Whee! It's Batch63 Jubilee time!

Good morning Batch63 Amigos!

The GJC (Golden Jubilee Committee) is pleased to announce the plans for the Homecoming Week events in 2013. In a meeting at the Last Chukker resto (in Polo Club) last week, the following activities were adopted by the GJC:

A basic fee of P4,000  will be levied on participating  Jubilarian batchmates.  For the P4,000 fee,  each participant  shall be entitled to: 

• Bienvenida and Despedida dinner (inclusive of spouse if you are bringing her)

•  Stars of YesterYears Revival show presentation including dancetime afterwards (with DI's?) during the Bienvenida affair. 

• Giveaways (Jubilee shirt/s  which will be the attire for the Homecoming gathering at the DLS campus; an AVP CD featuring Batch63 Friendships; others)

We are currently in the process of raising funds to cover the other expenses of the Jubilee (including the collective effort to enjoin shy Batch63 guys to appear and join us for the Homecoming).  The extra contribution of anyone above and beyond the basic P4K is truly welcome. Prizes for raffle will also be good.   

The GJC members are tasked to collect from the Batch starting today.  Expect a call from your Batch63 friendly collector anytime soon.  Gary Salcedo is the treasurer of the project where you may also remit payments directly through him.  When you pay, please also give your shirt size that we may order this especially for you.

The pictures in the slide show below show the GJC members at work in the past weeks.  The first set of photos shows the visit to Pergola to 'survey' the facilities.  The caterer served lunch to display their stuff.  The second set of photos is the meeting at the Last Chukker.                

Til next time, ANIMO

Oni Mayo 

(GJ Coordinator)


See slide show for more photos.

Pacquiao Mania

Last Sunday morning, Oni Mayo headed for Makati to view the live feed of the Pacquiao - Bradley fight in Makati. From Ortigas Avenue, Oni's trip to Buendia in Makati took just 15 minutes. Yes, the streets were deserted since everyone in Manila was glued to their TV sets for the day. 

Earlier, Boy Carlos had issued out an invitation to Batch63 to watch the fight.  Century Properties, the real estate firm where Boy is accredited, has transformed their lobby headquarters and showroom at Pacific Star building into a venue for a PPV telecast of the Pacquiao fight. It was the firm's token of appreciation for those who had patronized their products.

Oni and Vince Misa showed up for the viewing. Oni arrived first where Boy was already at the lobby waiting for them. Vince came late since he just had to finish the Miami -Lakers NBA game he was watching.  At  the crowded lobby, a giant display of the firm's latest project was very obvious. The ongoing success of the firm in selling their condominiums is a reflection of the improving Philippine economy. According to Robby Liper - Boy's supervisor in the selling effort - most of the condominium buyers are OFWs who were not even planning to immediately use their condos. He surmised that Pinoys are channeling their resources more and more to Philippine-based investments due to the shaky investment climate of the countries they are in. 

Even as Vince was deciding how many condominiums he will buy, the main draw in the cards was announced and everyone was fixed in their viewing positions. Soon, the trio (Boy, Vince and Oni) joined the many others who were rooting for the Pacman. The venue rocked with the shouts of the crowd for each punch that Pacman threw. Grudging admiration was given by some to the durability of Bradley who mixed it up with the Pacman. 

At the end of the bout, it was confusion for the watching public. We know the results. Despite the Pacman's loss, many Pinoys typically rationalized the situation and stood by their man. Looking for a scapegoat for the loss, the crowd attacked the lunch buffet served by the host with a vengeance.  At around 2PM Manila time, the show was over for Vince, Boy and Oni who went their different ways.

Maybe Pacman lost because he had no more 'hunger' for success.  Or maybe his new found religion has 'softened' up his desire to hurt people.  Boy thought it was because Bradley refused to be put to 'sleep' by the power of Pacman.  How can someone be put to sleep when he cannot focus!  Huh?  Well, Boy's joke below explains it better: 

Crowd: Manny! Manny! Patulugin mo na! Patulugin mo na!

 Pacman: Paano kong patutulugin eh ang ingay-ingay ninyo!

See slide show for more photos.

Balikbayan Despedida

On Wednesday evening, a hasty get together for old buddies and US boys Mike Sun and Manolo Relova was organized by some Batch63 guys. The two balikbayans have been in town for sometime now and are scheduled to fly home in a few days. The dinner was held at Korean Garden in Makati – a favorite resto of Gabby Valdez who hosted the affair. Apart from Gabby, the local guys who came to the dinner were Gary Salcedo, Jack Arellano, Lito Quiogue and Oni Mayo. Wives Lucy Sun, Pam Valdez, Marilou Arellano, Nene Quiogue and Bili Mayo were also there. 

The evening was a culmination of a series of Batch63 affairs that Mike and Manolo whole-heartedly patronize given the short period that they were in town. Thought they had many things to attend to during their visit, the two joined almost all of the Kapihan breakfasts every Wednesday, and more significantly, they participated in the Golden Jubilee committee’s first project (the Taal-Tagaytay excursion) heading into the homecoming event in 2013. 

 The dinner talk was typical Batch63 – uninhibited. The funny miscues during the Taal – Tagaytay excursion were explicitly reiterated by the outspoken Manolo to the amusement of the wives. The evening was so entertaining that I forgot how hot some of the Korean stuff can be (and consequently suffered from it). The group was the last to leave the resto but not after posing for the usual group picture. To Mike, Lucy and Manolo, we then say ‘Bon Voyage’ and hope to see you more often. 

See slide show for more photos.