[1] He was the eldest of 6 children of Angel Hontomin and Anatolia Lima, both devout Catholic farmers and respected leaders in the island.

[4] On March 9, 1936, Hontomin entered the St. Albert the Great Priory in Victoria, Hong Kong and was formally received in the Dominican Order the following day after getting unanimous approval from the conventual council.

[3][7] As a religious, he was recognized for his expertise on all sorts of technical and manual work, and his availability in taking care of his sick brothers in the infirmary.

[1][5] At the closure of the Dominican House of Studies and the St. Abert the Great Priory, the pipe organ that William Charlton Blackett built was later moved to Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City in 1954.

[3] He was known to have an intense devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and prayed the rosary daily, which he describes as "the direct telephone line to heaven.

Bonifacio Garcia Solis OP, said: "To the end of his days he was repairing watches and making rosary beads.