The Mighty eight

Title

The Mighty eight

Language

English

Year

1954

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

The Mighty Eight By NAPOLEON T. VERGARA Of the more than eighty young men who plunged into the forestry course four years ago, only eight are emerging with their BSF degrees now. The rest have either left college after finishing the Ranger course or are following behind. Here they are: the Mighty Eight. BERNARDO C. AGALOOS If there is any "silent water running deep" in our bunch, Narding is. He never talks much of himself nor his feats, but his records show us he can do a lot. He was never heard to utter a word related to lovemaking before, much less mention that he had already a sweet gal waiting for him, but all of a sudden, we found him hitched to one. He has now a bouncing son to his credit. Sharp guy, this one. He can size up a person in a few minutes and be able to find out the most distindive characteristics of that person. Being able to imitate the unusual features of othe~s is one of his rare abilities. His sense of humor has netted him a sizable group of friends. He is diminutive, and hopes to replace one of the division chiefs of his size someday. FELICIANO V. BARRER Fel didn't know what course to take up after }ili; high school He came to Los Banos on a combination prospecting-pleasure trip and fell in love with its climate and environment, so he wound up in the College of Forestry. They say he should have taken up law (this guy can orate, you know), but he says oratory is also useful in Forestry (sure, he can use oratory to sway kaingeros into abandoning their kaingins). Politics GRADUATION ISSUE--APRIL, 1954 is on top of his list of conversational topics. To stay up as late as 12: 00 at night and wake up as early as 4: 00 everyday is a thing few people can do, but he does it and still appears normal. A lucky student gal receives occasional letters from him, but he claims ther~'s nothing serious about it. In the field of dancing, he does the tango with the ease and grace of Valentino. That long wavy hair is his pride, and he cares for it as a new mother does with her first-born child. He firmly believes that mone,Y is the root of all power. His heart lies South, and he plans to work just there after his schooling. BENJAMIN BATOON When you run into one of our Seniors with that thick Abra accent, you can be sure it is Ben, more known to his buddies as Botchame. Someone gave him that monicker when the song Botcha Me was a top favorite, and it has stuck to him up to now. He simply adores gals, and thinks that life in this strife-torn world would be very unbearable without them. (What do you say gals?) Marriage is far from his mind yet, but in the meantime, he says, there's no law which prohibits him from making love (to gals, of course). He has a knack of touching anybody he is conversing with first before he spea}ts up. His retentivity makes the memorizing of Rizal's "Mi Ultimo Adios" seem chicken feed. He is Abra's version of Cassanova, and even at the first meeting, he can charm a gal with his eyes. BERNARDO L. BURGOS, JR. Bernard is 22 years old but looks 18 years young. He does things in an almost casual Page 23 yet efficient manner. Half-baked jobs are his pet peeves. To him, a month is not complete without a movie or two. He devotes most of his off-hours at his hobbies of modelplane making and reading. Possessing that characteristic curiosity of a boy, he loves to tinker with anything unusual, especially with mechanical gadgets, and he can explain how automobile transmissions and jet engines work, better than anybody in the group. Don't let his boyish features fool you. He has a markedly mature and independent thinking. He is ready to voice his opinion anytime and he is not afraid to differ with anybody, either. He is looking forward to the day when he will be a Forest Conservator in British North Borneo. JULIAN MEIMBAN JR. We call him Julie for short (sounds girlish, doesn't it?) This young man will make an ideal forest officer. He is humble and unassuming, but he is serious. He works as efficiently as a well-lubricated machine. When you talk to him about religion, you better know what you're talking about, because he knows plenty about it. He can discuss the Bible inside out, even mentioning the chapters, and pages. His broad and infectious smile has never failed to charm a stranger yet. He talks with slow deliberate air, and his polished· tongue is the type that can convince an erring kaingero to walk into jail willingly. Gestures are an integral part of his daily speech; he can't do without them. When he tells stories, he makes them so vivid that after it, you'd feel as if you just saw a movie. Don't be surprised if you find him behind the Director's desk someday. BUENA VENTURA B. RODRIGO Nicknames are often derived from first names, but not in this guy's case. We affectionately call him Rod. The oldest in the bunch, he feels it his duty to keep us younger ones entertained with the humor that he got while in the Army. He has the famous Page 24 Bataan battle and some guerrilla activities to boast of if he wants to boast, but he doesn't. He'd rather talk about lumbergrading and scaling. He has three kids to his name, but that does not prevent him from looking twice at a blooming damsel, provided the sweet woman is not around. Alcohol, he thinks, is not at all bad if taken in very moderate amounts, and that is what he does to wash away his occasional homesickness. He knows just when and how to pat you in the back to a point where you can't refuse anything he asks for. Up to now, his PR (that's a forester's short for Public Relations) remains unsurpassed in the College. Right now, he's slim, but it will not be long now before he will bulge in the middle. Men with a good PR usually do. ALFONSO I. TIAM Fonso possesses the reserve of an English gentleman. Jokes which give us bellyaches succeed only in making him smile. When he does laugh, you can be sure that the joke is super. Being the father of three kids, he has naturally become serious in, his manners. He is soft-spoken, gentle and very devoted to his better-half. His warm smile plus his fatherly voice easily puts anybody at ease. Don't make the mistake of considering his reserve as aloofness, for he is one of the easy-to-approach people on the campus, whether the campus political pot is boiling or not. When he makes a promise he says it so casually that it doesn't sound like a promise at all, but he keeps his word, When he gets to being the District Forester of Baguio someday, don't hesitate to approach him on your summer trip or honeymoon there. We're sure the cold Baguio climate won't make his heart lose its warmth. NAPOLEON T. VERGARA If you want Nap to get red behind the ears, ask him about the Bicol Express episode. Although he doesn't look it, this guy has his eyes peeled for passing skirts. Why (Continued on page 40) FORESTRY LEAVES

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