UEL ONGWICO...narrated
by Rosie Amat-Veluya
mrongwico@aol.com. I kept
staring at the e-mail address in my computer. Flashbacks of some 35 years came
to me. A boy with a mischievous smile, whose mind is as sharp as his practical
jokes on girls, became vivid. He made Corazon Pantoja cry when he imitated her
rolling 'r' everytime she talked. He was not afraid of Cristeta Obcemia who was
one of the tallest and biggest girls in sixth grade class. Tet was mother hen to
us, the tiny ones. She would scream "Ongwico give it back!", when this
boy grabbed something from the girls. With a look as if ready to annihilate him,
Tet would walk slowly towards him. But he would continue running and then turn
back and say, "Yes, darleng."
Yes, this was Manuel, the chief troublemaker in grade school. But wait, he did have the makings of a young Einstein. In our science class with
Mr. Bob Curie, the Peace Corps Volunteer, Uel was our leader in putting together a huge hot air balloon. He worked intently and diligently
on this project and talked to Mr. Curie 'man-to-man'. His face lit with delight and satisfaction when the hot air balloon successfully lifted
from the school grounds. At that moment there was no trace of mischief in him.
In Grade 6, during a graduation practice, Mrs. Malones our social studies
teacher remarked to me with some hint of desperation, "If only Ongwico paid
attention to his studies, he could have been the number one in your class."
I smiled in total agreement.
Uel and I went to QPHS together. There was so much distance and segregation between boys and girls at high school, so I did not
have much to do with him. I also kept a little distance from him as his savvy was too much for me. However, I was aware of his many faces. Manuel
was the embodiment of an all-round guy. Pranks, yes he was in. Academics, no
sweat. Dramatics, he was very much at home. He had the solo part in our winning
choral reading entry, 'Congo'. He was a PMT officer, a staffer of the school
paper, THE COCONUT and editor of KALEIDOSCOPE, the class paper.
Yes, this was many-sided Manuel. I gazed at the email address again and wondered
how he was doing. Then I wrote, "Hi Manuel, remember me?....." My
email remained unanswered for almost a month. Then one day he replied, "I'm
sorry I wasn't paying attention." I chuckled. He has not changed. He is
still not paying attention!
Through the e-mail I learned more about him. He is a very innovative person...What if...Suppose we...Do you think?....Let's do it! Some of
the many products of his brainwork is our fundraising project for the 2004 class reunion, the fundraising proposal for the souvenir program
and the idea of creating a web site for our high school class. Uel's zest for doing something new stirred everybody from one project to
another. He is a believer of what sometimes appeared to some of us as impossible. I remember telling him one time that I would give his
suggestions a respite. Sometimes I could not cope with him. Up to now Uel is still too savvy for me...but in a different way. The boy that I
knew became a man...a husband and a father.
For 24 years Uel is happily and blessedly married to Leni Quinto. They have three children. Allison Hannah is a junior in business management
at San Diego State University. Ali also works at USA Credit Union while pursuing college. Their second child is Barbra Ella, a business
management major in finance and communications at California State in Fullerton.
Barbie works part-time as Credit Collector at the Bank of America. Their youngest,
Carl Marc, is at California State College at Northridge. He plans to major in communication specializing in film
animation. Carl works as part-time teacher's assistant at Pinecrest School.
According to his wife Len, Uel always emphasizes set goals for his
children. He encourages self-discovery; he preaches the idea of success; he does not interfere but keeps a watchful eye. Ali, Barbie
and Carl know very well what their dad means when he says "When you're old
enough" (NO!). "Be back on time," (YES, you may go). "Go,
ask your Mom," (MAYBE).
As a husband, Len describes Uel as "very supportive and loving" - a romantic reincarnation of Don Juan DiMarco with a passion matched only by
Porfirio Rubirosa, the famed Cuban 'gigolo'! There is no dull moment with Uel.
Len recalls an incident some years back when they crossed the border to Tijuana,
Mexico with Mil and her daughters. As he presented his passport, Uel tried
to be smart with the Border Patrol and said he was born and raised in Subic Bay.
He must have annoyed the Border Patrol as he was told to get out of the the
queue and wait with the 'suspect document'. Uel's face turned ashen, while Len
tried hard to hold back a laugh.
When Uel is in serious mood, he says it with a diamond. According to Len, one of the fondest memories she has of Uel, was when he took her dining at
Yamashiro Restaurant, up on a hill overlooking the city lights of LA. After
dinner, Uel gave her a diamond necklace. Does Uel ever get mad? Yes, but a bowl
of his favorite 'pansit' with all the trimmings can quickly tame the tiger in
him.
In search of the best situation for his family, Uel joined the Navy in 1981. He is currently deployed in the Western Pacific onboard USS John
C. Stennis (CVN-74). This is where Uel sends us stories of his travels to
different places. As a military man Uel keeps fit by keeping a rigid exercise regimen of push-ups, sit-ups and a 1.5 mile run (towards the
dining table?) twice a week. Lately, he is into golf after Tiger Woods proved that sport is not only for the 'stuck-ups' and the bored
retirees.
Tinkering with things is one of Uel's hobbies. He takes apart anything that excites his curiosity, e.g., breaking apart electronic gadget/equipment;
car engines and accessories. He pokes his fingers on things around the house and
grooms the dogs...with disastrous results as Len fondly recalls. The dogs hide
when they sense him coming! As an Agricultural Science major from UP Los Banos,
Uel loves plants. He talks to them as if they were humans. He nurtures them
while he is at home and when he leaves on duty, Len says, she manages to kill
them.
Uel's zest for knowledge has made him to continually study by correspondence while he is in the Navy. He took up courses in Computer
Technology. He's currently doing an astronomy course. He reads voraciously
during his free time and still finds time to write to Len while he is away. Now,
Uel has more than Len to write to. He has the 69ers, too!
As one of the founders of our web site, Uel has brought light to the once dim torch that Class '69 carries. Hopefully, Uel's energy and
creativity will exude to keep the torch burning brightly for all QPHS 69ers.
Click here to
view Uel's family photos.
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