Oh My High School Life!

Imagine after more than twenty years, you see them again and they are seeing you, in all that you have become; yet they seem to see the more innocent version of you; then they tell you how you have never aged and you tell them as well; or perhaps because as far as you can remember, here are the remnants of the times when you were still wonderful, and here are the people who appreciates you (in media you are quite wary of people praising you and lambasting you because you know everyone has a hidden agenda)... And everyone is just happy to see each other and to be with one another. One came all the way from Canada, another from Australia, and some from our beloved home province of La Union...

Ahhh, I pretended that night not to care... but I guess we all felt we really cared for and loved each other...

With me that night were Liwliwa Lachica, Namnama Lachica, Ronaldo Hufana, Clarissa Arcangel, Irene Dario and David Caloza... Missed our other close friends Resalie Rivera, Deborah Borja, Dionisio Alcantara, Elwyn Biazon...

Of course, Edward Aradanas, Mario Andrade, Jerry Estoque, ahhh, the names...

IN 1986, a month after the February Edsa Revolution that divided some of us in our high school barkada in the northern province of La Union, our section Rizal, the pilot section, graduated, all 40 plus of us, along with around a thousand other fourth year students of La Union National High School.

after more than 20 years (batch 1986) , we meet again
in Dad's at Glorietta, Makati (2008 Feb)

I never felt any melancholy at that time, probably because I was so excited with much my anticipated entrance to the University of the Philippines Institute of Mass Communications (which is now a college) where I was to major in Broadcast Communications.

I didn't take the marching up the stage seriously anymore, because, finally, it was over. Didn't have to prove anything anymore. I placed, as I expected and fought for, third, or first honorable mention of the graduating class. In our campus, that meant you were the third most studious or intelligent or simply most stupid to have lived by the rules and even pleased too many "live-by-the-rule" teachers to merit recognition.

Our valedictorian was David Caloza. He was in LUNHS section 1 from first year while the salutatorian Edward Aradanas came around third year. That was the same year I got promoted to section 1 after finishing my second year in section 3.

David Caloza (left) and the wannabe author, me

My first year was in Ateneo de Manila high school at Katipunan, Loyola Heights, in 1982. I transferred to La Union National High School because, well, I wanted to live with my mom and sister in La Union and because of one person. I don't know if he is still alive today.

To be honest, my high school life was very innocent but very dark. Imagine a sad talented young man who is left alone in the house with all the rotten books to read, only three television stations to switch on to, one fm station to listen to, and no one to speak with in the neighborhood.

I only came alive whenever I was in school. And not everyone was happy about it.

My closest friends were David and Edward with Liwliwa, our third honorable mention classmate-friend, as a respectable pal who would mediate whenever we had squabbles, all 11 plus of us, rowdy, self centered teenagers.

Clarisa was our fashion conscious muse with Resalie as the equally pretty spunky member while Liw and Nam, like twin sisters (but one is actually a year older) were our sweetest faced. Our "Manang Biday" type of dusky beauty was Deborah and Irene was the intellectual.

Then there's Dionisio who sings classic Filipino songs all afternoon before and after class, Ronaldo who did alot of funny antics that by now he would not have remembered, and Elwyn, who was really sweet.

At that time there were no pagers, no mobiles phones, no internet, and yes, even the land phone was a luxury only the elite could afford. Well, David had a phone at home, I think.

Our gimmicks were mostly school related activities but we managed to organize parties in line with our co-corricular events.

I enjoyed those sleep-overs and those trips out of town to attend week-long seminars.

We won some top awards too, except that whenever I qualified for a national level competition, I secretly chickened out and backed out or did something so that I would not win and be recognized. I guess I was scared of something or someone back then. It was a family secret, someone I hoped would not find us. I hope that person is already six feet under by now... No I won't write about that person here.

Anyway, those were still the best years of my life!