A maritime lawyer by profession, sometimes called Frog Prince of the Philippines with currently more than a thousand of collectible frog items. Like the frogs with a reputation for leaping that is well deserved, jump with me to my froglandia as we travel and explore the world seeking symbols of divine powers of love, fertility, regeneration, rebirth, immortality, and transformation.
Dateline: June 2, 1989. the film "Dead Poets Society" starring Robin Williams, premieres. Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams. Set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in Vermont in 1959, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry
The film popularized the aphorism Carpe diem, a phrase from a Latin poem by Horace, translated as "seize the day".The phrase is part of the longer Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero –
"Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the future". The ode says that the future is unforeseen, and that instead one should
scale back one's hopes to a brief future, and drink one's wine.
One of my favorite scene is when John Keating (Williams) is about to exit, one of his students calls out "O Captain! My Captain!" and stands on his desk.
The principal ordered him to sit down or face expulsion. Much of the class climb onto their desks and look to
Keating, ignoring the principal' s orders until he gives up. Keating leaves
visibly touched.
"Carpe Diem ."And if not now, Then when?" It encourages youth to enjoy life before it is too late.
It is significant to note that Carpe Diem, in essence, somewhat became the slogan for youth activism. U.P. Collegian editor
Abraham Sarmiento, Jr.,
pricked the conscience of many youngsters as he asked on the front page of the
college paper: Sino ang kikibo kung hindi tayo kikibo? Sino ang kikilos kung hindi tayo kikilos? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa? . A dissenting opinion in one Supreme Court decision cited this phrase adding that "Countless others forfeited
their lives and stand as witnesses to the tyranny and repression of the
past regime. Driven by their dreams to free our motherland from poverty,
oppression, iniquity and injustice, many of our youthful leaders were
to make the supreme sacrifice."
In December 1975, Sarmiento, Jr. and Fides Lim, the managing editor of the Collegian were picked up for questioning by the military, in connection with an editorial entitled "Purge II" which Sarmiento, Jr. had written. They were released shortly, but not before they were brought before then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who personally expressed displeasure over the editorial . He was later locked up in the military camp and released only when he was
near death from a severe attack of asthma, to which he succumbed. Among the arresting officers was Senator Panfilo Lacson.
Other significant events this day: in 1980, the movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," was released in Germany. In 1896 , Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for his newest invention: the radio.
Beyond prestige and honor, the Collegian’s legacy is a tradition of fearless and critical journalism that writes, and rewrites, history. Words that were printed in the invitation letter i received for the Alumni homecoming of Philippine Collegian last night at the Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman in celebration of its 89th year anniversary.The theme was "TATAK KULÊ: 89 na taon ng tapang, talas at talab ng pamamahayag ng Phililppine Collegian "
The Philippine Collegian is the official student publication of the University of the Philippines Diliman. It is more commonly known to UP students as Kulê (pronounced coo-leh). It is known for its radical, often anti-administration views. It often gives critical views on the policies of the UP administration and the Philippine government.
Mosquito Press is a term in journalism coined during Martial Law. It is a term used for publications such as the Philippine Collegian, which continued to criticize the martial law government despite the dangers this entailed. These publications were likened to mosquitoes, which are small but have a stinging bite.
Copies of the weekly Kule are usually available either on Tuesday or Thursday. Passing by the lobby of UPs colleges, students would hurriedly grab a copy on their way to class to read burning issues of the day in UP and beyond.
From 1987 to 1991, i became one of the so-called "Iskolar ng Bayan" as part of the UP Diliman studentry when i took BS. Economics. I became attached to organizations like KULE, and SAMASA Alliance My relatives and friends usually asked me "bakit ka ba naging aktibista". Perhaps my answer will be because UP is the perfect place to grow in all aspects, whether it be politically, socially, etc. Yes, I myself became part of UP Activisim movement. And i am proud that it made me a better person. Perhaps, members of the various generation of activism has their own way of reminiscing such so era."Iba nung panahon namin"...My passion for photography likewise developed as photo editor of KULE..
Apart from invoking nostalgia, the organizers of last night's affair noted that the event also aims to raise funds to maintain the current state of operations of the publication. The student publication fee in UP Diliman has been fixed at P40 per student every semester since 1989. Due to increasing production costs, the Collegian now incurs an average deficit of P200,000 per year. coincidentally, 1989 was the year i entered Kule under the term of then editor in chief Ruben Carranza, then Francis Perez then Alecks Pabico.
There were earlier reports that Kule was unable to publish regular issues since August 2006 because its funding has been withheld by the UP Diliman administration. Many see this as a curtailment of the freedom of the publication to operate without intervention from the UP administration. This has led to a long, protracted stand-off between the two groups. It has led, among many things, to rallies, walk-outs, the publication of what is known as the "Rebel Kulê." At present, to keep the student’s informed, the Philippine Collegian has made available its issues online (http://www.philippinecollegian.org/
Past Editors-in-Chief
Francisco Capistrano, 1923-1924
Emerito M. Ramos, 1930-1931
Wenceslao Q. Vinzons, 1931-1932
Ambrosio Padilla, 1932-1933
Arturo M. Tolentino, 1933-1934
Armando de J. Malay, 1934-1935
Romeno S. Busuego, 1937-1938
Renato Constantino, 1939-1940
Angel G. Baking, 1940-1941
Delfin R. Garcia, 1941-1942
Juan M. Hagad, 1946-1947
Mariano V. Ampil, Jr., 1947-1948
Leonardo B. Perez, 1948-1949
Augusto Caesar Espiritu, 1949-1950
Elmer A. Ordonez, 1950-1951
Francisco D. Villanueva, 1951-1952
Ignacio Debuque, 1952-1953
Crispulo J. Icban, Jr., 1953-1954
Luis Q. U. Uranza, Jr., 1954-1955
Sabino Padilla, Jr., 1955-1956
Homobono Adaza, 1956-1957
Jose H. Y. Masakayan, 1956-1957
Pacifico Agabin (Acting); Caesar Agnir, 1958-1959
Leonardo A. Quisumbing, 1961-1962; Luis V. Teodoro, Jr. (Editor)
Angelito Imperio, 1962-1963
Tristan Catindig, 1963-1964
Salvador T. Carlota, 1964-1965
Enrique Voltaire Garcia II, Ancheta K. Tan 1965-1966
One of Kule's editor in chief, Alecks Pabico passed away due to liver cancer on Wednesday, 7 October 2009, 4:36 p.m. at the St. Luke’s Medical Center. He was 42 years old. Pabico was the editor-in-chief from 1991 to 1992. I had the opportunity to work with him as photo editor during the earlier two terms. Until his last hours as a full person ( before he became ashes after his cremation), Alecks Pabico still brings smile and awe to other persons. Imagine a funeral procession october 2009 from UP Chapel to the crematorium in Antipolo with Bob Marley's music being played instead of the traditional sad funeral songs. As we tailed the funeral car ( mira and the kids inside my car), I guess the people asked "Seryoso ba ito na patay ang nasa loob ng funeral car?" And when mira and I heard the fave song of Alecks (Three Little Birds), i recalled some of his last words to Mira as lifted from the song "Dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right"
(note: this article was written in December 2010 when i celebrated my 40th birthday)
"Life begins at forty." A popular saying that i have now to see for myself as today, i now belong to said age group.
I always wondered what's the rationale for said phrase. Upon browsing the net, i learned that one's 40th birthday welcomes you into the beautiful "middle age." as eighty is known as the expected life expectancy of a person, generally speaking. This age does not have the casual immaturity of the youth, nor does it have the constant dependency of old age. You can enjoy your 40th birthday in quiet reflection on the four decades of a beautiful life. It is the time for you to enjoy the little moments rather than focus on bigger events.
The number forty has many Old Testament Biblical references:
•the forty days and nights God sent rain in the great flood of Noah (Genesis 7:4);
•the forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18);
•the forty years the Hebrew people wandered in the desert while traveling to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33);
•the forty days Jonah in his prophecy of judgment gave the city of Nineveh in which to repent (Jonah 3:4).
•the forty days and nights Elijah spent walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8);
AND, Jesus retreated into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days, and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2).
So what are the significant events in my four decades of existence? Perhaps, this piece is a sort of biographical journey of where i am now. Just click the underscore to see the links of the blogs and pictures thereof.Come leap with me through time..
DECADE ONE: (1970 to 1980) THE GORECHO UKAY UKAY KIDS
I was born December 21, 1970 to Ponching Gorecho and Linda Reyes, second in their five siblings. A Sagittarian under the Year of the Dog. Mama said that among her children, she had the most difficult time in giving birth to me because i have a "big head." Before i was to be baptized in January 16, 1971, they said that my lolo wanted a pinoy name for me using the calendar, which he wanted to be PROCOPIO. Thank God lolo's suggestion was not granted by mama and papa or else i will have the nickname "PROCKY" . My Reyes clan seriously practiced the biblical saying "go and multiply" as we were 40 plus cousins. On the other hand, i attempted to make the family tree of the Gorecho clan as i usually tell people that i am proud of my Boholano roots. The Gorecho is a Galician surname meaning it was patterned from the inhabitants of Galicia , Spain .
We are five kids, four boys and one girl . Papa too had the same number of siblings: they are four boys in a row and the youngest was also a girl. I was the counterpart of Papa being the second to the eldest. People wonder why we have several stuff in our house which Papa did not want to dispose, especially the shoes. Papa justified this by saying that while he was growing up, he never had the luxury of owning new ones since both he and mama came from a family with very modest means. He tried to instill this in us such that long before ukay-ukay became famous, we were already wearing second hand clothes and shoes, sleeping on beds, sitting on chairs and sofas that papa bought from the secondhand shops in Bangkal. Seldom did we wear brand-new clothes, except maybe during Christmases when our Titas bought us clothing on an installment basis - one Tita would buy us pants while another took care of the shirts. Never mind the shoes, andyan naman ang Bangkal. We became the walking models for ukay-ukay.
DECADE TWO: (1981 to 1990) THE BAGETS NERD AND UP AKTIBISTA
In 1984, I finished primary school at Gen. Pio Del Pilar Elementary School as salutatorian. Four years later, I became the Valedictorian of batch87 of TAKLA , the slang for Sta. Clara Parish School, which at that time is known as the "only catholic school for boys" in Pasay. It was our growing up period, aptly depicted by the then BAGETS movie. In 2012, our batch will celebrate our 25th year silver anniversary, which will coincide with the 50th year of TAKLA.
Then from 1987 to 1991, i became one of the so-called "Iskolar ng Bayan" as part of the UP Diliman studentry when i took BS. Economics. Basically, I became attached to three main organizations , Economics Society or ECOSOC, Philippine Collegian or KULE, and SAMASA Alliance as well as the College Editors Guild of the Philippines or CEGP .My relatives and friends usually asked me "bakit ka ba naging aktibista". Perhaps my answer will be because UP is the perfect place to grow in all aspects, whether it be politically, socially, etc. Yes, I myself became part of UP Activisim movement. And i am proud that it made me a better person. Perhaps, members of the various generation of activism has their own way of reminiscing such so era."Iba nung panahon namin"...My passion for photography likewise developed.
DECADE THREE: (1991 to 2000): THE LAW STUDENT - JOURNALIST
I entered UP College of Law in 1992 and earned my law degree in 1998. I shifted from the day class to the evening class to be part of the "working student" species of lawyers. I write for TODAY as one of their regular reporter as well as international news agencies like Reuters, AFP, AP, UPI and others covering a wide range of topics such as environment, human rights, politics, peace process, agriculture, agrarian reform and many more . Take note: my daily schedule is writing in the morning and the afternoon before going to UP to attend my classes in the evening. Then I go home where I read the assignments for the following day during the almost two hours trip of the bus going to Las Pinas. In between my work and classes, I still go hiking with my friends called the Squakings or SKWAKS
In August23, 1997 i was kidnapped which i wrote in my piece "Face to Face with Crime" “SIGE, tumakbo ka na ng mabilis at huwag kang lilingon at baka barilin pa kita (Run, Run fast and don’t turn back or I’ll shoot you).” The words could be apart of a movie script, but these were in fact words of my abductors . To me, words of freedom.
In April 1999, i am officially Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho, the lawyer, after the Supreme Court posted the successful passers. I chronicled my experience in taking the 1998 bar exams in "Notes in Bar Exams."
In the same year. my elder brother, my Kuya Welthy or now Fr. Philip, was ordained as priest. Two of the Gorecho sons entered the priesthood, the other the youngest son Melvin/ Beng or now called Fr.Stephen. At first Mama could not accept the fact that two sons chose to serve the lord but later realized, according to Papa, that they gave up two sons but regained the whole religious order as their new sons and daughters. Tuwang-tuwa sya pag tinatawag sila na Papa and Mama Gorecho.The story has it that if there is one priest in the family, the whole clan is blessed up to the third generation. In our case, we not only had one but two brothers into priesthood who belong to the same order, Oblates of Allaince of Twin Hearts (OATH). In some instances, they celebrate latin mass. Indeed, our faith and their vocation guided us.
DECADE FOUR: (2000 to 2010): THE LAWYER AND THE FROG PRINCE
In 2001 started collecting frogs which were featured several times in different TV programs such as Mel and Joey and SaPulso, thus earning me the several titles such as Frog Prince, Atty. Kokak and now Kapitan Kokak.Perhaps this froggy character is perfect for my penchant to travelling and taking of jump shots.
May 17, 2002, my mother died of lymphoma, three days after she celebrated her 61st birthday. One and a half year later, or on November 16, 2003, Papa followed after he died due to complications of diabetes. I wrote a piece called "Kamatis Love Story of Ponching and Linda" to immortalize their love to one another
In 2001 i joined the law firm, Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law office which is now on its 34th year with a battery of eighteen t lawyers : four partners plus seven in manila, three in iloilo, one in cebu, one in cagayan de oro and two in davao.. Hoping for a more prosperous 35th year in existence. 2011 is my tenth year in the office. I am now head of the seafarers' department wherein one of my focus is delivering paralegal lectures on seafarers' rights to the various stakeholders, the seafarers and their families as well as the maritime schools. Ironically, even if our firm deals with intellectual property, i am an afficionado of Quiapo DVDs.
As Cicero said : This wine is forty years old. It certainly doesn't show its age. (Latin: Hoc vinum Falernum fannorum quadragenta est. Bene aetatem fert.).
