THAT GRADUATION PROGRAM IN DUPAC

Many times we can pick some nuggets of Asingan history from ( of all places ) Facebook which is meant to be just a social networking site..Here is an example: I wrote the following lines on a site hosted by Sonny Espejo: "Will be visiting this school ( I graduated from here too ) when I will be in Asingan ( Nov.2011-April 2012 )..Graduated here April 1954..Tempus fugit.."

The school referred to is the Dupac Intermediate School. This is how we called it at that time circa 1955. In return Sonny answered : " Time flies, indeed Mng Vic. I climb on that front stage to claim my diploma in April of 1973. We were the first batch to graduate under the shadow of Martial Law. For the first time, there was no Town Fiesta in April of that year in keeping with the austerity program of Marcos' Bagong Lipunan. Muslim Rebellion in Mindanao and War in Vietnam were raging, OPEC countries were just starting to flex their muscles which eventually led to an Oil Embargo raising the price of gas from an unbelievable P0.90 to the liter to what it is now! On the brighter side, the Philippines was still king of Asian Basketball winning the ABC championship in December of that year with the heroics of Jaworski, Reynoso, Mariano, Melencio, Adornado, Paner, Cleofas, Arnaiz, Martirez, Fernandez, Guidaben and coach Eduque. That started my lifelong love affair with the game."..

To which I could not help but to answer in this Board: " Sonny, while those years in North Central taught you the love for basketball, the same Alma Mater taught me the love for music and drama..During our Commencement exercises from Gr. 6 that closing ceremony included a song ON WINGS OF SONG ( originally written by Felix Mendelson a prolific classical music writer ) sang by our class tenor, Alex Romero. Years later he became my kumpare and good friend up to now. While he sang the classical song about India, he was garbed in a Hindu costume complete with a turban. Aurora Pascua did an Arabian like dance garbed also like an Arabian princess..Alex sang without accompaniment and without microphone but his voice stood out like a bell...With the emotional atmosphere of the evening thinking that we will never see each other regularly again in school, the tune etched permanently in my memory. I rediscovered the tune again later when I took music appreciation seriously. On the side while studying piano, I listened to classical music played over DZFE AM Radio. FM was not existing yet then. not in Asingan anyway. Those years ln Asingan North Central or Dupac Intermediate school taught its pupils outside the classroom different things especially in its convocation programs. Somehow seeds of learning are propagated in the child's mind during these formative years to bear fruit and blossom later in life as the child would grow into maturity...