The Charter Members, after 45 years

From the pages of the 45th Anniversary Souvenir Program:

Original article written by Arman Atienza and Cion Karganilla-Raymundo
(Updates by Cion and the Charter Members)

It is difficult to believe but it’s been 45 years since 15 UPCA student assistants banded together to form the STAGS, the forerunner of the Varrons. As we now all know, a few months later, nine ladies formed the Varronettes and joined forces with 13 of the original members  to be recognized by the UPCA Office of Student Affairs as the U.P. Varrons Limited. They are the ones  we now refer to as the Originals.  Let’s see what we know and can remember of these Charter Members after 45 years.

ROMY HUELGAS of Bihis, Sta. Teresita, Batangas has grown forward, tummy and otherwise. The brains behind the UPVL has retired from UPLB after serving as professor and, significantly, as Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs for 2 ½ years. He is currently the Program Coordinator of the UPLBFI -Kyungnam University Socio-Cultural and Language Training Program. He now has a granddaughter, Ryza and has cut down on drinking sessions with his buddies. He has established residence in Jubileeville, Masaya,  Bay, Laguna.

ARMAN ATIENZA of Darasa, Tanauan, Batangas retired from his job as manager of  the rice research station of Imperial Chemical Company, Plant Protection Division in Nueva Ecija  many years ago.  Unfortunately, he suffered a stroke which has slowed him down. At the moment, he lives with wife Buena and daughter Aisa (also a Varron) at Hillside Subdivision, Los Baños, Laguna. He has limited physical mobility and certainly would appreciate visits from Vrods and Sisses.

JIMMY CORDERO of Pagsanjan, Laguna, known as “Camote”, continues to face the risks of agricultural production in Tigaon, Camarines Sur, where he settled down after marriage. We see him once in a while whenever he comes to Los Baños.

PECTO MAPUSAO of Calauag, Quezon is  the small but terrible guy we know, who  has also grown tummywise. Pek gave up a lucrative post with a meat processing company to develop his own integrated farm, PVM Livestock Farm, in Buhol na Mangga, San Ildefonso, Bulacan. He is also a very active pastor of a religious organization.

REY DE SAGUN of San Nicolas, Batangas is popularly known to the Varrons as Rey “de Sabog” and  currently resides  in NorthView 2, Batasan Hills, Quezon City.  After his retirement from government service with the Land Bank of the Philippines in 1989, he  was engaged in consultancy work with international and local projects funded by the Food and Agricultural Organization, Asian Development Bank and local agencies like the Department of Agricultural Reform.  One of his sons is  now a resident of Australia, which gives Vrod Rey reason to go often to Sydney to visit his two  beautiful granddaughters.  His youngest son is a multi-awarded sales representative of a multinational veterinary product company, which is based in the Philippines.

NELSON MERCADO of Batong Malake, Los Baños, Laguna is the only Forester among the charter members. He is married to Luri Vidal (B.S. Ed ’75, FEU) with three children, Neri James (Manager, British American Tobacco Philippines), John Adams (call center agent, Makati), and Joseph Nelson (ground steward, Gulf Air, NAIA).  He is currently involved in consultancy services in forestry, mining, real property (buy and sell), garments, optical products and lending activities.  He is still residing in  Parañaque  with his family.

We were finally able to track down MANNY APACIBLE of Tuy, Batangas after 40 years or so, thanks to the sleuthing abilities of our Vrods and Sisses. He currently resides in  Baguio City but also has an address in  Quezon City. He has five children.  At present, he is a proprietor, working and developing a 3-hectare farm in Baguio and La Trinidad areas.  He is engaged in organic farming, soil conservation and production of perennial crops.

We have not heard from  NOLI BERNAL of Cavite City for a long, long time. What we last knew about him many years back was that he was seriously considering giving up a managerial post with Menzi and  Co. to prepare for migration to the US with his family.

The remaining five  of the orig Vrods have already joined their Creator.  CECILIO YAYEN of Puerto Princesa, Palawan lost his life in a senseless ambush by bandits in a rubber plantation in Basilan back in the late 60s. He is survived by his wife Teody and sons, one of whom we heard is operating a hotel in Puerto Princesa.  MIMO BARADAS of Santor, Tanauan, Batangas left behind two children both of  whom are currently in the U.S.  The memory of BERT ACUÑA of Alfonso, Cavite is kept alive by his wife and children who are now residing at San Sebastian Village, Tarlac City, where Bert earlier had settled. An unusual incident happened when we attended the wake of Vrod Bert.  Our van did not  start when we were getting ready to leave that night. Bert’s wife said that it was a signal from Bert that we should spend the night with him, as it was his last day on earth. So without any preparation or night clothes, we stayed overnight. The next day, our vehicle was fine, and we went back to UPLB safe and sound.   Two other Vrods who have gone ahead of us are WILLIE CARATAY of Pamplona, Camarines Sur and PAT RAMIREZ of Mayondon, Los Banos, Laguna. Their significant contribution to the UPVL during its formative years will always be remembered. May their souls rest in peace in the Kingdom of Heaven.

As for the Lady Charter Members, we are still in touch with most of them.  Cion  still has a copy of the original letter written by  Joven Arada Goeppert in February of 1963 inviting them to be organizers of the Varronettes. As they say, many are called but few are chosen, and only nine formally joined to form the  original Varronettes.

JOVEN ARADA-SANTOS-GOEPPERT of San Pablo City, Laguna was widowed after a few years of marriage to David Santos. However, she picked up the pieces and later got married to a German visiting scientist, Karl Goeppert. At present, Joven and family are in Belize, Central America (just below Mexico) after 12 years in Africa, 11 years in Asia, and 6 years in North and Central America.  Karl is the project director of the Belize Rural Development Project.

LILIAN BRIOSO-MACAM of Naga City is presently residing in Los Angeles, California with her family. She says she “goes nuts” staying at home so she still works full time as Business Development Manager for CareConnections FCU, a credit union for employees in health care in Southern California. Her husband, Bernardo, an Animal Husbandry graduate of UPLB, has retired as Food Inspector from the State of California. In 1994, Lil resided at UPLB for a few years when her only child, Bernadette, studied at the International School in Metro Manila.  Lil, Cion and Elvie celebrated a grand reunion at Las Vegas last August of 2006. No, they did not gamble much but wished they won something big.

PACITA JUCAR-VILLARINO of San Fernando, La Union currently resides in New Frontier Subdivision, Baliuag, Bulacan and is happily married to a Batangueño, who is also a UPCA graduate. Both have already retired from their respective jobs – she from the Department of Agriculture and the hubby from Land Bank. The couple was blessed with four children who are now professionals in their own field: a teacher, an economist, a political scientist and a professor of food science in UP Diliman.

ELVIRA TALATAYOD of Baybay, Leyte opted for early retirement from her Professorship at the College of Public Affairs at UPLB.  She still joins the Friday Club with Cion, Mitz Cortes (’65), and Au Baltazar (’65)  The elusive lady presently spends most of her time serving the Lord as a member of the Mother Butlers Guild, and as Head of the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration ministry.  One of the mainstays of the Varrons, she is still the center of  pranks of Vrods of the older (oops, that hurts) generation.

ANNIE MISA-HEFTI of Cebu City spent only a year with us at UPCA, and finished her AB in Psychology at Diliman. We have maintained our friendship with her across the ocean and through the years. After finishing her MA in California, Annie got married to a Swiss math teacher. She lives in a small town in Switzerland with her two sons and husband, Walter. For the past 45 years, she has kept in constant touch with Cion in Manila or in Cebu when she visits the Philippines. Annie is active in migrant issues. She travels a lot and shares her travelogues with Cion. She met Lilian in Los Angeles once. When Cion traveled to Switzerland in 1981, she visited Annie and her family. Her family has also visited the Philippines several times. Fittingly, Annie’s and Cion’s children have also become good friends.

MA. NYLDA VILLENA-CARAMANCION of Camiling, Tarlac is currently settled in Toronto Canada,  where her family migrated to in the early 1970s. Husband Manny (a Vrod) is an economist, while Nylda keeps home for him and their daughter Christine-Marie who came to their life 12 years after their marriage. Nylda obtained her PhD in Soil Science at the University of Guelph, but switched to nursing after realizing that this is a more lucrative profession. She has some medical problems and consequently she has retired.  As with Annie, we never lost touch with her. In fact, Cion just visited them last May 2007.

ASUNCION KARGANILLA-RAYMUNDO of San Fernando, La Union is a Professor and currently the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UPLB.  Husband Billy is also a Professor at UPLB, while her son Marvin has settled in Chicago with wife Christine and daughter Bianca. Cion has been going to the US almost yearly to visit her one and only grandchild. Daughter Liya works in Manila. Together with Elvie, she keeps the original Varronette spirit alive through her constant involvement with the organization despite her heavy academic load.  In the early 60s, Cion, Nylda and Annie called themselves ‘Cionyldannie’ and were tagged as the Three Musketeers.

NOEMI YAPIT of San Fernando, La Union was with IRRI for 18 years or so but now manages a daycare center in her hometown.

CHERRY VILLEGAS-PADILLA of Calamba, Laguna, after obtaining her PhD in nutritional biochemistry, settled in California and got married to a member of the Coast Guard. She is presently with the Department of Health in Sacramento, and has three children.

That, in a nutshell, is our update on the original members after four and a half decades.  What is amazing is how we have managed to maintain our ties and remain one, if not physically, then in spirit, for the past 45 years, whatever part of the world life has taken us.  That, we   believe, is the true demonstration of the enduring quality of our organization.  God willing, we will still be together for another homecoming in the next two decades or so.

Where, oh, where will the charter members be in the next 25 years?

Last Updated on October 12, 2016 by Tudla_Admin