Reunion article written by Gerardo "Mao" Torres

Ini ang mga memorable highlights saku duman sa reunion ta:

*Ugmahon ako sa liwat na pagtiripon pagka agui nin haloy na panahon, regardless of whatever ang kamugtakan ta sa mga buhay.

* Si mga efforts kang lambang saro satuya to make that gathering possible. Garo man lang kita nagka igwang sarong activity kaidtong high skul.

*Piglingawan muna gabos para mag ugma. Pantay-pantay gabos sa situation. For that particular moment we were boys once again.

* Nagtaong flashback si presence ni sir Diggs. Si mga music ninda ni Guitarman Ricky. Mayo pa kamong kupas. He, he.

* Ini si mga pa salamat ko: Kay Edgar, sa dakulang responsabilidad na inako niya; Kay Villifort na silent worker saka si mga kikiks na mga nag plano sa preparations; Kay ever cute boots(dae mo lang halion ang bigote mo. he he) na mahiguson mag update through email and text.

* Saludo ako kay utol na Colonel Alex ta grabe si transformation mo. Aram ta man si pig araguihan ta kaidto. You know how to spread sunshine sa iribahan. T.Y. sa mga inspirational message mo through email. Kung dae man ako makaduman sa Cagayan, sa camp Crame na lang pagyaon kana. Timbre ka lang.

* Kay Dong na maski ngonian makusugon pa mag whisper. He he.
Ki Gerry Zantua, maurag si design kang memorable t-shirt dagdag pa si mga ibang brilliant suggestions.

* Kay Raffy sa mga Kodak niya.Thank you in advance sa mga sample na ipapadara mo samo. Maski ngani mayo ka 90% sa picture sabi ni boots.

* Kay guitarman for making that night live in entertaining us with your undying music sa panahon ta.he he. T.Y. sa books na guinibo mo para itatao mo samo at saka si pinadara mong mga pictures.

* Kay Tex, Ivan and Kiroks maski on-line sinda garo man lang yaon duman.

* Si mga participation sa plano sinda Tan-Jun, Sergs, Joel, Chito, Sayson. Grabe si efforts nindo.

* Si naheling ko lang after almost 3 decades na si Gene Sambo, si mga urulay mi ni Oning, Bobet,Theph.

* Special TY ki Teody Laquindanum sa pag asikaso kan mga gadgets.

* Guinirabu ako permi every time kakantahon ta si Ateneo marching song.

* Inaapudan ko si mga ibang batchmates na dae nagpapamati. Gibsaw man tabi kamo.

* T.Y. sa mga nag attend sa ibang LGs. Si presence nindo nagtaong buhay.

* Tama ka boots ta habo na magsuruwayan. Ako nabitin sa iribanan baku sa inom ta limit sa tulong bote lang.

MAO (resurrected)

Presidential candidate Ricky Sadiosa. A chance for a Change!

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! I finally filed my presidential bid last Monday, November 23, 2009 at the COMELEC at the Palacio del Gobernador in Manila.

Mga padi, I will need all your votes and support! My quest for the top seat of the land is a personal crusade. I will unceasingly seek the chief executive post of the Philippines until there is a free exercise of our right to suffrage. Having a free and honest election will make our 90 million poor kababayans understand the value of electing a sincere and dedicated public servant. An honest and efficient public leader can immensely uplift the status or condition of the current society and also bring opportunities to the next generation of Filipinos.

My crusade centers on the key leadership areas which are: Accountability, Transparency, Honesty and Leadership by example. It is my belief that the best way for my crusade to attain its goals is for me to join the 2010 Philippine presidential race.

The initial response to my presidential bid had been encouraging because I have received hundreds of text messages and emails from our fellow Filipinos. The messages that I received were so numerous that it clogged my cellular phone and email address. I viewed the avalanche of messages both as a welcoming sign and also as a pressure point of my bid for public office.

Before filing, the media from all over the country had a feast of interviewing me for almost an hour. (Other presidential hopefuls who filed on the same day only had a 10 to 15 minutes media exposure). I was the only one who filed that day that had a presidential agenda that was typewritten and had available copies for the media. Media questions were varied and they covered the areas of economy, religion, education, employment and entertainment.

The most rewarding experience I had after meeting with the media and COMELEC personnel was when the soldiers and policemen guarding the COMELEC approached me. Two of them introduced themselves to me and gave me their ranks. They told me that they are very thankful that civil servants, whom they are a part of, are on top of my presidential agenda. They offered to be my personal bodyguards free of charge during the official campaign period from February until April 2010! Nakakataba ng puso kasi they did not know me personally until that day. They said that they are already sick and tired of well connected and rich politicians. They are seeking a reliable, honest, and serious candidate whom they can rely on as civil servant. They told me, "Sir, sawa na kami sa mga politikong may malalaking pangalan at sikat. Sawa na rin kami sa kanilang promisong mapabuti ang bansa natin. Ang hinahanap namin ngayon ay 'yung hindi kilala, walang partido, hindi sikat at hindi mapera pero may totoong layunin na mapabuti man lang ang pagkain ng aming pamilya sa araw-araw. Sir, ikaw pa lang ang may agendang nakasulat. Alam namin na paninindigan mo ang mga ito kapag ikaw ay nanalo."

So, mga padi, the REAL issue sa eleksyon na ini mayung iba kundi ang Kapobrehan, Kaayusan (peace & order), Kawalan ng trabaho, Kurapsyon (KKKK). Without tackling these basics issues, we will never attain our desired change and give a better future to our country. Itaga natin sa bato, pag nanalo ang mga likes ng mga malalaking politikong tumatakbo ngayon, it will be another 6 years of extreme poverty and suffering to our 90 million already poor people. These big politicians will also devastate our country’s economy.

It is time to change our choice! Let our new choice change our country and give ourselves the prosperity that we all deserve! Kawawa na tayo kasi naiwanan na tayo nang ating mga kapitbansa.I say politics, as a science in the Philippines, is ineffective because we have a mix of corrupt politicians and condoning electorate (the media included).

This will be a long fight. Corruption was already in existence long before we were born. To rephrase a quote by a good poet, "Evil men triumphed because good men do not do anything about them".

Ateneans are basically good men and women. Let us put this trait into action!

Tell me what you think. Here is my blog:

http://enriquesadiosa4president.blogspot.com/

LG-20 sponsored Kikiks batch activity

Last October 31st at around 4:05AM, my cell phone beeped loudly informing me that I have a new text message. When I picked up my cell phone, the message on the screen said something like, “Ivan, mag-login ka na ta nagpupuon na kami digdi”. The sender of the message was Edgar Zantua.

The temperature outside was quite cold that morning and so while I was dragging myself out of bed, I wondered who among my other batch mates who reside in this side of the world would be insane enough to get up that early in the morning. Immediately after I logged into yahoo messager, two messages popped on my screen. One was from Teks Veneracion who resides in New Zealand and the other from Toton Roque (Los Angeles). We all turned on our webcams and started chatting. I was able to open up the webcam windows of Edgar Zantua and Teody Laquindanum and saw all the guys that were at the LG-20’s batch activity.

Teks, Kiroks and I felt bad a little because there was no audio while we were watching the activity on the webcam. Kaidtong mga sarong oras na ang nakaagi, dai na ako nakatios and so I decided to pick up the phone and call Bob Marlin grill where the activity was at. I spoke to a few guys like Alex Sarmiento, Edgar & Gerard Zantua, Boots Rebueno, Ricky Sadiosa and a few others. Colonel Alex told me that he traveled to the U.S. before to attend a law enforcement training. When he went to California, he visited San Francisco and also went to Los Angeles. I felt bad that we missed the opportunity to bring Col. Alex around Los Angeles.

While I was watching the webcam of Naga, I was surprised to see a “chungki” being waved infront of the webcam. The next item that was shown on the webcam was an ice cold San Mig Lite beer. The Naga boys were showing us what we were all missing.

I checked on the webcam window of Teks and saw him drinking what looks like a well known brand of whiskey. Patagay-tagay at nagto-toast pa siya sa webcam. Araatchan may tama na si Teks. I gave Teks the phone number of Bob Marlin grill and so he called the phone and was able to talk to a long line of guys there. Pigparasa-pasa si telephono. I was listening in on their conversation and cracked up a lot because Teks was just firing away a lot of funny comments and jokes with the Naga boys.

Though our webcam connection did not have any audio, watching the smiling and laughing faces of batch 1980 members gave me a sense of relief that the whole event turned out to be a smashing success.

Joseph Ivan Y.


Article written by Boots Rebueno



Here are a few moments during the October 31st reunion worth telling (I tried my best to be as close to the actual incident or remark in my narrative. Matindi naman ang memory gap ta above 40 na man kita . . . he he he) .

1. Ricky was very proud and generous in giving away free copies of his book, Bagong Bayani. Garo one dozen ang pig giveaway niya. When I told those who failed to write their cell phone numbers in the attendance sheet that they will not be receiving Ricky’s book which he will send to those who attended the batch activity, a mad scramble ensued. Lo and behold, gabos nagsururat kan saindang cell phone numbers sa attendance sheet. He he he. Mr. Guitarman, please do not renege on your promise!
   
2. Mighty 80 is forever thankful to Raffy Yllana for capturing our momentous activity on camera. Lugi siya ta almost 90% of the photos mayo siya! Thank You Raf (Round of applause)


3. Of course, who can forget the telethon care of Ivan and Teks and Kiroks (?). For sure, their telephone bills will go through the roof.
   
4. Thank you to Teody for facilitating the availability of 2 guitars (1 rhythm and 1 electric). I was with Oning Torres and Francis Calma when we fetched it at Teody’s house. His nephew reluctantly lent us the electric guitar and he even asked us if we’re sure that it will still be returned to him! Herak man. He he he


5. Thank you to Tanjun for the LCD which spelled a big difference in making the activity memorable. Dai mi kunta nakaulay si Teks. I believe Kiroks and Ivan were also on line. Sayang ta mayong audio.


6. Jude Llana was looking for a “tempo pedal” for him to use while he plays the electric organ. Since we can’t produce one, he refrained from playing. Tama lang ta masakit man ngani magtugtog kung kulang nin gamit. Eventually he was convinced to play it lalo na kan kantaan siya nin happy birthday! Yes, Jude’s birthday coincided with our batch activity on October 31.


7. Stephen, Chito, Oning, Albert and Jojo – nagpalitrato dahil kalbo! He he he


8. Larks, Dong and Charlie – nagpalitrato dahil ubanon! He he he


9. Dong was with two burly companions who stuck with him until the wee hours of the morning. Dong for Congressman!


10. When Alex Sarmiento was called to share a message. Simple lang ang sinabi – Maski kang high school bihira man ako magtaram kaya mapainom na lang!


11. When Jun Imperial saw Raffy , he suddenly exclaimed – “Yaon palan si tempowawe”. (peace Raf, peace he he he)


12. When susing Guinhawa was given the chance to share his thoughts – one memorable phrase he said, to the consternation of LG 18, is –"Sala garu ang binalihan kong LG ay. Dapat LG 20 palan ta maurag mag organize."


13. When two batch mates tried to order an additional bucket of beer close to midnight, the waiter politely declined from giving them because Edgar has already closed the payment. Boyong na kaya mahirit pa! He he he


14. All the Torreses were present – Oning, Brothers Chito and Stephen, and Mao (who braved the typhoon and was stranded somewhere along Quezon province, just to attend our activity.


15. When Digs and Ricky sang folk songs popularized by America , everybody sang their hearts out too!


16. Dean and the LG reps – Larks(17), Teody(18), Naps(19), Albert and ako(20) had an official quick meeting to agree on some concerns for our batch activity scheduled on December 2009. A proposal to raise P 5,000 by each LG to fund our December activity was announced by Dean and was unanimously approved by all the attendees.


17. Each was given two pieces of candles that were lighted for our dear departed batch mates with Batch 1980 blue and gold ribbon as tokens.


18. Raffy had to leave the party before midnight and was driven by Dong’s burly friends to CWC. All the rest of the kikiks stayed behind and enjoyed drinking ice cold beer until 2:30 in the morning. Halos dai na magsuruwayan. The beer was generously provided by Colonel Alex.


19. LG-20’s hosted batch activity was the most attended among the previous ones! We broke the previous record of 34 attendees during the hosting of LG 19. Kwarenta y sais (46) gabos ang nag attend kan October 31!


20. Of course dakulang pasasalamat sa gabos na nag-attend, particularly those who were seldom present during the batch activities previously hosted by other LGs such as Ricky (since 1980!), Stephen (since 1980!), Bobet (since 2005),Gene (since 2005), Mao (since 2005), Raffy (since 2005), Col. Alex (since 2005). Kung napasala ako sa date, pasensiya nap o. he he he


21. I encourage those who were around to also share your memorable moments ta sigurado kadakul akong nalingawan! He he he


22. And last but definitely not the least . . TY to Edgar for voluntarily accepting the laborious role of being Kikiks treasurer!

Boots Rebueno

Empty spots of life.

Recently, three employees from the department I work for had to leave us because of an important life decision that they had to make. One was offered a job in London working for the British government. It had been her dream to move to Europe and so she grabbed the opportunity when it came by. She is moving her whole family to Britain. The second one decided to move to the state of Indiana with her husband because she feels more comfortable living at the Midwest state. She also wanted to spend more time with her 5-month old baby whom she adores to high heavens. The third one decided to transfer to another government agency to enable her to pursue her dream of helping foster children in dire need of government assistance.

These three people were special to me because they are not just my colleagues. They were also my very dear friends. We treated each other with tremendous respect and gave genuine concern to one another when life’s trials just became a little burdensome. We counseled each other on a human level and had a high regard for personal confidentiality.

Lunch is such a joyous occasion because we all shared each other’s ethnic food. Our Caucasian/African (Like Obama) friend always brought European food. Our Mexican/Caucasian friend brought spicy food. Our Italian/Thai friend brought pasta and other dishes whose names I cannot pronounce. Yours truly brought Filipino food and sometimes dried seaweeds. It took a lot of persuasion on my part for them to finally try a piece of the seaweeds. We always try each other’s dishes and make faces whenever we try to figure out the strange flavor each dish has. All of them were not brave enough to try balut.

Each of us used our God given talent to help each other out. On a few occasions, I assisted them in figuring out what was wrong with their cars whenever their vehicle starts acting up. Since I am the least skilled cook in the group, they gave me pointers on how to cook a certain dish. The funny one in the group always cracks up everybody because she comes up with out-of-this-world comments to lighten people’s spirits. Daily rough spots are smoothened out a bit whenever they are around. I am greatly saddened that all of us had to move towards a different direction with the chance of meeting up again quite slim.

This morning, I came to work a bit early and found three empty cubicles with each still bearing the names of my former colleagues. I walked into each cubicle and looked at each empty chair and still saw my old friend’s faded image with smiling faces still looking at me asking me how I was doing. Their computers are now silent and their desk empty. Only happy memories lingers in their cubicles. I had to hold back tears as I answered the faded image of my friends telling them that I will be fine.

God gave me the privilege of knowing these three wonderful people who showed me that true friendship is about just simply sharing true concern towards one another without any self interest or personal gain.

I went back to my cubicle and turned on my computer to signify that life has to go on. I have to accept that in life I will have sad moments like this and there will be more empty cubicles that I will encounter as I walk through life.

Walking the silent hallway…..

Joseph Ivan