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UP Landmarks that we remember so well
Circa 1950: places we used to enjoy
Revisitng our old Manila landmarks
50th Anniversary Pics from Hot Lava
The Secretariat gets a new computer
The 2000 Golden Jubilee celebration - 1
The 2000 Golden Jubilee celebration - 2
Walter Butler has last word on Pete’s PMT story
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 Join Paking Floro, Pete Manansala, Patsy Putong, Tom Rigor, Peewee Trinidad, Julius Willis, and other classmates on Facebook.
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VIGNETTES
Memories, and remembering the way we were
Receiving diplomas and dancing to the Glenn Miller beat
Sixty years ago, April 21, 1950, one-hundred-eighty-seven starry-eyed boys and girls marched up the stage at the UP Diliman Quadrangle to receive their high school diplomas from UP President Bienvenido Gonzales, assisted by UP High School Principal Professor Juan Canave.
Class valedictorian and salutatorian were Virgilio Velasco and Teresita Perez, respectively. Guest speaker was Congressman Manuel Concordia, 1st District of Laguna, who gave the graduates a very inspiring talk.
Girls in their white long gowns and boys in their white suits sat prim and expectant for their names to be called. There was laughter when our batch mate, Bienvenido Gonzales, was called. He happened to have the same name as UP President Bienvenido Gonzales who would hand his diploma.
Later that evening, graduates in their fineries hied off to Manila Hotel’s Fiesta Pavilion for dinner and later dancing to the Glenn Miller beat rendered by no other than Carding Cruz and his Orchestra. Who will ever forget “Stardust” and “Moonlight Serenade” whose first notes only would already drive the boys to rush to the girls they wanted to dance with? Then as the graduation ball ended, there were nostalgic goodbyes and “‘till we meet again!”
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Pete Manansala
Remembering High School Preparatory Military Training (PMT)
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When I was a freshman, I took ROTC and was in the Model Company. This is what I remember:
1. The Battalion Commander was a guy named Drillon and the Adjutant was a certain Sanvictores.
2. We went on a field march from Diliman (QC) to UST (Manila) and back.
3. The Model Company participated in competitions against UST, FEU, NU, and UE. The competitions consisted of close order drills with M-1 rifles and tug-of-wars, and were held at the UST parade grounds. We won the close order drill but UE, with their big guys, beat the heck out of us in the tag-of-war event. They literally pulled all of us over the demarcation line.
That ended my PMT experience.
My understanding of Preparatory Military Training (PMT) was that it was mandatory for high school juniors and seniors.
Each year when Juan De La Cruz Studios came down to take class pictures, they also took pictures of the PMT Corps.
Company "A" was composed of seniors and Company "B" was made up of the juniors. All the officers, including sergeants, in both companies were seniors.
The picture above was taken when I was a junior in Company "B" and the officer was a captain and a senior. I was not acquainted with him and I do not remember his name. He graduated before we became seniors.
It was during our senior year (1949-50) that I became the Executive Officer of the elite Company “A”.
ADDENDUM
Walter Butler has the ‘last word’ on Pete Manansala’s PMT vignette (see above)
Classmate Walt Butler writes in an email sent on 4/7/14:
“I was enjoying the Vignettes portion of the website last year and noted the article by Pete Manansala regarding a “PMT” photo. It appeared to be the same picture printed in the 1949 Yearbook for the "A" Company. I am sending the picture with this note.”
/// Walt Butler ///
Click here to view four pictures sent by Walt (one of which has been included above as part of Pete’s article).
Do you have recollection(s) regarding the PMT program at UP High, especially for graduating classes 1949 and 1950? If you do, send your thoughts to webmaster.
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OPHIE ONGKINGCO-LAGMAY
 Pranks are pranks but this one was too much for me.
We were having our class in Physics. I was wearing a light pink dress topped by a loose bolero. I was seated at the third to the last row with other girl-classmates and was listening intently to Prof. Luis Alarilla. As I stood up after the class ended, Gumersinda Payumo who was sitting beside me called my attention to the back of my bolero, where, in thick pencil writing about 1-1/2 inches high were the words “I LOVE YOU” written on the edge.
Immediately behind me was Arturo Magadia and some other boys. (Is there anyone who was with Art at that time that still remembers this?) I didn’t say anything, I just looked at Art with dagger looks as he smiled guiltily, scratching his head. After everyone had left, I went to Prof. Alarilla, crying. I am sure Arturo was reprimanded.
Well, I had forgiven him but I avoided him since then (may he have eternal rest!) and I never wore that light pink dress again!
I also remember Rodolfo Sayson calling me “Ate” because he knew that my crush at the time was his “Kuya” Tony who was in fourth year.
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SERGE DOMONDON
 Ernie Rigor and I were always hanging around together because the two of us were in a program where we finished the four years in three by taking summer courses and full loads during regular school days.
During our Junior-Senior Prom at the Bulakeņa on what was then Dewey Boulevard, Ernie and I planned to go stag just to check out the girls and who they were with. We found out for sure with whom the popular girls were “lovey-dovey”. What a revelation!!!!
After moving to Diliman from Padre Faura, our high school was housed in a temporary building with somewhat flimsy partitions between classrooms. One day, as we waited for our teacher to show up, a class was already in session next to ours.
Ernie and I were fooling around and I accidentally pushed him and he went through the partition into the next classroom. I got so scared because I knew for sure that we were going to be brought to the principal’s office. Sure enough, we were brought to Mr. Canave where we were reprimanded. Boy!!!! I was really so scared!
Ernie and I were not punished because we were “good guys” that just got carried away.
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Invitation to Paddy & Tol
Hi, Docs Paddy and Tol!
Pons Bernardo called up yesterday with the news that some of your College of Medicine ka-batch told him that both of you are coming to attend your CofM batch's Golden Jubilee and might join our UP High Class 1950's 60th Anniversary Reunion (6 PM, December 29) at the Turf Room, Manila Polo Club, Forbes Park, Makati City. Hope you can confirm this soonest since we would all love to see the two of you.
Warm regards,
Patsy
Paddy’s Response
Dear Patsy,
My wife Dot and I regret to inform you that due to prior family commitments that we are unable to change (also for economic reasons) we will not be able to join and be at the 60th reunion of our High School class. We will very sorely miss meeting and seeing classmates and friends that we have not seen for a very long, long while and reminisce about the good old times. God willing, we will be in the future able to attend other reunions.
We also wish everybody a Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon.
PADDY and DOT
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Finally, Prof. Maceda smiles
I seldom saw Prof. Wilfrido Maceda smile. And I found him a terror in Biology.
Once, writing on the blackboard, he suddenly turned, looked around, and nodded towards my direction.
When I stood up he sternly asked me to recite the route of food from the mouth downward, with all the organs it goes through and the acids and enzymes that affect it.
Good thing I had the whole thing perfect in my head and didn’t stumble through it. Before I sat down I smiled at him looking for approval.
To my surprise, he nodded and smiled!
Ophie Ongkingco-Lagmay
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Roger Austria
Welcoming Paddy Into The Fold
Dear Paddy,
The group in Manila is now preparing  elaborate plans for the 60th anniversary celebration of our class on December 29, 2010. We don't want you to miss this fun celebration, Paddy, as you missed that wonderful reunion we had in 2000, celebrating our golden anniversary.
The Manila group, headed by our president-for-life Paking Floro, left no stone unturned to make our 50th anniversary truly memorable. I am sure they will do the same this year, if not better. I think it is only fitting to mention our classmates in Manila (bless their sincerely appreciated efforts, notwithstanding their geriatric condition) who have been keeping us bonded together for the last 59 years. Helping Paking are: Nanding Campos, Aniano Bagabaldo, Patsy Putong-Sison, Delma Dojillo-Dungan, and Fe Abarquez-Suaco who now lives in VA, just outside D.C. Salustiano Tengonciang, Jr. was also part of this group until his untimely death last January.
(There may be other classmates who are actively involved but I do not know their names; I apologize for that. Patsy will fill you more later, I'm sure).
In the US and Canada, we have a very active group of which we would like you to be a part. Our North American group sponsored its first reunion in 2004 in Hawaii hosted by Serge Domondon. Because HI is a little out of the way, only a handful attended the reunion. Jose (Peping) Laurel and his wife traveled from the Philippines to join us.
We had our big reunion in Las Vegas in 2005 attended by some 30 classmates and their spouses. The lone representative from Manila was Magtanggol Ambrosio. Grace Balmaceda was also in attendance -- unfortunately she died shortly after that get-together. Then in 2007 six classmates and their spouses spent a 7-day cruise on the Mexican Riviera. Enjoying the cruise were: Sylvia Roque-Gamboa, Sergio Domondon, Rodolfo Ramos, Dr. Venerando Jaurigue, Bert Garcia (who lives in Toronto, Canada), and myself.
We had so much fun that we wanted to follow this cruise with a South American cruise, but time and cost (especially the latter) came into play. Good thing we did not proceed with this plan because as we know now we all have lost so much of what little we have saved for retirement due to this dreadful economic meltdown. (Still hoping that Obama can rescue us out of this quagmire, but my Republican friends think I am dreaming!). So, in 2008 instead of another cruise, we decided to get together in Scottsdale, AZ where we were hosted by Iluminada Gomez-Martinez. It was here that we found out that we don't have to go on a spending spree to enjoy ourselves.
Anytime you have a group of UP High Class 1950 you are almost guaranteed fun and enjoyment, what with all the jokes, bantering, etc. We got to see the Grand Canyon, the red rocks of Sedona, the drinking halls of Lake Havasu where college sex is the “in” thing (fortunately for us oldies, it was not spring break when we got there).
So, Paddy, these are a few of the fun-in-your-life activities you have been missing. Plan to join us in Manila on the 29th of December 2010 for more fun.
Let's keep in touch...
Roger
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When Religiosity Meets Reality
By Roger Austria
Chairman, Foreign-based UP High Class 1950 Alumni
I was born and raised in the bucolic province of Tarlac. This was a perfect setting for a growing boy to be steered into all kinds of religious pursuits such as being an “altar boy” (happy to say I was not a victim of child molestation as widely reported in the United States and Europe – perhaps there were no child molesters among the Filipino priests as they were too afraid to commit a mortal sin), serving mass everyday, praying the rosary at least once a day, and other similar religious behavior.
What else was there to do? Television was not invented until the late forties - the only form of broadcast communication was the good old radio – good, but no images! All this led to my early Catholic education. Nothing wrong with that, you might say.
Well, until I entered UP High School.
We were, I think, juniors when Ms. Paz Ramos (our Health teacher) gave us a quiz on the subject. Not having any sex education whatsoever (the Church was opposed to it in any form), this was my first encounter when my religiosity clashed with some form of reality.
The question in the quiz: “True or False, the armpits exude the most perspiration than any other parts of the body.” (Do some of you remember this quiz?) Of course I knew the answer to the question. Everyone knew there are jillions of sweat glands in the arm pits. DUH! Only one answer - TRUE! Right? Right, but what do you think I answered?
Because of my religiosity, I thought Ms. Ramos had no business asking such an “immoral” question in education. Why, the armpits are some of the more erotic parts of the body! Such subject should not be discussed in public. I was in denial. I denied the veracity of the answer because the question was uncalled for – totally inappropriate.
When our papers came back the following day I didn’t have to look at the results of my quiz. Sure enough – I had a big red cross on that question.
As I grew older and more mature as a result of more education, I realized how stupid I was when I accused Ms. Ramos of being immoral on that one day of ignorance in my life.
Oh, Ms. Ramos, if you only knew how much I learned from your downright honesty! I thank you for showing me the light. Now, as my religiosity has diminished, my spirituality has increased - making me a better-adjusted person.
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