What's New

February 2002 Letters | March 2002 Letters | April 2002 Letters | May 2002 Letters | Jun-Jul 2002 Letters | August Letters

September 2002 Letters | October 2002 Letters | November 2002 Letters | Dec - Feb 03 Letters

Go to the latest Letters


Growing list of those interested in an LA reunion:
Tentative Date : May or June 2004

Tony Mapile, Glenn Santayana, Lito Adao, Ray de la Rosa, Raoul Pascual, Ed Guzman, Ernie Peralta, Edwin Lansang, Ed Fune.

Any more? We're open to suggestions.


Batchmates,

Hate to start this entry with a sad note but one of our teachers has just passed away. Ernesto Roncal, passed away last Feb.21. Thanks Ding for sending that important information. Like Ding said, "he was a good teacher." Mr. Roncal or Ernie, as many of us called him, was a good man. He did impact my high school life. His was one of the classes I took seriously. Good or bad, my writing style was heavily influenced by him. He taught us sentence structure and appreciation of literature. He was a big bear with a big heart. I only wish that I could have told him before he left us.

It was during my years under him that I made my first comic strips --- Capitan Power and the Time Machine which he indirectly influenced. It was in my 3rd and 4th year that I started to envision a life as a commercial artist. I joined Spark, the school newspaper with Jorge Hernandez at the helm. I designed and painted stage props for Pawis Tren with Alex Umali, George Hernandez, Joji Ranola and Zamora(?). I know Nani Roxas was greatly influenced by him as he would talk about Mr. Roncal. Those were also the years that I joined the singing group Buhaghag with Ray Dela Rosa, Tito Cajulis, Nani, Rolly Guzman, Tony Asis, Jun Tugade, Rey dela Cruz, Chris Bernardino, Kid, Dada, Schabel, Tina, Corky, Minette and a few more I can't remember. If anyone has pictures of the group, I would surely like to have one.

For that matter, if any of you know how to get in touch with any of our teachers, please send me their emails or addresses. As we near our twilight years, I wonder how many people whose lives we Bosconians have touched. I'm sure we could use a few complimentary letters from those people every now and then. I think it only fitting that we start encouraging our teachers for a job well done.


Feb 22, 2004

In Memoriam, Mr. Ernesto Roncal


Dear Fellow Bosconians,

Our dear English teacher, Mr. Ernesto Roncal has passed away on February 21, 2004 at 1:00 AM.

Unkown to most of us, Mr. Roncal completed, not only his English course, but also his Business Management course. That was why he taught English not
just as a second language, but as a tool we could all use later in business. He later taught Technical Writing in the College Dept. of Don Bosco
Mandaluyong. He would teach English in High School during the daytime and Technical Writing in the evening.

He retired from teaching in Don Bosco Mandaluyong in 1980 in order to assume his new job in ARAMCO, Saudi Arabia, also to teach Technical Writing, so that, he said, he could finally build his house in Fairview before retiring.

His house now stands at #18 Mercury st., Fairview, Quezon City. He has 2 daughters and a son, Raoul, who graduated in Don Bosco Mandaluyong in 1982, High School.

Mr. Roncal was planning to attend the Homecoming on January 24 this year but he had to be rushed to the hospital the day before, January 23.

His remains lie in state at the GOOD SHEPHERD PARISH, Regalado Ave, Fairview, Quezon City. After a 9:00 AM Mass, Interment will be on Thursday, February 26 at HIMLAYA TANDANG SORA, also in Quezon City.

Please pray.

For more details please call Raoul Roncal at:landline: 938-1471 mobile phone: 0917-6271640

Yours in Don Bosco.
Vic Munarriz
batch'76

(Hi Vic,

Thanks for sending us that info on Mr. Roncal's death. Is there any way you can send Mr. Roncal our condolences from Batch '74? I will write them but I just wanted to convey our messaage before his interment.

I was the class president of class 4-C, batch 1974 which Mr. Roncal taught. He was a good man. I learned a lot from him. --- Raoul)

*************

Feb 22, 10:50 pm, US, Pacific Time

Hi Raoul,

I think his son Raoul has an email.
<raoulroncal@edsamail.com.ph>

Our printer bogged down. I can receive & save your message but unfortunately I can not print it.

Mr Ernesto Roncal just celebrated his birthday last week, February 14. I was planning to go their house but unfortunately, the Land Transportation Office in Manila gave me the runaround. Therefore I could not get my Certificate of Registration on time. Would you believe it took 3 weeks and 5 branch offices? Just like ping-pong.

But at least I was able to see him last week of January at the hospital.

If you can't contact his son Raoul via email, let me know. I'll see where I could print your message.

Regards,
Vic
cell: (+63)917-909-06127
(calls or SMS messages from abroad, in place of "0" use "63" instead)


Feb 23

Hi, Vic!

Thanks for the note. It is sad to hear that my class adviser had passed away. It is more sad since I cannot pay respect to him.

If you do go and pay respect, please send my deepest condolences on behalf of batch 74, and especially class 4-C.

Thank you for all of your work in letting the Bosconians know what is going on.

Take care, and God bless.

Yours in Don Bosco,

Ed F. de Guzman
IT Professional
ITS, Kodak Canada, Inc.
Tel: 416 766-8233 x33397
KNET/KMX 223-3397
ed.deguzman@kodak.co



From Garie, Jan 28

Thank You Lord, For Life

This is a simple request. If you appreciate life, send this to your friends, including the person that sent it to you.

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings. Thank you, Lord, that I can hear ... There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible. Thank you, Lord, that I can see. Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising. Thank you Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned and tempers are short, my children are so loud.

Thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced. Thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work ... There are many who have no job.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest. Thank you, Lord, for life.

Pass this on to the friends you know. It might help a bit to make this world a better place to live, right? A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift. A friend is someone to treasure.

For friendship is a gift. A friend is someone who fills our lives with Beauty, Joy and Grace and makes the world we live in abetter and happier place.

YOU ARE MY FRIEND! Now send this to every friend you have and don't forget me.


Feb 10

Raoul - Great pictures of the Don Bosco reunion from Charlie. Bakit parang mas malaki yung quadrangle noong bata pa tayo? Also, are we supposed to
know who the "rose among the thorns" is?

Speaking of reunions, i'm still interested in a get-together of some kind in L.A., kahit na saling-kit lang, dahil dehin naman ako nag-stay hanggang '74
graduation - grade 6 lang. i still remember Ray de la Rosa and (if he can make it) Joji Ranola. And of course i already hooked up with Ed de Guzman
in Toronto a year and half ago (ang tagal na pala noon!). Also, Edwin and Tony Lansang and i go way back to Bus Number 9 with Mang Doming in Prep-A -God, i just remembered that as i was keying this email!

i still have family in L.A., so accomodations won't be a problem for me. Also, kahit walang happening, ok lang sa akin. i would just like to meet
one more time (before i die, he...he.. - how morbid) the people from my past, who somehow shaped what i am now. Ok, tama na ang drama at baka
umulan...

Anyway, great job as always with your website. Take care and God bless. Phone number ko nga pala sa opisina in case you are interested is
415-899-4744. Mahirap akong hagilapin sa bahay.


- ernie (peralta)

************

I got an email from a NH who led me to believe that Ernie was unemployed so I asked him how he was doing and Ernie assured me he was fine. I edited out some personal stuff. --- Raoul

Feb 17

Raoul -

i'm still alive and well and working at Fireman's Fund.

Rest assured i am gainfully employed. Sorry if you were unduly worried. Akala ko na-misinterpret mo lang ang isa sa mga email ko when you referred
to me being between jobs. Pasensiya ka na that i couldn't respond to it sooner, because we just got back from - of all places - Los Angeles, to
visit my folks.

Take care and God bless na lang. Sulat ka ulit.

Ernie


Feb. 12
From Jorge Hernandez

A TEST OF MORALITY AND ETHICS

With all your honour and dignity -what would you do?
This test only has one question, but it's a very
important one.


Please don't answer it without giving it some
serious thought...for the test
to work correctly.

You're in Pampanga...

In Mabalacat, to be exact...

There is chaos going on around you, caused by heavy rains with all the
flooding...


There are huge masses of water all around you....

You are a small newspaper photographer....


...and you are in the middle of this great disaster .....

You're trying to shoot very impressive photos...

There are houses and people floating around you,
disappearing into the water...

Nature is showing all its destructive power...

Suddenly you see a man, steering a big van...


He is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken
away by a massive wall of water and mud...


You move closer...


Somehow the man looks familiar......


Suddenly you know who it is - it's Fernando Poe, Jr.!

In that same instant you notice that the raging
waters are about to take him away, forever...


You have two options.


You can save him - or you can take the best photo of your life.


You can save the life of Da King, or you can
shoot a prize winning photo which could make you
very popular...

A photo displaying what could be the last moments of a
very popular actor who may even become the next President of the
Philippines...

And here's the question: (Please give an honest answer)


Are you going to use black and white, or colour?


Jorge

(akala ko original ni Jorge ... hindi pala! --- Raoul)


From Rene Ramos, President of DBPAA
Jan 30

Raoul, thanks for your presence and Jackie.
Will get better next time. Imagine kung natuloy iyon comedy show.
Talagang may tsansang maging ????? bar. Maybe, if I announce the format will be
Chippendale style - baka lahat nang MRS. dumating, 100%. what do you think ??
He, He, He!!!

As soon I get the pictures will forward to you for postings.
See you on February 15, 2004 - monthly meeting. I am hoping we can have a
dance lesson session for that day for the MRS.

Regards and say hello to Jackie and family.


Rene & Lorna Ramos
& entire Disco Bosco Day 2004Committee
Don Bosco Phils. Alumni Assn. of North America


Batchmates,

There has been a flurry of activities as far as emails and events. Sorry for the long delayed update. As some of you probably know this new business has been keeping me very busy (so what else is new?). If anyone is interested, here is our website: www.wynkmarketing.com

The Bosco Reunion in the PI came and went. Same thing with the Bosco Disco Day here in California. We have some pictures. Looks like there was a huge turnout in the Philippipne Reunion. Thanks for the pictures Charlie. The California Reunion was not organized by Batch '74 but by the Don Bosco Phils. Alumni Assoc. (DBPAA) of North America. The turnout wasn't as good as expected. Many of the wives were absent due to work and family commitments. Pero there was a lot of food and we still had fun. I also met a batchmate --- Jun Paggabao. This is his work phone: (661) 722-9862. I vaguely remember him but he says he remembers me. I think I'm beginning to have alzheimer's disease.


Bosco Disco Night at Inglewood, California. Click on photo for enlargement

A few have been wondering about plans for the Batch '74 reunion and I addressed this in an email. See below.

In early January Glenn Santayana was planning to visit Los Angeles and play golf with Ray de la Rosa and I was planning to "make sabit." Pero plans changed and he opted to go to Vegas instead. He sent a photo evidence that he and Tony Mapile hooked up.

For a while there was a search for Lorenzo Masilungan. Thanks to Joji in Australia who went out of his way to phone and contact Lorenzo.

Also got a call from Ray dela Rosa. We caught up with each others' work. He would have made it for the Bosco Disco Day except that he had other commitments in San Diego.

Garie Pimentel sent a jokes : reasons why we shouldn't argue with kids. Ding Guzman sent a couple of thought provoking articles: Unbelieveable Facts, FPJ, and humorous anecdotes of things uttered that people wish they never said.

If you are a first time visitor, welcome and feel at home. Whether or not you are from the High School Batch of Don Bosco Mandaluyong or not, our friendship doors are open. If you aren't in our mailing list or wish to update your information, send me your data via email. If you have pictures to go with it that would be fantastic. I'd like to invite you also to the DBPAA (www.boscotogether.org ).

Don't go before you see Charlie's pictures of the reunion. I worked a long time on this. Naturally, I put in a lot of corny captions. I hope you like them.


Feb. 5, 2004

Hi all,

Drats. It happened again. Lost my cellphone. The new number is +639212336780. Thanks.

Jorge


Plans for Reunion in LA

Feb 5

Joji,

Ayos na tayo kay Lorenzo. Reunited na sila ng kanyang pinsan. Maraming salamt uli sa iyong tulong.

Re: Reunion
I didn't realize how fast time flies. At the moment I have so many activities it's hard to find the time to organize it. I know of some places we could "house" visiting Bosconians. I know the controller of a hotel in Los Angeles (a Bosconian) who could give us a discount. Otherwise, I could accomodate one family in my living room (papaalam muna kay Mrs.). The other Bosconians around here live in the LA and Orange COunty areas. Baka sila ay pwede rin mag-"housing." My idea of a reunion is a time with families where the kids play among themselves and the parents talks among themselves. Ayoko yung pupunta tayo sa isang lugar like Disneyland (they currently have a 2 day for one ticket deal) or Universal studios and we never really get to talk to each other. Ray dela Rosa, can we get passes to Universal Studios?


Another idea is to join a Bosco Philippines Alumni Association (DBPAA) of North America meeting (www.boscotogether.org ) where we get to meet other Bosconians not necessaarily in our batch, Actually, this seems to be the best alternative because I'd like us all to be part of this group. They meet every 3rd Sunday, noon time, of the month in a potluck.

Those of you who plan to come, do you have any suggestions? Mahirap magplano tapos walang pupunta.

Raoul

(I just talked to my wife and she says our living room is too small and we only have one bathroom. Unless someone is really desperate, I suggest out-of-state visitors stay in a cheap hotel. Again I have a fellow Bosconian who is the controller of the Radisson Hotel. I will contact him about rates. I know some of you have been looking forward to this and so I will try to figure out a plan this week. Do any of you want to visit Disneyland, Universal Studios or Sea World? Or do any of you want to watch an NBA game? I can probably escort you and your family around since I own my time and it is flexible. Please write me so I can check out prices. I also have connections for game passes. --- Raoul)


Glen and Tony in Vegas

Hi Batchmates,

Here is a shot with my stay and visit to Tony "Ding" Mapile's home in Las Vegas last week. It sure was great to see him and chat about our HS years. we hope you all had a happy Homecoming Celebration! Looking forward to ours on May... in LA?! Or Vegas?

God bless,

Glen Santayana
4 - A

click on photo for enlargement


The Case of the Missing Lorenzo

"Manni Matala" <msmatala@polar-eye.com>
01/23/2004 12:25 AM

To: Ed F De Guzman/729779/EKC@KODAK
Subject: Lorenzo Masilungan

Hi Ed,

I got to your web site and saw Lorenzo Masilungan photo (1973-74). His father, Atty. Lorenzo Masilungan of San Jose, Batangas, is my cousin. I'll appreciate, if you could assist me, get in contact with him and my long lost relatives: his mom Rosalina, aunts Juanita, Primitiva and uncle Arthur Bolanos.

Manuel Masilungan Matala
Polar EYE
www.polar-eye.com
Houston, Texas

**************
Jan 23

Raoul,

Happy New Year!

Can you post this message? I tried the e-mail of Lorenzo as listed on your website but got a bounced e-mail notice - "user does not exists".

Does anyone know his new e-mail address?

Thanks, and best regards.

Ed F. de Guzman

***************
Jan 23

Raoul,

Sorry to send this e-mail through this address - your juno.com quota had been exceeded, and can't accept my e-mail

Best regards.

Ed F. de Guzman

(Ed and the rest of the Bosco Batch, please change your database on my email address. I rarely open my JUNO account anymore. Change it to raoul@ArtTickles.com . Thanks! --- Raoul)

***********

Jan 23

Batchmates,

I got this from Ed. Does anyone know where Lorenzo is? Please respond to Manuel Matala. See the email below.

Raoul

***********

Jan 23

Last I heard is that he was in Australia. I think Joji Ranola can help. Happy 30th! tanda nyo na!

Charlie Fernando

***********

Jan 24

I thought he was there too. Joji, May alam ka ba dito?

Like Charlie, Happy 30th to all you matandang Bosco!

Raoul

*********

Feb 4

raoul

kamusta na! hoped everything is well over there.
i rang lorenzo yesterday and told him about the
message but was not able to talk to him longer coz
my wife have to visit a sick friend so just forwarded
the mssg to his e mail addie.
if i have time i will fax to you some old spark
i just can't locate it right now.

can you update me regarding your reunion there.

cheers and God bless you and your family

joji

********

Feb 4

raoul

hi! its joji.
i just rang lorenzo at his home and asked his e mail
addie

its lormas7@optusnet.com.au

cheers

joji

********

Feb 4

My gratitude to everyone .... i'm positive that i'll get in touch with
Lorenzo and his family... incidentally, one of my good friends & frat brods
at U.P. Diliman is from Don Bosco - Efren H. Sison (E.H. Sison Structural
Engineers).

Again, thank you.

Manni Matala
Houston, Texas

CASE CLOSED!



BOSCO PHILIPPINE REUNION

Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 10:29 AM

Subject: 2003 Homecoming

Mga Igan,

This year's homecoming will be on January 24, 2004. Host is the Batch '79.

It is, however, our 30th, and so we have to show them that we are ONE.

We shall be expecting your presence. Please pass this around.

Kindest regards,

Willy "Boyet" Tobias

Circa '74 Batch President (yata)

WVT Consultants
Telefax ++(632) 531-1309
Mobile ++(63917) 848.4543

***********

Jan. 9

Thanks for invitation. Will try my very best to go
and attend. It would be good to see you all. My best
regards.

Marden

**********

Jan 11

Regret I won’t be able to make it as I shall be attending the Couples for Christ annual weekend conference on Jan 23-25.

Best regards

Garie

**********

Jan 12


Hello, folks!

I am sorry that I cannot be "home" for the homecoming. My regards to everyone.

I was contacted by Bert Cabrera (ex-brother Cabrera) two nights ago for a Toronto based Salesian Homecoming on Jan 24, 2004. A parish, called St. Benedict, is being run by the Salesians. We will hold the reunion there. If all things fall into place, I should see Perry Pena, Chito Santos, and other 74 batch mates. Tony Meriel, batch '75, will be there. I hope to get some picture for everyone to see.

By the way, the 2004 May LA reunion - will this push through?

Cheers everyone!

God bless.


Ed F. de Guzman
IT Professional
ITS, Kodak Canada, Inc.
Tel: 416 766-8233 x33397
KNET/KMX 223-3397
ed.deguzman@kodak.com

**********

Jan 24

Bumped into Max Sara last week in Davao. Unfortunately, he will not be able to attend the reunion.

Charlie Fernando

**********

Help Identify yung mga matatanda.Raoul, you may want to compress it further. There's a charming lady in a couple of the pictures. She was my crush before and she still looks great despite her age.

Warm regards,
Charlie

Click here for photo gallery

(Charlie, sa totoo lang hirap ako mag-identify dahil mahina na ang memory ko. Yung iba ay talagang hindi ko na kilala.--- Raoul)


Home for a Cat

Jan 9

Hi Everyone:
My neighbor is looking for a good home for their cat. He said it's
really lovable and friendly, but his wife said the cat makes her nervous
when it stares at her. She wants it out of the house. If you know of anyone, let me know.
The picture is attached. Click here.

Ernie Peralta


Dec 21, 2003

Maligayang Pasko Part 2

Batchmates,

We've had a few letters since my last entry. And some developments on items I pointed out. Ed de Guzman (I think it was you) was lost. He didn't remember the URL to this website. Ray De La Rosa and Glen Santayana are making plans to play golf when Glen comes over here to LA Jan. 6. Sasali ako ... kahit dakilang extra lang. And Garie sent this interesting Power Point perspective on why poor nations remain poor. Ding Guzman sent this link to wonderful pictures of Baguio. Those of us who joined us for that class vacation in Baguio, this should bring back memories. Ding has so many pictures and brought back memories. I put it in our Pictures from All Over page.

Ding also sends a link to Baguio photos. I noticed from this shot of Session Road taken from Burham Park, that the building on the left is still under construction. Hindi ba that was under construction ever since the seventies?

I also fixed a lot of broken links (finally!). Please report any more problems to me.

I decided to add a new portion to this website that will be dedicated to the Filipinos who do something to make us proud of our ethnicity. If you have articles that will inspire us, please send them over. Speaking of inspiring articles, I have a follow up on my brother-in-law's (Joel Navarro) Messiah concert. As expected, it was very successful. Click here for the details.

Allow me to brag a bit. I was invited to send a caricature of a famous writer/activist in Romania. I have no idea how they found me in the internet. So I did a quick sketch and now it's up on the website and will be featured in a Romanian museum. This is the link to the website: http://www.cartoon-crn.com/usa01.htm

A college friend of mine, Rod Garcia, is a multi-talented lawyer, songwriter, playwright and now author. He came out with his first published book this month called "The Right Place and Other Stories." Click here for more about him. The book is an interesting collection of short stories seen from the eyes of a Filipino. If you ever lost your identity as a Pinoy, this book will remind you of where you came from.

Finally, don't forget Bosco Disco Day. The event is officially slated on January 24, 2004, Saturday at St. Dominic Savio Parish Church hall in Bellflower. Starts at 6pm. LA residents and visitors, you are all invited. Go to www.boscotogether.org for more details.


Letter from Ding

Dec. 12, 2003

Here are the sites that contain pictures of Baguio.
1) UP AND DOWN SESSION ROAD: http://hces.us/session/sessionroad.html

2) NIGHT SCENES OF BAGUIO CITY: http://www.cityofpines.com/baguioatnight/baguioatnight.html

3) THE BAGUIO PUBLIC MARKET: http://hces.us/baguiomarket/market.html

4) LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI: http://corregidorisland.com/bayani/libingan.html

5) PARKS AND GARDENS: http://hces.us/baguioparks/parksandgardens.html

This is the better link to the photos (includes Don Bosco, UP Diliman, Eastwood-Libis and Manila traffic, pedestrians & sidewalks):

Remember his website is at:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/26C91A3FBF28EE2

Ding (and all other photo enthusiasts out there) there are a couple of photo websites that allow you to send your images and then they will post it on their website. If someone else likes to use them for whatever reason, you wuill be paid a small sum. It may be small here in the US but I'm sure this will be quite lucrative in poor economies like the Philippines. Some sites just allow you to share photos with others. These are a few I've found in the web. I think Ding is using a similar website.
--- Raoul

http://www.rawtalentphoto.com/about.phtml?t=1071953158

http://www.sxc.hu/


Letters between Glen and Ray

Dec 09 14:52:06 2003

hi ray, I might be in LA Jan. 6 - 10th. hope you are in town, we can meet and get together. regards,

glen.

******

December 09, 2003 6:05 PM

Absolutely. Any chance we can play golf ? Regards,

Ray De La Rosa

********

December 10, 2003 4:37 AM

you have to loan me sticks...
also we can plan 04 reunion in LA...

Glen

********

December 10, 2003 10:23 AM

No problem.

********

(Biglang sumabit si Raoul)

December 12, 2003 4:02 AM

Sali ako ... kaya lang hindi ako marunong mag-golf. Pwedeng sumabit lang?

Raoul

********

December 15, 2003

sabit sa bag or sa golf cart?? joke lang.
I am sure it will not be a problem...it all depends on the Country Club...

I will keep you posted for IT details.
Merry Xmas!!
Glen


Letter from Garie


Why are Some Countries Ahead of Others? Garie Pimentel sends this powerpoint that explains . It's 82 kb. Click here to view the show.


December 6, 2003

Maligayang Pasko

Batchmates,

Not much traffic as far as emails go. Actually that's good news in a way because I have been swamped with work. As you probably know I've started a new business called WYNK Marketing with 2 friends (www.wynkmarketing.com). But enough of that personal commercial. If you're interested, just click on that link. Anyway, that's my big excuse for not keeping this website up to date.

I believe it was a month and a half ago that I had lunch with Ray De La Rosa who treated me to a Japanese restaurant near his office in Universal Studios. Medyong bitin lang at sandali lang dahil marami siyang trabaho. Let's wish him the best of luck. The good news is he already met his quota for the year. A few days ago I got a strange phone call from a voice from the past ---- si Ding Guzman from Canada. He had just returned from the Philippines visiting family and friends. Being the hot shot photographer that he is, he took lots (and I do mean lots) of pictures. This is his website: http://www.fototime.com/inv/26C91A3FBF28EE2 . I can only imagine how many hours it took him to develop the site. It really is a great snapshot of family back in the Philippines. One picture that stuck out was a shot of a relative with an electric golf cart/car. Meron na palang ganyan sa Pinas? Akala ko naghihirap sila diyan.

Speaking of the economy, I'm very concerned about the economic health of our beloved country. I read a few days ago that the economy improved slightly this quarter. I also heard that a lot of tech support for US companies is being delivered by filipinos in Manila. Being a bilingual country this is an easy transition for us. I heard horror stories about DELL computers who transferred their tech support to Pakistan (?) thinking that they were just as good as India but later realized (after investing so heavily in the transfer) that they didn't speak English well. Talk about stupid decisions! Kaya magaling pa rin ang Pinoy!

Since we're making bilib sa ating mga kababayan, allow me to boast about my brothers-in-law. First is Toti Nakar (married to my sister Grace) he recently got his company's intranet system going with an on-the-fly database system. According to him their little company was assessed by JD Powers (?) and they said it was just as good as the big players like Ebay and Yahoo. The beauty about this is he did it all in the background. Nobody in the company really understood what he was doing but was constantly researching and developing. Then when he put the system in place, it was so seamless a transition that nobody could notice that there was this huge power behind the familiar interface. Sabi raw ng boss niya that he was the "future of the company ... the one (ala Matrix)!

My other brother in law, Joel Navarro (married to Grace's twin Amy) is a professor in Michigan College. He's considered a prodigy by his colleagues. The college finds it hard to believe there is so much talent from a man from such a poor country such as the Philippines. This Christmas he is heading Handel's Messiah.

So if you're ever in doubt as to your standing as a Filipino, remember you come from a proud and capable ethnicity.

Mga John Travolta doubles out there don't forget Disco Night! Rene Ramos wants to remind you of Disco Bosco Day slated for January 17, Saturday 6 pm. Go to their website: www.boscotogether.com. Also don't forget 2004 is the year we're planning this grand reunion in May or June.

Lastly, I've been in conversation with a fellow Bosconian (from Makati batch '79) here in LA named Joey Quinto. We're thinking of partnering up in some business. Please keep us in prayer. Even if nothing comes out of this, I'm thankful for an opportunity to work with a brad. We should all encourage helping each other in our careers.

Maligayang Pasko! Manigong Bagong Taon! Let's hope the next year will be a profitable one for all. If you send me your greetings I'll try my best to post it here.


Dec. 5, 2003

(Responding to my email regarding a possible virus that was sent via our bosco email)

Hello, Raoul.


Thanks for the warning. I will forward it to our group DBPAA NA.
BTW, paki tulong naman uli to promote our upcoming DISCO BOSCO DAY 2004 to your circle- especially Ray Dela Rosa.
I will be in touch, very busy lang taking care of chickens at SD.
Salamat and regards to all.

RENE

***********
Dec. 3, 2003

Thanks, Raoul ... the link I sent you has all the photos, give me a couple more days and I'll send you another link with just the Bosco photos (and the traffic images) ... the whole thing (lots of photos with relatives) would be too boring for our classmates.

Ding

**********

(Responding to my email apologising for not having time to update the site).

Dec. 3, 2003

I understand Raoul.

Nonetheless, keep up the good work which you are doing in a spirit of selfless service. We are grateful enough that there is someone like you who spends whatever time there is to spare for keeping us all glued together.

God Bless & Kind Regards

Garie Pimentel

*************

An invitation to join the Don Bosco Yahoo Group

Sent Aug 29, 2003
calentong@yahoo.com

All,

To access Yahoo groups directly, you need to establish a 'profile'. Basic info is fine.
You can go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dbmhs74/ and find register at the upper right hand.
After completing, you will be able to log in. Your choice of ID and password.

Thx,
admin

**********

Email Community of Don Bosco Mandaluyong HS '74

Members: Eduardo Fune, Charlie Fernando, Cesar Holgado MD, Angelo
Alphair, Adrian Juanengo

Let's improve this page, send suggestions to Vic Munarriz, Batch'76 at vicmunarriz@eudoramail.com or, if you meet another Bosconian
from Mandaluyong, please get his name, email address, and high school batch and send them also to Vic Munarriz so that we may add them to
the growing list of subscribers. Thank you for your cooperation.

General Store Bulletin BD - http://www.egroups.com/group/dbmaa

TO START SENDING messages to members of this group, simply send email
to dbmhs74@yahoogroups.com

If you do not wish to belong to the dbmhs74 group, you
can unsubscribe by replying to this message, or by sending an email to
dbmhs74-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com


Regards,

Moderator, dbmhs74


We All Need Prayer
Sent Aug 26, 2003

We all need a prayer!

Kind Regards

Garie Pimentel

I need this back. If you'll do this for me, I'll do it for you

When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need. Take 60 seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person who sent you this.Father, God bless all my friends in whatever it is that You know they may be needing this day! And may their life be full of your peace, prosperity and power as he/she seeks to have a closer relationship with you.

Amen.


Ed Fune: Naliligaw

Sent Sep 3, 2003

Raoul,
How are you doing nowadays? Hope that you are doing good with your business. I am trying to figure out what is our updated website now? Cyberlife 2000 seems to be out of commission.

Regards.

Ed


Boyet has a new email address

Sent Sep 3, 2003

Please be informed that effective immediately, you may send your e-mails to this new address.

Thank you very much and God bless!

Willy "Boyet" Tobias : wvtconsult@pacific.com.ph


Garie Explains why the Pope is tired:

Sent Aug 14, 2003

DO YOU KNOW WHY THE POPE IS TIRED?

IN 23 YEARS OF HIS PONTIFICATE, THESE ARE SOME OF
THE REASONS WHY THE POPE IS TIRED:

NUMBER OF TRIPS OUTSIDE OF ITALY: 95
NUMBER OF TRIPS INSIDE ITALY, NOT INCLUDING ROME: 140
VISITS IN ROME AND CASTELGANGOLFO: 726
BEATIFICATIONS: 1,282
CANONIZATIONS: 456
NUMBER OF NATIONS VISITED: 130
NUMBER OF CITIES VISITED: 604
NUMBER OF SPEECHES OUTSIDE OF ITALY: 3,430
SPEECHES DURING HIS PONTIFICATE: 20,341
NUMBER OF GENERAL AUDIENCES: 1,218
DOCUMENTS:
13 ENCYCLICAS
13 APOSTOLIC EXHORTATIONS
11 APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTIONS
41 APOSTOLIC LETTERS
CATHECHISM

NUMBER OF PERSONS THAT HAVE ATTENDED HIS GENERAL
AUDIENCES: 16,930,200
DURATIONS OF HIS TRIPS:541 DAYS, 18 HRS, 25 MIN
TOTAL OF KILOMETERS: 1,400,607
(THIS IS 28,3 TIMES AROUND THE WORLD. IT IS 2,97
TIMES THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE MOON.
AND ALL THIS ACCOMPLISHED WITH 18 HOURS DAILY WORK)

HE DOES NOT TAKE ANY MEDICINES.
HE HAS HAD 6 SURGERIES.
IN ONE OF THESE, THEY CUT 2,5 METERS OF INTESTINE.
HE HAS ARTROSIS IN ONE LEG, THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT
FOR HIM TO WALK. EVEN SO, HE NEVER COMPLAINS AND
KEEPS GOING FORWARD.

WHATEVER YOUR BELIEF MAY BE, THIS POPE IS AN
EXAMPLE FOR ALL, CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS,
SICK OR HEALTHY. HE DOES THIS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THE
LOVE OF GOD FOR MANKIND.

ON HIS LAST TRIP TO BULGARIA, HE WAS ASKED IF HE
WILL STEP DOWN, AND HE ANSWERED:

"IF CHRIST HAD STEP DOWN FROM THE CROSS, I WOULD
HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO THE SAME"

POPE JOHN PAUL II HAS ASKED ON SATURDAY JULY 6TH
WHEN HE WAS PRAYING THE ANGELUS IN FRONT OF
PILGRIMS TO ST. PETER'S SQUARE, FOR US TO PRAY
FOR HIM. HE SAID HE IS STILL THERE BECAUSE OF
THE STRENGTH THAT PRAYERS GIVE HIM.

COULD YOU HELP HIM WITH A PRAYER?

COULD YOU SEND THIS MESSAGE TO OTHERS SO THAT WE
ALL PRAY FOR HIM?

THANK YOU


Letters from Ed Guzman:

From: Ed Guzman : : July 18 , 2003

Blaster Worm Defense

http://www.guzmanonline.com/blastertools/


Letters from Cesar Soria:

From: Cesar Soria : : July 18 , 2003

Hi Raoul,
This is Cesar Soria just saying Hi, your classmate in high school at Don Bosco (Mandaluyong) 2nd to 4th year. Once in a while I do reminisce about the days in high school especially the 3rd and 4th year. To me those days were one of the best days in my life. You along with a few others always stood out and came to mind. I remember, you played basketball, a member of the Buhaghag singing group and already good in arts (caricatures, cartoons) in which everybody was impressed. You along with Nanny (Fernando Rojas), and Edwin Lansang were most often the spokesman because you guys were eloquent and do speak your mind out while we were lost and just going with the flow wherever the class takes us.
If everything still sounds vague or maybe you're asking like who the heck is this guy, I'll understand, afterall it has been years. I've never even talk to any classmate of ours personally or via e-mail. I don't know why but that's the way it panned out.
By the way I'm happy to know the way things are going for you. For some reason last night was one of those nights I was reminiscing because I was playing the old tunes that were popular during those days. While at the internet, I just type your name, and there it was, your Web Page and I knew right away that's got to be Raoul that I know in high school because of the talent we know you by. Also one more thing I remember we call you "Spasky" back then. I could have done this years back but, I don't know.
In 4th year High, you and Nanny invited me to sing with you guys at a Festival in Don Bosco we sang, I believe the equivalent of "Muskrat Love" by America and was it "We may never pass this way again". We won 1st place at that. We also joined other contest sponsored by some all girls Catholic School, I forgot the name.
Anyway college life was not that pleasant for me but life goes on and I went to the US around 1980. Life's ok . I'm happily married and have 2 daughters.
Also I'd like to share you this tune, you used to sing it or hum it sometimes before parties or before practice to sing as a group. You mentioned it to me that time but I've have not forgotten it and it became one of my favorite oldies. If it doesn't mean much you can always delete it. It is attached in this mail
'Till next time, I know you're a busy man, we'll talk.

God Bless
Cesar Soria


my email: csoria@socal.rr.com
phone: 818 832 9361
address:19820 Sierra Meadows Ln.
Northridge Ca., 91326

*********

From: Cesar Soria : July 24, 2003

Raoul,
'Got your e-mail and I went in the website you told me too. I must say "Good job on the website, pare!" I tried typing keywords for Don Bosco before but did not get connected to this. Anyway, I saw the pics and I do recognize most our batchmates and classmates. Some of the pics especially the one's in the event pics page sent by Jojie, I could not open. All it has were boxes with little x box on their top left corners. Any suggestions on these. Also the class pics were amusing. I can only click to enlarge some of them but others I could not. My kids were amazed when I showed them these pics.
My e-mail is always swamped because my wife's batch is having a reunion also 3 weeks from now in Las Vegas. I'm sure you know the amount of e-mail exchange that goes on in that kind of event, so don't publish mine yet.
I'll send a picture soon. I don't have a digital camera.
I sent you a second e-mail about that song I was talking to you about. "Below us all the city light" by Tower of Power. Did you get it.
Now I can connect also with others because of the other e-mail postings. Crisanto de Guzman sat beside me at class and Aurelio Salle was my neighbor. I'll contact them soon.
Maraming Salamat for the work you've done on the website. Somehow, we can get connected. By the way I do remember seeing Tony Mapile and Ray de la Rosa at Mass in St. Catherine at Reseda but that was also 5+ years back. 'Dyahe pare, they approached me back then but it took me a couple of minutes before I said "oh yeah, I know you." Now I found them. I'll also connect with them later.
'Talk to you later and I hope to see you and others soon.

Cesar

**********

From: Cesar Soria : July 29, 2003

Raoul,
We were on vacation last week but we only took short day trips around southern cal. para makatipid. We were at Huntington Library last Thursday. I knew we were only a couple of blocks away from where you are. I hesitated calling because when we were done, I know it's not quitting time for local businesses yet.
I sent an e-mail to my former neighbor Rely Sale and we connected. We were neighbors since 5th grade. I also sent Ray de la Rosa And Tony Mapile a note just to say Hi. I did send a note to Crisanto de Guzman, he was seated next to me in class in 4th year, I used the e-mail address in the website but I just got "user not identified" message. Baka pinalitan na niya.
Sorry I cannot make it on Aug. 9. We may take a road trip to the East Coast. You mentioned Ray Santos. What's his full name? I know of Emmanuel Santos , who went to the seminary.
'Till next time.

Cesar


Conversation between Ernie and Danny
Jun 13

At 02:44 AM 6/13/2003, Ernie Peralta wrote:
Danny - Don't know if your note was serious or was meant to be tongue-in-cheek dahil nalulungkot ka lang at walang sumusulat sa iyo, but
in case you were serious: baka naman may KLEM virus ka pa, hindi mo lang alam kaya?

June 13, Danny Juanengo wrote:

Ernie pare,

Biro lang yon. It's just that I have been getting warnings from the "ezmlm program" which runs the mailing list for this group, informing me that mail

addressed to me is bouncing. I have investigated and the reason is this.
Someone's computer is still affected with FIZZER and is sending messages to our mailing list. Previously, I was able to receive these virus-infected
messages and my antivirus program has been able to detect and delete them. If you remember, I write this group about FIZZER a few weeks ago.

Recently, my ISP decided to install its own antivirus routine to scan all incoming mail. But instead of deleting infected messages, the ISP sends
them back. That's why ezmlm issues me the warning.

Pare, sumulat ka na sa akin. Hindi na ako malungkot. Promise. Gusto ko lang sana mabasa ng bossing ng mailing list natin ito at huwag niya sana akong
patalsikin sa list natin kasi tuwang-tuwa ako tuwing nakakatanggap ako ng balita mula sa inyo. :)

God bless you all.
Ernie

******

June 12
Subject: I am still alive

Hi folks.

It seems my email is screwing up and I have been threatened with removal
from this mailing list. :)

I would like everyone to know I am still around.

Ernie

*****

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 11:44:09 -0700 (PDT)


Danny - Don't know if your note was serious or was meant to be tongue-in-cheek dahil nalulungkot ka lang at walang sumusulat sa iyo, but in
case you were serious: baka naman may KLEM virus ka pa, hindi mo lang alam kaya? i had to go into the Symantec site and download the KLEM clean-up program, then run it in my computer (i had to be in "safe" mode.

That took a while for me to figure out how, and i probably couldn't do it again if my life depended on it). The program told me i wasn't infected, but i think
i was, because since then i haven't been clogging up other people's email servers anymore, at least as far as i know. i could be wrong about your computer, but just trying to help...

Anyway, i might as well take this opportunity to say "Hi" to everybody. Hope all our cohorts (is there such a thing as "horts"?)
in Toronto are SARS-free - Perry Pena, Ed De Guzman, Jun Dadivas - among others. Not sure yet, but my seminary classmates may twist my arm enough so that i could find myself in the Philippines around the second week of July next year for our 30th H.S. reunion at Christ The King.

Take care, all.


- ernie (peralta)

Oops! Of course i meant "Klez". Powdered milk 'ata ang "KLEM" (KLIM?), 'di ba?


A Conversation between Boyet and Jorge:

From: Rene Ramos : July 7 , 2003

Hello, Raoul.

How's everything ?
It is only 4 weeks before the big event - BOSCONIANS TOGETHER 2003. Tommorow, we have a special meeting at Pinoy Grille in La Palma. Come join us, if you can. We will have this weekly meetings until the week of the event.

Also, can I ask your special assistance in reaching other bosconians that you know, especially from your circa 74, to attend our annual event - BOSCONIANS TOGETHER 2003. Donations, $45.00 only. We have some more spaces to fill.

If they could attend, please RSVP via e-mail to me or call me at 310.617.6256. This would help us in determining the final count of the evening.

On the other note, I forwarded our conversation regarding your participation on the silent auction. Picture drawing..... If there is a special need that you require,' please feel free to let me know.

Maraming salamat po uli.

Rene Ramos


Virus Alert

Someone's computer is infected with FIZZER and is sending out email to addresses in the address book, including this mailing list. Please update your AV definitions so FIZZER can be detected and stopped.

Regards.

Danny Juanengo

Danny, I checked my system and updated my Norton definitions but I'm wondering if I still have it. Do you have any suggestions as to the best way to go about this? --- Raoul


Donation
May 5

Friends,

I have received your remittance converted to peso (PhP20, 600.00)

I am still holding on to it as instructed by Joey de Ocampo. His reason is for the amount to be channeled to our local chapter. They are still in the process of consolidating balances of the Nat Con. If entered now, it will go to the National Federation coffers and our own local chapter needs funds.

I will transmit the receipts to you shortly. Again, my heartfelt thanks. Sana hindi kayo magsawa sa pagtataguyod sa ating samahan. God bless!!

For your information
WVT Consultants
Telefax ++(632) 531-1309
Mobile ++(63917) 848.4543


National Convention

May 5

Friends,

Some pics of the recently concluded National Convention of DB Alumni in the Philippines attended by the 13 Philippine Chapters.

Click on Picture for more


It was one of the rare occassions where one can truly be proud to be a Bosconian. Ika nga ng kasabihan, "once a Bosconian, always a Bosconian!" (kahit na sa Ateneo, La Salle o Unciano mo pinag-aral ang anak mo)

In one picture (socials in Wack-Wack) you can see Mr. Joey de Ocampo, DBMAA Executive Director, Boyet (ako), Fr. Armand Robleza, Salesian Delegate to the Alumni, Mayor Benhur Abalos, '79, head of Abet David, '74 and Gabby Salcedo, '75.

Till then and God bless!!!

Boyet V. Tobias, '74


April 26

I always knew I can count on you. Circa 74 and the DBMAA will be very grateful for whatever amount to be received, most especially if it comes from the heart. To the rest of the members, just keep your donations pouring. It is, after all, for a good cause.

Both organizations, we must admit, can only effectively survive through donations coming from us, their organic members. In whatever field we are now, let's always "fuel" the orgs as they can constantly remind us of our glorious past. Let us not allow these LINKS to wither and die.

Again, thank you and may God shower you and your family with abundant blessings now and forever for all the good things you are!

Boyet


April 27

Boyet,
I have emailed Edwin and he said that he already sent in the money. I will be sending him a small amount. He is still taking donations and will hold it for another three weeks or so. Sorry it's late. I was busy in between detachments due to call of duty.
Regards and take care.

Ed

AMCS(AW/SW) EDUARDO C. FUNE


April 22

Thanks a lot, Edwin, Ernie and Raoul, not much for the money but more for the effort.

May God bless you and your family all the rest of your lives.

Boyet


April 22

Edwin - Thanks again for doing this. Kumusta na lang sa inyong magpapamilya diyan, ha? Actually, we're practically next-door neighbors pala, ano?

Boyet & Raoul - Alam niyo bang hindi ko natanggap sa email ko at home ang second appeal ni Boyet? Matter of fact, i haven't gotten anything coming from the bosco.arttickles mailing list for a while na. i think maybe my mindspring/earthlink account blocks it because it probably thinks it's spam because the list is long. Ayoko namang i-include ang work email ko sa website. And so i'm thinking maybe some of the others here sa U.S. may not have heard of Boyet's appeals. The only reason i saw the second appeal is because i am so obsessive/compulsive that i just have to check out the website every once in a while (switched tenses in mid-sentence there...).

Anyway, it was just a thought. Siyempre mahirap din naman ang mag-forcing-through. i realize the economy is hard nowadays. 'Nga pala, please don't share this na lang with the group as it might rub off the wrong way, ok? Thanx.


- ernie (peralta)


Donations Sent by Edwin
Contributed by Ding

April 22

Boyet,

Haven't forgotten to send contributions. Been unable to make it to bank, but will send within couple of days. Thus far, only Ernie Peralta, Raoul Pascual and I are sending money. The total should be split -- one-half for Circa and one-half for Alum Assn. I will be sending it to YOUR COMPANY ACCOUNT -- ikaw na ang bahalang mag-distribute. The breakdown is like this:
Ernie: $100
Raoul: $100
Edwin: $200,
for a TOTAL of $400.

Sorry, Boyet -- I wish it could be more.

Raoul and Ernie: Sorry -- I haven't deposited your checks. I will do that on the day I do the wire transfer, possibly tomorrow (Wed).
Boyet: Will send another e-mail, once I wire.

Belated Happy Easter to you all!

Peace,
Edwin


Shot of the Day
Contributed by Ding

March 17, 2003

I forgot to post this earlier. I'm guessing this is an original from Ding Guzman. --- Roaul

A nice view from the Granville Island Public Market ... 'twas a nice day, too! (Vancouver, BC, Canada - 16 Mar 2003)


A Visit to Ray's universe

April 11

FYI, I finally got to visit Ray De la Rosa in his office in Universal Studios (sorry, no photos - Ray specifically asked me not to post them --- Ray, I'm sure this one of just the two of us is okay --- at least may ebidensya na nagkita tayo). Ray is in charge of licensing Universal products like Jurassic Park, The Cat in the Hat, the Incredible Hulk, the Fast and the Furious, Woody Wood Pecker, E.T., The Land Before Time, etc. If there is a success story to brag about, Ray's certainly is one of them. I also went to his new house in Burbank on top of a hill which overlooks the city. His kids are adorable. I wanted to stay and meet his wife but I had to leave for a prior engagement. Ray, we should do this again.

There are plans to develop yet another Don Bosco website. In a few weeks Rene Ramos (batch '68) and his BOSCO Together group will have their own website. Naturally we will link up with theirs and vice versa. Their website will be more inclusive --- not just for one particular batch nor for one particular area --- they will be open to ALL Bosconians in the known universe. I've been to one of their socials and it was fun. All of us will benefit from this organization. I pray that I will have time to do a decent job on this website. As you can tell I have been super busy that these updates are a bit stale. If you're interested, come and visit my web project --- www.octv.com. USA Today rated it as the new "Capital of Cool."


A Collection of Emails Pertaining to the Great Donation
Note: the emails are arranged from the latest to the earliest. It may be a bit confusing.

April 10

Raoul,

I hope it's not a habit of yours to send out checks in UNSEALED envelopes. I checked the gum on your envelope and it looks like it was never licked or touched by any other means. Needless to say, WALANG LAMAN!

Just kidding. I got it and you're lucky that it didn't fall out and that our postman is trustworthy. Careful next time. I will wait through next week to see if any more people respond to Boyet's second appeal. So far,
it's you, Ernie, and me.

Later
Edwin

Nakakahiya! Is it obvious that I'm that busy? Thank God for the honest postal service. This would never have happened in the Philippines. Imagine if I had sent the check straight to Boyet ... even if it were possible. Thanks again for all your help. I heard from Rene Ramos (batch '68) of the LA based Bosco group that they were planning to send something. Probably people are just too hard up. I know it wasn't easy for me to give because my cash was running low. Boyet, I hope you realize the sacrifice you're subjecting all of us to. ;-)

Raoul

***************

April 9

Dear Batchmates in the Mainland,

This is my second appeal to you. More than your prayers, we need cash in order to assist our alumni association in hosting this year's annual convention of Don Bosco Past Pupils all over the Philippines.

The convention will be held on May 1-3, 2003 and DBMAA is still short of cash. Further, our very own batch need funding to be able to "survive"

Katulad ng walis tingting, if eacg and every responsible member of Circa 74 will just do his share, then we can be strong. The DBMAA need your donation possibly before April 15,

Thank you Edwin, Ernie, Mike P, Glen S., also to Joji Ranola (Australia), Chito Ongpin (Binondo Chinatown) for your help and understanding. You can forward your "dollars" to Edwin Lansang and he will transmit them to us here in Manila or if you want, send directly to us using any of the following accounts: (See attached SWIFT NUMBER)

CIRCA SITENTA Y CUATRO -
Chinabank Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong Branch
Current Account No. 217-002631-0

DB MANDALUYONG ALUMNI ASSN
Chinabank Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong Branch
current Account No. 217-024821-1

Thank you once more and may God bless us all !

Lovingly yours,

Boyet Tobias
Circa 74 President (daw!)
********

April 9

Boyet,

Thank you for this info. You might want to reiterate your appeal to our boys in the States. Only Ernie Peralta has responded so far. I had given everyone a deadline of April 10, based on your original appeal (April 15 deadline), but if you feel you can extend the deadline, do so. That would give people more time to respond. I assume a lot of them are busy. Tell them it's completely safe to send their checks to me.

Edwin

********

April 9

Thanks, Glenn. I never doubted you. You are always in our (Manila boys) our hearts and prayers.

God bless!

Boyet

**********

April 9

Boyet,
Rest assured of my support.
God bless.
Glen

************

April 8

Edwin,

As you requested, just got info from bank.

You can also use my company account if you want to, to wit;

CHINABANK BONI AVE. BRANCH
Acct. name- WVT Consultants
CA Acct. No. 217-005261-4

Thanks and God bless!!!

Boyet

**********

April 5

Thanks, Ji. Another lad from down under with a golden heart.

Keep it up, mate!

Bloodily yours,

Boyet

*****

April 5

boyet

i'll be sending my share but at this stage i'm on holidays driving around australia on the north end but i will be coming back on the first week of may. i have to find where i can send it.i usually send it through door to door to my mom so maybe i can send it to your home address or office.

i might not be able to read your answer at once because i don't have access to a pc during my vacation

regards

joji

*********

April 5

Thanks, Edwin. Before I sent the mass e-mail, I inquired from the bank. (By the way, branch manager is a DB Mandaluyong Batch 73). I'll check if indeed there is a SWIFT NUMBER. My company receive remittances from Tokyo the "normal" way.

The bank's complete address follows;

CHINA BANKING CORPORATION
Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong Branch
San Rafael Street, Mandaluyong City
Telefax (632) 534-1968
Branch Manager - Mr. Paul Siongco

Please advise as to which account you intend to transfer money into so we can issue the receipts.

Thank you very much and hope to see ALL OF YOU in Manila come 2004 during our 30th to make the occasion more memorable. FYI, tick it out - last Saturday of January.

God bless you and your family for what you are!

Boyet

***********

April 5

Boyet,
I will have some money to wire by next week. But before I can do so, I need from you Chinabank's SWIFT NUMBER, or routing number (that's the number used to move money from bank to bank, before it eventually goes into the specific account). I also need the bank's complete address. I don't know how much I will have collected by then, but I will send you another e-mail with the final amount and the details as to the split between Circa and Alum. Okay?

Regards,
Edwin

***********

Side Bar (sa atin atin lang 'to)

On April 4 there were 2 long but (unfortunately) private conversations between Edwin and Ernie. Basically, both of the companies they work for are experiencing some tough times. I think this is admirable that in spite of the financial difficulties that people like them still find it in their hearts to give to the Don Bosco Donation Campaign. Thank you to all the generous people out there.

Raoul

***********

April 2

Edwin - i really appreciate your taking the lead on this. And i apologize kung naantala kita dahil sa suggestion ko to have a point person garner all the U.S. checks. Hayaan mo, pagpapalaan ka naman ni Lord, eh.

Accountant ka nga ba? Pareho pala tayo. Or are you a lawyer? i heard Cooley is a great firm to work for (may opening ba diyan. i'm getting bored here. he..he...). Anyways...

The proverbial check is in the mail, and should literally be split 50/50 - or should i say $50/$50. i'm enclosing a copy of this email with my check (para tipid sa tinta). Again, thanks for volunteering for this. Or maybe
i should thank Raoul for volunteering you??!@!

Raoul - i always do this with my emails. Piggybacking, that is. Thanks for broadcasting my suggestion on the website. Naatasan pa tuloy si Edwin. i hope Profeta, Holgado, and all the rest of the bigatins who live here
visit the site and answer the call. You really do CIRCA a great favor by bringing us back to our roots via your website, and as i've said before (like a broken record) i appreciate what you do a lot.

Both - Take care and God bless na lang. Gotta start busting my behind...


- ernie (peralta)

*******

April 2

Thanks for the advise. I do not know how Mikey will "mail" the cash. Siguro, through Fed-Ex?

Boyet

*******

April 1

Are you sure that it won't get lost in the mail? If it were that simple, why would these Wire Transfer Institutions be in business? I suggest you study this option more before sending this off that simply.

Kilala ko si Edwin. I think you can trust him. Mail it to Edwin and he will be the one to wire the transfer. Simple na, sigurado pa.

Raoul

****************

April 1

As you wish. Thank you in advance.
May god shower you and your family with blessings! Let us pray that others will follow suit.
Just give me the breakdown, that is, how much will go to DB Manda and how much for Circa.

Boyet

**************

April 1

Can I just mail it to you instead?

KEVINP123@aol.com


Response from Edwin

From: Edwin : Mar. 31, 2003

SENT around 10:00 am

I'm not an accountant? Goes to show how little you know me. I'm hurt.

I suggest people send their money to Willie through a money remittance or foreign exchange company, such as LBC Mabuhay or Grace Foreign Exchange. Wire transfers typically charge a lot, like $35 within the U.S. and even more if overseas, whereas LBC charges something like $8 to $10. Door-to-door na, next day pa! Do I sound like a f***ing commercial, or what?

Edwin

*****************

SENT LATER AT 11:511 am

I sent you an earlier e-mail suggesting the "LBC Mabuhay-route" which still makes sense, especially IF ONLY ONE OR TWO PEOPLE SEND DONATIONS.

I checked with my bank -- the fee for wire transfers is $45. Nevertheless, if people feel more comfortable with a wire transfer, I'm willing to collect donations and do the wire transfer. But I do need additional information from Boyet -- the bank's routing number (also known as ABA# or Swift#) and the bank's complete address. He can call the bank for this information (tell them it's for wiring money from overseas).

Send your personal checks to:
Edwin Lansang
1345 Clement Street #302
San Francisco, CA 94118

and indicate how much you want to give to CIRCA and how much to the Alumni Association. Given the time constraints (Boyet's deadline is April 15), I suggest people send me their checks no later than April 10 (for wiring on April 11). Send me an e-mail in advance to tell me your check's coming and I will acknowledge receipt with a reply.

Those who send bad checks will be severely dealt with.

Edwin

Thanks for doing all of this Edwin. I knew I could count on you. I'm sure our batchmates appreciate your help in this matter. I'll send you my "little" check. In the meantime, if there's anyone else out there who knows a better way to send this, please let us know. Forty dollars just for a wire transfer is a lot of money. Baka mayroon kayong kilala na uuwi sa Pilipinas. Rene Ramos, I know you're active in seeking funding and support for your group. Do you have any better solutions? Ernie, great suggestion. BTW, Edwin accountant ka ba o hindi?-- Raoul


Article from Boyet

From: Boyet : Mar. 29, 2003

Here's a man with a golden heart. He is indeed a true blue Bosconian (although his sons study in La Salle Greenhills). sobrang yaman na kasi!

***********
Boyet,

I have already given a monetary donation and have loaned a PC and printer to the Federation. Joey and Sonny know about this already.

Chito


Suggestion from Ernie

From: Ernie : Mar. 29, 2003

Raoul - Have you seen Boyet Tobias' appeal for donations? Gusto ko sanang mag-donate, kaya lang hindi ganoon kalaki ang kaya kong ibigay (siguro mga $100 or so lang...) so iniisip ko sayang naman dahil makakain lang ng fees ang donation - especially since i wanted to do a 50/50 split pa between
CIRCA and the DB Alumni Association. Sooooooo....

i was just thinking if three or four (or more) of us here in California (or the States) who were planning to send money anyway could write checks to one point person - who is trustworthy, of course - and that person could make one wire transfer for the total less fees to the CIRCA account and
designate how much goes to where, that would be more effective.

Of course i am making the assumption that you were planning on sending something also. Hope i'm not being too presumptious, and i hope i did not put you on the spot. Medyo na-konsiyensiya lang ako sa appeal ni Boyet, eh (even though they'll probably just spend the money to get drunk.. ha...ha..). Actually, i just thought this would be a good way to "give back". Also, i just didn't know where to start to get the ball rolling, especially since dehin ko naman masyadong ka-close kayo since i wasn't there during y'all's high school bonding years, so i thought of you.

Anyway, if you could at least tell me what you think, i would appreciate it. You may disseminate this e-mail to whomever you please via whatever vehicle you choose (mass e-mail, bosco website, etc...). Regards and God bless na lang sa family mo.

- ernie

This is a very good idea. Saves us all money and puts the money where it should really go.

I'll post this on the web and see who else is interested. I have never done a wire transfer so if it's okay with everyone and I've been so busy that I sleep an average of 5 hours a day only ... I suggest we have someone we can trust, --- like Edwin Lansang, do the wire transfer since he's an accountant.

Edwin, what do you think? Can we send you the checks?--- Raoul


Appeal from Boyet

From: Boyet : Mar. 29, 2003

Batch,

Don Bosco Mandaluyong is going to host this year's annual convention of the Alumni National Federation come May 1, 2003. Up to this writing, the organizers are still very short on cash.

This is my hard job as president. I want to appeal to your generosity to donate any amount to help the chapter. You can send your donations, hopefully before April 15, 2003, to the following accounts (whichever you choose) and rest-assured, a receipt shall be issued to you. Sa mga taga Canada and US-based, tax deductible ito. If you choose our account (CIRCA), please indicate how much you intend to send to the chapter and how much for the batch. Just inform me by e-mail of the bank transactions for tracking purposes.

CIRCA SITENTA Y CUATRO -
Chinabank Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong Branch
Current Account No. 217-002631-0

DB MANDALUYONG ALUMNI ASSN
Chinabank Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong Branch
current Account No. 217-024821-1

Please don't ignore this appeal. If you can not give, e-mail mo na rin ako. I'm sure that your donations to our Alma Mater and/or to our batch will be returned a hundredfold in heaven.

Thank you very much and may God bless us all!

Boyet Tobias
WVT Consultants
Telefax ++(632) 531-1309
Mobile ++(63917) 848.4543


Letters from Ernie and Garie about the War in Iraq

From: Ernie : Mar. 29, 2003

Raoul - i agree with you and support you all the way. We all have our own
opinions about what is happening and could happen in our world today. But i
don't think the Don Bosco website is the proper forum for expressing these.
Unity, not division, should be our mantra.

As an ex U.S. Navy man and as an ex-seminarian and Quaker school graduate,
you can imagine how torn i must be about which side of the fence i "should"
be on. Let us just trust God and pray that He may guide our leaders (and
Saddam, too) to do the right thing.

i hope i am not speaking out of turn...


- ernie (peralta)

Thanks for your support Ernie. I've gotten into some heated debates over this and I realize this is an issue, important as it is, is not good for creating harmony between people. Garie Pimentel put it correctly -- let's pray for everyone. ---- Raoul

Garie passed this along just before the war:

PRAYER REQUEST

At a Prayer meeting last night, while praying for
world affairs, one of the prayer warriors mentioned the Lord waking him in the middle of the night and telling him that if one million people would pray for Saddam Hussein to abdicate the presidency of Iraq, we would avoid war.

We at the meeting promised to contact 10 believers to pray for this and to ask each believer to ask 10 more believers to pray. Please pass this on and, with God's mercy, we will avoid such a conflict. "Be anxious for nothing; pray about everything. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will stand guard around your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus


Article from Boyet

From: Boyet : Mar. 16, 2003

Batch,

I received a text message from Abet David that Monching Marquez, 4A died. for those of you who can not recall him, chubby siya na singkit, medyo maitim at tahimik lang. He lies in state at Funeraria Nacional and will be buried on Wednesday.

I sent a text message to some batchmates in my directory to meet at Nacional on Tuesday, March 18, 2003 at 7:00 PM to pay our last respects to a dead batchmate.

Let's all pray for the eternal repose of Mon's soul.

Boyet
WVT Consultants
Telefax ++(632) 531-1309
Mobile ++(63917) 848.4543

I join the rest of the batch in praying for the family in their time of grief. --- Raoul


Bosco Reunion in Norwalk, CA

From: Raoul : Mar. 16, 2003

Batch,

It was a sunny Sunday with puddles of rain in the sidewalk from the day before when the Don Bosco Phils. Alumni Assn. (DBPAA) of North America enjoyed a short reunion in the St. Dominic Savio Church in Norwalk. --- click on picture for more. --- Raoul


Letter of Petition Against the war

From: melvin ananca : Mar. 09, 2003

An excerpt of the petition:

The US Congress has just authorized the President of the US to go to war against Iraq ...

Melvin sent this petition which I'm sure many of us have received in some other email. Unfortunately this website does not want to cause division among its members so I could not include it in its entirety unless you send me an original article. Let's encourage each other but let's keep politics, religion and sex out of this website. Sorry. If you feel I have included anything in bad taste or if you feel I have a double standard of looking at things, please write me. --- Raoul


Letter of Invitation and Responses to First LA Reunion

From: Rene : Mar. 09, 2003

Hello, Raoul.

Hello, DB batch'74 here in the USA. & Canada.

Please come to our meeting this Sunday, March 16, 2003 at Bellflower, CA.
Meet fellow bosconians. See you all! The following is the location/ direction:

ST DOMINIC SAVIO CHURCH
13400 Bellflower Boulevard
Bellflower, CA 90706
562-920-7796

( CLICK HERE FOR YAHOO MAP)

We usher the 11 am mass; potluck lunch with Bosconians & family; business meeting (DBPAA updates/plans) and social / kuwentuhan up to 2:30/3pm.

Raoul, could we have your mailing address and phone number so we could include you in our registry & contact person for your group here locally.

Thank you and please let me know.


RENE F. RAMOS (dbmand ' 68)
President / DBPAA -
No. America (310) 864-1331
e-mail: bosco2gther@aol.com

 

**************

From: Rene : Mar. 09, 2003

Hello, Edmund (dbmand 78)
Thanks for your e-mail. How many are you coming ?
By the way, I will be there by 10am to meet your group and others.
We will station ourselves close to the church door entrance for easy visibility.
I am still waiting for Fr. Ramon (DBPAA spiritual director ) regarding the readings during the mass by your group.See you all there.

Also, could you help me set-up our group communication as we previously discussed. You can call me anytime tomorrow, Monday to my cell phone 310-864-1331.

Regards,

RENE

**********

From: Charlie : Mar. 09, 2003

Hi Raoul,

Ricky Labayen is my brother in law.

Best regards,
Charlie Fernando
Field Sales Division Manager
Aurotech Systems (Phils.) Inc.
tel. +632 809 0155
fax. +632 807 7419
www.aurotech.com


Mystery Solved!

From: Joji : Mar. 08, 2003

raoul

i had the chance to open our web site and saw this Mystery Photo: Who sent this Group Picture?

i was the one who sent this.


nakuha ko ito noong umuwi ako sa pinas 1998 at dala ko pa nga yung ibang edition nang SPARK natin
kagaya nang mga caricature nang spark pipol.

o sige dito na lang at kamusta na lang sa family mo.

wishing you all the best for all the effort you've been doing sa batch natin.

God bless

joji

Ikaw pala! Ang tagal namin nagimbestiga! Salamat at na-solve ang mystery. Sana magpadala ka ng mga "scan" ng Spark. It would be great to have a picture of that. If you trust me (and if it's not too expensive), can you mail it to me? I can scan it and then return it afterwards. My address is: 1151 Huntington Drive, South Pasadena, CA 91030 (see our email list in this website). Thanks!--- Raoul


Article from Ed

From: Boyet : Mar. 04, 2003

Mikey,

An arowana is an ancient fish that is believed to bring good luck to its handsome owners. Take note - handsome. (That may be the only reason why you and Raoul haven't heard of such) Manolet Navarro, according to Ray dela Rosa, used to own three of them. (If you own more than one, babaero ka!)

The Chinese use this fish in their chinaware, Sultan Bolkiah for his dinner table and my driver for his pulutan. a 4 inch long Red Golden Arowana from Indonesia fetches $400.00 a piece. The Malaysian Gold was given to me as a gift. The camera I used to take dozens of my pet's picture is a Sony is fortunately another gift given to me by MP and not R2D2.

God bless!!!

Boyet
WVT Consultants
Telefax ++(632) 531-1309
Mobile ++(63917) 848.4543

 


Article from Ed

From: Ed Fune : Mar. 03, 2003

From the same gentleman who brought us "A Rhose By Any Other Name," here's
another one and this time, it's about food. Happy Reading!


A Matter of Taste
By Matthew Sutherland

"A man seldom thinks with more earnestness of anything than he does of his dinner." -- Samuel Johnson

I HAVE NOW BEEN in this country for over six years, and consider myself in most respects well-assimilated. However, there is one key step on the road to full assimilation which I have yet to take, and that's to eat balut. The
day any of you sees me eating balut, please call immigration and ask them to issue me a Filipino passport. Because at that point there will be no turning back.

Balut, for those still blissfully ignorant non-Pinoys out there, is a fertilized duck egg. It is commonly sold with salt in a piece of newspaper, much like English fish and chips, by street vendors -- usually after dark, presumably so you can't see how gross it is. It's meant to be an aphrodisiac, although I can't imagine anything more likely to dispel sexual desire than crunching on a partially-formed baby duck swimming in noxious fluid. The embryo in the egg comes in varying stages of development, but basically it is not considered macho to eat one without fully discernable feathers, beak, and claws. Some say these crunchy bits are the best. Others prefer just to drink the so-called 'soup', the vile,pungent liquid that
surrounds the aforementioned feathery fetus...excuse me, I have to go and throw up now. I'll be back in a minute.

Food dominates the life of the Filipino. People here just love to eat. They eat at least eight times a day. These eight official meals are called, in order: breakfast,snacks,lunch, merienda, pica-pica,pulutan, dinner, and no-one-saw-me-take-that-cookie-from-the-fridge-so-it-doesn't-count. The short gaps in between these mealtimes are spent eating Sky Flakes from the open packet that sits on every desktop. You're never far from food in the Philippines. If you doubt this, next time you're driving home from work, try this game. See how long you can drive without seeing food -- and I don't mean a distant restaurant, or a picture of food. I mean a man on the sidewalk frying fishballs, or a man walking through the traffic selling nuts or candy. I bet it's less than one minute.

Here are some other things I've noticed about food in the Philippines. Firstly, a meal is not a meal without rice even breakfast. In the UK, I could go a whole year without eating rice. Second, it's impossible to drink without eating. A bottle of San Miguel just isn't the same without gambas or beef tapa. Third, no one ventures more than two paces from their house without baon and a container of something cold to drink. You might as well ask a Filipino to leave home without his pants on. And lastly, where I come from, you eat with a knife and fork. Here, you eat with a spoon and fork. You try eating riceswimming in sauce with a knife.

One really nice thing about Filipino food culture is that people always ask you to share their food. In my office, if you catch anyone attacking their baon, they will always go: "Sir! Kain tayo!" ("Let's eat!"). This confused me, until I realized that they didn't actually expect me to sit down and start munching on their boneless bangus. In fact, the polite response is something like, "No thanks, I just ate." But the principle is sound -- if you have food on your plate, you are expected to share it, however hungry you are, with those who may be even hungrier. I think that's great. In fact, this is frequently even taken one step further. Many Filipinos use "Have you eaten yet?" ("Kumain ka na?") as a general greeting, irrespective of time of day or location.

Some foreigners think Filipino food is fairly dull compared to other Asian cuisines. Actually lots of it is very good: spicy dishes like Bicol Express (strange, a dish named after a train); anything cooked in coconut milk; anything kinilaw; and anything adobo. And it's hard to beat the sheer wanton, cholesterholic frenzy of a good old-fashioned lechon de leche feast. Dig a pit,light a fire, add 50 pounds of animal fat on a stick, and cook until crisp. Mmm, mmm... you can actually feel your arteries constricting with each successive mouthful. I also Share one key Pinoy trait -- a sweet tooth. I am thus the only foreigner I know who does not complain about sweet bread, sweet burgers, sweet spaghetti, sweet banana ketchup, and so on. I am a man who likes to put jam on his pizza. Try it!

It's the weird food you want to avoid. In addition to duck fetus in the half-shell, items to avoid in the Philippines include pig's blood soup (dinuguan); bull's testicle soup (the strangely-named "soup number five" - I dread to think what numbers one through four are); and the ubiquitous, stinky shrimp paste, bagoong, and its equally stinky sister, patis. Filipinos are so addicted to these latter items that they will even risk arrest or deportation trying to smuggle them into countries like Australia and the USA, which wisely ban the importation of items you can smell from more than 100 paces.

Then there's the small matter of the blue ice cream. I have never been able to get my brain around eating blue food; the ubiquitous ube leaves me cold. And lastly on the subject of weird food, beware: that kalderetang kambing could well be kalderetang aso...

The Filipino, of course, has a well-developed sense of food humor. Here's a typical Pinoy food joke: "I'm on a seafood diet." "What's a seafood diet?" " When I see food, I eat it!" Filipinos also eat strange bits of animals -- the feet, the head, the guts, etc., usually barbecued on a stick. These have been given witty names, like "Adidas" (chickens' feet); "kurbata" (either just chicken's neck, or "neck and thigh" as in "neck-tie"); "Walkman" (pigs ears); "PAL" (chicken wings); helmet" (chicken heads); "IUD" (chicken intestines), and "Betamax" (video-cassette-like blocks of animal blood).

Yum, yum.

Bon appetit

AMCS(AW/SW) EDUARDO C. FUNE
WORLD FAMOUS SCREWTOPS
VAW-123 UNIT 60138
FPO AE 09507-6409
(757)444-9710 DSN: 564-9710
funeec@vaw123.navy.mil