BY: EDGAR M. SANDALO
“Maraming beses na kitang nilayasan, iniwanan at ibang pinuntahan, parang babaing kay hirap makalimutan, ikaw lamang ang aking laging binabalikan”, Hotdog’s song “Manila” kept ringing in my ears as I was driving to UPLB last Friday, 12 October, as I hummed the song, I replaced the word Manila with Los Banos, and my eyes started to be misty! I am sure many UPLB graduates would share same emotions that I had last week when I paid homage to my alma mater – UPLB.
UPLB Loyalty Day, October 10 was a Wednesday, I could not be absent from my work, hence I was not able to attend the celebration. So when Friday, October 12 was declared a holiday as the end of Ramadan (a muslim holy event), I grab the opportunity to join our fraternity brothers for two events: Friday night was a regular monthly fellowship sponsored by batch 1997 at the I.C’s Grill along Grove and the General Membership Meeting at the Local Government Academy, near the Faculty Village.
As I walked up the stairs leading to the venue of the Fellowship sponsored by batch 1997 at the I.C’s Grill, I was greeted by resident brods with the usual warm upsilon handshake. I entered the cozy bar and saw a group of senior brods seated on soft sofa set drinking San Miguel beer lights and regular pale pilsen. I joined the group composed of Hans Groot, Rey Villareal, and three other junior alumni brods. They told me that they arrived 30 minutes earlier at 8:30 p.m. and they were the first to arrive the place. The sponsoring batch 1997 was not yet in the venue even when I arrived!
Anyway, even without the batch ’97, we started drinking and sharing pleasantries among ourselves. A few minutes later, brod Ruben Villareal arrived. Realizing that I was the only batch ’73 that moment, I called up my co-batch Tony Zuniga and Alex Dimaranan. They did not fail me and in less than an hour, the two joined me in another table with balikbayan US Airforce Nyet Estil batch ’75. Nyet has a thinning hair now! His co-batch Mixy Macan fetched him at the airport and drove him to UPLB. Also with us in our table was Jonathan Orozco whom I kept on pestering that he should already start looking for a wife as it is very difficult to grow old as a bachelor. When I asked Jonathan what will he do if he finds himself growing very old alone and lonely? Jonathan without batting an eyelash answered, “I will just kill myself!”.
At about 10:00 p.m. , as shaking hands with brods continued, I already shoke hands with a batch ’97 brod. I told myself, good they had arrived, otherwise, the free booze would have turned into “pass the hat” among the brods present that night!.
I left the fellowship at 1:30 am early dawn already. No problem as I just drove my car from I.C.’s Grill to about 500 meters away where the house of my younger blood brod and also an Upsilonian Riki is located. I slept with the children of Riki who was in Palawan .
After a late breakfast, I drove to the venue of the Fraternity’s Grand Membership Meeting at the Local Government Academy (LGA) inside the UPL|B campus. This was the Community Development Center during our time. It is now named LGA and is under the Department of Interior and Local Government. The DILG owns the buildings but it is leasing the lot from UPLB.
I have to admit, during the five years that I stayed in LB, I have not gone inside CDC. The design of the venue just like most of the buildings inside the campus is patently an American architecture.
I was one of the early bird brods who were at the venue at 10:00 a.m. The usual early bird brods were there like Bong Manlulu, Val Aguilar, Corics Merioles who brought his Diliman-initiated son, Caloy Magno, Hans Groot, Reg Quitoriano, Lito Tapay, Mixi Macan, my co-batch Tony Zuniga to name a few.
Upon registering, I immediately bought an extra souvenir t-shirt and secured it in my car. You see, brod Telet Oczon requested me to buy for him the t-shirt with instruction to deliver it to his wife on Estrada St. , Manila .
I moved from one table to another and had talked with brods like Reg Quitoriano and had given them background and updates on the proposed TV Show “Ganun Ba Yun?” which would feature world-class Achievers/Awardees Upsilonians. I emphasized that it is the problem of getting sponsors to place advertisement spots in the show that caused the delay of its airing.
USPLBAA Chairman Bob Bastillo decided to have an early lunch and start the GMM immediately after. At 11:00 a.m. the brods had an early lunch of native food like grilled tilapia, “hilaw na mangga” with unions and “alamang”, lechon, steamed mixed vegetables. It was a buffet lunch with tables arranged in an area fronting a big open space/indoor garden of the main building of the LGA.
PART 2
After the sumptuous lunch, the brods were ushered into a Conference Hall which is named after an Upsilonian – Panfilo E. Roa Jr. ’55. Brod Panfilo was a 1956 B.S. Agriculture graduate. I will get details on his exploits and would be writing about it in the future. For now, it would be safe to assume that he was a community development expert.
Chairman Bob made a comprehensive report on the accomplishments of the Board under his term. Worthy to note is the increase in attendance by alumni brods in the regular monthly fellowships and General Membership Meetings. Moreover, the assistance extended by the USPLBAA to the students affected by the super typhoon “Milenyo” in September last year with the financial contributions from the brods overseas topped the list of accomplishments of the BOD.
The GMM was graced with the presence of USPAA President Jun Aniag who delivered an inspirational speech. Brod Ruben Villareal made a comprehensive report of the accomplishments of the UPSILON VILLAGE in the Gawad Kalinga.
I gave an update on the “Ganun Ba Yun?” tv show. As a background, during the General Membership Meeting sometime in June last year, I was inspired to toy the idea of producing a TV show that would showcase Upsilonians who are Achievers/Awardees and internationally-recognized because of their world-class accomplishments. The inspiration was anchored in the financial report made by Chairman Bob where as usual, since time immemorial, the Alumni Association of the frat is always in the “red”, “bochie”, “way kuarta”, “pordoy” . Moreover, during the same occasion, brod Chancellor Rey Velasco requested to assistance from the brods for the coming UP Centennial Celebration. I told myself, in my own little may, I want to minimize the regular practice of “pass the hat” for an alumni activity.
How? Produce a tv show which would showcase interviews with brods who are world-class, top caliber, achievers/awardees. My co-batch was quick to support the idea. Cobatch overseas, Vic Eusebio, Popi Roces, Celso Lapinid, Arcy Malvar committed to finance the initial episodes. The Philippine-base co-batch Kiko Pascua, Arris Rabajante, Tony Zuniga, Alex Dimaranan, Lito Umali promised to help in the production. It became a Batch ’73 project. We were eyeing to air it either on NBN Channel 4, RPN 9 or ABC 5.
I requested brod Bobbit Santos to compose the theme song and brod Ed Nepomuceno to make the arrangements and record it.
One day airing is in the can, with interviews of brods Leon Arceo, Art Salazar and Erdie Malveda.
What went wrong? We have not gotten solid commitments for advertisers to place a tv ad spot except for Chairman Bob Bastillo promise of a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office ad, brod Erdie Malveda’s LEADS AGRI PRODUCTS CORPORATION and brod Leon Arceo’s Philsurin.
We need at least 8 ad spots per airing. One ad spot is only between P35,000 to P40,000 per 30-second ad.
All the revenues from the tv show which I projected at 7M for 13 episodes (one season) will be shared between the USPLBAA and the batch 1973.
With the help of brod Apin Daof, I met Deedee Siytanco who is a board member of RPN 9 who committed a special rate for the show. I then beg from the brods to look for possible sponsors for the show to once and for all end the financial dilemma of the frat.
After my report, the elections for the new set of the members of the Board of Directors for the USPLBAA was made.
The brods elected the following brods who would serve for the next two years:
Arbie Bisenio ’85 – Chairman
Titus Arce ’86 –President
Jun Beltran ’71 – VP LB
Rey Villareal ’64 Assistant VP Lb
Hans Groot ’64 VP Manila
Vince Concepcion’87 –Assistant VP Manila
Erwin Escubio ’02 – Secretary
Cary Calimlim ’93 –Assistant Secretary
Egay Sandalo ’73 -PRO
Noah Nocon ’93 – Treasurer
Verden Dangilan – ’51 Sgt-at- Arms
Members of the BOD:
Lito Tapay ‘75
Kiko Manzanares –‘78
Rico Merioles -‘79
Edwin Sarmenta –‘88
Ex-Officio Members:
Glenn Ollero ‘75
Bob Bastillo - ‘78
IF Ralph Ople ‘05
PART 3
The elections for the new set of Officers and Board of Directors for the USPLBAA ended the serious business portion of the General Membership Meeting. It was about 6:00 p.m. . Just as soon as the serious matter ended, the more relaxed matter was revealed to the brods! After the work, it was hang-loose time!
Chairman Bob led the rest of the current members of the Board of Directors in inviting the rest of the brods to move to another venue: the Ramon Magsaysay Hall. We walked up the stairs, and lo and behold, a fiesta was about to kick-off!
Buffet tables were filled with food. The wall was filled up with several tables dressed with white table clothes matched with covered chairs. The stage was occupied by a band already playing acoustic music and the most important section – the Bar with overflowing San Miguel Lights and San Miguel regular pale pilsen!
By the way, during the break time of the General Membership Meeting, brod Romy Escudero ’69 went around with a cowboy’s hat and asked brods to contribute for our beer during the fellowship. After the “passing of the hat”, brod Romy proposed to divide the pot money and allocate a portion as the frat’s love gift to brod Alexis San Valentin ’70 who lost his wife (she was buried that same day that we were in the GMM) and the rest for our beer fund!
We started the dinner early so that we can start our beer drinking early! A program was presented by the current board. It was only at the start of the program that I noticed outgoing USPLB President Glenn Ollero. He was conspicuously absent since the morning session. I gathered he had to attend to family matters earlier that day. He gave a valedictory address with some tears to match his sentimental message.
During the dinner, (to answer brod Norrie Gopez’ query if his co-batch were around) I greeted Ding Navasero ’70 with an Upsilon handshake. Ding looked good that night.
And then, the program’s emcee – Val Aguilar introduced a group of sexy young (young as in age ranging between 14 to 17 years old) dancers imported from Quezon City . Clad in denims short, short pants and body-hugging t-shirts, they performed a fast dance number. Whew! The young girls can offer a competition to the Sex Bomb dancers! The dance number of the young girls drove brod Tony Ocampo ’56 to dance with them in the stage!
Chairman Bob and President Glenn gave plaques of appreciation to some brods for their accomplishments and contributions to the frat.
As the night went on, brods took center stage and replaced the hired band in entertaining the rest of us. Brod Reg Quitoriano ’55 and Brod Romy Escudero ’69 were crowd favorites with their rendition of green upsilon stag party songs. The batch ’76 trio of Glenn Ollero, Bernie Velasco and Ed Nepomuceno (who made the musical arrangements and recorded the Ganun Ba Yun? Theme Song) sang 1980’s popular love songs. They still blended well although time may have affected their memories of the exact lyrics of some of songs! Younger batches always went up the stage to sing current popular songs.
Completing the night’s fun was the presence of the Sigma Deltans who joined the brods in the program and the singing.
The fun went on till my brod Riki suggested that it was time for us to go home. It was 1:30 a.m.
My assessment for the last GMM under the helm of the duo of Chairman Bob and President Glenn was a stunning success which would offer a big challenge to us in the new Board under the leadership of Chairman Arbie Bisenio ’85 and President Titus Arce ’86.
I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and drove back to Manila after I bought a piece of Buko Pie from the Orient Original Buko Pie along the highway. The buko pie was my pasalubong for my wife. While driving, I kept tab of the next schedule of the frat: a planning session among the new set of Board of Directors. As the PRO, I anticipate an exciting two-year stint serving my beloved Upsilon.
My Los Banos-Upsilon trip was coming to an end with my delivery of the ordered t-shirt to the wife of brod Telet Oczon at 7:00 am .
As I made the last turn getting nearer to my home, I made a big breath and told myself, “hanggang sa aking muling pagbabalik mahal na Los Banos, mahal na Upsilon. Sana’y mahikayat ko ang iba pang mga kapatid na bumalik din sa iyo.”
Nagmamahal,
Egay – the actor
Brods: Mark you calendars now for what promises to be the biggest and best
Loyalty Day 2008
Loyalty Day 2008
