Frank X. Lynch, SJ, centenary +4
Last Wednesday being the 104th birthday of the eminent social scientist Frank X. Lynch, SJ (1921-1978), his old friends lunched together at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) to celebrate his memory and trade our stories. It was four years after his centenary in 2021, but that was pandemic time, hence the delay until now.
Frank Lynch got his master’s in anthropology at the University of the Philippines, and doctorate in sociology at the University of Chicago. He founded ADMU’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology (the lunch host) and its Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC). He cofounded the Philippine Social Science Council, home of the Frank Lynch Library.
I first met Frank personally in 1972, when he asked me to join an IPC study of rice farmers of various land tenures in Nueva Ecija. Everyone in agricultural economics knew, or should have known, his “let my people lead” research in the Bicol River Basin. At that time, I was the resident “rice economist” of the UP School of Economics, but bored with rice productivity and importation matters, and more interested in equity issues in general, and land reform in particular.
Frank teamed me with anthropologist Romana P. de los Reyes and sociologist Virginia “Jean” A. Miralao. It was so good being with Romana and Jean again last Wednesday, for the first time after many years.
The IPC project occurred at the time of the government’s Operation Land Transfer (OLT). It was my baptism in doing surveys, from conceptualization to questionnaire design to implementation to analysis. The output was “Tenants, Lessees, Owners: Welfare Implications of Tenure Change” (Mangahas, De Los Reyes and Miralao, ADMU Press, 1976). Based on the survey in Nueva Ecija, we concluded that OLT would have a neutral effect on rice productivity, and would benefit the tenants by converting them to owner-operators and thus freeing them from land rent. (see “The Institute of Philippine Culture, at 50,” 9/18/10)
My initiation to survey operations at IPC was very valuable to my work on social indicators at the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP, 1973-77), my Unicef advisories on social indicators in Malaysia (1978) and Indonesia (1981), my research for development (RfD) post at DAP (1981-84), and my “social weather” work since 1985. I was in Kuala Lumpur when Frank suddenly passed away from a heart attack in September 1978, at age 57; I had been looking forward to developing new research with him upon return home. By the way, Frank had long since renounced his American citizenship, and become a naturalized Filipino.
Frank Lynch and the fun-loving Jesuits. In the story-telling part of the reunion, I told my favorite memory, of when Frank invited me to give a seminar at Ateneo de Naga University, where he headed the Social Survey Research Unit.
From the airport, Frank took me in the evening to their Jesuit house where I would be billeted. I remember it as a large square building, with windows on all sides, apparently one window for each cell, and one occupant per cell, one of which would be mine.
At the very center of the house, we came to a small, windowless, air-conditioned room, with a square table, where four Jesuits were busily playing mahjong while others were kibitzing. By each player, I noticed, was the money for the payoff after each game. Innocently, I asked why they didn’t use chips. Frank explained to me that Jesuits are serious players who have to see the money up front.
One of them said, “Hey Frank, thank you for the pasalubong from your trip, but next time bring Black Label please, instead of Red?”
The next day after the seminar, Frank drove us into town to see the current Nora Aunor movie, that he said was important not to miss. He went directly toward the stairway (to the expensive seats) and waved me to follow, whispering, “In Naga theaters, Jesuits don’t pay.” “Okay, go ahead while I get my ticket,” I whispered back. “No need; anyone with me is a Jesuit, too.”
In the morning, before leaving for the airport, I took Frank’s suggestion of paying a courtesy call on the president of Ateneo de Naga. Father President asked if I enjoyed my visit, and I narrated my pleasant surprise to see Jesuit house’s mahjong room. “Oh, that’s quite all right,” he said. “My own game is different, but unfortunately it’s not available here in Naga. I can only do it when on vacation in Manila. That’s when I can visit the San Lazaro race track, and play the horses.”
