Joseph Seberell Hernandez Angeles came into the world at the Mary Johnston Hospital in Manila, Philippines at 3.20pm on Wednesday 29 January 1964. He was the first of three boys for Sebastian and Felicidad (née Hernandez) Angeles. Christopher Kingsley (Syl) was born a year later and the two boys grew up closely together. Later, in 1973, when Joser was already 9 years old, Anthony Moben (Bon-bon) arrived, whom Joser remembered as a cute if unusually large baby. Joser was a bright child, who enjoyed learning and especially reading. He attended the Lourdes High School in Quezon City, a private Catholic boys school, run by the Order of Friars Minor, Capuchins, whose patron saint was St. Francis of Assisi. He told that he held the priests there in awe and felt the nuns always seemed serene and at peace. He loved the English language and was enthralled by the stories from English history. Taught to ride a horse as a youngster, he was denied learning to ride a bicycle, something he later regretted. He also would have liked to have learned to play the piano like most of his classmates.