ROTC briefs

Media

Part of The Carolinian

Title: ROTC briefs
Creator: Verallo, Felipe Jr., M.
Language: English
Year: 1955
Rights
Fulltext: Sty. Sdtye QU. Qh. H MIDST THE FUN and flurry of a national holiday, twenty million hearts banded in prayer to pay their respects to the "blood, sweat and tears" of our heroes who, in the fields of Bataan and in the caves of Corregidor, did not know the meaning of defeat. In the same province that planted the first kris of independence into the heart of a foreign invader, a group of resolute men contributed their share in the commemoration. The place: Cebu Normal Grounds. The Date: July 4 — 9:00 A.M. Across the field four 57 mm guns lay sprawled and manned by anxious cadets while a little way ol an elderly officer, clad in fatigue uniform and a helmet on, his eyes protected with sunglasses, a.45 dangerously dangling at his side, was commanding the members of the firing battery to relax; later, to prepare for action; then finally, fire! As tb.e solemn refrain of the National Anthem was played, the Filipino flag raced in its undisturbed pace to the top of the pole that stood defiant to an overcast sky. Instantly, at 9:12 twenty-one roars of the guns at ten-second intervals filled the air. Those who heard the sound from afar never knew that the USC Field Artillery cadets fired them. The members of the firing battery were: Maj. A. S. Garcia, Cadet officers: Arturo Ralota, Alejandro Luzon, Ulysses Bataclan, Jacinto Gador, Matias Juanjug, Francisco Miole, Mario Penafort, Eduardo Quirante, Alexander Acain, Felipe Tajoda, Vicente Belarmino, Gregorio Alenton, Jose Ros, Rolando Leyson, The debutants: The Corps Commander and his Staff. Antonio Ybanez, Felipe Labucay, Beatisimo Dinsay, Sosthenes Codilia, Erasmo Diola, Francisco Literatus, Felipe M. Verallo, Jr. She. StyAtem, The secret weapon which made us click last tactical inspection was a workable system. It was a system of untiring leadership, hardwork, patience, loyalty and team work. It was the same system that made Jacinto Mendez and Arnold Mollaneda cling to the first thirty bright boys in Fort McKinley. And Melly Ajero, Felipe Labucay and others rolled back the questions hurled by the tactical inspectors like it was nobody's business. All these were planned, coordinated and replanned by Maj A. S. Garcia and erstwhile Lt Saturnino Gutang, in close cooperation with his subordinates. She Jj l a and, the Sie The rumors that the Major was transferred to some other assignment made most of the P. del Rosario diehards feel lost and sad. The rumor, of course, was just a rumor. He is still with us, with renewed vim and vigor. Whoever was the first person to Pa g e 12 THE CAROLINIAN think of a USC Model Company is not known, but this much is certain: there is going to be a Model company, the first of its kind in. Cebu. Paddy Deen, able Company Commander, Louie Batongmalaque, Jose Ros, Manuel Lim, and Dominador Tomo, sidekicks. This company in all indications is comparable to the glamorous West Pointers. Complete with all the trimmings, it is composed of select cadets. Watch these cadets in parades and I will bet my neck to a nickel they will be the wow!! and whew!! of our dalagas. This man shouts, sings, jumps, swims, somersaults and whatnuts! These are not Greeks dancing in honor of Dionysius—they are diehards being hazed. What for? For the disarmingly simple reason that they want to be cadet officers and the ritual is part of it. To make them the best cadet officers this part of the globe. In Baguio, they call it carino militar, an order which can make you wish you were not born alive! Jhest, Nobody can put it more aptly than the Commandant: "Wars are planned by generals in swivel chairs but they are won by soldiers in the foxhole." These are seme of the men who will unite their talents to retain the Star. Who is more important: the leader or the follower? Don't bother to answer that. The fact is the Corps Commander, Cdt Col Melecio Ajero is the best qualified leader because of his leadership, personality and intelligence. Being a brother of Conrado "1st place" Ajero there is no doubt that a carbon copy of success is bound to accrue. The shadow of a person follows him all the time unless there is no light. The shadow of the Corps are the Corps staffers. They follow the Corps Commander and, being respectable men, they shine better among the ordinary cadets and inferior officers under the sparkle of their ranks. Cdt Lt Cols Arturo Ralota, Antonio Aquino, Dominador Deocampo, and Sergio Pangandoyon, belong to that species, (laugh) Company Commanders are the very important people in the Corps. They are directly in touch with their men. Cdt Capt Felipe Labucay is one who proved his mettle last Tactical Inspection by solving all the platoon problems. A scholar, (Continued on pane 19) ht Lt Edmundo V. Gandionko9 l\E New Assistant Commandant On June 1. 1955, a man. erect in stature, came to the Office of the Commandant, talked heartily with Lt Gutang, and from that time on a new personality sat behind the table of the Assistant Commandant. 1st Lt EDMUNDO V. GANDIONKO, INF. Later, news was received that 1st Lt SATURNINO GUTANG is already a Commandant in Kalibo, Coplx. Born in Majuyod, Negros Oriental, Lt Gandlonko spent most of his childhood and mature years in Cebu. A Cebu School of Arts and Trade graduate, he is a senior AB student at the University of Southern Philippines. During his college days, the ROTC attracted him and right then and there worked his way through two decorations: Ex-Governor Cuenco's Medal of Honor and the Board of Trustee's Trophy given by the President of the USP Association. At present, he Is also a Junior Law student. He was commissioned in 1949, assigned as Ad|utant and SI of the 6th BCT In Pampanga, and was sitting it pretty there for sometime. Prior to his present post he was connected with the Department of National Defense. Upon assuming his post here, he took unto himself the difficult fob of linking the cadets with the administration, the preservation of the esprit de corps, and of helping devise the blueprints for retaining the STAR. It is without doubt that If the receptiveness of the cadets will not wane, the STAR will not fall to some other guy's shoulders. AUGUST, 1955 Pa g e 13 ON DA LEVEL (Continued from page 3) tion never, inaugurate courses in technology, for another, it would give Catholicism a tremendous boost in this bend of the mountains, and for still another, radio station all our own would make for improved english in the university, there are reasons abundant why we should favor the installation of a broadcasting outfit here, truth to reveal, some of the fathers are openly identified with the move, let's wait and see what happened next. . . • these communist just can't be trusted, matter of fact, they don't even trust themselves, i don't give any percentage to a conference where one of the parties is commie, a red goes to peace conferences with the right hand signing a covenant while the left holds a revolver under the table. • up, up there in the third floor where we write and recite, flunk or pass in law, a sizzling discovery by lady classmates has the class in a collective gawk, the invention was, of course, sired by the necessity of staving off the mounting mortality in prof villanueva's classes, we all of us wised up early to the fact that atty villanueva does not disturb the sequence of the class cards, so . . . the ladies started writing mnemonics (representing our names) to insure hiked marks in recitation, all we do is read the portion of the book where we think we will be hit and pfft! the recitation becomes one smooth, satin procedure, it’s a cute racket, i tried it. . . and flunked. • trouble with troublesome people is that whenever they come upon a slangy-fwangy line, they proceed to protest in high C. slang, they cry long and loud, is verboten to their tastes, they don’t buy slang, no sir. i have frequently been accused of adulterating people's tastes by retailing too much slang, now, for once, i'd like to tone down tinctured antislang feelings by offering literary asylum in this column to a typical filipino friendly letter minus slang, this one’s pure aged-in-bamboo pinoy english. here she blows: dear friend. . . . i receive your most-awaited billet in good condition and i understood all the content of what you means to say. on the other hand before i proceed to the main point of this humble epistle of mind may i interrogate you how do you do? as for me desame as usual. . . your friend. if anyone among you, my civil readers, wants to sick that kind of english on me, start looking the other way but fast! i’d very much rather not be desame as usual. • the use band, with (maizetro) selerio on the podium, has gained quite a metronome of notoriety for overdoing its "funebre" series, we folks keep on protesting that we have no yen for dirge even if it is the last wailing note in modern spooky music . . . but the band simply goes on with its threnodic exercises as if the examinations are going on. last week, however, the band, in a moment of sheer heresy, played "stardust." it's strange but the departure from funeral study transformed use's denizens into a parliament of sighing, happy faces. • we lift pertinent portions of a very interesting letter addressed to atty, catalino doronio. quote. . . good news!!! we supply ideal love to lonely hearts, if you are searching for an ideal partner, we offer love directories. . . compilations of names of negotiable young men and women with personal data . . . composed of name, address, age, civil status, body measurements, financial status, etc. ... if you have the directories, your destiny is just in the palm of your hands similar to the weather bureau which forecasts the weather. . . you overcome the barrier of distance, time, money and effort for it is safe and economical instead of spending much on personal acquaintance. you are sure of favorable results because the names stated are willing to be married or engaged at their discretion, close quote. atty doronio think it was addressed to the wrong guy. i don't think so. • end item, folksies. . . WHAT DO YOU THINK . . . (Continued from page 7) What I see as a great needs is that San Carlos University should start a means ol scientific publication wherein our priestly-and-lay colleagues will be able to publish their works. That we are on the right way appears from the fact that the Graduate School has appointed Mr. Marcelino N. Maceda, M.A., as its first research assistant. In the meeting of the Graduate School faculty, Father Rector readily consented that more research-assistants may be appointed and that he will give them the possibility to visit foreign universities on U.S.C. scholarships for further studies. We are on the right track. The faculty and its dean will do everything and will be ready to receive suggestions. But the response is up to you, students! ROTC BRIEFS (Continued from page 13) handsome, tall guy he is. Cdt Capt Aznorito Canete is another dynamic leader with a slight twist of a politician. Humble, learned and aggressive. Cdt Capt Winilredo Geonson is an uncommon common fellow, friendly but firm with his cadets; intelligent but understanding; outspoken but sincere in his ideas. Of late a Model Company has come to shape and everything of it is an example from the cadet officers to snappy actions of the men in the ranks. Faddy Deen is the groome Co. Cdt 1st Lt Jose Ros, handsome boy, amiable and helpful; Cdt 1st Lt Louie Batonznalaque (really big and rock) is also the Adjutant-General; a real friend he makes to anybody. Cdt 1st Lt Manuel Lim, Jr. and Cdt 1st Lt Dominador Tumo, Jr. are tall, brisk and lovable cadet officers, too. Before the other units develop hysteria I better sign off. Another chapter of names will be written in the next issue. But here is a P. S. Cdt cpl Adelino Sitoy a warmhearted co-staffer is a cadet of "G" Platoon. Meet him any time. AUGUST, 1955 Pa g e 19