Seated: Victor "Vic" Villagracia '69
Standing L-R: Saturnino "Respi" Respicio, Jr. '51 Ed "Lassie" Lasola '51, Arnel Platon '75, Cenon Carolino '64,

Jaime "Jim" Ocampo '68, Roman "Romy" Tuason '52, Alejandro "Alex" Inserto '53, and Gilberto "Elgin" Ongchangco '70.

Betans of the early 50s:

Respi Respicio '51, Ed Lasola '51 and Romy Tuason '52

Photos and captions

courtesy of  Cenon Carolino '64

Thank you, Brod. May your camera capture into its memory card

more Beta Epsilon activities.

And may you use the video mode to capture interesting conversations!

The 4Ks, according to Satur Respicio:

Kapihan, Kainan, Kuwentuhan, Katuwaan

Add one more K: Kamayan (handshakes at arrival, departure)

 

The BABE4K Event at Carmen's, July 24, 2010
By Satur Respicio

How does one bring purple blood into the hearts and minds of Beta Epsilon alumni band of brothers in individual comfort zones, in the City that inspired Antonio Bennedetto's asinging his heart was left in San Francisco?

Shock them with a an announcement that the same band of brothers hold a "Kapihan:", in the style similiar to the Kapihan events in Metro Manila, inspired and held in grip fashion by Joe Arvisu '49 and his band of die-hard devotees.

The earth shaking shock came when Vic Villagracia '69, Senor VillaGuapo to many, blackberried an announcement to hold a Kapihan, Bay Area style, at the request of the Guro Romy Tuason '52 early July. Herbert Li responded he'd be out of town on the 31st. El Guapo moved the date to the 24th, seconded, also blackberried, by Cenon Carolino '64, who immediately proclaimed, The Elephant Bar !

A bar where elephants tread? Don't elephants, out of jungle, meet in a dusty glen? Don't cry, Joe. Let the bar go.

Da Apo suggested Carmen's by the Bay, Pier 40, The Embarcadero, San Francisco.

After some trepidation, the die was cast. Carmen's, 10:00 AM, Saturday, July 24, 2010.

And they came, by BMWs, by MBs, by Mazdas, Toyotas, no domestic cars. Save for BMWs - Ride the BART, Ride the MUNI, and WALK to Carmens.

Vic Villagracia '69
Alex Inserto '53
Gil Onchangco '70 with Nette Liz
Jim Ocampo '68, backtracting from Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, plus a week in Frisco.
Arnel Platon '75, in town to escort his Nette, as a BE gent must do, from SoCal.
Cenon Carolino '69 with Nette Mimi
Romy Tuason '52
Ed Lasola '51
Da Apo Respi '51
Ed, Punzalan ,61
Ed Ng ''72 with Nette Terry

Annette de Leon, Sweetheart '93 with her escort (Who's he? Shall dub him Mr. E)

And Annette barged in, through Carmen;s front door, so willowy and demure, the noisy repartee, suddenly, was gone. Until Cenon introduced her. Whatever was hot at the moment, had to cool down.

Carmen's management kept the coffee cups ever full. No barako coffee though, just the house blend. Next time, when Cenon will import lots of Barako Coffee just for 4K events, he promised.

The Kainan was usually contagious, with funny faces, as photo ops kept going on, what with those ubiquitous IPods, Blackberrys, and Digitcams flashing like bursting stars, every minute. If one had a 1G or 2G devise, he's not showing it. As 3Gs and 4Gs outnumbered them. They even took pics of the servings, of Carmen's breakfast/brunch menu offerings: Before gulping their plates clean. Of longaniza, deep fried boneless bangus, beef tapa, tocino, and two eggs in any cooked form imaginable.
 

Nang mga busog na ang lahat ng BErods, nagsama na sina Nette Mimi, Liz, at nang dumating, si Terry. Si Mang MGx, binulongan si Presidente Arnel ng BEFAAA, teka muna't tutulungan kang maipahayag mo ang iyong ipapahayag.

MGx requested the available brods to gather around an empty long table, and called an illegal brotherhood meeting to order. And the brods followed the order, like brats following the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

First order of business: Will this gathering be the 2nd and last 4K event by Bay Area Brods?

Resolution: No way. The next 4K event shall again be held at Carmen's. Scheduled for September 25, Saturday morning, 10:00 AM And in welcoming Dennis T. Quinto to San Francisco, from his soon to be abandoned icy hideaway at Niagara Falls.

And 4Ks shall be on schedule every last Saturday of the calendar quarter, from hereon, until or unless changed.,
 

Second order of business: BEFAAA President Arnel Platon presented the planning for the 2011 Biennial Reunion and Ball, at the Rio Santa Fe Beach Resort, just east of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Brods voiced out their concerns. Arnel assured that the Resort will take care of most all needs, for a certain discounted price per day per person. Don Alfonso Daco de Hermosillo is expected to make certain of the details. Sightseeing trips and related activity shall be arranged. Arnel announced that he will work with Marty Martinez on a "Lay-away plan".of paying, board, lodging, plus extras galore, for Brods and Nettes participation, since the reunion is 10 months away.

Third order of business: MGx called on Mr. BA Kapihan Cenon Carolino to break open this karambola part of the get-together: Introduce yourself, MGx suggested, since we don;t know you. Batch, degree, and what and where have you been the last 50 years.. Then the fun began, from the oldest Brod after Cenon to the youngest, which fell on Romy Tuason, Ed Lasola, and Da Apo. The revelations were fantastic! Each one trying to outdo the previous confessee.

Alex Inserto had to be moderated by MGx, if he was going to recite his book of life, even after he, Romy, and Ed, plus another Ed later, were having their own just-themselves session.l

All the while, the 3G and 4G devices kept flashing. Vic Villagracio did his on-the-spot blackberry online reporting.

Last order of business: Squashed !!!! Full attention given to the arrival of SH Annette de Leon, ignoring her escort. Then Gil Onchangco announced he'd take visiting Jim Ocampo to SFO and catch his flight back to NYC. MGx complained, The Brods countered and overuled: Let's just have that by e-mail. Illegal meeting abruptly adjourned.

More groups pictures outside of Carmen's. The last remnant brods left, by WMB..

For the record, the First Kapihan of Bay Area Brods was on January 2, 2010, at the Elephant Bar, somewhere in the asphalt/concrete jungles of San Francisco Peninsula.

Just wondering, did JimmO leave his heart in San Francisco?

SZR 7/28/2010 @ 9:15 PM PDT