Happy Birthday Henri!

irinuman kita padi! :-) 

Welcome Home, Victor Andrew A. Montaño

Finally, we have established contact with our long-lost classmate. Let's drink to this!

Here's the email he sent me on Saturday, June 24, 2006


Junie,

Am I eligible for the start up business venture that batch 86 are planning to organize. If I am eligible, how do I join and how can I deposit the required amount of investment. I am out of the country and out of touch from our class for many years. But Fr. Gerry initiated the contact and now I can follow events from the net.

Victor Andrew

STAND TALL STAND PROUD MONS. PAX

yayes

Our seminary before was run like a well oiled machine; precise and on the dot in every scheduled activity. The Father Rector, Mons. Pax, herded his flock and made them follow a strict regimen day in and day out giving emphasis on punctuality. The moment we rose until the time we retired we already knew what to follow, how to do things, and where to do them.

His authority on our lives was not confined within its walls for even as we went home we were required to serve the parish.

To our young minds then, discipline and order was a fearsome image. We sulked in corners whenever Mons. Pax made his rounds with that patented clinking of keys as he walked down the corridor; always fearful of what mistake we might have made or what he might find in us. There was fear in hearing his booming voice, his sharp stare was enough to make us toe the line. Order and discipline was Mons. Pax's daily menu. He became the personification of authority every one at our age loved to hate.

Obedience from a young mind is borne out of fear for its penalty but no mind remains young forever the moment it realizes wisdom. The time when wisdom takes over has come. The young men who loved to hate order and discipline grew up and rose from the immaturity and selfishness characteristic of its age to awaken in a deep sense of gratitude and sincere admiration of Mons. Pax.

His passion for order and discipline is well served for its purpose. It is admirable how he made us felt the pride. There was pride in the uniform, there was pride in our language, there was pride in our acts, there was pride in our identity.

For one, we only went home once a month then spending much of our time during weekends at the study hall and in housecleaning. And when we went home at the end of the month, we spent much time serving the parish.

Every Saturday Mons. Pax never absented himself from his routine round. The seminary must be spotlessly cleaned as he inspected every nook and corner. Everybody had his own assignment to clean, his own area of responsibility. It was our home, its cleanliness was our responsibility was the standing dictum. It was where we learned to accept responsibility in a communal spirit. Home visit was at the end of the month and before we left the Rector saw to it to instill in our minds that we were going out not for vacation. The community was an extension of our lives, we were to report to our respective parishes and serve. There was always a reminder on how we were expected to behave outside. The moment we left we carry our identity with us with dignity and pride.

Second, enrollment during our time was never a problem as the number of freshmen to go in had to be trimmed down based on the available facilities. Mons. Pax sales pitch on vocation campaigns was simple: GUSTO MO MAGING GWAPO ENTER OLPS! Gwapo each and every seminarian became because like raw materials we were cut into refined pieces of jewel. From the haircut to the clothes we wore, the words and manner we spoke, all bore the distinct identity of being seminarians that every parent in the community shared the pride of having a son in the seminary.

Third, we spent much of our weekends studying. We had two hours study period in the morning, another two hours in the afternoon, and two hours again in the evening. Once in making his rounds during study period he caught one lazy soul excusing himself with "I'm done with my assignment." Mons Pax was quick to answer: "KAY NANO, MADUNONG KA NA?" Knowledge as he always emphasized is an infinite world to conquer.

As the Chinese proverb says it: If you want to be remembered do either of these three; plant a tree, write a book, father a son. Mons. Pax will always be remembered by his seminarians. He planted trees in our hearts and minds some of which already bore fruit. He has written a book whose pages are written in the lives of his seminarians filled with the wisdom of his words. He has fathered us all with his brand of discipline and order that we carry the pride of sharing them to our children.

In my first article here I declared I wanted my son to enter OLPS. I am still finding it hard to convince him, so I told him, "OK, son, we wait until Mons Pax returns to the seminary."

Take your bow Monsignor Pax, we are grateful for the discipline.

Happy Birthday, Eric!

Happy Birthday Dante!

bagan masiram an karaon nan irinuman niyo da sa bikol a

Biyaheng Bikol - Southroad Update

from rino:

Sked on Friday, June 16, 2006 - Trip to OLPS Bikol

Departure: 8 am

Meeting Place: MC Home Depot Parking Area ( below MRT Mantrade/Magallanes Station

6 pm: Dinner at Atty. Tivo's home in Naga City... off to Sorsogon after

ps. bring lots of STORIES and SNACKS for the long trip :-)

pls. call rino for updates

Fighting Over the Queen

What made the Turin Chess Olympics memorable was the duel between Armenia and England. Not on the chess board, but on the dance floor. GMs Danny Gromally of England and Levon Aronian of Armenia got in tangles with each other over Australian No. 3 Arianne Caoili. And get this, her father is pinoy.

Gromally was very fond of 19 year-old Caoili. When Gromally saw Aronian dancing with her, he punched and shoved the Armenian literally flooring the poor guy. It didn't end there. Later, a few Armenian players attacked Gromally to avenge Aronian.

So who's this half-pinoy whom they fought over? She's dubbed as the Anna Kournikova of chess, some blogs devoted to chess even calls her the "chess babe." She's a contestant in the World Chess Beauty Contest (vote for her). Of her achievements, she surprised everyone when she played during the 1996 US Open in Alexandria, Virginia at 9 years old. She's currently rated at 2169. A Woman International Master, the Turin Chess Olympiad was her first international title. She needs two more of these to be a GM. Many observers noted that her game plateaued in the previous tournaments but suddenly picked up at Turin. If her achievements don't impress you, then check her pic.

YellowCab Meetup

A group pic after the quick meetup. not included is tyrone who left early as he was preparing to leave for the US that night.

we met up in makati with gojie who wasnt able to attend the meeting as he had a class that day. while wiron wasnt able to come as he was rehearsing his choir

Its good to meet up with franz and moonvale who i hadnt seen in twenty two years or so. franz has bulked up a bit --on track to becoming the next mr. philippines yata :=) while moonvale is in his hippie grunge best :-)

For the meeting on the 17th in Sorsogon. Rino will bring his car so magcarpool na lang ulit. Most will come but we still have to finalize the list. 

Love

can't resist posting this cute pix of tyrone and his lovely wife, maricris.

this is off the flickr set that collins uploaded earlier today. very nice pix taken by collins --pwede ka na padi mag interior design photographer :-)

anybody pala willing to donate a flckr account? costs $25 (1 year) or $50 (2 years)

i can't buy coz they only accept paypal and they don't accept philippine issued credit cards

hey mervs, pwede ba? hehehe

Happy Birthday Tyrone!

hulaton na lang daw sa 17 an irinuman 

ASBAG
Edgar A. Basares Jr.

I am working in the transport industry being an HR Manager of a private bus company based in Dasmarinas, Cavite. Our units traverse the Navotas – Palapala (Dasmarinas) route from 4:00 am to 2:00 am seven days a week. Caviteños knew us well, residents of Dasmarinas in particular, from being the only transport group granted the Permit to operate along said route – to their convenience, and also because of the times they have to transfer when our buses are stuck in the middle of the road due to engine failure and other technical problems and the times they have to open the windows because of malfunctioning aircon system – to their irritation.

I am handling 278 employees 95% of which are males 82% are drivers and conductors. I live inside the garage, a one hectare property where I also hold office. All employees are covered with Personal Accident Insurance, drivers and conductors received one of the highest commission in the industry, along side these is a pabahay project, scholarship for their deserving kids, medical assistance which extends to the family members, bonuses and allowances for drivers and conductors.

Because I live inside the garage, on several occasions I have been roused from bed at 1:00 am to break a fight between employees carrying lead pipes and fan knives. Many a times, I have to rush an employee to a hospital either bleeding from a fight or suffering from impatso and attend to his needs. On one occasion again ran like hell to a hospital 14 kilometers away at 12 midnight because we had the misfortune of having a passenger who just came from caesarean delivery and was suffering from post CRS trauma, and I have to babysit her. All problems of our employees land on my desk, from their arrears with the availed housing loan, to damages incurred by a nearby bar where our employees have had a fight after a drinking spree, to demands for financial support from B2 while trying to pacify B1 at the other room.

In general, my job is to pick up their loose diapers and expect not even a word of thank or a note of appreciation.

And the prevailing norms and traits; employees swear as fast as they chew food, brags on their sexcapades as if only they knew how, they refuses to be controlled and resist all forms of authority and would often challenge you to a fight once you impose disciplinary actions. I have one applicant who threatened to kill me if I do not approve his application. I did not, and sent him home and the last I heard of is his scratching his head and trying to figure out what hit him while I continue to function in my duties and responsibilities.

We call it ASBAG. It is their lingo for ARROGANCE. They would bluff the hell out of you and if you stammer you’re dead. It emanates from the culture of the road they assimilate every day; on how they would bluff their way out from traffic violations, false promises of seats available to entice passengers to come in, and the swerving and crisscrossing on the street to get passengers ahead of other drivers. When they disembark they continue to carry in them such trait and values. It’s a way of life for them.

I am expected to create miracles yet I’m no saint and far from being one. At the end of each day I am dog tired yet could not sleep, mentally fatigued and exhausted but still alert for any eventuality whether inside the garage or on the road.

Of all my jobs before this is the least rewarding in terms of salary. The temptation to abandon ship and transfer remains a daily option. Yet I continue to hold on.

To me the dilemma is between financial rewards as fruits of my industry, dedication and initiative – which I can never have in this company inasmuch as I am not a kapuso neither am I a kapamilya, versus the joy and contentment of work brought about by the trust and confidence of my boss – which I may not have in another company.

My everyday routine is a challenge. You solve a problem today but it will resurrect again tomorrow maybe with a different face but it is the same dog. It is a vicious cycle exhausting and tiring. In general whenever we tend to move forward we also shoot our best foot ahead.

Yet the biggest challenge and what continues to motivate me in this job is how to make these people understand how the law operates. That it is not designed to restrain them but merely to regulate. And that the regulation is necessary for the common good. The challenge is a tall mountain to climb, but like all mountains it can be climbed. Reaching its summit is not my immediate goal rather an inch by inch improvement serves as my consolation. The problems would forever be there, in a never-ending cycle but looking around with the progress we made towards maturity gives me the strength to go on.

And oh by the way, if ever you meet me don’t call me manager, ‘ger would be just fine since there is no money.

Happy Birthday Kit!

sa 17 na lang daw padi an irinuman hehehe 

Happy Birthday Jet!

Celebrated my bday in beautiful White Beach Sandbar in Camiguin Island with lots of grilled fish, Soju (korean wine) and a bit of kimchi :-) Then had a blast going whitewater rafting




















so much fun to swim here in the sandbar















and get drenched rafting along cagayan river

Minutes of the Corporate Meeting held at Tyrone's Residence in Doña Maria Luisa Park on May 21, 2006

In attendance:

Tyrone S. Tan, Rinofel Q. Coronel, Junnel M Relativo, Jason L. Balbedina, Edgar A. Basares Jr., Henri Arnulfo E. Deri, Eric G. Gojar, Domingo M. Lee III, and Faustino E. Taclan Jr.

The meeting started around 11:00 pm, with Tan presiding. At the outset, Tan broached the idea of the class taking on outreach programs, programs aimed at helping the more needy sectors of our society and programs that would contribute in the progress of our nation, as a way of giving back to the society and, at the same time, doing our part in nation-building.

The idea caught on and everyone agreed to raise funds through business ventures not only to finance the outreach projects but also to generate income for the individual members of the class. In furtherance of this objective, the group agreed on the following:

1. Form a corporation that will go into big business ventures like real estate development.

2. For the corporate identity, the following names (chosen by way of votation) will be submitted to the SEC for approval:

a) Maelstrom Trading Corporation (7 votes),

b) Maelstrom Incorporated (6 votes),

c) Maelstrom 86 Trading Corporation (5 votes),

d) Maelstrom Ventures Incorporated (5 votes), and

e) OLPS ’86 Corporation (5 votes).

3. The Corporation will have:

INVESTORS (the members who will take care of the financial requirements) and

INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS (those who will compose the administrative staff).

A member may choose to be both.

4. Tan, Relativo, Taclan, Coronel, Balbedina, Lee, and Gojar compose the Board of Directors.

Tan was elected Chairman of the Board;

Relativo, Corporate Secretary; and

Taclan, Treasurer.

Since everyone was in the dark on what the other positions were in a corporation, it was agreed that Balbedina, Lee, Gojar, and Coronel, in this order, would fill up such positions, if any, after Relativo has read up on corporate positions.

5. Members of the class who didn’t make it to the Cebu reunion would be sent letter-offers to join the corporation for its first venture alone since the offer of membership to each member of the batch stands for a lifetime. In a general assembly slated for June 17, 2006 at the OLPS, the members will be asked to give their final answers in writing to the offer of membership. Each member who has not joined the corporation is given the leverage to join in the succeeding ventures.

6. The group pegged the paid-up capital at ___ million, with Tan pledging to take care of the balance if the individual share capitals do not add up to that amount.

Relativo has committed P___, 000.00;

Taclan, P___, 000.00;

Coronel, P___, 000.00;

Balbedina, P___, 000.00;

Lee, P___, 000.00;

Gojar, P___, 000.00; and

Tan, P___, 000.00.

Tan’s share capital will decrease as pledges from classmates who didn’t attend the Cebu reunion but who would like to be part of the endeavour start coming in.

Priority of investment is enjoyed by classmates who have not made it big in life (meaning, Erwin, Kit, and Nono will not only be asked to step aside in favour of a “poorer” classmate if there is a shortage of investor slots but also be discouraged from putting too much money should no one else decide to invest in the ventures.)

7. Profit-sharing will be based on share capital.

8. The Treasurer should open a bank account at UCPB Sorsogon immediately upon arrival from Cebu. The board of directors will each have to deposit the 10% of their pledged share capital within this week. The remainder has to be in on the first week of July. Failure to give the total amount would mean forfeiture of the 10 % in favour of the Corporation.

9. Balbedina’s been appointed manager, with Deri and Basares as members of his staff. Upon arrival in Sorsogon, they will immediately get down to work: having the corporation registered, getting the business permits, scouting for prime lots, setting up the office, writing the sales pitch, etc.

The meeting adjourned at 1:30 am the following day, May 22, 2006.

May 18, 2006

Standing beside the ticket booth in Pilar, Sorsogon, shortly after learning that the 4-pm last trip of the fastcraft going to Masbate had gone two hours ahead of schedule. Athletes coming from the recently-concluded Palarong Pambansa in Naga City had descended upon Pilar and taken most of the seats of the fastcraft. 

May 19, 2006

Inquiring from the guard about the day's schedules at the Ferry Terminal in Matnog. 

Allen, Samar

Getting our luggage into the LTO Service Vehicles for the long haul from Allen to Ormoc City. We were very lucky to bump into Mr. Edgar Cabase, Assistant Regional Director of LTO, inside the ferry boat from Matnog. With his officemates, he was transporting from Manila 3 brand-new Adventure Vans to Cebu. We hitched a ride, an 8-hour very bumpy ride to Ormoc City. 

Trip to Cebu from Ormoc

On the ship that left Ormoc at 12 midnight. We stayed up until around 2 pm at the bow of the ship and went back inside only to find that people lay asleep on our Economy beds. Fortunately, we were able to find vacant seats inside the Jetseaters Room and slept there.

May 20, 2006

Finally, we arrived in Cebu. Here we are at the corner of the road leading to Pier 4 where we disembarked. 

The Karate Kid flew in from Manila on a rescheduled flight. He missed his flight the previous night getting Yayes a plane reservation. They spent the night drinking at the Baywalk until it was time for Yayes to check in at the Airport around 3:30 am 

Collins arrives from a seminar in General Santos City

Collins arrived around 1 pm. 

Breaktime

This room had Collins, Rino, Tivo (in green shirt) and Eric while Yayes, Jason, Henri and I occupied the other room on the fourth floor coming down of Tyrone's house. Tyrone had the rooms ( and the CR betwen the two) constructed for the reunion. 

at the Living Room

Lazing around at the Living Room, waiting for everyone to get dressed up for a visit to a stand-up comedy bar downtown. We had to abandon the idea and went instead to a place of quiet, the Mountainside. 

Fear Factor

Tivo is holding on for dear life as Rino keeps on pulling at the hanging bridge, an attraction at the Mountainside (located on, well, the side of a mountain) where you get a panoramic view of Cebu. 

Nightcap

The drink at the rooftop capped our first day, Rino's second. Sorry, can't show the frustration written on the face of Tivo for failing to get a "local talent." Maricris should get the award for the "defensive player of the year award" 

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Taking breakfast. Maricris is a great cook. 

On the rented boat still docked at the Boyla Resort, one of the many that dot the shoreline of Mactan Island, waiting for Tyrone to return with his SCUBA diving gear before we set sail. We had to cancel the scheduled two-day trip to Bohol in favor of Island Hopping to allow our tired bodies to recover from the punishing trip to Cebu. 

At the Playground of the Subdivision

After dinner, the group took a walk, mostly downhill, around the subdivision and rested at the playground. (Before dinner, Tyrone, Collins, Tivo, Eric and Jason played a bruising basketball game. Collins was forced to retire (Jason subbed for him) after taking an elbow in the jaw from Junnel.) 

The Theology Instructor from University of St. Agustin takes the floor

Collins giving a lecture on Interfaith Dialogue. An animated religious debate ensued that ended around 11 pm 

Corporate Meeting

Tyrone presided over the organizational meeting of the Corporation. This was one time when the spirit of fun was a little suppressed and everyone turned serious. 

May 22, 2006

Eric and Rino ready for their separate flights to Manila in the morning of May 22. The rest wouldn't leave until 6 pm. 

The Singer

Jason discovered the joy in singing during our reunion. While the rest of the class would retire to bed for the much-needed rest during free time, he and I would take turns at the mike. He promised to set up his father's videoke upon his arrival in Casiguran and regularly sing his heart out.