![\"45th](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/upvarrons.org\/Images\/Souvenir-Varrons45th-sm.jpg?resize=100%2C130&ssl=1\" "\\"45th")
![\"Dap](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/upvarrons.org\/Images\/Larisa-Gata-and-Family.jpg?resize=220%2C170&ssl=1\" "\\"Dap")
I accepted this task of writing some of the most significant remembrances of the 1990s for two reasons. First, I have personally witnessed the era since I entered the organization in 1990 and stayed as a faculty in UPLB from 1994 onwards. Second, important events in my adult life almost coincide with some of the most impressive achievements of the said circa. However, I would say that my recollections have dealt mainly on my general impressions of the organization, with more detailed accounts on events that I have personal knowledge of.<\/p>\n
In retrospect, circa 1990s for UPVL has been the peak of Varrons\u2019 quest for excellence. It was a time when most of the members were passionately persistent to prove UPVL\u2019s ability to pursue its noble causes, surpass its limitations, and produce well-rounded personalities among its members. From various aspects of academic realm, UPVL has left its imprints not only in the upper campus but the lower campus as well. Individually, the members excelled in both curricular and extracurricular activities that carved historical niches in UPLB. Collectively, the UPVL engaged in bringing its social and environmental agenda to real world applications. The overall characteristic of UPVL in the 1990s is marked by activist leadership, academic excellence, sports domination and theatrical superiority that facilitated various exemplary milestones and transformative changes in the organization.<\/p>\n
Activist Leadership<\/em>.<\/strong> 1990s have produced some of the strongest leaders in the UPVL history. For three consecutive years, the College Student Council was headed by a Varron, namely Vrods Tony Pega, Jimson Solatre and Dodie Torres, together with other Vrods and Sisses who served as councilors. At the University Student Council, the likes of the late Sis Roselle Planas paved the way for a line of Forestry students being fielded as potential candidates. The undeniable influence of UPVL in these councils had engorged the already present rivalry among CFNR organizations. The political turmoil that emanated from such resulted to what is now a very polarized political atmosphere in the college that bans UPVL from fielding its own candidates. In fact, aspiring UPVL candidates have to appear \u201cindependent\u201d for them to be saved from the lashes of this feud. Moreover, such challenging situation had not stopped UPVL from producing outstanding leaders who were recognized both by the College and their peers. These were the likes of Vrods Pastor Malabrigo, Moreno Santander and Ina Guillermo. Sis Ina became instrumental, as the initiator and co-founding member, in the creation of Association of Filipino Forestry Students (AFFS). While other UPVL leaders were confined within the organization (the likes of Amadeo Palacpac), others went far beyond UPVL. These are the likes of Sis Sheila Borel and Vrod Noel Urriza.<\/p>\n Academic Excellence. <\/em><\/strong>Academically, the curse of no-cum laudes in CFNR for eleven years was finally broken by our very own Vrod Rico Gazal in 1993, followed by me as the first magna cum laude in the college, and by Sis Kathryn Ara\u00f1o as another magna cum laude in 1995. Other cum laudes include Sis Myla Gonzalvo and Sis Josie Makiling. Academic excellence awards were also garnered by Vrods Kent Apostol and Vrod Pat. Forestry Licensure Exams were also dominated by Varrons. For the first time, the College of Forestry was also represented in the National Forestry Olympiad by four Varrons: Vrod Kent, Vrod Pat and I as contestants and Vrod Medic Racelis as coach. The various extracurricular activities and community service projects of the organization contributed much to the nomination of Vrod Rico and me to the final selection of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines in 1993 and 1994, respectively. I was able to win the competition in 1994, besting 30 top students all over the Philippines. Later on, Sis Baby Jhane Clemeno was selected as an exchange student to Michigan State University.<\/p>\n Sports Domination. <\/em><\/strong>Aside from excelling in academics and leadership, the organization also dominated in sports competitions. In fact, with sports stalwarts like Vrod Pat, Vrod EJ Pila, Vrod Ronald Samonte, Vrod Manny de la Pe\u00f1a, Sis Grace, Vrod More, Sis Evelyn Saludo and Sis Myla Gucilatar, UPVL won five straight years of grand championship for Gymkhana. This was a record \u2013 whether they recognized it or not! These gifted Vrods and Sisses were able to pursue their athletic prowess amidst tremendous organizational responsibilities simply because the membership was unanimously supportive of them in their chosen sports. For example, Vrods EJ, Ronald, Manny and Sis Grace were able to meet their hectic schedules in the varsity program while being active in the organization because of the undying support of the entire organization.<\/p>\n Theatrical Superiority. <\/em><\/strong>The first UPVL theatrical production during the 1990s was its entry to the Future Forester\u2019s Day Skit Competition in February 1992 under the direction of Vrod Tonton Contreras. We were eight in the group namely, Sis Myla, Grace, Uchie, Vrods Larry Melegrito, Manny, EJ, and Ronald. We did not win the top prize as the judges might have not been familiar with the genre used in the street play or jokingly they might have been carried away by a hysterical Maria Makiling and a screaming bumblebee. Nonetheless, it marked the beginning for UPVL\u2019s theatrical magic.<\/p>\n As the unofficial artistic director of the UPVL, I embarked into creative movements and short skits for the budding in-house artists. The superb performance of UPVL during the annual Freshman Night celebration never failed to wow the audience and earned the envy of other organizations. We would spend sleepless nights practicing the dance routines which would oftentimes be perfected only on stage. With supportive executive committee, I was able to explore some raw talents and train them as new artists for the organization. In fact, the following year, we finally won the FFD\u2019s best skit with the phenomenal Lucresia at Baliwit skit (L&B), which was originally written by George de Jesus of the Teatro Umalohokan. The same skit had given Sis Grace and Vrod Kent the best actress and actor plums, respectively.<\/p>\n The Varrons productions came to the hilt in Dodies\u2019s term in 1993. As the Arts Committee Chair, I was able to legitimize my theatrical passion. This position had opened up new possibilities for the UPVL to expand its artistic expressions. We became the designated student artists for the College of Forestry during the university-wide Faculty Follies competition where Sis Carmen Baylon won the Best Actress in 1994, while Vrod EJ and I won the Best Actor and Actress awards the following year.<\/p>\n Having recognized the maturity of the theater arm of the organization, the Solidarity for People\u2019s Power (SPP) invited us to perform in Tanza, Cavite. When the SPP saw the impact of the performance on its advocacy, they commissioned us for a fee of\u00a0 2000 pesos to come up with a full production to help raise funds for the community. I decided to launch a full version of the L&B skit and added new songs and dances as intermissions. Later on, I heard that other versions of these performances were done by different agencies like ERDB and PCARRD, courtesy of Vrods Kent and Larry. Other outstanding talents that emerged during this era included Vrods Ramil Alcala, Jonar Sara, Ichie de la Cruz, Reynante Ramilo, Ogie Silvestre, Benedict Muncal, the late Oliver Manset, and Sisses Joyla Nerona, Ellen de Villa, Edna Sabaten, Ellen Para\u00f1aque, Ina Guillermo, Djanvi Asibor, Lilebeth Vicencio, and Jocie Tope.<\/p>\n Organizational Milestones. <\/em><\/strong>Circa 1990s brought tremendous achievements to the UPVL. We co-sponsored and produced two pop concerts to generate funds for our cause. We celebrated our anniversary in larger and more glamorous venues.<\/p>\n We embarked into well-meaning civic projects, some of which even replaced some of our organizational excursions. We continued to win awards and prizes in various competitions such as the February Fair celebrations, Gymkhana, FFD and NFO, and other quiz contests. We embraced new concepts and challenges that came along our way. These included the revival of the UPVL Aggie Chapter which was initially headed by Sis Jocie, and the election of the first female Grand Varron of the Forestry Chapter, Sis Grace Penales-Marza.<\/p>\n I consider two historical events that summarize circa 1990s of UPVL. The first was the staging of\u00a0Sa Kanlungan ng Kalayaan<\/em> (SKK), a centennial offering of the UP Varrons Ltd. \u2013 an event that has not yet been equaled by any organization in the university. Sis Grace requested Vrod Tonton to write a script for a play production to mark her term. As the Production Manager, I asked my brother, Rudyard (not a Varron at that time yet) to direct the production. Having had previous difficult experiences with huge production, the membership was reluctant and quite nervous about the project. They thought they would end up paying for some costs long after the production was done. Such reluctance was understandable but the production staff was determined to make it happen. The project started from scratch (as in zero balance) but the production staff was able to raise about P90,000 solely from solicitations and ticket sales. The cost of the production was around 110 thousand pesos which meant that I had to shoulder some of the pre-production costs and director\u2019s allowance. But being so focused in fulfilling this production, I took up the costs as the production manager and senior adviser of the organization.<\/p>\n Indeed in March 1996, SKK was staged for three gala nights and one special presentation for schoolchildren. The entire college was surprised to see the grandeur of such project. Deep inside me was a big sigh that we started with 0 and ended with no accounts payable just as I promised Sis Grace. The gains of the said production were earned by the next term of Vrod Moreno when the university-wide centennial celebration was held. Upon request from the Centennial Committee of UPLB, Vrod Tonton agreed to re-stage an abridged version of SKK at the D.L. Umali Hall. UPVL was paid 5,000 pesos which Vrod More and his council allocated for the construction of the permanent benches at our tambayan. Yes, folks, those sitting areas are products of the theatrical prowess of the UPVL in-house artists during the 1990s!<\/p>\n The second event involved the finals night of batch Tanglaw in 1996. The climate during that time was saturated with untoward events surrounding hazing during fraternity finals. Some alumni raised concerns over the traditional physical contacts that were being used by the organization during initiation rite. In response to these, the UPVL membership voted for the first time not to employ physical contact during its initiation! Rather, under the leadership of Sis Grace, the members were able to come up with creative ways to inculcate UPVL\u2019s organizational creed. This has become the precursor of the creative psychological and symbolic rituals that were invented for the next batches to come.<\/p>\n In conclusion, the 1990s have served as the most inspiring era for future leaders and professionals in UPVL. The driving force in this era remains the organizational pillars of truth, love, justice and freedom. As UPVL moves forward, the stars of the 1990s continue to pave new roads for the organization.<\/p>\n ===============================<\/p>\n *Editorial notes: The following are the full names of Varrons mentioned in this article (in alphabetical order with batch name in parenthesis): Ramil Alcala (NAME ’93), Kent Apostol (Youth of Liberty ’89), Kathryn Ara\u00f1o-Gazal (Eureka ’93), Djanvi Asibor (Orion ’98), Carmen Baylon (Eureka ’93), Sheila Borel (Youth of Liberty ’89), Baby Jhane Clemeno (Sibol ’98), Antonio “Tonton” Contreras (Survivors ’78), Rowena “Ichie” de la Cruz (BUTA ’91), Manny de la Pe\u00f1a (BUTA ’91) , Ellen de Villa-Caleja (Sturnidae of Decembirth ’91), Rico Gazal (Admirable Sixers ’88), Myla Gonzalvo (Secret ’94), Myla Gucilatar (Youth of Liberty ’89), Ina Guillermo-Kadda (Kavan ’95), Josephine “Josie” Makiling (Exemenarao ’97), Pastor Malabrigo (BUTA ’91), Oliver Manset (RATBOO ’95), Larry Melegrito (Augustinians ’90), Benedict Muncal (Eureka ’93), Joyla Nerona-Ofrecia (Noah’s Ark ’92), Amadeo Palacpac (Tanglaw ’96), Ma. Elena “Ellen” Para\u00f1aque (BUTA ’91), Antonio “Tony” Pega (Anahaw ’88), Grizelda “Grace” Penales-Marza (BUTA ’91), Rudyard “Buboy” Pesimo (Tanglaw ’96), Edwin “EJ” Pila (Augustinians ’90) , Roselle Planas (Youth of Liberty ’89), Diomedes “Medic” Racelis (Honorary Member), Reynante Ramilo (Noah’s Ark ’92), Edna Sabaten (Agila ’92) , Evelyn Saludo (Youth of Liberty ’89), Ronald Samonte (Augustinians ’90) , Moreno Santander Jr. (NAME ’93), Jonar Sara (JAD ’94), Oliver “Ogie” Silvestre (Secret ’94), Jimson Solatre (Youth of Liberty ’89), Alfredo “Dodie” Torres (Victorious Octavians ’89), Jocelyn “Tambe” Tope-Briones (D’ Determiners ’88), Noel Urriza (Tanglaw ’96), Lilebeth Vicencio (Tanglaw ’96)<\/em><\/p>\n ================================= From the pages of the 45th Anniversary Souvenir Program: By Larissa “Dap” Pesimo-Gata (Batch With No Name II ’90) I accepted this task of writing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[72,8],"tags":[45,19],"class_list":["post-966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-45th","category-features","tag-45th-anniversary","tag-varrons"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nDap (BSF 1994, MS 1997) is spending her time, together with her family, in self-exile in the US to pursue her doctoral degree in Sociology. She aspires to embody the ideals of UPVL and to extend her service to more people outside the organization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"