20. The Radio Room

I had enough free time in college. My teachers were quite lenient and didn’t mind my occasional no-show in classes. I would get good grades in quizzes and acceptable recitations despite my deficient attendance. The teachers were quite happy to have someone give answers, though oftentimes plausible, for as long as these were in done in coherent English.

Oregon University Musicale -

I spent most of my free hours in the Radio Room of the Speech and Drama department. Sarah Joaquin who at that time headed the Speech and Drama department of the university and who was considered one of the pillars of Philippine theater held court in the Radio Room. The place became the haunt of the campus theater people. Among the habitués of the Radio room whom I would meet again in the field of advertising were Way Rocha, Job Montecillo, Jing Montealegre, Ely Mansor, Rene Lacson and Greg Makabenta.

I attended the Humanities class under Jes Cruz regularly. I truly liked the subject but more importantly it gave me the opportunity to show off to a girl who was introduced to me in the Radio Room of the college of Speech and Drama, Alma San Juan. Alma recently transferred to FEU from the University of the Philippines. True to form, my brother Pete, as he would with any new pretty thing, quickly became an acquaintance. He was the one who introduced me to her. Alma was a Speech and Drama major and she occasionally went to the radio room during her free hours to do line rehearsals for play projects but most of the time just to socialize.

I was completely taken by her. I found myself spending more time in the radio room so as to have more chance meetings with her. I even went to the extent of knowing from Way Rocha, who was working in the registrar’s office at that time, the subjects she enrolled in so that I can get in them too. I could have learned a thing or two about girls from my brothers. They were regular ladies’ men with savoir-faire, a quality I lacked. My idea of courtship was to be around the girl in as much time as possible, hoping that imprinting would work. Visibility making up for inability did not apply here. This was a lesson I only knew too well. It took quite a while but finally I succeeded in having a fairy tale ending of living happily ever after with my princess in tow.

Scene from Romeo and Juliet: With Jing Montealegre

Guest role in FEU Faculty play