of the results, and remind them to train harder to get better results. He hopes for more support for the swimming varsity.

Red Cross Life

Perhaps some people are wondering: When and how did he learn to swim? Was he part of a swimming club before? Is that why he is good at swimming? Well, he said that he learned how to swim when he volunteered for the Philippine Red Cross. He joined the Red Cross not knowing how to swim, but he rapidly learned, faster than most beginners. He attributes this to his devotion to God, which is exemplified by his prayerful attitude, his faith that withstood adversities. A proof of this is his car accident back in 2008 that caused him to get memory and temper problems. Having been given a second chance at life, he constantly reminds his students, “Everything that we do, we do for God.”

The most challenging thing that he experienced in the Red Cross was when he volunteered for the evacuation during the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991, when he helped hundreds of victims relocate in an evacuation center. He carried the disabled, the injured, and the elderly into the shelter. He also helped distribute relief goods and maintain the cleanliness inside the area. He recalls it as the most difficult and gruelling thing he went through in the Red Cross, but he was glad to have done it. He joined the Red Cross to help others in need, whether by serving as a life guard in the Philippine Village Hotel, or by volunteering to aid victims of the Pinatubo Eruption. The Philippine Red Cross has taught Teacher Joey one lesson: to be generous. It taught him to help others in any way he can, not just in the pool, but in whatever adversities they face, whomever and wherever they may be. He learned to be a proverbial neighbor to everybody.

A Chess Master

Teacher Joey is, of course, very well-known for his superb talent in chess, despite not having the most extensive career in competitive chess. He had his first taste in competitive chess at college at the Far Eastern University, but he chose his relationship over being in the chess varsity and playing in the UAAP. He won his first event at a random competition in college. The rest of his chess career is composed of joining random chess tournaments, and coaching the Claret chess varsity.

Asked between the difference of chess and swimming, he said that the main comparison were the physical and mental aspects of the sport. Chess is focused more on the mental aspect of the sport than swimming which uses physical energy. Unlike swimming, being the chess coach had lesser expenses and the need to travel for a place to train in. Coach Joey has his own style of attacking when he plays chess. Being a devout follower of God, he also tries to apply religious concepts to chess. In fact, a religious concept was the inspiration to one of his tactics. He uses the technique and later on, teaches it to his students. He claims that the basic principle he devised is, “the more you give, the more you gain; while watering others, you water yourself.”

His vision would be that one day, his students would defeat him. For him, chess is a hobby, a sport, and a means of income. He believes that chess can help develop one’s mind, since it is a mental game. He believes that chess makes people more analytical of things, regardless of whether they are playing or not.

Hopes for the Future

Coach Joey awaits the fulfillment of his hope for the varsity programs of the school. With the construction of the new sports complex, he hopes that the varsity programs would be given more support. Looking in on life, the combination of unfortunate accidents and his lack of practice of exercise have weakened his swimming and chess prowess. A lot has already happened in his life, both good and bad, but he believes his story is not over yet.

His last reminder for everyone is, "Do your best every day and help whenever you can. Remember that God is watching and He is our best audience.”

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