Biographical data of Manny Llamera.

The Llamera family hails from the City of Golden Friendship, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Mindanao. Mindanao is a melting pot of different Filipino-dialect groups. The author’s father was a soldier when they were then a young and growing family. His mother was a faithful housewife taking care of six siblings. If all survived, they would have been ten in total. The last four did not survive within a few months around birth. It would have been more exciting if all survived. But it was God’s will what they are now.

God ordained that he is the fifth child and second brother in the family, born on August 19, 1963 named after the Philippine president born on the same day and month. After him came another boy that was his playmate in childhood days. But as time passed they had their separate lives. He and his younger brother were born in the prosperous years of the family. They grew in a plentiful way of living but not as lavish as the rich. They had nice clothes, good food and privileged education. His older siblings studied in public schools but they had the privilege of studying in private schools.

He was enrolled in Lourdes College of Cagayan de Oro for Grade One. He had his Grade Two in St. Michael’s College of Iligan City and half of it back in Lourdes due to the Muslim-Christian War in the early seventies. He had his “First Communion” in grade one but they were not much of a devout Catholic family. He could remember more Sundays in the beach than in the church attending mass. He went to Pateros Catholic School in Grade Three but the family had to move to Cebu right after the declaration of Martial Law (Sept 21, 1972).

Moving to Cebu was both pleasant and “disappointing.” It is “disappointing” because they have to be enrolled in public school. Their eldest is graduating high school and expenses are higher and budget cannot support “good” education to everyone. It was disappointing then but he grew to accept things and treasure the experience and friends he has gained. He completed his elementary “with honors” in (Cebu) City Central School in summer of 1976. He just moved on “over the fence” for high school in Abellana National School and graduated in the year nineteen hundred and eighty. The disappointment was way much overweighed by the blessings they had received in the first of seven houses they lived in Cebu City. They had a Missionary family as a neighbor. His mother was invited to a Bible study at Earl Miller’s home. It was a blessing because through this simple Bible Study the whole family was blessed with eternal life individually. The family started to attend Lahug Evangelical Free Church. It was after one of the Junior Church that he made the decision of accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior. It was in this humble “Evangelical” church that he grew to read the Bible and learn Scripture by heart. Regular Church attendance truly impressed on him the true Christian life. He was privileged to attend summer camps and retreats in Camp Bato in Manatad, Sibonga (South) Cebu. Sunday School and camps made him well acquainted with the Bible. Bible quizzes and drills are favorite for teens like him. One summer he participated in Teen Missions International. They have to memorize verses and he was the first to “quizzed out” – or first to win.

He went to college in University of San Carlos and took up Electronics and Communications Engineering but had to stop for lack of direction. Church has been his life and that made him enroll in Febias College of Bible in 1983. It was his first time to be away from the family and be on scholarship. It took him four years to finish A.B. Bible and Theology with flying colors, as cum laude, the only one during that graduation. That makes him the “valedictorian” of the class. Life in the dorm molded his life so much. He had to work in the dorm, cleaning hallways and scrubbing dirty toilets. Yet all in all, it was an experience that remains in his mind to this day.

After graduation (1987), he worked in Evangelical Fellowship of Vista Verde in Cainta, Rizal as an assistant pastor. After that, he worked with Day by Day Christian Ministries as a Bible teacher (1988-90). Then 1990, he went back to Cebu to pastor in his home church, Lahug Evangelical Free Church. After that, he worked as a pioneer worker for Day by Day-Cebu and Shekinah Evangelical Fellowship. Then looking for a church to attend around the neighborhood, he visited EL International Church-Forest Hills. His family eventually began attending EL International Church-Forest Hills in Cebu City. It is here where he works as Visitation Minister and Music Leader for Sunday morning worship services. During this time period, he also attended several schools. He enrolled in the University of the Philippines, taking up M.S. Sociology. He also enrolled in Asian Theological Seminary to study Greek under Mr. David Salstrom. He became a student of EL Theological Seminary in 2001 and, later on, a member of the faculty.

He was married on June 10, 1995 to Maribeth Lim. They had their first daughter, Mary Louise on December 14, 1997. Their second child, Mary Joy, was born on the birthday of Maribeth, February 4, 1999.

His dream is to establish a Bible School to train pastors for the ministry. He believes he can be most effective if he is able to train men who are able to train others as well. He also envisions a camp ministry that caters to the youth and all ages. He will try to develop this camp to be a getaway place for Christians in Mindanao, Lord willing.