Frat Ball Culminates Tau Alpha's 75th Year Anniversary

Resplendent in Barong Tagalog, Coat and Tie

...What a sight! Some 300+ (is the number right Brod Romy Nones?) Tau Alphans flocked to the Rockwell Tent (Makati City) on the evening of February 24, 2007 to culminate the 9-day Diamond Jubillee celebration.

Shaking hands with Brods (from Young Residents to Senior Alumni of all decades) and reuniting with Contemporaries we haven't seen in a while...I couldn't help look back to the not-so-distant 80s college years when standard or popular outfit was a White Hanes T-shirt or Frat Shirt, maong, and sockless Robertsons sneakers (one of the more affordable brands then) and a Frat Jacket. But tonight, every brod was dapper in their Barong or Coat&Tie.

(L-R) Jeff Sinco '87, Arns Jara '87, Jolly Vir Benitez '93, Gerry Bicomong '90, Boyet Damot '86

(L-R) Boyet Damot '86, Mrs. Baby Damot, Mrs. Josephine Sinco, Jeff Sinco '87

A little trivia...Josephine is Aunt to ABS-CBN's Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Grand Winner "Kim Chui"...Jeff says Josephine bought ALL PBB text-vote pre-paid cards in a CEBU store to ensure Kim gets a good lead...seems it worked!

Tau Alphans join in song - "Tau Alpha in my Heart" composed by Herbie Rosales '61

Hey...an official CD commemorating the 75th anniversary was distributed that night which includes this song plus other tracks...Some tracks were recorded last year by the Tau Alpha Singers (Val Valiente '60, Herbie Rosales '61, Jun Mongcopa '63, Louie Tiongson '69, June Palugod '89, Ed Noveras '90, and Boyet Damot '86).

One of the opening highlights include the entry of the ARGO...

Jeff is one of the Onofre Banson Awardees...given to those brods with great achievements in the Private Sector...Jeff owns/manages one of the leading hardware/construction materials business outfits in CEBU and is the Philippine exclusive distributor of Armourwood.

Other highlights include the stand-up comedy act of Willie Nepomuceno (himself a UP Fratman - Beta Sigma) who took the audience on a comic and nostalgic trip down memory lane...and of course, doing his well known impersonation of President ERAP...as Erap's brother Brod Jessie Ejercito '57 gamely watched.

I was not able to take photo's of Willie's act...

Tau Alpha Family Picnic - Ayala Greenfield Clubhouse February 18, 2007

TAU ALPHA Welcome Banner at the Ayala Greenfield Estates Clubhouse

My family arrived around 10:30am and we're late for the Sunday Mass...a lot of brods and their families were already registered...and the Hosts (Batch 50s) were wearing fancy barbecue aprons with "Hug your Hosts!" and the frat seal printed on them...We arrived at the same time as Herbie Rosales who brought his two lovely daughters and his trusted guitar...Herbie led the brods to most of the Alphan singing that day.

Other Brods who I noticed came in even much later (but still making it to the great Pinoy Fare Lunch of Roasted Calf, Bangus, Lechon, Alimasag...) were Freddie Raymundo, Soc Verayo, Ariel Corpuz, Carlie Recio 2, Mike de Guzman, June Palugod, Lionel Leonen...the attendance level was good but too bad there are not as much 80s and 90s brods as expected...with a good number actually based outside Phils.

Mr. Boyet Damot 86a (me!) and my one and only Kumander-in-Chief, Mrs. Baby Damot.

This was the first FRAT family picnic I joined and great to see a lot of Alphan wives, kids...truly making Tau Alpha celebrations a family affair...makes it easier to convince the wife on "liberty pass" or "permits" for future Alphan gatherings (like the Monday Feb 19, 2007 Alphan Stag...har-har!)...

Introducing
Carl "Jason" (batch 2017!)

there are other Alphan kids (boys) named "Jason" (there's Soc Verayo's kid as well)...its not unlikely that the Resident Alphans circa 2015-1020 will have several "Jasons"...and hopefully more 2nd generation and third generation Alphans...





CJ Damot and Happy Jara

My son made new friends...and # 1 best friend of the day is Brod Arns Jara's daughter.

The Picnic was a hit not only to the grown-ups but also to the kids (read: sa mga bata at sa mga "isip bata"! he-he).

Seriously, more and more Alphan gatherings like this makes it more probable to have 2nd/3rd generation Alphans in the future.

CJ says he'd want to be a Tau Alphan! Batchmate is Carli Recio III...right Brod Carli Dos?

The Clubhouse have an infinity pool and a kids pool...the kids of Carli Recio Jr and Ray Botardo were among those who had a great time with CJ and Happy at the pool (you can't stop the kids from jumping in given the hot midday sun that day)

Here's the Father-Son, Father-Daughter pic...would've been great if the other 80s brods managed to attend with their wives/kids in tow! And have pictures taken for future Alphans and Alphanettes...then blast off to 10years in the future and we'd have a great group picture of our Kids as Resident Alphans and Alphanettes (assuming we still are Phil-based and the kids are enrolled in Peyups!)

Group Pictures

(L-R) Soc Verayo (hey...he's running for Councilman in Paranaque this coming elections), Arns Jara, June Palugod, Boyet Damot

June and Me posing with other senior brods...(Roger Madrigal is on center with red shirt)...Roger was quite a storyteller and shared some funny anecdotes at our table...to the amusement of Mrs. Damot and Mrs. Leonen... the trademark Alphan humor everywhere, from Tony Marty's usual comic hosting, the brods mini-olympics, and "name that tune" contest.