MANILA, Philippines?As an overstaying UP student, I went to the Diliman campus mainly to rehearse or spend hours discussing life, love and strife with dozens of LA Basement fixtures?like UP Dramatic Club members, George and Joma Sison, Cherry Santos, Jun Roy, Tito Gupit, Baldomero ?Toto? Olivera (recently chosen by Harvard as Scientist of the Year), Sonny Osmeña, Donnie Montelibano, Heidi de Peralta, Carolina ?Bobby? Malay, Pinky Farolan and Etta Pargas Rosales.

I would arrive at the Basement in Diliman soon after Mommy Flores opened the popular student canteen, then I?d sip black coffee as I exchanged risqué jokes with Montie Sison and Rosemary Nellie.

My first two years in UP as a Pre-major?Pre-Med, Pre-Law, Pre-BA, Pre-PA?were spent mostly in that atmospheric, smoky, and oh-so-dynamic place, where intellectuals would argue about philosophy, literature, religion, history and politics. Epifanio San Juan, Pete Daroy, Jose David Lapuz and, of course, Joma were the young radicals then who dared to express conflicting views to those eminent intellectuals.

Plays

Only when it was time to rehearse the latest UPDC play would I rush to the hallowed LA Theater, where Freddie Guerrero staged plays by Sartre, Claudel, Williams, Odets, Saroyan and Miller?at a time when Manila?s colegios and exclusive universities were still producing their annual veladas.

Freddie produced National Artists Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal, as well as Boots Anson-Roa, Jose Mari Velez, Celia and Doy Laurel, Joy Virata, Cherry Santos, Mars and Kit Viduya, Jun Roy, Tito Gupit, Julie Deleña Clemente, Angie and Winnie Collas, Cris Vertido, Lorna Verano Yap, Nonoy Yulo and Henry Voltaire Garcia.

I joined the Upsilon Sigma Phi In 1958. Thereafter, I was in UP for the Basement atmosphere cum education, and to attend frat activities, choral rehearsals, bowling games and sorority musical rehearsals. Toma (drinking sprees) always came after every rehearsal.

I starred in 1958?s cavalcade, ?Interior #14,? and sang Dick Zamora and Christian Monsod?s ?In the Hastening Evening Hue,? dedicated to Winnie Collas. Winnie is now the lola of her and Christian?s grandchildren.

?Interior #14,? like ?Aloyan? a decade earlier, toured Bicol and the Visayas. Forever etched in my heart are Angie Collas, Boy Arcebal, Ronnie Dy Liacco, HP Reyes, Maning Rivera, Eddie Perez, Sluggo and Arlie Orendain, Juliet and Angie Lazo, Alma Anderson, Julie Lim, Gerry Pacis and Carole Piñon, Rene Dragon, Dion dela Serna, Tony Rosales, Oli Tuico, Ping Villegas, Adrian Cavestany, Piling Francia, Pete and HP Reyes, and all the others who had been a significant part of that life-changing decade of my life.

Footsteps

I directed ?Lawani? the following year. The late Chris Gonzales, who played the Carillon at the Diliman campus, was now following Dick?s exemplary footsteps by composing cavalcade music.
Nats Vergara and Teddy Gonzaga worked on the libretto and lyrics, as they did on ?Interior # 14.? Mary Gamboa and Jane Orendain were guest performers, and comic Reg Quitoriano acted, sang and danced with Eric de Guia aka Kidlat Tahimik, Gene Bueno and Archit Bartolome.

I also worked on Sigma Delta musicals like ?Red on Black? with Jamie Tapales, granddaughter of Andres Bonifacio?s widow, Gregoria de Jesus. It was directed by Cota Yabut.
Years later, I directed Sigma Delta talents like Carol dela Paz, Ester Rimpos, Nelia Sancho, Geline and Mila Hernandez, Bebeng Pimentel, Marilou Matti, Ida Firme, Nancy Reyes and, yes, Cheloy Dans!

Theater bonds like no other profession, so we?ve all become friends for life. Those memories have become more beautiful with time, since we unconsciously recall only those that are truly special. Forgettable matters are eliminated by a memory sieve that selectively retains only the most colorful ones.

So, with every rendition of ?When You?re Away,? events and people come to life, and the past?from the songs and laughter to the jokes and dances?become the present. And, like Bob Hope, we sentimentally hum, ?Thanks for the memories!?