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“ Ang lakas ninyong kumain, Walang katigil-tigil, “ Remember the lyrics? Chances are you don’t because they were sung by batchmate Angelita de Ocampo who played the “mataray na tiyahin” in the freshmen convocation of 1973, held at the old QPHS Gymnasium! It launched the ala Time Machine plot of the story for our three “bidas” namely Romulo Liporada (who also sang “I’ll Be Your Long-Haired Lover From The Liverpool” there earlier), Maritess Caja and that I-EM batchmate who did his “paiyak-iyak” version of “Ang maging ulila, sa balat ng lupa, ay kaawa-awa, laging lumuluha” (Sino nga nga baga ito?) after they were pushed by Angelita ……kaya nagkalabugan at nagtalbugan sila sa sahig na tabla ng stage…”Blog-bugudog!” Hungry and super “api” like Rosa Mia, they fell asleep ……. Next scene … The trio found themselves in the Pre-historic period, with I-AC batchmates in Fred and Wilma Flintstone costumes! ( “A-ah, ay para silang mga Ati-atihang puyat”
…remember?) Sound effects (Tunog ng drum)…”Tug-tug-tug! Tug-tug-tug! Tug-tug-tug! Tug-tug-tug!” Ramon Beloso did a “payat na Barok” number singing “Way down in the Congo Land, there lived a happy chimpanzee”. .Michelia Oriel sang back …..”Abadaba-daba-daba-daba-daba-daba,said the monkey to the chimp, Daba-daba-daba-daba-daba-daba-daba, said the chimpy to the monk!”…….”Then the big baboon one night in June, he married them and very soon, they went upon the Abadaba honeymoon!” … (Ungga! Ungga! Ungga!)…Asan ang mga baging? Then, the conflict began…….”nagpagandahan sila ng mga asawa (Michelia Oriel and Minerva Lacap with their hair tissed upwards resembling Ati-Atihan Baluga queens courtesy of “uling”), kaya nagkapikunan ang dalawang tribu! The end result…Planet of the Apes, Catanauan’s “Boling-Boling Festival” and WWF Royal Rumble rolled into one! “ Prrrrrt-Pit-Pith! Hala Bira! “ The three kids ran for their dear lives……. Next scene … The future …..Suddenly they were being surrounded by I- NA batchmates whose bodies were squeezed inside corrugated boxes …para silang mga zombie na nakasuot ng kahon. They did their stiff robotics care of Ray Connif’s “ The Little Drummer Boy “ as background music! “Aba, nagpa Pasko din pala ang mga Gigantor, Voltes V, Mazinger Z at Daimos ? “ Then they chanted……...” Kami ang mga tao sa hinaharap “, etcetera, etcetera…after which they threatened to grab our “bagets bidas”, who can only shout … “Eeeeek !” before waking up. “ Iisa pala ang panaginip nila! ”
They then resolved to become more responsible “pamangkins” to their “Tiyahin!”….end of the story. Part II was a fashion show featuring the latest “Porma” trends circa 1973 …Body fit, ultra colorful polo or long – sleeved nylon shirts over bell-bottomed flaring double-knit pants for the guys…Body-hugging synthetic mini skirt style dresses and hot pants, over elevator shoes for the shaggy-haired girls. (Kaya pa kaya ninyong magsusuot ng mga ganito ngay-on?) Freshmen budding “bebots” like the very long-haired Maritess Donasales, Aurea Antenor, Cristina Tolentino and sweet-faced Leonila Remo did the catwalk “rampa”…with their escorts Richard Osmond, Teodoro Abulencia, Bobby Baruelo, Leandro Dator and Nelson Singson, among others. To get the picture and the feel of those days, fast rewind to that then very in 1973 TV commercial featuring a gum-chewing “magkatipan” being followed by a guitar playing “kelot” singing “Juicy Fruit Gum, Malinamnam, Juicy Fruit Gum!” Better yet, think of Darius Razon, Esperanza Fabon, Eva Vivar, Rhodora Silva, Jingle, Frankie Navaja Jr., Beth Manlongat, Sajid Khan, Manny de Leon, Romy Mallari, Perla Adea, Romeo Miranda, Marifi and Maria Leonora Teresa! A-ah, ay yano…… Seven Up The Uncola! I remember seeing the black and white photos of that day, courtesy of Quezon High’s then resident “nakasalaming” photographer, Mamang Mike. Sino kaya ang nagma-may ari ng mga litratong ito ngay-on? Pahiram naman po! BATCH 77’s PINAKA…..
August 9, 2007 Unlike in The Coconut’s Graduation Issue Last Will And Testament, we didn’t bequeath these peculiarities to batch ’78 as tradition dictated. We keep these characteristics as a hallmark of our four-year stay in Quezon High much like our thumbmark imprints and DNA identities. Be it as it may however, QPHS Batch ’77 is a very unique lot in that it is the transition batch, always at the threshold of the old and the new….. the first Martial Law elementary grads thus the last to enter First Year High School with a six period grading scheme, the first to have Philippine Community Life as Social Studies subject and the last to use the old wooden grandstands for the whole year, the first to have elective subjects and the last to have Miss Paciencia Daleon as Principal upon graduation, the first to graduate without the Vocational Curriculum and the last to have Mr. Emmanuel Cena as Agriculture teacher, the first to have a non-glossy The Coconut Graduation Issue cover with no descriptive data other than birthdays for each graduate and the last to have Mr Gerry de Villa as Scouting teacher and his Green Badge Circle program. Batch ’77 may not have either produced any Mutya Ng Paaralan or been declared as Intramurals champion but the group has no lack of beautiful faces and athletic achievers.
Let’s just say, high school crowns and laurels as such were simply not fated for us, not meant for our taking then. We entered and passed the length and breadth of Quezon High like everyone else and have etched our own footprints there, just as the famous stars and celebrities have walked theirs in the Hollywood Walk of Fame .It’s all in the mind I guess…… And so without further ado, aside from those of the time honored pages of our un glossy Graduation Issue cover, we look at the way we were some thirty to thirty-four years back, and see for ourselves the veritable who’s who on batch 77’s “Pinaka” list….. whether it be from the absurd to the profound, Il Buono, Il Cattivo e Il Bruto, Shake, Rattle and Roll, Walandyo – Walastik, Bet’cha-By Golly-Wow! or simply Eat Bulaga and Wowowie! And the winners are … Pinaka Foreign-sounding ang mga pangalan – Richard Osmond and Miriam Monfort |