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Subject:
HORTUS ON-LINE, Version 1999
Greetings to
all HortSoccers! We are happy to be back on line (at least
before the Y2K bug wipes all your addresses from my address book).
1999 has been an eventful year for HortSoc, primarily because we
celebrated
our 25th Year! The resident and alumni members were kept quite
busy and
all in all it has been a very very good year. The resident members
headed by Ely Dumalag (last school year) and Renel Calibo have been at
the forefront of this busy year, with all sorts of exhibits, extension
and social activities to mark our silver year. Alumni members and
their families came in full force to celebrate our 25th year homecoming
on Loyalty Day, which was complete with games, prizes (not to mention
lots of food), reminiscing, and establishment of contacts for future
business and academic networking. We even brought in Little Tyke
slides just to make the day equally memorable for the kids. Tibo
Arejola went home with the electric fan which he will probably put to
good use in his newly-opened restaurant at Vega Mall, Julio Chavez
brought home the
oven toaster, and Dave Manalo got the chance to date Paz at an Hotel
Intercon lunch. Everybody else went home with all sorts of prizes
and giveaways ranging from Johnny Sangalang's blackpepper seedlings,
Chito Protacio's Dona Eva seedlings, Rey Pimentel's Centennial gumamela
series,
gift items from Monsanto (c/o Ike), AgrEvo (c/o Lyle), Nestle (c/o Dave
Santos), Biostadt (c/o Edwin Montenegro), Bang San Valentin, Rose Reglos,
etc. etc. We also managed to put out the alumni directory with the
huge
help of Philip and Leny Bueno, Tess and Raul Sta Cruz, Ang Umali and Ana
Tuico. Thanks, too, to the alumni for their financial support.
Just a sampling of the people at the Homecoming:
Penny Barreras-Velasco is a part-time consultant for the Development
Academy of the Philippines.
Ging Nobleza is an assistant sales and marketing manager for Cityneon
Philippines Inc an exhibit organizing sales and consultancy firm.
James Sy teaches biology at the Laguna Colleges in San Pablo City while
wife Ellen Umali-Sy manages their softdrink distribution business.
Boy Agarrado is a project officer for UCPB Finance and Development Corp,
a
subsidiary of the United Coconut Planters Bank. Boy was without
wife Tere
Samala-Agarrado who was on a training scholarship in Sweden in October.
Dave and Paz Manalo are finally home after Dave finished his PhD in crop
science at Obihiro University. Dave is back to his old post at the
Farming
Systems and Soil Resources Institute and have gotten an apartment at the
UPCO housing.
Mike Asinas supervises the nursery for Bonifacio Trees and Greens
Corporation.
Henry Barboza is a grow-in superintendent for Golforce, Inc.
Caloy Cervantes is a senior manager at the Land Bank of the Philippines
in
Makati and is now involved in investment banking. Wife Cookie
Gaston-Cervantes operates her RTW clothing distribution business out of
their home in Pasig City. They also brought sample items to the
homecoming!
Julio Chavez is an assistant scientist at the Plant Breeding and
Genetics
Division at IRRI. Julio finished his MAgr at UPLB in April.
Soccie Rivera-Almazan is also an assistant scientist at the Genetic
Resources Center, IRRI.
Larry Fabro is an herbicide specialist at the National Crop Protection
Center at UPLB.
Raymond Galang is proprietor of Royal Flower Shoppe in Pasig.
Melvin Guevarra is assistant horticulturist at the Mimosa Golf and
Country
Club in Clark Field, Pampanga while wife Elsie Lantican-Guevarra runs
the
catering operation of Aling Jane's Canteen.
Dorie Larona is product manager for Asia Pacific Golf Corporation.
Raffy Ledesma is Project Development Officer at the Department of
Agriculture's Public Investment Program Divsion in Diliman, Quezon City.
Atty. Itchie Licuanan is a senior legal associate at Romero Arreza &
Magtanong Law Offices and sells plants on the side.
Mia Luarca-Sanchez heads the marketing department of STI College Calamba
Inc. Mia was also responsible for getting Coca-Cola to co-sponsor
our
homecoming.
Raymundo (Ding) Mendoza Jr is an assistant professor and chairman of the
Department of Community and Environmental Resource Planning at the
College of Human Ecology, UPLB.
Edwin Montenegro is Field Manager for Biostadt Marketing Corporation, an
agrochemical distribution firm.
Imelda Pasayan-Malabanan is a licensed underwriter for the Insular Life
Assurance Co, Ltd. in Los Banos.
Jingle Quintana is an environmental specialist for the Environment and
Natural Resources Consultants Inc in Quezon City.
Roa Rubin came in Bukidnon where she works as a tissue culturist for
Green
Star Farm International applying the training she gained in Switzerland
early in the year.
Lorna Santiago is a sales training officer for Rustan Marketing
Specialist Inc. in Makati, the distributor of Marks and Spencer
products.
Jose Mari Valmayor is manager of the Asset Management and Trust Group of
the Bank of the Philippine Islands, Makati.
Cheri Deanon-Nicdao is involved in ornamental growing.
Nenita Reyes-de Vera came in all the way from Tarlac where she works as
an
Administrative Officer at the Provincial Environment and Natural
Resources
Office.
Luz Alto is a livelihood officer for NIPA, Inc. based at the Ninoy
Aquino
Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City. She is also doing her
thesis for
an MS in sociology at the Asian Social Institute.
Evelyn Paygane-Arboleda runs her family's coir media business from
Guinobatan, Albay.
Noriman Querijero is marketing manager for COWI Philippines Inc a
development management and consultancy firm.
Drs Nido Naranja and Johnny Sangalang are, respectively, associate
professors in the ornamental crops and plantation crops divisions of the
department of horticulture. Also present were Dr. Dindo Sanchez and
Prof.
Amihan Lubag, assistant professors in the ornamental crops division,
together with Beck Roxas and Allan Siano, university research associates
in
the OCD. Edel Evangelista and Lupo Villanueva, among the newer
alumni are
university research associates in the Department of Agronomy and the
Institute of Plant Breeding.
We are happy to the other Hortsoccers who were out of done but took the
time to email their greetings in time for the homcoming-- Dr Elison
Blancaflor in Oklahoma, Dr Tess Davide Amore in Hawaii, Irma Quintana,
Jun
& Chinchin Samaniego and Julie Sorce in California, Frances Perez in
Maryland, Joey Balaaldia in Pennsylvania, Dr Riza Rasco-Gaunt in the UK,
Millie Dedace-Scherpenberg in the Netherlands Gina Cuerdo in Bukidnon
and
the Davao boys (Joel Laserna in Rhone Poulenc and Ally Munez and Teng
Mitra in Dole-STANFILCO).
To those who missed out on this homecoming....see you next time!
OTHER BALITANG HORTSOC 1999
We were happy to start the year opening our newspapers and seeing Dr
Violy
Villegas receiving an award from the Civil Service Commission.
Violy is
incidentally Director of the Institute of Plant Breeding.
Congratulations to Dr Domingo Angeles who has been appointed associate
dean of the UPLB College of Agriculture.
In what seemed a long long long time, another Hortsoccer graduated cum
laude. Josephine Johnson of San Fernando Pampang led the College
of
Agriculture graduating class during UPLB Commencement Exercises last
April. Joining her as graduates were Ederlinda Casalme, Jossie
Coronado, Gay Manginsay, Allan Siano, Noel Villodres, Eric Balababa,
Emmanuel Belviz, Luzviminda Carlos, Jeremie Laurente, Minda Lucena,
Lovelia Molina, Rowena Posa, Zarah Rodriguez and Marlon Sacdalan.
We also have new PhDs! Bethlida Umali finished her PhD in
development
communication at UPLB and is doing postdoctoral training at Prosea
(Plant
Resources of South-East Asia) based in Wageningen Agricultural
University,
Netherlands. Riza Rasco-Gaunt finished her PhD in biotechnology at the
University of Nottingham and is a cell and molecular biologist with
DuPont
Cereals Innovation Centre in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
In June, we turned over to the resident members the computer assembled
by
Philip Bueno on funds and parts raised by the alumni. We are also
happy to
report that the webpage is up and running. It can be found at
<http://oocities.com/CollegePark/Field/1388/Hortsoc.html>
or alternately
at <http://oocities.com/hortsoc/hortsoc.html>.
Gino T. Manalastas
<gtm123@hotmail.com> is
our Japan-based webmaster and you are
encouraged to email him directly with news and other things interesting
to
the rest of HortSoc. By the way, our new HortSoc resource
directory
contains the email addresses and geographic index of our members.
Additional copies can be requested (at PHP 70 each) from Ang Umali.
During the Department of Horticulture's 25th Anniversary led by chairman
Chito Protacio, we were pleased that HortSoccers were recognized for
their
contributions to Horticulture: Dr Joe Reano of Nestle Philippines
received
the Alumni-Extension Service Award, Rose Reglos received the Junior
Researcher award. Also present was Hortsoccer Luz Zara-Acedo of
VISCA,
Baybay, Leyte who witnessed her husband, Dr Antonio Acedo Jr
receive the
Alumni-Professor in Horticulture award. Honorary members who received
awards were Dr Ed Quisumbing and Dr Ruben Villareal (Horticulturist
Award),
Prof Tito Rimando (Teacher Award), Prof Sev Cuevas (Extension Service
Award).
Dr Tess Davide Amore at the University of Hawaii together with Drs. Adelheid
Kuehnle and Haruyuki Kamemoto published their most recent book
"Breeding
Dendrobium Orchids in Hawaii". Please visit
<http://starbulletin.com/1999/10/01/features/evergreen.html>
for a feature
on the book by Lois Taylor of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
On the family side...we are happy to learn of the births of Mia Perrine
to
Dr Pamela Lopez and Bob Kemerait in Florida; Duke David to Ike and Mary
Ann Barile and Kyla Angela to Arnel and Marlyn Rala in Los Banos.
We have been pleasantly surprised to hear of HortSoccers getting married
in
1999. On 15 May, Edwin Montenegro said "I do's" to
Jovette in Dagupan
City. Exactly a week later, Francisca Gutierrez married Ronnie
Macandili
in San Pablo City. Before the year ended, Ana Tuico married Bobet
Papag in
Nagcarlan, Laguna on 18 December.
We would like to request fellow Hortsoccers to pray for the recovery of
Teodoro Garcia. Teody has recently been afflicted with a muscle
disease
rendering him immobile. He is now in the family home in Calamba
and may be
starting therapy soon.
Finally, we close out the year (and the millenium) with thanks to all
those
who supported us in our endeavors. Happy holidays to you and your families
and may you have a happy new millenium. Cheers!
Written By: Mr.
Lyle Baconguis
30 December 1999
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