by Carmelita G. Munoz-Francisco, Class 1963
I'd like to see the girls' kasilyas. Nandoon pa kaya?
I entered LSM only in my senior year. Classes were already going on when I came to enroll. After enrolling, I was instructed to join the class right away. It was, I think, at that time when the class was electing it s officers. The boys at the back connived to nominate and elect me as the sergeant-at-arms. Of course, I protested because I felt humiliated and insulted, but nobody would listen to me. So, there it was, I was the elected sergeant-at-arms as nobody else was nominated.
At dismissal time, while I was talking towards the school bus, Felino Diego was tailing me and kept whispering "Sargenta! Sargenta!" He continued on with that mischievous grin even when I was already seated down inside the school bus. (The buss was parked right in front of their house.) Napaiyak na ako, but he would not stop.
That was really a shocking first-day-of-school experience.
The following day, I was called to the Principal's office. Mrs. Ofelia Battad asked me what happened that afternoon. I related to her about Felino's pangsusutil. Then, I was surprised to learn that Berong pala came to my rescue and confronted Felino and they quarreled. As a result, they were punished with suspension from class and hard labor - they dug a pit for the girls' toilet. And they did this during class hour for about two weeks.
Something good came out of this though - Felino and Berong became good friends.
Felino is a good guy naman, sutil lang talaga siya. Berong, thanks again for your concern.