City High Report Card

Does this card look familiar? (Click on the photo to enlarge) It was always anticipated with fear, fingernail-biting stress, concern, low or high expectations. The grading curve formula was familiar to everyone: each grade was objective: attendance, participation, quiz results, finals, projects: plus subjective: attitude, appearance, teacher perceptions of being “bright” /nalaing, or “dull”/awan ti ammona daytoy nga ubing.

There were a few classmates we shared details about our grades, most were secretive about it. It was good to know about others’ grades: it makes you feel if the playing field was level or not, in your own mind. I believe we were accepting and docile about the grades we received, in general. Or at least I do not know of any accusations of grade inflation.

Wouldn’t it be fun if you ask your children or grandchildren would grade you on the subjects taken? I cannot recall exactly the subjects we had at our last year, the above is based on recollections which may not be correct.

Liberators Restaurant: Carmen,Rosales, Pangasinan

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Baguio-Manila fare was Pesos 3.75 during our high school days. The trip was dusty, very hot or very wet, sometimes dangerous, tiring, humid and sweaty, wishing you never ever left Baguio when you got to Misericordia Street Dangwa terminal, seven hours later, or the other liners' terminals. Plus another hassle to get to your dorm or boarding house or to your kind auntie's in Manila, to be close to UP, UE, Mapua or wherever.

And your square bamboo box of choice strawberries for your roommates/ friends/ co-caseras would be turning red from the wilting fruit. The trip would have about two stops (if not more, depending on the bladder capacities of co-passengers) of about 20 minutes each. The prepaid meals for the driver and conductor would normally take place at LIBERATORS RESTAURANT in Carmen, Rosales, Pangasinan, soon after the Carmen Bridge. Sellers would climb on the moving bus and sell you bukayo (try sayingb booookayo 4 times within one second: that was the way they were hawked) or tupig ("Napudot pay! Ay, toooopig! Gumatang kayon, manang!").

At Liberators, after you shake off that vibrating bus ride feeling from your hair roots to your toes, there would be about 10 stainless steel pots with different kinds of accompaniments waiting for your rice, plus ten centavos for a cold Coke or TruOrange. Or Cosmos Sarsaparilla if you wanted to save 5 centavos. Or a free glass of chilled water that tasted slightly of salt (as opposed to the sweetish water of Baguio).

The extra large ceiling fans were guaranteed to blow away the serviettes on the table if not secured by a smooth rock. Then you wash your face and hands at an outhouse, with at least running warmish water, while you smell the gasoline fumes in the pumps close by. And Mrs. Padilla would be greeting her guests, one hand with a colorful handkerchief, and a bamboo pole with shredded newspapers secured with a rubber band at one end to shoo away the flies/ mosquitoes on the other.

Fast-forward to today: you probably would have the longer stop at Tarlac, near the entry to Luisita's where you would find a Jollibee, McDo, Max's, KFC, Starbucks for your break. The CR's would have a working flush, t. paper, soap. Not much different from AnyPlace in KL, Manila, San Francisco. And pasalubongs available in foil wrappers, Manufactured Under Sanitary Conditions and Vacuum Sealed by the Foods and Snacks Division of some MNC. Not with dried coconut leaves or grill-wilted banana leaves, tied up with bamboo strips. Progress? Maybe, depending on how you would define it.

But definitely, the Liberator Restaurant and pit stop is surely an institution that is etched deeply into our memories. Specially with Mrs. Padilla smiling away and shaking her fly whisk of Free Press or Kislap Graphic pages with cut-up strips of a smiling Paraluman or First Lady Inday Garcia face on the cover.

Birthday Greetings, Rev. Zarza

Assumption Bldg., Session Road: then and now

GUESSING GAME 13. Further comments

Anonymous said...

Hi!
Sad to say, our old reliable BAL's, Pantrangs, and Times have seen better times; new players with good units and services are presently lording over the north route like Partas, Genesis, Victory, Farinas, Florida.

Times trans has disbanded due to labor problems and came out with a new company - Dominion Trans ( same dog but with a new collar). Marcitas Liner has trimmed its units(buses) into mini ones but is now in its twilight years as aircon vans are keeping a tight competition in almost all routes - LU to Baguio vv, Dag-Baguio vv etc.
& the Ilocos.

For the once mighty and dominant Phil. Rabbit, its now about to turn turtle as the only remaining route it services are Baguio- Mla. and Mla-Tar/PampZamb

Remember the JD/MD trans,Halili& the Baby buses in Mla during our college days? Like life, they also had their own cycle.....

19 March 2010 22:27

Rudy Lambino said...

Hi Anony...
Because of my long absence from 'Pinas, what do I take to get to Baguio as soon as I get out of the Benigno Aquino Terminal? I guess that is the major commercial airport terminal in Manila (MIA when I left 'Pinas). I hate to ask somebody to fetch me at the airport when I attend our grand reunion next year.

Can we get the 'Welcome Committee' to prepare 'guide suggestions' for transport and places to stay in Manila and Baguio.

Thank you.

20 March 2010 14:31

Anonymous said...

Hi Rudy,
You can always take a DOT authorized taxi and bring you to the Victory LIner in Pasay City i.e. if joeA won't be around to fetch you.
For hotels in mla, you can try Marriot hotel situated in Newport City - a newly developed city just across Ninoy Aquino Int'l Apt Terminal 3.

21 March 2010 17:56

Rudy Lambino said...

I will remember - DOT taxi to Victory Liner; and if I arrive in the evening, a DOT taxi to Marriot hotel in Newport City. Thanks Anony

91st MPHS-BCHS-BCNHS Reunion

All set for 91st MPHS-BCHS-BCNHS grand alumni homecoming


BAGUIO CITY (25 Mar) – It’s all set for the 91st grand alumni homecoming next month.
Baguio City High School 1985 (CiTiHi 85), host of this year’s grand celebration, has made April 29 to May 1 as the dates of the biggest school homecoming in this part of the country.
More than 500 attendees are expected to troop to the biggest high school north of Manila, the Baguio City National High School, now home to more than 6,000 students.
April 29 is a special addition made by the host batch wherein graduates are to have a torch/lantern parade the night before the actual homecoming.
The parade is expected to start at the Baguio Convention Center, wound its way to Session Road, Harrison Road and at the BCNHS grounds where the host batch have converted the ground into one big dap-ay and where the ecumenical activities will be held before the offering prayers to the local gods with a native chicken.
There the host batch will have a pinikpikan, bonfire and concerts that are open to all BCNHS graduates in the event which has Celebrate the past, invest in the future as theme.
On April 30, the activity will include a batch amazing races as classes will try to outwit each other in a city wide competition. That will be followed with the opening program and dinner at the BCNHS auditorium.
On May 1, the grand alumni period will start at the Post Office Loop as graduates, as early as 1932, will take the route from Session Road, Harrison and at the BCNHS grounds where the president’s and treasurer’s report will take place. This will be followed with the lunch at the BCNHS auditorium. That night, activities will shift to the Baguio Country Club Multi-purpose Hall where the Wave: A Fusion of Two Generations, a School Dance will take place.
Class of 1932 include two of the most respected women in the city, museum curator Leonora Paraan-San Agustin and former acting city mayor Virginia de Guia. Noted graduates include veteran newspaper editor Cecil Afable (1936), the late former mayor Francisco Paraan (1935), the late mayor Ernesto Bueno and former senator Juan Flavier (1952), among others.
CiTiHi 85 will not only honor the class of 1960 as the golden jubilarian but also former teachers. The night will be capped with the awarding of the outstanding alumni.
Registration fee is only P700.00 but attendees must also pay the annual alumni fee of P100 which will go to the MPHS-BCHS-BCNHS Alumni Association which recently finished the second gate of the school, while also taking charge of a scholarship program that benefits several deserving but indigent students.
CiTiHi 85 has been active in various activities the past months. Recently, it held the inter-school chess and Scrabble tournament at the BCNHS library. It will be the co-host, with class of 1960, of the Silver & Gold golf tournament on April 25 at the BCC golf course. -From Pigeon Lobien's Facebook page

Class 61

Greetings, Classmates! Hope that you are well in body and spirit: and if not, here is hoping that you will be better and better soon.

Please be reminded that the Class Reunion, our Golden, will take place on Friday 29 April up to about Sunday 2 May 2011 in Baguio.

Sapay koma nga there will be a critical mass attendance of all our classmates.

Kindly try to read/share/participate in our class blog, at

www. http://bchs61tambayan.blogspot.com

and specially the entry of 23^rd November 2009, when the first planning meeting was held.

Here are some of the stuff we as a class will need to focus on:

First , please check if your contact address is correct in the BCHS class list, or please send your contact details to Rudy Lambino. (Name. married name, mailing address, landline, cell phone, fax, email, yours or your grandchild's- if any: whatever it takes to get in touch with you). Please request Rudy for a copy of the full class list, if you do not have one yet: he can send it to you by email or by airmail rtl1209@aol.com

443 Tonetta Lake Road, Brewster, NY 10609 USA .

Second, if you know anyone else in our class who is not on our list, pangaasi yo ta no mabalin nga mainayon quen maikabil iti contact address da met.

Third, Class 60 will have its Golden Jubilee in April/May this year. It will also be a good opportunity to have the second planning meeting. Please make plans to attend the BCHS reunion this year, or at least to attend the Class 61planning meeting, tentatively scheduled in the early afternoon of Saturday, May 1^st 2010 at the City High auditorium. Please confirm with Joe Andaya joeandaya1006@yahoo.com with copy to myrna andaya myrandaya@yahoo.com that you can attend this event.

Salamat.