Isko/Iska

Another Facebook tag.


1. ANONG STUDENT NUMBER MO? 93-16168

2. NAKAPASA KA BA OR WAITLISTED? sa kasamaang-palad, waitlisted (see no.4 and 5)

3. PAANO MO NALAMAN ANG ENTRANCE EXAM RESULT? sinabi sa akin ng pinsan ko who was already in UP. sa halip na matuwa, kinabahan ako dahil sa mga kuwento nya about UP ROTC!

4. ANO ANG FIRST CHOICE MO NA COURSE? Business Administration

5. SECOND CHOICE? Business Administration and Accountancy (I did not know what I was doing)

6. ANO COURSE NATAPOS MO? Tourism (or according to many, Turiiiiisiiiim.) But before that, English major ako. Frankly, medyo nagsisisi ako at sa Tourism ako nag-shift. I was 17, and at that time, I really did not know what to do with my life. I only realized what I really want to do nung nagtatrabaho na ako. I think I should have taken Political Science or Anthropology. If only I could go back in time...

7. NAG-SHIFT KA BA? see no.6. At that time, I was seriously considering taking up Film, pero nung time na yun, wala pang digital. We just couldn't afford that.

8. CHINITO/CHINITA KA BA? yes, if I squeeze my face enough

9. NAKAPAG-DORM KA BA? hindi! I wish I did. Sana na-experience ko hindi maligo dahil walang tubig sa Kalayaan!

10. NAKA UNO KA BA? yes, sa Thesis.

11. NAGKA-3? twice, sa Math 17 at Accounting! I got a 4, but I was able to turn it into a 2 by taking the subject again. But I never got a 5.

12. LAGI KA BANG PUMAPASOK SA KLASE? yes. Although sa likod ng notebook ko meron akong chart kung naka-ilang absent na ako per class. Di dapat lumampas ng tatlong beses. Umaabsent ako pag may magandang sine sa SM!

13. MAY SCHOLARSHIP KA BA? STFAP

14. ILANG UNITS NA ANG NAIPASA MO? everything

15. NANGARAP KA BANG MAGING CUM LAUDE? amazingly, hindi. I wish I did. At that time, wala sa akin yung magka-honor. One of the reasons why I want to go back to UP is to sort of correct that. I think I'm capable of doing a lot better.

16. KELAN KA NAGTAPOS? 1997

17. FAVE PROF? Winnie Monsod sa Econ, Prof. Rodriguez sa AIT, and that really cool lady who made us listen to the Beatles sa Humanities

18. WORST TEACHER: I had this professor sa Kasaysayan. This old-ish guy who smoked a lot in class. Plus, our class was at 7am, and he had this really low voice. We just wanted to sleep!

19. FAVE SUBJECT: Humanities II, Economics

20. WORST SUBJECT: all the Math subjects, Chemistry, etc.

21. FAVE BUILDING: the Main Library

22. PABORITONG KAINAN: Beach House, and also that burger place sa Vinzons. Anybody still remember Green House? All the ulam there tasted the same dahil lahat "sinasabawan" ng gravy nila na nag-iisang klase. Second sem na nang nakapasok ako sa Casaa. Never ako nakakain sa Co-op.

23. NOONG ESTUDYANTE KA PA MAGKANO BA ANG BINABAYAD MO SA JEEP? P1.25 sa Ikot, P1.50 regular fare

24. LAGI KA BA SA LIBRARY? lagi. When I had free time, nandun ako, either Main Lib or AIT lib. Since elementary, close ako sa mga librarians, even when my classmates hated them for being too strict

25. NAGPUNTA KA BA SA CLINIC NUN? nung medical exam lang prior to entering UP. Ang sabi ng iba, hindi pa sila pumapasok ng UP, na-harass na sila, kasi pinaghubad at pinatuwad sila during the medical exam!

26. MAY CRUSH KA BA SA CAMPUS? yes, blockmate ko. ganda nya. she's now married.

27. ANU-ANO ANG MGA NAGING PE MO? Social dance, PE 1, bowling. I waited till my senior year para kunin ang marksmanship. In demand yun, at pag-senior ka, priority ka. Pucha, hindi in-offer nung graduating na ako, bumagsak ako sa Philippine games!

28. KAMUSTA NAMAN ANG BLOCK NYO? we got along well. English majors kami; many of them went on to become lawyers

29. MEMORIZE MO BA ANG ALMA MATER SONG? ngayon yung umpisa na lang

30. MEMBER KA BA NG VARSITY TEAM? duh

31. NAKA-PERFECT KA NA BA NG EXAM? I think so

32. DITO KA BA NATUTONG UMINOM NG BEER? no. never hung out with anybody in UP while I was studying there. Pathetic no? Wala akong org (well, I had for a short time, before the org ceased to exist). I nearly joined Kontra-Gapi, but my blockmates did not show up para samahan ako. So I just went home that afternoon. Kainis!

33. NAHULI KA BANG NAKIKIPAGLAMPUNGAN SA SUNKEN GARDEN? no. Pero memorable syempre ang Sunken Garden, not just because of ROTC, but because dun lagi ako sa grandstand pumupunta noon para manigarilyo. I didn't want anybody to see me smoking. I felt really guilty.

34. SAAN PINAKAMASARAP ANG FISHBALL? Anywhere in UP

35. ANONG BATTALION MO NUNG ROTC? Charlie, then Alpha, Infantry. Hated ROTC, but a day after our last day of training, na-miss ko sya. I still see some fellow former cadets every now and then, usually sa malls. (I see one on TV, another one plays in a band.) I don't know their names (except the popular ones), pero di ko malilimutan ang mga mukha nila. We shared a past, parang Vietnam veterans!

36. ANO PABORITO MONG MERYENDA SA UP? yung pritong lumpia na nilalako ng mga ale sa bilao

37. NAIKOT MO NA BA ANG ACAD OVAL? hello, ROTC

38. INULAN KA BA NUNG UMATTEND KA NG UNIVERSITY GRADUATION? hindi. medyo mainit nun

39. ANO ANG PINAKAGRABENG PILANG NAPUNTAHAN MO? there was a time na if you want to sign-up for a class, you had to be there either really early morning or the night before

40. KUNG MAY QUOTE KA PARA SA UP, ANO ITO? wala akong maisip

Namfrel get-togethers

1: Christmas Party
December 19, 2008
Namfrel office, Makati

Visit Namfrel's new website at www.namfrel.com.ph

(Click on any image to see more photos from the party.)

2: Leo's house
January 16, 2009

Our friend and fellow Namfrel volunteer Leo Castro used to be a member of UP's Kontemporaryong Gamelang Pilipino (Kontra-Gapi). (Fun fact: he also used to write for Batibot!) He makes and sells traditional Filipino musical instruments in their house in San Juan. Interested? You can send him a message through jen_castelo@yahoo.com.

(Click on any image to see more photos.)

3: Balai Taal
January 24, 2009

Balai Taal is the Concepcion family's sprawling private property in Tagaytay. Visit their website at http://balai-taal.com once it's up again (he he he). We basically invited ourselves to JoeCon's hideaway. It was my second time to visit; the first time the place wasn't even finished. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Concepcion's gracious hospitality.

(Click on any image to see more photos from Balai Taal.)

A handful of photographs from the 2008 UP Lantern Parade

(Click any image to see more photos)
(Click any image to see more photos)

Dahil kay R

"Hindi ka na nagsusulat?" Ricky asked as he signed my copy of his new book, his very first novel. "Well, I write in my blog." A heartbeat, and then I knew it was a rather stupid thing to say. "I hope you go back to writing soon," he wrote in his dedication, which made me feel worse. I wanted to say, I was never into writing so how can I go back to it, but that would be digging my grave just a little bit deeper. But I do write, just not literature or screenplays, and certainly just for fun. But still I feel a bit guilty.

How can I not if the person I was talking to was Ricky Lee, whose hands wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for such masterpieces as Himala, Moral, Brutal, Salome, Jaguar, Itim, Relasyon, and so many others? Who gave Philippine cinema strong women characters? Whose style influenced virtually every young filmmaker and scriptwriter working today in the country? Who was responsible for many of these young filmmakers' and writers' careers in the first place (that's why during Ricky events, you see them volunteering to help out, ushering guests, manning the tables)?

Ten years ago, I walked into the Mowelfund Film Institute compound to audition to be part of Ricky's writing workshop. I'd already been with Namfrel for just a couple of months at that time, but I was still dreaming to become a film director. I thought, how can I be a good director if I do not know how to write? In hindsight, I did not really know what I was doing. Many of the participants, as I would later find out, didn't either. We were there because this great opportunity was there. And we wanted to get to know, and be known by, the Ricky Lee, who in Philippine movie writing, was and is a god, no one bigger.

Apparently, hundreds of people were thinking the same thing. I think I went on the last day of auditions, and Mowelfund's spacious compound was just bursting with people. How the hell will I pull this off, I thought. A cattle call. Hundreds of people, hundreds of dreams. This could get bloody.

They made us write on the spot a short narrative, in longhand. I wrote mine in English, a comedy. I don't remember exactly how the story went, but the main characters were John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Sean Lennon, with the couple having an argument, throwing Beatles memorabilia at each other including a limited edition copy of The White Album, with Yoko making strange sounds, and Sean throwing a tantrum and wishing he were Jakob Dylan instead at the end of the story (I knew I should have made a copy). The screening committee was composed of writers and directors, including Marilou Diaz-Abaya. I left Mowelfund thinking, thanks for the experience, what a way to spend the weekend.

Less than a month later, I received a letter from Ricky and a call from his assistant. I was in.

There were about thirty of us in our batch, the 12th batch of Ricky's workshoppers (the first had theirs in 1984; officially there would only be two more batches after us). We called ourselves Dosé ("twelve"). Some of us were already writing, if not for TV, for print media. There was an illustrator, a businessman, some were jobless. There could have been an actor and a singer, had then-budding star Piolo Pascual not opt out due to scheduling conflict, and had Jeffrey Hidalgo not drop out for an unspecified reason. Some of us were from the province, spending many hours traveling to Ricky's house in Quezon City, borrowing money from relatives just to be able to buy bus tickets (once in a while we chipped in for the travel). We were a happy bunch. Isabella de Leon, the daughter of our fellow workshopper Dean, was our unofficial mascot, before she became a child star and did those movies and soap operas for GMA-7.

Aside from the writing itself -- from conceptualizing ("pagbubuntis") to characterization, structure, milieu, dialogue, to making the outlines and the sequence treatment, all taught by Ricky himself in his very informal, funny, thorough, and easy to digest style -- what I remember most fondly about those months of workshop were the movies. Sometimes we would spend half the day just watching classic movies; some even pulled all-nighters, watching stuff like Pasolini's "Salo" (which many of them could not stand, but remains one of my favorite films).

Then there's Ricky's house. The talent that has passed through Ricky's doors is innumerable, it being the venue not just of his workshops, but also countless nights of brainstorming, story conferences, or simple get-togethers with colleagues and collaborators. For a movie and music junkie (like Ricky), his house is a dream. I could spend a whole day just staring at his extensive book collection (literature, art, movies, music), his huge cabinets of CDs (mostly rock), and racks upon racks of laserdiscs and DVDs (mostly hard-to-find art films). And you can borrow them, if you ask nicely.

And of course there's Ricky himself. An orphan from Daet, Camarines Norte, he went to Manila as a teenager and worked odd jobs, while writing short stories for which he won Palanca awards. While studying English in UP, he was involved in the underground movement, and was jailed in 1974 when Marcos declared martial law. After his release, he went on to write more stories, stage plays, and finally screenplays and teleplays.

In spite of his achievements, what strike people upon meeting Ricky Lee (currently the creative manager of ABS-CBN and creative consultant for Star Cinema) is his being soft spoken, his humility, his total lack of airs. For us who have gotten a bit closer to him, what we really value is his generosity, his desire to share what he has, not only for our success, but most importantly, for the future of the art of writing in the country. There are now plans to make The Writers Studio, which he and some of his closest associates have founded, to officially become a foundation that will put aspiring writers in school and make those dreams closer to reality.

And he really goes out of his way to help aspiring writers enter the business.

A few weeks after our workshop wrapped up, I was shocked when his assistant called me up at the office. He then gave the phone to Ricky. Would I like to write for ABS-CBN? My NGO life could have ended that day. I was with Namfrel for only a few months at that time, and I truly loved my job. It was an easy decision to make.

(Which partly explains my guilt. After almost ten years, after everything he has graciously done for people like me, I still owe him a screenplay).

There is one advice from Ricky that has stuck with me all these years. Pertaining to the style of writing we should follow, he would say, "kahit naka-kahon, basta nakabukas ang kahon." It is okay to be conventional, as long as there's something in it that is not conventional. Or, it's okay to compromise (if you're in the entertainment business), as long as there's something in it that pushes the art form forward. Funny that it has not struck me as merely a sound advice for writing, but for living a life. It's okay to be normal, but don't be boring. It's okay to be a suit, but be a bit crazy after 6. It's okay to have a regular job, but do other things on the side. It's okay to go along with a group, but don't lose your individuality. It's okay to live according to others' expectations, but do not sacrifice your integrity.

It is probably one of the best advice a young person could ever get, probably the best gift that Ricky has unwittingly given me. And I'll forever be grateful.




(Click the image below to see photos from the launching of Ricky Lee's first ever novel, "Para Kay B: O Kung Paano Dinevastate ng Pag-Ibig Ang 4 Out of 5 Sa Atin").

UP slambook

1. Student number?
93-16168

2. College?
Asian Institute of Tourism (UP Diliman)
There'll be another one hopefully this year.

3. Course?
BS Tourism

4. Did you shift or get kicked out?
Shifted because I couldn't imagine myself teaching. I was an English major. Current job: teacher!

5. Where'd you take the UPCAT?
Crap, I don't remember. It's that building near AS.

6. Favorite GE subject?
Humanities II. Music, movies, sculpture, wow. Discovered the brilliance of The Beatles through this class.

7. Favorite PE?
Social dance, he he he. I wanted to get into the marksmanship class, so I delayed taking it until my senior year when we were supposed to be given priority. However, it wasn't offered that semester when I was supposed to take it, so I had to settle for...Philippine games!

8. Where'd you do guy/girl watching?
Wherever I was holed up. I was a nerd, so, um, main lib steps?

9. Favorite professor(s)
My Humanities II instructor (forgot her name), and Prof. Rodriguez in AIT.

10. Most hated GE courses?
The Science and Math courses, and also Philo and Soc Sci.

11. Did you take Wednesday or Saturday courses?
Wednesday yes. I didn't have to, but I wanted the allowance. Saturday we had to do ROTC (hello Jing Gaddi of Tungaw and Ang Bandang Shirley! You used to bring us our overpriced Spanish bread and Coke when we were in Charlie and Alpha Infantry).

12. Did you go on field trips?
Yes, we went to my town in Taal, Batangas for P.I. 100, among other places. Laguna, Rizal, usual places.

13. Did you ever become College Scholar or University Scholar?
I didn't care much about my grades, and I regret that. Didn't get any failing grades though. I think I was College Scholar once. I wish I could turn back time and do everything all over again. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I want to go back to school, to sort of correct that.

14. What were your organisations/fraternities/sororities?
None! Unbelievable. I was very active in high school, but did a complete turnaround in UP. I almost joined Kontra-Gapi, but my blockmates abandoned me, and I was too shy to apply alone. I joined an organization for English majors, but it folded up immediately after I joined. Malas!

15. Where did you hang out?
UP Main Library and AIT Library. High school and college, my buddies were library people.

16. Dorm, boarding house, or staying at home?
Lived with my aunt in San Juan. Had to be home by 7pm for dinner, that's why I never did anything in UP in the evening and was hesitant to join any org. I was robbed!

17. If there was no UPCAT and you were free to choose your course, what would it be (given your mental state during high school)?
I had no idea what I wanted to do when I was 16. I was already working when I realized what I really wanted to do with my.

18. Who was the first student you met in UP?
Two girls in Social Dance class (it was my first class ever in UP). Forgot their names though. Among my blockmates in CAL, I would say Alman Dave Quiboquibo, who's now a lawyer.

19. First play that you saw in UP?
The Portrait of An Artist as Filipino at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater.

20. What were the 5 most coño orgs.
Never cared about the orgs. I would say AIESEC, ECOSOC, JPIA, and others.

21. What were the coolest organisations/fraternities/sororities?
I really wanted to join Kontra-Gapi and Amnesty International. The Kontra guys were the ethnic guys, and the AI guys were rockers and goths and mountaineers. Babaw 'no? I also wanted to join UP Repertory, but I felt intimidated by the members. Also wanted to be in Ugnayan ng Pahinungod.

22. Was there a fraternity/sorority that recruited you?
None. Somebody from a cultish Christian church tried to talk me into joining them, but I was aware of their group so I just focused my attention on the passing cars as he talked. Two years later, he again approached me. He probably forgot that he already failed once.

23. Where'd you have lunch usually?

Green House (where everything tasted the same because they used the same gravy on everything), Beach House, that burger place in Vinzon's. Never set foot in CASAA until sophomore year.

24. Were you happy in UP?

Very. It was a totally new experience for somebody from the province. Very heady.

25. Were you ever part of a rally?
No. I wish I was.

26. How many times did you vote during the student council elections?
Everytime, except once when I had to be in Batangas.

27. Name at least 5 leftist groups in UP.
SAMASA? Forgot the others.

28. Did you ever wish for laude status when you were a freshman?
See no. 13.

29. Who did you have the hots for?
None, but I had this really beautiful blockmate. We got close (I think). Now she's in Europe, married.

30. If you failed the UPCAT what was Plan B?
None. I'm very thankful I passed. Couldn't imagine how my life would have turned out.

Naked guy gets party started right

Supposedly there was a motorcade participated in by the different campuses. There was also some skydiving involved and tambulis blown. But of course I did not see any of that because for some strange reason, the UP Centennial kick-off was held on a Tuesday. What about us alumni who have, you know, jobs? Anyway, I caught more than half of the concert at Quezon Hall later in the evening. My first reaction was, wow, this place is packed! Never seen the amphitheater that full, even during my university graduation ceremony. Saw some familiar faces from way back. My reaction upon seeing them was, oh my god, you're in your 30s!, or oh my god, you look like a mom! There was no place to sit but where I stood I could see the performers (there were also two giant screens). The UP Pep Squad was a hit. I managed to sneak into the backstage to watch some of the symphony performances, and Ryan Cayabyab's number.

My only complaint that evening was for once, there was nothing to eat! Whenever I visit UP, I make it a point to pig out on street food, usually ubiquitous when there's an event. I had to settle for some fried siomai in front of MassCom and overpriced C2.

Right after the orchestra played UP Naming Mahal, the fireworks started. Pretty good actually. And since this is UP, the event was fittingly capped with -- a rally! At 10 pm! I have retyped here the message in the pamphlet the student rallyists of the LFS distributed, because frankly, it makes sense:

* * * * *

UP Sang(an)daan Patungo sa Sentenaryo ng Tunay na Paglilingkod sa Sambayanan

Today marks the opening of the centennial celebration of the University of the Philippines.

In the centennial celebration, we will be commemorating 100 years of the excellence of UP, as the UP administration's theme (UP, Ang Galing!) implies. UP has been one of the country's top universities and has been producing countless number of brilliant students along with numerous national artists.

But aside from the academic achievements of the university, we should not forget what it stands for in the history of our country and the struggle of the people. Aside from being the vanguard of academic excellence, UP has also been the vanguard of the student movement in the country, always in the frontline of the fight for the people's rights. The major victories that were achieved through the struggle of the students are the lifting of the ban in joining student organizations, publishing the university paper and stopping the entry of the military in the campus. UP was not only involved in students' issues but also in national issues. The students and administration joined protests for the resignation of former Pres. Estrada, for the lifting of the pseudo Martial Law declaration Proclamation 1017 and many more.

This centennial is a challenge for the students and the administration to continue not only the academic excellence of the university but also how we use this to change the rotting system that is plaguing our society.

There are many issues that we are facing today, the continuing commercialization of UP education, the dislocation of the residents of UP communities without relocation because of commercialization programs, the setting up of call centers and science and technology parks in the campus instead of academic establishments, the approval of the new UP Charter that gives way to the said problems, as well as national issues such as the increasing number of unemployed, impoverished and victims of human rights violations.

It is a challenge to continue not only the struggle of the students but also the struggle of the people for we know that we are "iskolars ng bayan" and, as the Oblation statue symbolizes, our foremost task and reason for being is to SERVE THE PEOPLE.

* * * * *

Hell yes, Amen to all that. Hoy! Taga-UP ka! Happy Centennial sa 'yo!