Looking back

IF your La Sallian boss or employee seem to be spending an extraordinarily lengthy amount of time on the computer these days, blame it on the new Facebook group, Taga-La Salle Taft ka kung.... The group page has been so hugely successful, I fear that the next GDP growth slowdown will be blamed on it.

I will not mention here which CEOs, business executives, faculty members of De La Salle University (DLSU)—huli kayo!—or writers (apparently there are a great number of us in the industry) have been regularly posting on the page (or lurking, sneaky you!), but suffice to say that there are quite a lot of interesting names posting over there (even during office hours, hala!).

How very apropos that this group was set up as the university is currently celebrating its 100th year in the Philippines. I’m sure whoever set it up—and no one still has owned up to it—it may not have been his ultimate aim to commemorate the university’s centennial anniversary. But the group does serve as a fond remembering of what life was like at the university during his or her respective era.

For those like me who graduated from DLSU in the late ’80s, the entries have been quite an eyeopener, in terms of history. I entered the university in 1983, 10 years after the first 100 coeds were allowed to enroll there. A number of the girls apparently started off as cross enrollees from nearby schools and later ended up graduating a La Sallite, or La Sallian, as we are now officially known. (In 1973 it was still a “college”; De La Salle only became a university in 1975.)

Aside from the entry of the coeds, one of the more remarkable facets of university life was the existence of the colorful clique called the “Bench Boys”—and no I’m not talking about Ben Chan’s well-endowed PH Volcanoes. According to the entry of one of its founding members, blogger Tony “Lebron” Atayde, it was the coeds in 1973 who gave that title to the men sitting on those benches across the university gym entrance.

“The Bench Boys started when Chito Sta. Romana called for a boycott and brought out the benches from the gym to block the passageways. The next day the benches were still there and some of us got three or four and put [them] across the entrance of the gym so we could see the co-eds walk by.”

From the witty postings on the Taft group, the apparent function of the BBs then was to rate the coeds in terms of gorgeousness, pull down the pants of some fellow students they took a fancy to, and generally make mayhem, hehehe. Cute nila, ’di ba?

The most famous BB, of course, is one Eduardo Manzano—yes, the very same celebrity host/actor we all know and love, and who was also a founding member. Oopsie. If I unwittingly just gave away Manzano’s age, I apologize. Anyway, ’di naman halata. Mukhang 24 pa naman sya. haha.

Atayde also points out that some of them were able to watch The Beatles performing at the Rizal Coliseum while perched on the rooftop of the college building. Wow. And all this time, I thought “The Beatles in Manila” was an urban legend, along with the group being chased and mauled by Marcos’s goons.

During my time, there was still a quota followed, with women kept at I think only 30 percent to 40 percent of the university population. I guess the old Christian Brothers feared DLSU would eventually become a “girls’ school” if women were allowed to be enrolled unfettered. (Sorry, guys, we women are just naturally brilliant at everything we do, hahaha.)

By then, the antics and celebrity status of the Bench Boys had virtually faded, replaced by the sushal kids at the Pebble Wash, the super-active inhabitants of the SPS building, and the cute Engineering boys at the main canteen. In fact, the most famous BB in the ’80s was not even a student but Jacinto Pascual, a.k.a. Mang Jack, the discipline officer. (The DOs would usually sit on the painted benches across the gym, their office being just a few steps away.)

Many would say that you are not a true La Sallian unless you knew Mang Jack (the older alumni would of course disagree). With his guttural voice that could boom from the Chess Plaza to the Pebble Wash, he was such an entertaining and yet comforting fixture in the university. Despite his diminutive height, count on Mang Jack to be the first to break up a fight (or as some have attested, joined the fight as well, hahaha).

“Parang Tatay,” a father figure to all, was how one alumna perfectly described him on the Taft page. He would take pains to take you aside and try to persuade you to give up your errant ways, as some alumni now confess. I heard he finally retired in 2007, after 30 years of service to the university, but still attends our UAAP games versus that-other-school-along-Katipunan-Avenue, pumping his fist in the air like the true La Sallian that he is! (In testament to his popularity, Mang Jack has his very own fan page on FB, say n’yo?)

Another famous figure on campus was Dr. Emerita Quito, chairman of the Philosophy Department in the ’80s. She was in every way the stern but remarkably intelligent professor students alternatively feared and craved for. In fact, it was quite difficult to get into her class because of such a high enrollment demand. Every class session was a challenge to look at issues and ideas in another way, e.g., “Does God exist?”

For a Catholic university, we had quite a liberal academic curriculum (for one, we studied Liberation Theology), and discussions in our Liberal Arts classes were quite exhilarating and provocative—that is, if you had the right professor.

When Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was shot on the Manila International Airport tarmac in August 1983, the students, long insulated from the political goings-on in the real world, suddenly woke up to the seeming cruelty of the Marcos dictatorship.

I cannot forget regularly watching the video of Aquino’s descent from the plane and hearing the words shouted “Pusila! Pusila!” reverberating through the AV room’s speakers, right before he was shot. Prof. Salvador Gonzales, an Aquino classmate, would break down and analyze the said video many times over. During another university forum, we listened to Butz Aquino and fellow Justice for Aquino, Justice for All (Jaja) members speak about his brother’s death and its impact on his family.

The next year, four of us decided to form an independent party to run—and successfully won—as sophomore representatives for the Liberal Arts students in the Student Council. Maybe it was just our way of expressing our discontent too, and wanted to try to make a bright-eyed difference in the lives of our fellow batchmates.

Perhaps because of the political chaos riling the country those years, it was the first time a left-leaning party won the presidency of the Student Council, which was typically, prior to Aquino’s demise, conservatively-run. The lean and confident militant Hernani “Nani” Braganza (now mayor of Alaminos, Pangasinan), in 1984 led a slightly dysfunctional Student Council crew to the very first tuition barikada in protest of that year’s tuition hike.

(Later in life, meeting ex-Student Council officers of the University of the Philippines, I learned that they were “imported” by Braganza as reinforcements to the barricade because there were not enough La Sallians who actually joined the effort. Not surprising. Most students who studied in DLSU could actually afford to do so, Braganza included, so instead of joining the barricade, they went to watch a movie, ate at nearby restaurants, or played billiards, etc.)

Then as Corazon Aquino declared her intention to run as president versus the strongman Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 snap elections, we had quite a few mock polls which the widow handily won.

The vice president of choice by the students, however, was not Aquino’s partner Salvador “Doy” Laurel, but old man Arturo “Turing” Tolentino. I guess we were more respectful of the political track record and expansive experience of the seeming kindly old man, which could only serve Tita Cory well. (It was quite an experience for me jostling with foreign photojournalists to try to get a good photo of Tita Cory when she spoke before her fellow Kulasas during the campaign at the St. Scholastica's College campus nearby, along Leon Guinto St.)

The People Power revolt over, the day after February 25, with Tita Cory already sworn in as the new president, I remembered rushing to the La Sallian office at the SPS building, and with colleague Amelie, disposed and flushed down the toilets any publications or leaflets that could be misconstrued as subversive. I guess I still had a Marcos hangover and half-expected the dictator or his cohorts to make a strong comeback. Well, better to be safe than sorry! But what an exciting time that was!

While this undercurrent of political dissent kept rumbling, DLSU President Bro. Andrew Gonzalez (RIP) and his fellow university officers were closely watching over us, arms folded, allowing us to do our thing. But I knew they were ever ready to jump in when things threatened to get out of hand.

I visited with Brother Andrew quite a bit, and chatted with him on a few occasions, and found him to have a humorous streak, that is, if you could keep up with his expansive English vocabulary. I will always be grateful to Brother Andrew for having invited me to join the DLSU Communication Arts faculty (although I stayed only for one trimester). His usual dig at me, long after I graduated, was: “Stella! Are you still an Arnaldo?” Geez.

While I had ridiculous fun at DLSU, I can’t call it the best time of my life, as some people may view their college days. (There would be better times, as I got older.) But nonetheless, DLSU will always have a special place in my mind and heart.

I appreciate how being an alumna virtually opened doors for me in my career, allowing to me connect with many CEOs in the local business community, as well as Cabinet secretaries. To this day, upon meeting other alumni for the first time, even if belonging to disparate eras, there is the shared knowing and positive feelings for the old Alma Mater. Animo La Salle, indeed.

Some gems from “Taga-La Salle Taft ka kung...”:

• Nakasakay ka sa elevator sa SJ building na good for three people only! (pero walo kayo!)

• Kumain ka ng chicken barbeque sa Aristocrat...sa loob ng La Salle! (Yes, Aristocrat was our canteen concessionaire.)

• Kumakain ka ng Syfu’s BBQ sandwich sa parking lot (where McDonald’s now stands.)

• Marunong kang magpaikot ng bolpen o lapis sa mga daliri mo (a.k.a. “The Twirl”)

• Kung familiar ka sa PA announcement all over the campus “let us pause for a while and remember that we are in the most holy presence of God” at 12 and 6 pm. (the Angelus)

• May ka-block kang member ng That’s Entertainment. (In my time it was Gary Valenciano and Rina Reyes.)

• Nung bago ang LRT ang pang-alaska mo sa mga Atenista ay ganito...“La Salle: LRT, kayo: TRICYCLE.”

• Ang PE teacher n’yong lalaki ang unang nagpauso ng pekpek shorts!

• Ang highest grade mo ay 4.0, ’di tulad sa ibang universities na 1.0. We La Sallians know our Math.

• Pumapasok ka na sa eskwela sa buwan ng Mayo, samantalang ang mga ibang kaibigan mo, nagbabakasyon pa.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. This piece was originally published on Sept. 9, 2011.)

If Edu has the Papaya Dance...

...GMA has the Poker Face dance!

How to cure (political) constipation (UPDATED)

I LOVE Edu Manzano. There I said it. "Love" not in a thumpity-thump heart-beat kind of way, but "love" as in I really admire his talents.

He was an excellent actor, even better than most Pinoys' favorite, Boyet de Leon, who I think tends to be OA. Edu's terrific sense of humor, intelligence, and articulacy in both the English and Filipino languages (not to mention the Ilonggo dialect) make him a natural host whether it be for a game show, a talk show, or a variety show. And apparently, he's even a good dancer! with his Papaya Dance capturing even the imagination of Good Morning America anchors in the U.S. You name it, he has the chops. Edu is one of best entertainers in the country and gives some amount of class to an industry peppered with the likes of Wowowillie.

But will he make a good vice president for the Philippines?

Edu was vice mayor of Makati in 1998 and almost didn't get to assume the position because his opponents claimed he was not a Filipino citizen. For those who don't know, Edu was born in San Francisco in Sept. 1955. But the Comelec ruled on Sept. 1998, that he was indeed Filipino by virtue of having registered as a Filipino voter. The case was elevated to the Supreme Court but the justices likewise ruled in Edu's favor.

His term of office was largely unremarkable I don't remember any earthshaking accomplishments. But I suppose he was largely sidelined from doing much more than he could bec. it was really Jojo Binay who was running the show, being the mayor.

Edu took a shot at the mayoralty position in 2001, fighting the massive machinery and experience of Binay and lost. He ran on an anti-corruption platform backed by the Forbes Park crowd, but it's been alleged that he knew he was not going to emerge victorious in that race. But as everyone joked then, at least he ended up fiscally fit. Hmmph! Bad talaga kayo.

After losing that election, Edu went back to showbusiness until he was appointed as the very first chairman of the Optical Media Board in 2004, after the Optical Media Act was signed into law in 2003. The OMB, whose forerunner was the Videogram Regulatory Board, is supposed to spearhead the fight against film piracy.

I don't know about you guys, but it seems to me there are more pirated discs flooding the market even before this particular law was enacted. Sure there have been few high-profile raids vs small retailers of pirated discs w/c we see reported intermittently on TV and the newspapers, but the problem continues. And it's been what? five years since the OMB has been operating? Tsk, tsk. Again there are many rumors floating around why film piracy continues and why Edu has largely been unsuccessful in eliminating it, some of w/c are not fit to publish here. Interestingly enough, Edu blames the rampant film piracy on Muslim extremists in the South.

Then between hosting jobs and his OMB stint, he founded the Ako Mismo organization w/c was eyed w/ much suspicion, for not immediately identifying the proponents behind it and what the movement was all about. The movement was foisted on the public via TV ad w/c featured a number of celebrities and thought to be the vehicle to push the presidential candidacy of businessman Manny Pangilinan. Edu finally went on ANC explaining that the organization was advocating for change by encouraging Filipinos to stand up for themselves and not depend on anyone else but themselves to institute reforms.

While he has said that the movement is non-political, w/ his run for VP, I doubt if it will remain as such. In fact, as I wrote then, I thought the Ako Mismo campaign seemed suspiciously like a pro-administration movement bec. after all, Edu is a GMA appointee. Well, well, well...I told you so.



The many loves of Edu: (clockwise from top left) Vilma Santos, Maricel Soriano, Rina Samson and Pinky Webb. Photos from PEP, Photobucket, and Facebook.

On the personal side, Edu's lovelife has always been super interesting! He was once married to Gov. Ate Vi (who has sensibly decided to continue taking care of Batangas) and they have a son Luis (aka Lucky), also an actor. He then moved on to Maricel Soriano who I hear has just broken up w/ her most recent significant other. Then made the bed w/ Rina Samson - a former ground stewardess w/ Cathay Pacific - and w/ whom he has two children, Amanda Danielle and Lorenzo. Now he is said to be engaged to ANC news anchor Pinky Webb. Ang colorful di ba?!?! (Hmm...I wonder if ABS-CBN will ask Pinky to go on leave as well, the way management did w/ Ate Koring. And naku! are we in for another 'wedding of the year' ala MAR-Koring?)

(UPDATE 11/19/09: Accdg to the news today, Edu has confirmed that he and Pinky have split up. Not surprising. He was kinda uneasy when he answered Tina Monzon-Palma's question two days ago on whether Pinky knew about his VP plan. He said, she was surprised, and added, "We haven't spoken for a while." Ay grabeh. So no wedding of the year in 2010. Oh well.)

To answer my own question, while I respect Edu and his talents, he has yet to prove himself in the area of public service. It's pretty obvious why he was chosen by the ruling PaLaKa party to be Sec. Gilbert Teodoro's running mate in the 2010 elections. They are running scared and are desperate to shore up Gibo's popularity w/c has been lingering in the single-digit percentages. And after turning on their asses for weeks who could do the job, they finally "force out Edu, the Papaya King, to cure the party's political constipation!" as a Facebook friend puts it. Haha.

Does the PaLaKa stand a better chance now that it has Edu as its VP? No. I think Pinoy voters will decidedly remain anti-Gloria and will always associate the Gibo-Edu tandem w/ her. Both will still represent the corrupt practices that this administration continues to engage in and the blatant dishonesty that has marked her presidency. The party will not be able detach their team from what she represents, yes, even if she steps down from its chairmanship. That's how much damage the presidentita has done to the country, to the bureaucracy, and to her party.

I conclude w/ a quote from Edu himself from this noon's press briefing: (To Gibo, after the latter introduces Edu's background and advocacies in rather glowing terms): "Not even my mother has spoken highly of me!" Ayus.

Beware of 'Ako Mismo'

THE ad looked intriguing enough. It was cleverly placed amid all the ads w/c polluted the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight last Sunday aired over GMA 7. Different faces, celebrities, talking about problems in the country and how it's inherent upon each one of us all ("ako mismo") to solve it instead of waiting for others to move for us.



Interesting concept, creative ad, with just one message. And so far, I've only seen it on GMA 7. But it looked, sounded, felt suspicious. Some people thought it was a Manny Pangilinan presidential campaign advocacy because Smart was one of the ad's sponsors. He has denied he's running for political office. ( I never thought he'd run, and give up his cushy job w/ the Salims and all his ahm, perks. Why ruin a good thing by running for public office?)

I went to the website Ako Mismo which asks you to pledge what you will do. So i filled it up with some nonsense just to get into the site, and already, a multitude of questions were asked, without telling you who or what the organization is all about. What's more, if you click the "about us", it there are no details. And you won't be able to contact the organizers, unless you sign up. The alarm bells went off in my head.

So I asked the friend of one of the celebrities featured in the ad campaign who's the brainchild behind it. She came back w/ one name: Edu. You mean Edu Manzano, Papaya king and my old Vice Mayor of Makati? Yup. So maybe Edu's running for higher office again. Senator Edu? But after his unsuccessful push for Mayor of Makati and the many rumors which swirled after that election period, many of them probably unfounded, would anyone trust Edu for higher office again? Hmm...

When I last saw Edu, it was in my favorite Okame Japanese restaurant sometime last year. He was still running the Optical Media Board. I told him I needed to contact him for a story I was doing. I never got to make that call as I got sidetracked by a bigger story. But he seemed happy enough with what he was doing for ABS-CBN and for the presidentita's anti-piracy campaign.

The presidentita. Now that's a thought. Hmmm...maybe she or her minions are using Edu for some elaborate scheme in preparation for 2010? Is this a support Cha-Cha movement? Is this another gimmick to let everyone know how we will benefit with the presidentita continued stay in office? The alarm bells in my head are clanging loudly now. I can't help it. And unless Ako Mismo's real organizers come out in the open, their motives will continue to be under a cloud of suspicion.

Btw, artist Jaime Garchitorena has started questioning those exact motives. Read this. I wonder why ABS-CBN didn't just ask Kapamilya Edu for a comment? Hmm...maybe I'll drop by Okame one of these days and ask Edu myself.

Barack Obama is the 44th president of the U.S.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers." (Martin Luther King, I Have A Dream, Aug. 28, 1963)

45 years after this speech was delivered by pastor Martin Luther King at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, the Americans have elected Barack Obama, an African-American, as the 44th president of the United States. As I write this, Obama has captured 338 electoral votes vs Republican presidential candidate John McCain's 155 votes, a landslide victory.

This is truly an historic event that resonates not only among Americans but with every citizen of the world. In the U.S. we see what things are possible, and how any dream, maybe outrageous everywhere else, is achievable there. And I am truly grateful for being alive at this time to bear witness to such a momentous event.

Congratulations to the American voters for changing the course of our history.

* * * *
Kudos to Sen. McCain for a very gracious concession speech. In his hometown in Arizona, he emphasized his duty first to his country above everything else, that's why he is throwing his full support behind the new President. He is truly a remarkable man, who was heroic in so many ways, but to whom fate wasn't just as kind. But he ran a good race, a real fighter to the end.

Now can you please send Sarah Palin back to Alaska?

* * * *
WHAT amazed me most of all throughout this electoral process, was how much the U.S. media invested in trying to outdo each other in their coverage and presentation.

While BBC had this oh-so-boring host trying to coordinate the discussion and field coverages, the network was ahead of CNN in terms of the poll count. Not to mention, it also had really snazzy touch graphics with the news presenter operating some kind of floating screen. Coolness!

The CNN though kicked ass with its holographic interviews. I caught the one of Anderson Cooper w/ will.i.am. Galeng.

Despite the third-world phone coverage of our own ANC (no live video, just phone patches...kaluoy naman), it still managed to deliver w/ its lively discussions among Americans living in Manila representing the Republican and Democratic Parties. And for awhile, it was fun to watch TJ Manotoc voting for Obama by using a typical voting machine w/c made available by the U.S. Embassy during its mock polls at the Mall of Asia.

The local network scored by snagging an on-site interview w/ US Ambassador Kirstie Kenney done by our favorite host Edu Manzano who started off by ribbing her about her rooting for Ateneo during the UAAP championship. (LOL! I just love Edu's wit.)

Sayang lang, with such an historic presidential election the Lopezes should have invested in bringing us Filipinos live feeds from the U.S. Ah well, maybe in 2012.

* * * *
UPDATE: "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer." (Barack Obama victory speech, Nov. 4, 2008, Chicago, Illinois)

Read the rest in BusinessMirror online and in NYT.

Edu Manzano: From Makati to the world

I have always believed in the talent of Vice! "Vice" is what I always called Edu Manzano, who was my Vice Mayor when I lived in Makati for the longest time. (Whenever I would bump into him I would always josh about the flooding along Buendia Ave. right in front of my condo — Cityland 8 — and demand that he have it fixed. I dunno if it still floods there, but then who cares, I don't live there anymore, haha!)

Anyway, Vice has always been my idol...he's really hilarious and I loved watching his Late Night with Edu back in the 80s. He was an excellent talk show host who would gamely spar with his guests with witty comebacks. People often compared him to David Letterman, but to me, Vice was an original. I don't get to watch him that much anymore because I hardly watch local programming, except for the news. So I was quite clueless about this Papaya dance that Vice had apparently invented until I watched Good Morning America and there was the respectable Dianne Sawyer (!) and her co-hosts all doing the Papaya! Good God!

Per waw, grabeh Vice! Bilib talaga ako sa 'yo! Not even the champ Manny Pacquiao could get featured on GMA! (That is a bit disturbing though, if you think about it.) While Vice wasn't actually interviewed by the GMA hosts, they did mention that the dance originated from a TV show in the Philippines. Let's give it to Edu and his Papaya dance shall we? (Clap! Clap!)

Another proudly Pinoy moment! (Now can anyone tell me why exactly it's called "Papaya?")



(Pardon the blurry video. The embed feature in the clearer videos have all been disabled by request, possibly by GMA itself. You can watch the original post on the GMA web site.)