The Taal - Tagaytay Excursion

Golden Jubilee Initial Project

Taal   

On the last Saturday of May, Batch63 headed for Taal for the first leg of their batch excursion. Joey Estagle; Boy Carlos; Tony Estonina; Chito de Vera; Bambi Goco; Vince Misa; Francis Horn; Oni and Bili Mayo rode the rented van. Jackie and Marilou Arellano was joined in their vehicle by Mike and Lucy Sun; and Manolo Relova. 

The group got to visit several ancestral houses in Taal (the Agoncillo, Villavicencio and Ilagan houses). Most of the houses are vintage 1850s that still displayed most of the best interior appointments of those days. (fine wood carvings and panels, Machuca cement floor tiles, graceful grills of ventanillas, tin ceilings with embossed design, hand-painted leather wall covering, old photos, etc.).

The Ilagan house has also been turned into a camera and photo museum to the delight of camera buff Joey Estagle. The claim is that all the cameras – ancient or otherwise - are in working order. An interesting photo displayed on the walls of the gallery is an actual scene of the execution of Jose Rizal. (From an original photo found by a Filipino historian in a French curio shop decades ago).

The Taal Basilica (now mostly restored) and its predecessor, the 16th century Caysasay Church, were evidence of the great history of the town. The respite during the tour was the buffet lunch at the Don Juan resto that feature genuine Batangas cuisine. Probably due to a missed breakfast on account of the early trip, the hungry batch cleaned up the buffet in good time.

Leave it to Manolo Relova to provide the impromptu entertainment.  During the visit to the Taal Basilica, there was an ongoing wedding to be.  The bride was standing alone in the aisle when Manolo cheekily approached her to praise her beauty.  In the process he whispered if he could have her cellphone number.  This must have made the bride cry for she was seen wiping her eyes!  During lunch, Manolo also tried to get Boy Carlos to marry the young waitress serving the group. Of course everyone had their raunchy quip about the prospect. The scene was so raucous that it led one of the wives to say that every time Batch63 gets together, they become like little boys!

Tagaytay 

After the Taal tour, the batch headed for nearby Tagaytay to visit Gabby’s hideaway in that notable breezy City. Some of the guys who did not participate in the Taal tour had actually gone straight to Gabby’s house. These guys were Ramon Arnaiz, Mari Duarte, Lito Domantay, Gary Salcedo and Jimmy Estrella. The main batch of excursionists arrived in Tagaytay from Taal at around 4PM. 

As one drives into this large Valdez compound, the first building visible on one side is the huge garage that houses Gabby’s more than a dozen car collection. The garage is really also a motor shop (for tinkering with the vintage cars).  The car lift inside is proof of this.  Stepping into the entrance hall, the literally open walls of the house reveal a landscaped panorama of the main yard which is most of the land area of the 5,000 sqm. compound. Gabby is a botany enthusiast of late and which work he took to task when he created the verdant yard. For a new yard, the large trees there were quite impressive to see. 

 In tandem with the spacious garden, the main house is an entertainment space par excellence. Was it Boy who said that it could give the Folk Arts Center a run for the money? Whatever, the shameless Batch63 guys made it their own.  Jimmy and Lito D brought out their groovy professional guitars and led the music fest for anyone who thinks they could sing. The others enjoyed the pica-pica and flowing drinks while relaxing in the many seating places in the place. Gabby and Pam Valdez were such gracious hosts that the unabashed Batch63 guys were already “imposing” on Gabby what batch party they could hold there next time.

Suma total 

The places visited that Saturday provided a really great experience for the Batch.  The trip was made even more memorable by the company that was there. The heritage of Taal was quite informative for many. It also provided a window on how other towns can develop their tourism (and economy) if they put their minds to it. Interesting outlooks (and wit) were obtained from the new guys who we don’t see enough off in past events (Chito, Manolo, Mike, Tony). The generosity of Gabby and Pam for sharing their home with the group speaks well of the brotherhood that is Batch63. In behalf of the batch, thanks again Gabby for inviting us to your vacation house.  

 This outing turned out so enjoyable despite the tiring pace of the trip and summer heat. I dare to say that it rivals the other fun excursion of the Batch in Baguio some years ago. If only because of this, the GJ committee is planning on more activities in the coming months where more Batch63 guys are expected to participate. 

Below is the slide show of the photos during the excursion.  About half of the pictures shown there are from the camera of Joey Estagle.  Animo! 

See slide show for more photos.

May Day

Happy birthday to the May celebrants!! These are Joey Angeles, Jackie Arellano, George Cunanan, Mike Sun, Quito Moras, Ray Suplido and Polding Arnaiz. If you must know, Batch63 came in record turnout to celebrate your birthdays! Only five of the above celebrants were present at the Grand Kapihan. Joey Angeles came despite being a member of the ‘organic’ club. (This club is about internal organs and problems with them. Known members include Dendi, Ed O, others). Due to family obligations, George and Quito don’t regularly come to the Kapihan nowadays but for this Grand Kapihan, they unhesitatingly did their part!

And Jackie – how can he forget the Kapihan when he is the Master Texter who reminds everyone about the Kapihan? (He probably includes his name in his text barrage so he won't forget. It’s a good thing he understood his own mysterious Spanish.) Brother Ray and Polding are unfortunately abroad and could not be physically present. Both guys however still managed to participate by sending in their contribution to the blow-out. Thank you for you buffet breakfast blowout, May celebrants! 

The Batch63 guys at Polo today were: Joey Ingles; Gary Salcedo; Joey Estagle; Bambi Goco; Ernie Cuyegkeng; Mari Duarte; Lito Quiogue; Chito de Vera; Tony Estonina; Ed Oleta; Joe Assad; Ed Lim; Oni Mayo; Raffy Villareal; Manolo Relova; Boy Palanca; Gabby Valdez; Boy Carlos; Bert Saenz; Doug Marcaida; Francis Horn and of course, Vince Misa.

Several balikbayans are in town – Mike Sun and Manolo Relova. I don’t know whether to consider Gary Salcedo as one since he’s always here. Anyway, this is a rare visit from Mike Sun. He boasted once that he knows the Batch63 Manila guys by face more than they know him. He said it’s because he sees their photos often in the Menagerie. When put to the test, he confidently identified Raffy Villareal as “Raffy Munoz” and Bert Saenz as “Robert Sanz”. Que pas?

 It was a noisy affair as the guys presented their different advocacies to the group during the party. Visiting in from Sorsogon, Chito de Vera made a move for persuading La Salle school to recognize Batch63 as “La Sallite” rather than the new term – “La Sallian”. He said that he was known as a La Sallite then and he will die a La Sallite now. Meanwhile, Joey Estagle wanted a monumental photoplay so he can utilize his SRL to the max. He moved for everyone to go to the Manila Polo poolside for a group picture - and he was so right. The urged pose was unique and so different from our usual. Check out the pics.

Meanwhile Oni, Gabby and Bambi continue to push for the GJ projects they are promoting. The GJ projects in the forefront today are: the Taal – Tagaytay tour; the Finance committee fund raising campaign; and the Golden Friendship Video. The Taal-Tagaytay tour is scheduled for Saturday where the guys at the Kapihan joining the tour dug into their wallets and paid up. Part of the cost of the tour will be defrayed from early collections of the Finance Committee. The photos coming out of the tour activities will definitely be material being compiled for the Video project. These projects are the initial initiative of the GJ committee and which we hope to build up on all the way to March 2013 – the homecoming month.

We are thus taking this opportunity to enjoin everyone to support the GJ projects since it really makes for good bonding opportunity for Batch 63. Animo!


See slide show for more photos.

April Boys

April turned out to be one of the months with the most number of Batch63 birthday celebrants. At the Grand Kapihan today, seven birthday boys treated the Batch for breakfast at Manila Polo Club. The birthday celebrants were: Boy Palanca; Ernest Cuyegkeng; Bert Saenz; Mari Duarte; Vic Romero; Gary Salcedo; and Ramy Salcedo (Ramy is really a March celebrant. He is based in Calgary and in town at this time).

 The Batch63 guys who feasted on the buffet were: Joe Assad; Joey Estagle; Raffy Villarreal; Gabby Valdes; Boy Carlos; Oni Mayo; Joey Ingles; Jackie Arellano; Lito Domantay; George Cunanan; Ed Lim; Ed Oleta; Tony Estonina; Doug Marcaida; Francis Horn; Joey Angeles; Bambi Goco; Vince Misa and Linggoy Araneta.

The continuing success of the Grand Kapihan program for several years now has surprised everyone. The event has consistently attracted more than twenty busy souls on average each time. For people residing in the South (BF-Alabang area) and the North (Novaliches-Diliman area), it is neither easy traffic or cheap (round trip SLEX toll fee alone is P600) to make it on a week day to the Batch’s Makati Kapihan. Also, many in the Batch have other obligations in one form or the other which they will have to skirt for at least most of the morning of that day.

 It is interesting to see the old boys mingling enthusiastically despite their different current avocations and situations. Some are retired; some are still active in business. Some are a picture of health while some have had some medical procedure done on them already. Some continue to reap success, while others lose out or fade away. Some remain with their families, others have more excitement than they can handle. Overall, what is clear is that Batch63 is weathering it all graciously. It has evolved into a group that has a soft heart and tolerance for each other despite their disparities in character and status. Simply, they are more than classmates – they have turned out to be comrades if not brothers. 

 During the Kapihan, a topic of interest was the ongoing effort of the group to prepare the agenda for the March 2013 Homecoming. Everyone watch out for the Jubilee Bulletins that should spell out the proposed Jubilee projects in the coming days. 

See slide show for more photos.

March Birthdays and the Homecoming

It was another successful Grand Kapihan! Contributing to this success is the participation of balikbayans who attended the DLS Homecoming last March 3 and who are still in town. The participant count is a whopping 28. Excluding the celebrants, the guys who came were: Joey Ingles; Bert Saenz; Ed Oleta; Tony Estonina; Joey Angeles; Joey Estagle; Gabby Valdes; Oni Mayo; Vic Romero; Polding Arnaiz; Boy Lumba; Eboy Cosme; Steve Hontiveros; Jacki Arellano; Raffy Villarreal; Tonichi Grey; Lito Quiogue; Quito Moras; Boy Carlos; Boy Palanca; Francis Horn; and Vince Misa.

The birthday boys were Boy Nazareno, Alex Ledesma, Joe Assad, Ed Lim, Jaime Ortigas, Joey Zamora and Arthur Antonino. The heartwarming thing about the Grand Kapihan is that everybody considers it a privilege (rather than an obligation) to join it. For instance, Jaime and Arthur are really February celebrants but they have no qualms in joining the March party. (The Feb party was scrapped due to few participants). Meanwhile, Arthur sent his participation to the fund since he couldn’t make it that day. Balikbayan Joey’s birthday is still in August, but he wanted to contribute in advance since he won’t be around in August.

It was good to see the celebrants all in good health and mood. Alex L (with his real estate development business) and Joe A and Arthur A (in the stock market industry) appear as prosperous as ever. Despite his quad bypass, Boy N remains a respected consultant for national concerns. Ed Lim retired from the premier BPI bank years ago but he has not being allowed to retire by Isla Bank, another bank which hired him to be its President. The same is true for Jaime O who retired from his family stock brokerage firm. But how do you retire from family affairs? Today Jaime remains as director and consultant of the firm even as he tries to inculcate Christian values from time to time (as a lay minister) to his wild Batch63 friends. Joey is likewise retired from his travel business in the West Coast and today mainly hones up on his golf. Physically, the energy remains high so Joey and his wife are known to be involved in network marketing business still.

The Kapihan became a especially jovial scene when Joey Estagle stood up to remind the Batch that it will be celebrating its 50th Jubilee in 2013 next year. Hence, it should already start preparing for the next DLS Homecoming event. Oni Mayo agreed and said that it better be a good one since it will be our last Hurrah. The next Jubilee milestone is 75 years and everyone will surely be incapacitated if not gone by then. For this statement, Oni got hoots and catcalls of "speak for yourself!" from Batch63 who seem to believe in immortality. After that, it was getting close to lunchtime and people started to go. Celebrant Joe Assad however must have anticipated what was in Tonichi's mind and whipped out a Johnny Black from his bag. This made a hardy dozen of the guys stay behind enjoying the company and talking about even more nonsense.


Call for Volunteers to Join the 2013

Batch 63 Homecoming Committee

In 2013, DLSHS63 fellows will become Golden Boys and will be expected to have a grand presentation during the March Homecoming event. The Kapihan thus became an opportunity to call on Batch63 guys willing to join a 2013 Homecoming Committee to be formed. The members of the committee will primarily be the core group that will lead the preparation for the stage presentation in 2013. The secondary task of this committee will be the initiation of group activities for the Batch through the months leading to March 2013.

Oni Mayo is seeing to the task of forming the organizational committee. Immediately, those who have signified their support to be part of the committee / core group are: Bambi Goco; Vince Misa; Joey Estagle; Lito Quiogue; Francis Horn and Bert Saenz. The idea is tomeet monthly to practice the theme music of choice, brainstorm project plans, organize events and have fun in the process. The first meeting will be called soon where others who would like to join the committee are welcome. Batch63 US boys are included in this call. It must be understood that the 70s migration to the US are really symbolic of the Philippine diaspora. Thus, there is a suggestion to give the immigrants special mention during the 2013 homecoming. Because of this, the US boys are enjoined to be active in this project and make suggestions on how their contingent can contribute to the show. Abangan.


See slide show for more photos.

DLS Homecoming 2012

The DLSU Homecoming event is traditionally held in the DLS Taft campus. For the 2012 Homecoming however, the event was held in the gymnasium of of DLS Greenhills. The reason for the shift in location is because the DLS Taft campus is undergoing redevelopment. A new campus master plan had been prepared for the Taft campus and today, the master plan that features a major new building (the Centennial Building) for the campus is under implementation and construction.

The Homecoming organizers outdid themselves in making the 2012 event successful. The raffle prizes were big time prizes (cameras, laptops, etc. and many cash prizes ranging from P500k to a million pesos!). The band of choice was the Blumfields, a young band specializing in Beatle tunes. The Blumfields also did their version of Chuck Berry tunes (a little strange to the old band players in the audience but OK na rin). Ultimately, this young band had the audience rocking and a-twistin’ on the dance floor after a while.

The various batches celebrating their milestone years came in force. The batches gave spirited formal presentations on stage to the amusement of the audience. Batch HS62 who is celebrating their golden moment came up with an extravaganza where the batch rendered old La Salle fighting songs backed-lit by a video that highlighted the best among their graduates. As we know, Batch62 is probably the DLS batch with some of the most successful professionals / businessmen who have made their mark both in the public and private sector.

Batch63 had always supported the DLS homecoming events and this year was no different even if the batch had no special role in the event shows. The Batch63 guys who came were: Bro. Ray Suplido, Baby Angeles, Joey Zamora, Lito Quiogue, Boy Carlos, Quito Moras, Tonichi Grey, Raffy Villarreal, Joey Estagle, Bambi Goco, Vince Misa and Oni Mayo. Boy Lumba, Vic Romero and Jack Arellano are technically Batch63 guys who were at the Homecoming but for complicated reasons, were seen in the company of the celebrating Batch62 instead of Batch63 (mga balimbing!). Their numbers were however not missed as the Batch63 HS gang annexed Batch67 college diehards in the next table (Ramon Mojica, Ben Umali, Sonny Jacinto, etc.). As we know, Batch67 college guys are effectively Batch63 guys as well.

If 2012 is Batch62’s year, then this means that next year, 2013, is Batch63’s milestone year! Watching the entertaining proceedings, many Batch63 were fired up. They are now bent on coming together soon to have an early start and see how next year they can top the various presentations they witnessed that night. Animo La Salle!

See silde show for more photos.

DLSU College Batch67

Last week, Ramon Mojica of Batch67 had batchmates and friends for dinner in his house. Actually it was the birthday of Ramon’s son and so he took the opportunity to have friends over as well. About half a dozen La Sallites attended the party. Ramon just wanted to get together and do a little jammin’! The delicious dinner fare in the party is vintage Ramon menu complete with lechon and endless liquor flow. After the meal, the La Salle guys gravitated towards the pool table where the sound system was. With his electric guitar (and Ventures and Shadows M1s), Ben Umali provided memorable 60’s instrumental rock fare to the crowd.

Ramon said he had extended his invitation to many Batch63 guys (who were also Batch68) but only Eboy Cosme and Oni Mayo came. Batch67 is a happy group and would have liked to present something in the homecoming on March 3. According to Ben, they had wanted to support Joey Estagle’s Elvis act but they were not able to come together to practice. Maybe it’s not too late.

BOSS - " VII - IRONMAN CHALLENGE MARATHON"

By Roberto Saenz

group photo label- left to right- Bert Saenz, Dougie Marcaida, Inaki Saenz,
Raymond Nunez, Ray John Garces, Joey del Rosario, Ryan Tongson,
Marvin del Rosario

What is the BOSS - "VII - Ironman Challenge Marathon?".It was the 7th running of a Motorcycle Marathon started by the BOSS - BMW Owners Society of Saferiders (A BMW owners club) to determine if they had the stamina to complete a long distance marathon within a 24 hour period. The distance to be travelled is 1,200 kilometers and to be considered to have finished the run, you have to complete it within EXACTLY 24 hours at the maximum ! To give you an idea of how strict this rule is enforced,at the VIth run in 2011 (one Ducati team-they fielded 2 teams-retired w/out finishing the run) the second Ducati team arrived at 3am and the BOSS team arrived at 4am (both had flagged off around midnight of Saturday) so their runs were 27 and 28 hours roughly, both teams were DNF. It is not a race, and finishers who complete the run in 13- 15- 20- 24 hours are listed in alphabetical order, not by time they reach the finish line.

The run covers Balintawak Home Depot (in EDSA) thru NLEX -Sta Rita exit (it is the only portion where you can run on the expressway)-Bulacan - Nueva Ecija - Nueva Viscaya - Isabela - Cagayan (to Aparri at the Northern tip of Luzon)- Ilocos Norte - Ilocos Sur - La Union - up to Baguio - Marcos Highway- Rosario, La Union - Pangasinan - Tarlac - Pampanga (to finish line at Stotsenburg Hotel inside Clark Field). The run covers 85 towns and cities. At the exit at Sta Rita - you had to drop a card with your name and number (to ensure you didn't take a shortcut) Checkpoints were at 1) Flying V -Baloc, Nueve Ecija, 2)Flying V in Tuguegarao, Cagayan 3)Flying V Bantay, Ilocos Sur 4) Prince Plaza Hotel - Legarda road in Baguio 5) Flying V Pugo. La Union (at the bottom of Marcos Highway) 6) Flying V Clark Pampanga. Participants are all obliged to stop at the checkpoints, so Marshalls could stamp your ID's to certify you had passed the checkpoint. Anyone arriving at Clark with even one checkpoint stamp missing is considered DNF. It is the PRESTIGE marathon motorcycle run in this country!

Let us now consider the level of DIFFICULTY of the run. 1200 kilometers....at a slow cruise speed of 60 KPH should have one at the finish line in 20 hours (with 4 hours left over for refuel/rest/bathroom/meals etc) right ? WRONG ! You all go up to Baguio regularly and leaving at 2 or 3 am you can run it in 4 to 4.5 hours. Leave Manila at 5 or 6 am and it takes you 5, 6 or even 7 hours to get there. The run is 250 kilometers only of which 125 kilometers is NLEX - SCTEX where you run at 100-130 KPH. You probably only make 1 stop enroute.....so why 5 or 6 hours? Even going at your low average, the marathon is 5 times the distance so it should take us 25 hours for the run.....thats the reality of it. In your cars, you're comfortably seated in air conditioned environment and often use only 1 hand to steer and one foot for the accelerator. On a motorcycle - left hand to depress the clutch lever - right hand for throttle and for front brake- left foot to shift gears - right foot for rear brakes. Motorcycle saddles are comfortable enough but not beyond 10 hour runs. No windshield wipers, so when it rains, you run soaked. head winds and crosswinds buffet you around when strong....and most of all....when you hit the FAMOUS potholes in Philippine Highways....you guys get jarred in your cars when you hit a pothole at over 100kph.....SH_T ! When we can't avoid them.....we have to check that the "family jewels" are still whole. The best validation of the difficulty of the Ironman is this.....there are 10's of thousands of "Big Bikes" in this country (bikes 400cc and above).....but only around 250 -275 men take up the Challenge. Dougie Marcaida, my son Inaki and I belong to LERAP (Law Enforcer Riders' Association of the Philippines) with a membership of over 1,300 members. Only the 3 of us and 1 other member joined the Ironman this year. This is the second year the three of us ran the Marathon, we already ran it in January 0f 2011.

We were supposed to run the marathon as a group of 7.... friends, Joey del Rosario (1200 BMW) Ryan Tongson (850 BMW) Raymond Nunez (850 BMW) Ray John Garces (800 Ducati) Douglas Marcaida (Honda Super 4) Inaki Saenz (Honda Nighthawk 750) Bert Saenz (R65ls BMW). As you can see I was badly outclassed by everyone in our team ! The R-65 was the oldest motorcycle in the marathon- being a 1984 model classsic (shucks...pareho pa kaming 65...ha ha ha). We met at the office of Sinangag Express in BF Paranaque which is owned by Joey and Ryan (that was where our "Group Photo" was taken) and at 7pm motored to Balintawak Home Depot to get signed in. The short 39 kilometer run thru C5 took us 2 hours to run....what an auspicious begining to a marathon ! Friday night traffic ! The marathon was scheduled to flagoff starting Midnight Saturday morning.....so hopefully we would all meet in Clark within 24 hours (early Sunday 15th Jan). so much for the great start. As if that wasn't enough....as soon as we signed in and picked up our kits...Ray John Garces gets a call from his office and was informed he had to report for work Saturday....so our team was down to 6 men.

The marathon was more organized this year and cars and suv's were all flagged off before midnight, leaving lots of space for the motorcycles. They flagged off the 2 teams (20 men teams) BOSS and PK (only 2 teams this year compared to 5 or 6 teams last year) then groups then individuals. We were off on our Great Adventure !!!

Dougie, who drives like fighter pilot, took over as "pointman" when our group was flagged off with the rest following. We raced thru the 40 kms to Sta Rita, enjoying the only portion of the run that was obstruction free and then entered the REAL WORLD. The road to Baloc, the 1st checkpoint was flat and relatively straight, but no street lighting and an uneven road caused by heavy cargo trucks restricted speed to around 90 kph. The road thru Nueva Ecija remained the same till the end of Munoz when we started to cross the Caraballo mountains, between Nueva Ecija and Sta Fe, Nueva Viscaya....when we started climbing the zigzag roads the road turned bad....lots of potholes and in a lot of areas...no shoulder as it is being repaired. Raymond "Tarzan" Nunez took over "point" a big man (body builder) on a tall 850 BMW with super bright lights and hazard lights flashing....he waved aside 10 wheeler trucks we were passing aside as well as trucks coming our way. Most of the road was so bad it was mostly one lane but with Raymond waving them aside (and they thinking he was a cop) we didn't do too poorly but the road took a serious toll on both our bikes and our bodies. Crossing into Sta Fe Nueva Viscaya....HEAVEN!!!! The roads were not only paved they were CEMENTED ! Lots of twisties thru Nueva Viscaya but beautiful roads....we were starting to enjoy our ride. As we entered Isabela there were more straight roads and we did good time till Cauayan, Isabella where we stopped to refuel. It was daylight by this time and we enjoyed the beautiful countryside since around the end of Nueve Viscaya (cattle country) thru Cauayan. Here we also took a CR break, quick sandwich breakfast, smoked and stretched. After 20 minutes we were back on the road.

After we left Cauayan, Raymond and Ryan who were like race horses "straining at the bit" picked up their pace and raced on ahead of the group. Dougie also picked up his pace and followed them, leaving Joey, Inaki and me at the rear. Full daylight now and we had a chance to appreciate the beauty of the Cagayan Valley...so aptly named coz there are rice fields galore and mountains in the background,,,,oh so green and lush....and the people so friendly. They would straighten up from working the fields just to wave. Between dodging dogs, chickens, carabaos, tricycles, goats and people (and the perenial traffic in the towns and cities) we were getting an eyeful of our beautiful country ! Pity....most of us have seen so many parts of the world yet so little of our own country. Around 6 kilometers before the next check point in Tuguegarao, a problem came up...Joey got hit by a bad case of leg cramps and had to stop. Took about 30 minutes for the cramps to pass and for him to walk around, before we could proceed. We hit Tuguegarao and did not take a road we took last year when we got lost. Hello ! Next thing I know the welcome sign says Iguig, Cagayan ! I overtake both Inaki and Joey and motion them to the side of the road. "Hey Joey...we've overshot Tuguegarao....didn't your P 30,000.00 GPS show you the way to the checkpoint?" I asked. "Oh sh_t !" replied Joey, "I wasn't looking at it. I thought we were on the right road" We turn back and after about 3 or 4 kilometers encounter Dougie chasing us ! He pulls over to the side of the road and mouths "Conio ! Turn back !" does an angry U turn and takes us to the check point. The check point was empty except for us but the Marshalls were very friendly and offered us food and drink. We shared a 1.5 liter bottle of Gatorade...forcing Joey to drink most of it. Explained to Joey that cramps - hand, leg and foot cramps were my perenial problem when biking before, till Joey Almeda, a friend and neighbor of my Dad in Urdaneta Village (and the MASTER of the marathon- took it the first year in 15 hrs 53 minutes on a broken leg in a cast- and in 12 hrs 30 mins the second year) taught me, "Drink no water, Bert, only Gatorade ! and you wont suffer cramps !" How true ! Gatorade contains enough potassium and sodium to keep cramps from bothering you.....I found that out last year. We were at the checkpoint for over 30 mins waiting for Raymond and Ryan who had not yet checked in. We finally contact them by phone ,to find out they had overshot even further. Raymond had also suffered a flat tire and they were running back and forth to a vulcanizing shop to get the tire fixed! After 45 minutes we decide to push on....the two would return to the check point after tire repair and just catch up with us. We run into them about 10 kms down the road, stop to give them directions and sped away....with Dougie going like a bat out of hell !

By this time, Joey and Ryan are totally disgusted with their P30k "pieces of fu_kin sh_t Gartim GPS units...though in retrospect they admit it was also lack of familiarity with the equipment. Raymond is upset with his tire and Dougie is pissed off at our delay. His leg is hurting like hell.....so he is flying down the highway, in order to leave the pain behind !

Joey, Inaki and I pick up our pace.....while still enjoying the scenery and catch up with Dougie in Aparri, where there is a loop in the road to tke you across a long bridge toward Ilocos Norte.....Dougie picks up speed again and this time I am behind him. After about 15 minutes I am starting to wonder what happened to Joey and Inaki, so I slow down a bit to give them time to catch up. At Sta Praxedes I come across Dougie parked at a fuel station at a curve so I pull over. It is now 12:30 noon and 12 hours since our takeoff in Balintawak. Coincidentally we are also at 50 kilometers past the halfway point of the run. 20 minutes later Joey and Inaki appear and explain that Joey got hit by another bout of cramps after the loop in Aparri. We take our sandwich lunch break at the fuel station, CR, smoke, rest and stretch. Dougie who discovered he has Diabetes in early December has to take a shot in the stomach (he needs it twice a day) and has to eat within 15 minutes.....is hurting even more by now! Joey is biting the bullet and just keeps going as well. The pain be DAMNED ! Lets get the "show on the road"....and while there is no sign of Raymond or Ryan we push on.

Around 10 kms from our stop we cross a bridge that was under repair. Dougie, Joey, Inaki then me, and we are going quite fast. As I pass the section being repaired, my rear starts to wobble....FLAT TIRE... Lost about 2 hours plus to get tire vulcanized....and we are lagging behind Dougie n Joey....so we race off after them. At Claveria town, we stop to refuel and go.

We hit the Claveria pass....one of the most beautiful and scenic areas of the whole route. High mountains on the left with lush forest, the road (with retaining steel railing) then cliffs and the sea...with wild waves crashing against the sheer stone cliffs on the right, about 250 feet below. Absolutely breath taking spectacle.....that twisting roadway. We then enter the twisties as we approach Pagudpud again lots of twisties till you get to Bangui were you are met with the sight of the majestic windmill fields....with their huge propellers generating megawatts of electric power. We are speeding to make use of the last of the days light before we reach Laoag. We make Laoag at 6pm ......take a rest,CR, fuel, drink stop. We depart Laoag at 6:35pm and head for the Vigan checkpoint.

We are still chasing the two ahead of us. Half way thru the 80 kilometers to Vigan my eyes start to see double....DISASTER ! Pull over to the shoulder at a fruit stand and find out we are still 40 kms to Vigan, and its a bit past 7pm. Drink 3 cups of black coffee, 1 Red Bull and 1 Impulse...rest for 15 and try to wake up. Inaki calls the guys and all 4 of them are already in Vigan. Raymond and Ryan had caught up with them while we were taking a break in Laoag. Still very groggy I asked Inaki to take the lead so I could hide behind him from glare of oncoming vehicles as I was determined to continue....even at a crawl...20-30kph...so in case I passed out I wouldn't do too much damage to myself or my motorcycle. Made Vigan at 9:30pm ! Requested the Marshalls to inform Baguio that we were arriving so someone would wait for us at the Baguio Checkpoint.

Joey, who had suffered another couple of bouts of leg cramps decided to retire in Vigan (890kms fm start)...and Ryan stayed to keep him company. Inaki n I get our ID's stamped, take 3 cups of coffee and head for Baguio. We reached Baguio at 2am (25.5 hours after takeoff). We call Dougie and are informed that him and Raymond were at Pugo, La Union (at 5th checkpoint- n that the Flying V station was already closed)but they were pushing on to Clark.

Inaki and I decide to have a hot meal so we go to the restaurant of Mount Peak Hotel on Legarda Road. Taking our meal I decided...enough...time to call it a day. We checked into Mount Peak to get some sleep......for the second year in a row...we retired in Baguio....having run 1,050 kms of the 1,200km run.

We call Dougie n Raymond before going to the room and find out they ate in Urdaneta,Pangasinan taking a break...exhausted.

Awakening at 10am...I open my phone ande see a message from Raymond "Tarzan" Nunez...sent around 5:30am..it read "Tangina! Just got home to Las Pinas. I have never done anything so difficult in my life ! Left Dougie who checked in when we got to Tarlac, Tarlac. Raymond had run almost 1,400 kms straight ! A couple of days later we hold a post ride "campfire" and listen to the litany of Conio from Dougie...directed at the jerk who had told him in Tarlac that he was still 3 hours away from Clark. He was 40 kilometers to the finish line!

The consensus of the group ? HELL...Lets do it again next year....only a bit faster! IT IS A BEAUTIFUL MOTORCYCLE RIDE!


See slide show for more photos.

Melo Part 2

Under Philippine tradition, the last night of a wake is the big night among all the wake nights. For Melo’s wake, Batch63 came out in force to memorialize Melo’s final night on Wednesday before his burial. The guys who came were Tonichi Grey, Mari Duarte, Doug Marcaida, Boy Nazareno, Joe Assad, Bert Saenz, George Cunanan, Joey Estagle, Polding Arnaiz, Steve Hontiveros, Raffy Villarreal, Oni Mayo, Boy Carlos, Ramon Arnaiz, Jacky Arellano, Ed Oleta, Tony Estonina, Vince Misa, Bambi Goco, Lito Quiogue and Lito Domantay.

In recognition of Melo’s indomitable DLS friends, the Prats family allowed the Batch to conduct the final night program. Joey Estagle took to task being the emcee for the show. Tonichi, Douglas and Melo’s two boys went front and center one after the other to speak about snippets of memories they shared with the fallen Melo. And then after all the eulogy that , it was sing-along time to celebrate Melo’s life!

During healthier times, a continuing interest of Melo was playing the guitar and singing Elvis. Because of this, Joey E enjoined the audience to sing some Elvis one last time for Melo. Joey E and Vince Misa led the singing with gusto. After the Elvis, Batch63's “Hail One La Salle” song was performed where a funny thing happened. Joey E and Vince sang the song better than its composer Oni Mayo who bungled the song lines at the end of the song. Alz?

Melo was cremated and buried in the resting place of his parents in Manila Memorial Park Thursday morning.

See slide show for more photos.

Carmelo Prats

In the last few years, I had the opportunity of hanging out a few times with Carmelo Prats (Melo) in his house in Singalong. The Singalong events were either to celebrate his birthday or to welcome the arrival of certain Balikbayan Batch63 friends who were also Melo’s close friends. Otherwise, there wasn’t much chance to see him since Melo isn’t active at the Kapihan and other Batch gatherings.

As far as I know, Melo’s cup of tea in entertainment consists of imbibing in hard drinks, continuously blowing cigarette smoke and feasting on pulutan. This is why his close friends are the likes of Conio boys Tonichi Grey, Polding Arnaiz, Doug Marcaida, Bert Saenz and old neighborhood Pasaway guys like Ed Oleta and Tony Estonina. Birds of the same feather? Last week, Melo had a heart attack and was brought to the hospital On early Monday morning, Batch 63 got word from Bert Saenz that Melo had finally succumbed.

Melo left behind a wife (Karen), eight children and grandchildren. The first night of the wake featured all of Melo’s family, relatives and some friends. The Batch63 scouting party at the wake were: Mari Duarte, Tonichi Grey, Doug Marcaida, Gem Yabut, Quito Moras, Bert Saenz and Oni Mayo. The Batch63 table outside the wake viewing room typically displayed Johnny Walker Black courtesy of Tonichi. The Batch was joined at their table by Gusi Barrios (Melo’s brother in law) and briefly by Melo’s sons (Mark and MJ Jr.). Karen and Melo’s sister Gigi also approached the Batch and acknowledged their presence at the wake (see photos).

As we know Melo is an artist. He creates “collage relief” paintings of European scenes. Fittingly, his art works gets to be displayed on the walls of houses in Europe ( brought there by European buyers). Melo's artistic technique is undeniably laborious to do. He could take months and even years (for some frames) to complete a piece. Looking at one of Melo’s huge framed art work displayed at the wake (a colorful Bavarian scene), one can appreciate the work patience, craftsmanship and eye for beauty of this talented Batch63 man. In closing this story, Batch63 thus fondly bids Melo good bye. Adios y reposo tranquilo, amigo.

See slide show for more photos.

The Boys of Aquarius

The Main Draw
The January Grand Kapihan (joint birthdays event) opened 2012 with a bang for the Batch63 gang. The January birthday celebrants who hosted the breakfast treat at Cameron Forbes (Polo Club) were Ed Oleta; Ramon Arnaiz; Tony Estonina; Mandy Ilustre; Tito Lucero; and Oni Mayo. The “faithful” who came to the party were: Ed Lim; Quito Moras; Mari Duarte; Polding Arnaiz; Steve Hontiveros; Joey Ingles; Eboy Cosme; Gary Salcedo; Joey Estagle; Lito Quiogue; Bert Saenz; George Cunanan; Gabby Valdes; Tonichi Grey; Jackie Arellano; Doug Marcaida; Boy Carlos; and Vince Misa. Cameron Forbes resto showed its cooperation by introducing a ham carving station in addition to their regular fare. As many of us know, the Polo kitchen is managed by Viki Clemente - a Batch63 friend whose brother Boy Tinio is also a La Salle alum. (For those interested, Viki runs a gourmet dining place in Baquio.)

















The Celebrants
Today, Tony Estonina remains as busy as ever. This civil engineer is a successful developer of urban townhouses – an infilling approach to housing. His formula for success includes a practical understanding of his niche market and what makes for a good location. Interestingly, he has acquired inventory sites (large lots in the Singalong area) that used to belong to the family of his classmates Lito Quiogue and Ed Lim. Even with several ongoing projects in the pipeline, he hopes to develop four more sites for this year.

Tito Lucero is operating from home nowadays. Nope, he’s not into his old entertainment business. Rather he sells pricey Nautica watches in Ebay today. Per Tito this is a part time activity that helps him sustain his passions. (Would you believe a seven figure gross revenue output from Ebay in a given year?). Apparently there are people who outbid themselves in Ebay (even starting at a lowly price of P90 per watch). And what of Tito’s current leisure activity . . . among other things, he goes to HK for R&R now and then. Naturally he's accompanied by his caregiver.

One would not believe that Ed Oleta is living on borrowed time (in his own words). Ed is afflicted by the Big C (prostate stage 4) and he is currently being treated for it. Despite the chemo and surgery that he had undergone, Ed remains the vision of a strong man – sharp, erect, hale and hearty. Ed is the type who will not forgo all the pleasures of life on the basis of doctors’ advise. He quips: “If I followed all the regimen and diet recommended for me, my life will be s_ _ _. Doing what I do, I’m finding out that I remain in a condition that’s the same as what I’d be in had I done what they recommend!” To that I can only admit it’s typical Batch63 attitude . . so amen!

One haciendero in our midst is Mandy Ilustre. Mandy is a picture of stability nowadays. Happly married and semi-retired, Mandy busies himself attending to his properties in Batangas (Lemery and Tuy). Mandy’s businesses include agricultural plantations (sugar cane) as well as commercial properties in Batangas. Time and again, the congenial but quiet Mandy is one person that the Batch can always call on for support when it is required.

Ramon Arnaiz left the Kapihan early and I was unable to interview him. However, I spoke with those who know him well (Quito and Polding) and elicited information on what Ramon may have to say about himself. Recently, Ramon had divested himself from the ATK firm that he helped found. The aggressively expanding Maybank group (a Malaysian bank) bought ATK. From that transaction, I understand that Ramon can now live in leisure for the rest of his life. Per Quito, the maneuver is a sweet deal for Ramon since he gets to stay on with the company for a period of three years still (from sale) complete with financial benefits.

Finally, Oni Mayo is your humble Blog writer for the better cohesion of Batch63. When he is not writing blogs he attends to CONCEP (his design and planning office) which remains active to this day. With the advent of Green architecture and Climate change disaster risk planning, Oni feels that he will never be done being a student of his craft. His hobbies include sports and music. After 45 years of doing it on the courts, he thinks he has finally got the handle on his tennis serve. If you have heard the “Hail One La Salle” song (check out YouTube), then you know that he also dabbles in songwriting. His other passions include Heritage conservation advocacy and going out to questionable bars in Manila with Vince Misa, Bert Saenz and Ed Oleta.

If you must now, Batch63 interest is not all about business, fun and games. Behind the wordly façade of many Batch63 guys, their DLS virtues comes through especially when it comes to nationalistic affairs. During the Kapihan thus, a poll of the celebrants regarding the current socio-political situation of the country was made. The issue of the day is accountability within the government and specifically the ongoing prosecution trials of Renato Corona (Supreme Court Chief Justice) and GMA (past Ex-President). Probably based on the previous sacking of the PAGASA director (for inadvertence in making storm warnings), the Ombudsman (for blatant bias in support of GMA) and recently the NBI chief (for fostering kidnapping and other crimes), the fearless forecast of the celebrants is that Corona and GMA will likely be found guilty as charged. One qualified that GMA will be found guilty but Corona will be acquitted (technicalities will be exploited by the defense). Overall, everyone agreed that the recent developments foster transparency in governance and are good for the country.

Special Bulletin
As we know, our Batchmate Melo Prats is on the final stages of the Big C (throat). Yes this once robust DLS athlete is now sickly and has been in and out of the hospital since December. From those who were in touch with him, we were made to understand that Melo expressed that he would be appreciative in seeing his friends one last time. Hence, the group planned out and went on a mass visit to Melo’s house right after the Grand Kapihan. Even as the Batch’s entourage of 5 cars arrived at Melo’s house and were parking, the person there advised them that Melo was not in.

At 4AM in the early morning, Melo suffered a heart attack and had to be rushed to the hospital. He is presently comatose and is on life support system. According to the family, Melo knew beforehand that Batch63 was coming and was clearly excited about it. This reunion was not to be. At this point, the faithful is requested to say a little prayer for the embattled Melo and his family.


See slide show for more photos