We lorded over the annual Gymkana since it started in the 1970s to the envy of other competing orgs on campus. The Gymkana usually capped its closing night with a skit contest. In one particular Gymkana, it was already 6:00 in the evening and yet, we had not thought about our skit. I came up with an idea and called some Vrods and Sis’s to participate, giving them the plan for the skit. They performed perfectly according to the plan even without any practice at all. Our pretty Sis’s acted as standing trees in the forest and carried branches over their heads as tree crowns. Manny Marquez acted as a kainginero who wanted to pee. He moved to one such tree (sis Vee) and pissed in front of it, balancing on one leg with the other leg raised up dangling, just like a peeing dog. His stance was so hilarious and his “jingling quiver” afterwards made the audience roar with laughter. Towards the end, the pretty Sis’s all fell down like trees felled by the kaingineros. That impromptu skit won. They say that imitation is the best compliment, as a few skits of other orgs after that year also featured girls and boys as human trees.

However, all was not rosy with the Varrons in the 1970s. Each year we had several evening bull sessions over campfire to mend discords, discuss and resolve problems, and constructively criticize ourselves and our failures as an org. I believe those bull sessions helped us to survive our early years and made us stronger.

There might have been times that you were perturbed or upset by some members, what could be the reason? Can you think of some unpleasant memories?
After a search of my aging memory bank for unpleasant memories caused by some members, I really could not find any. Even those bull sessions were not altogether unpleasant. They were rather cleansing after such soul searching. Maybe I am just a forgiving person and hold no grudges that I really cannot recall any.

How do you assess the Varron members with respect to their relationships with other members during the founding years as compared to those five years after, ten, twenty, and now?
The Varron members during the 1960s and 1970s were generally close to each other, but there were also factions within the org, as well as a few who felt lost and could not belong. Some ended up being inactive or even joined other orgs. After the 1970s my contact with succeeding generations became less frequent.

I was less active with the Varrons during the 1980s because I was busy developing Jubileeville and looking after its financing, as well as with other duties as Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development. I ran into debts with colleagues at MADECOR, our consulting firm, and with the firm itself, because I often had to borrow money for Jubilleeville so that our workers would not go home to their family after a week’s hard work without their wages. UPLB allocated to me a quarter of a hectare of residential lands at Jubileeville in exchange for funds that I placed with the project. However, I had to leave UPLB to earn more money as a consultant in order to pay my debts to MADECOR.

During the 1990s and 2000s, I had contact with the Varrons only when I went home on leave from work abroad. Those occasions were infrequent in the 1990s since my family traveled with me, but became more frequent in the 2000s after I based my family at LB for the education of my children. Although I did not have much personal association with the younger Varrons of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, still I can see that the generations of Varrons have kept their closeness with each other and with older generations of Varrons. We owe this to the on-campus guardians – the Varron elders who continued over the years the task of nurturing the org. I can also see that we are even closer now because of the Yahoo group which bridges thousands of kilometers in a nanosecond, the support of UP Varrons International and UPVAA, and the pride we see in our org through Tudla.

What important values do you advise the newcomers to the fold or even old timers in order to keep the spirit of the Varrons alive and kicking?
Pride, in the positive rather than negative sense, is among those qualities that kept us moving and not wanting to fail as an org. Let us continue to take pride in our accomplishments. Lacking in self-confidence could also be a positive value, often even more productive than being over confident, if it could spur us to work harder to overcome our handicaps. In short, work hard and take pride in what you have accomplished (even though, only silently to yourself). This works not only in terms of keeping the Varron spirit alive and kicking, but also in other endeavors in life.

Last Updated on April 11, 2021 by Tudla_Admin