My Pope Philippines – August 2018

Zosimo also enjoyed a lively

relationship with his younger

colleagues, and never felt he was

“a liability or nuisance to them.”

In fact, it was a relationship of

equals. “While I sought their

help in the interpretation of

some complicated legal issues,

my long experience in criminal

law enforcement enlightened

them when they were dealing

with unfamiliar terms." Zosimo

also helped his class comply

with the requirements of a

community extension project,

and obtain basic textbooks.

He then adds, “Occasionally, I

provided free transportation

for them in our pilgrimage

to popular religious sites

where we implore the Lord

for extra-intellectual power

and initially answered for the

deposit of P60,000 for the

accommodation in a boarding

house where we underwent six

months review before the 2013

bar examination.” And when

emotional fuses started to get

short, Zosimo’s sense of humor

cooled youthful passions.

GOING STRONG

Zosimo graduated from law

school on March 27, 2013, from

the University of Batangas at

70, an age when many of his

peers were on the golf course,

watching telenovelas at home,

or minding the grandkids

(Zosimo has 13 of them).

Remembering what the dean

of law school said when he

wanted to enter law school,

that “in the legal education, age

is just a number,” Zosimo again

reached for the stars, and took

the bar exams.

Unfortunately, Zosimo has yet

to vault across that particular

hurdle, which he has tried to

do three times without success.

In the meantime, he continues

to teach undergraduate and

graduate classes at the College

of Criminal Justice, Lyceum

of the Philippines University

in Batangas. He says, “By

performing my daily work

with dedication, sincerity, and

honesty, I believe I serve the

will of the Lord. By shaping

young students, encouraging

them to seek greater heights

and dedicate themselves to

uplift the plight of the less

fortunate in our society, I feel

I obeyed the Lord’s command

to love others as they love

themselves. By impressing

upon my students the values

of unselfishness, respect, and

truth, I uphold the Lord’s

command to do justice to all.”

True to his feisty character,

Zosimo intends to make a fresh

stab at passing the bar. “If a

genius like the late Senator

Claro M. Recto failed in his first

attempt; no wonder, others less

scholarly than he might suffer

the same.

‘’I have not raised the white flag

yet.”

His good heart goes out to everyone. Here Zosimo

distributes food to children living in the cemetery.

The venerable teacher with his Zosimo poses for a photo with

A TEACHER second year paralegal students. fourth year criminology students.

A MODEL CITIZEN