Fireworks in celebration of the 2008 UP Lantern Parade and Centennial

Video from Inquirer.net

UP ANG GALING MO

CHICAGO Get-Together, May 25-27, 2007

Chicagoans TITA MESIONA MANLAPAZ and KENNETH ILIO hosted this year’s batch get-together in Crest Hill, Chicago and Skokie, Illinois last May 25-27.

Day 1. The "batch party" in Chicago began at TITA and husband CALOY’S beautiful home in Crest Hill near Chicago. The bright red welcome banner that adorned Tita’s porch says it all. Arriving from the Midway airport (thanks to CALOY for picking us up), we were welcomed by Tita’s sweet smile and warm hospitality. In attendance were DOLLY RODULFO DALUSONG and her husband POL who flew in from California, JUN MICU from Virginia, NOEL CALINGASAN from New York, and guests ELIZABETH RUBIO LAZARO from Maryland and Jun’s former student at CLSU, RICARDO EUGENIO. At the well-manicured garden in the back of Tita’s house, we feasted on delicious food that TITA prepared for lunch. It was a lovely day with lots of great food, reconnection, and a lot of laughs. The afternoon was also spent watching TITA and DOLLY’s favorite teleserye on TFC, “Maging Sino Ka Man.” Also part of the itinerary was outlet mall shopping, followed by dinner at TITA’s house, karaoke (of course) and some dancing.

Day 2. The group met up with KENNETH in downtown Chicago at one of the most popular destinations in the city, the Millennium Park. Completed only three years ago, the 24.5 acre park boasts unique and sophisticated architecture, monumental sculpture and landscape design. Ken, also an avid photographer was our tour guide who introduced us to the interactive Crown Fountain which consists of two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers project video images from a broad social spectrum of Chicago citizens. The images change constantly and at some point, there are images with open mouths with water flowing out, a reference to the traditional use of gargoyles in fountains, where faces of mythological beings were sculpted with open mouths to allow water, a symbol of life, to flow out. There were many sculptures, but the most prominent and mesmerizing was Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate sculpture on the AT&T Plaza, a bean-shaped 110-ton elliptical structure forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates reflecting the city's famous skyline and the clouds above. Inspired by liquid mercury, the 66-feet long by 33-feet high sculpture has a mirror-like surface, inviting visitors to touch its surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives. Another feature of the park is the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson. We also visited the Jay Pritzker Pavilion is a very sophisticated outdoor concert venue. It has a state-of-the-art sound system, the first of its kind in the country, was designed to mimic the acoustics of an indoor concert hall by distributing enhanced sound equally over both the fixed seats and the lawn. The concert venue has a billowing headdress of brushed stainless steel ribbons that frame the stage opening, a very prominent sight at the park. We then proceeded to the hugely popular Buckingham fountain. Ken invited us to his high-rise condo in Chicago for a delicious lunch. We also met RON DORFFMAN and his photographer friend who also joined us. We had a great view of Lake Michigan from Ken’s terrace, and after lunch we actually went to the lakeshore and took photos (with the banner of course). Rain did not dampen our enthusiasm to pose with the banner and with Lake Michigan as backdrop. We then took the Red Line train to downtown Chicago for more sightseeing. We strolled down the city streets admiring the architecture and the history of the city. At night, we went up to the Hancock Observatory where we experiences the spectacular views of the city, which during the daytime spans up to 80 miles, four states and 360 degrees. We then returned to Ken’s condo by bus. After dinner at Ken’s place, we headed back to Crest Hill.

Day 3. Tita made arrangements for a joint get-together with more senior UPCVM alumni who live in the Chicago area. The big party was held at the residence of VKV founder and Batch ’64 graduate DR. TOTO ALMAZAN in Skokie, a Chicago suburb. There we also met another VKV founder, DR. ROBERT GERONIMO (Batch ’65), Dr. CESAR AGUSTIN (Batch ’61), DR. MELITON NOVILLA (former Chairman of the UPCVM Department of Microbiology and Public Health), DR. PILAR PASCUAL CENIR (Batch ’63), DR. JOSUE CASTILLO, and DR. RACHEL (BUBUT) MORDENO who is now a nurse in Chicago. Dr. Novilla spoke to the group about the proposed Veterinary Pathology Facility to be erected at the UPCVM in Los Banos. Jun in turn talked about our batch fundraising for Project Tiles. It was wonderful to share that afternoon with other UPCVM alumni, especially with lots of Filipino food including the lechon that Tita donated. That night, Kenneth took us back to the park in Chicago for a great view of the city’s skyline. We then returned to Grant Park to view the Buckingham Fountain, which was beautifully animated with a computerized choreography of color spotlights. It was truly a visual feast to see the fountain at night, together with the fireworks display.

Overall, it was another wonderful experience to reconnect with former classmates and friends, and at the same time be dazzled with the marvelous sights in the city where our hosts now reside.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? In Her Own Words, Jocelyn Munoz Miranda

Josie at the Gregorio Araneta University Foundation in 1980, and at the Peninsula Manila in Makati, December, 2006; with her husband Rey at the Avilon Zoo in Rodriguez, Rizal and at the PVMA convention in Subic in 1999; their beautiful children, Abigail and Jericho; some photos from Josie's family trip to the beautiful and historic island of Corregidor in celebration of Josie's and Jericho's birthdays last April 15 and 16, respectively.

I graduated in the summer of 1979 because I neglected Statistics in favor of Clinics. But six days after my final exams, I was invited to teach at the Gregorio Araneta University Foundation, Institute of Veterinary Medicine. Jun Micu came over extending the invitation of the dean, Dr. Francisca A. Ching. Five classmates were already members of the faculty there: Jun, Alice Cambay, Flor Gonzales, Mildred Araniador and Cynthia Bernabe. I handled Microbiology and Virology laboratory classes. In 1981, due to some unpleasant turn of events in the Institute, Jun and Flor left for CLSU. Cynthia left earlier before this and Alice left later leaving behind Mildred and me.

In 1983, I got married to Rey C. Miranda, a Pre-Med student from UE who pursued Vet. Medicine and was my student in Microbiology in 1980. It was in same year that I stood my ground together with only 26 faculty members in the University against a move by the administration to convert all faculty members to contractual basis and disregard security of tenure. This principle almost cost me my job were it not for the favorable ruling of the Labor Relations. In 1984, I was appointed Chairman of the Dept. of Microbiology and Public Health.

In 1985, Mildred left for the Fatima Medical Sciences Foundation and the following year, I was invited by a friend, Dr. Zoilo Lapuz, who was then the dean of the CVM in the same school. At Fatima, I was appointed chairman of the Dept. of Parasitology and Pathology, then later, as chairman of Medicine and Surgery. In 1989, I was appointed chairman of Microbiology and Public Health. I handled subjects in Parasitology, Pathology, Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics, Microbiology and Virology. In October 1989, I resigned from work, hoping to rest and get pregnant for until that time we haven’t got children.

I was then conducting board reviews in Microbiology and Pathology at a university belt review center and vet schools such as GAUF, Fatima Medical Science Foundation and Dr. Francisco Yanga College from 1987 up to 1994, then I quit out of delicadeza because I was then a dean of a vet school. In May 1990, I was invited to Araneta to conduct review classes in Microbiology and was convinced to go back to teaching. I rejoined the faculty in June 1990 under the deanship of the late Dr. Jose Valenzuela. Again, I was appointed chairman of Dept. of Microbiology and Public Health. It was during this return to Araneta that I got pregnant with my first child. I gave birth in November 1991.

In June 1993, I enrolled in UP Los Banos to pursue my Masters degree in Microbiology. However, the following school year, I had to take my leave of absence from Los Banos because I was appointed dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at GAUF. While I was dean, I gave birth to my 2^nd child in 1995. I held the position for three years and would have had another term have it not been for dirty politics and intrigues. For me, relationships are more valuable than titles and positions so that in June 1997, I took a leave of absence from the University for a year, then eventually resigned and left the academe after 18 years. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned from what happened then, it is that: if you do good things to people, don’t expect them to do you good things in return. And much more, don’t expect them not to do you harm.

For three years after I left the job I love so much, I became a full time wife to my husband and full time mother to my kids: Abigail, now 15 and in 3^rd year high school, and Jericho Rey, now 11 and in the 5^th grade. In 1997, my husband who is an equine practitioner, put up a business partnership with a client. Miranda, Sotto and Associates, as it was called, sold horse medicines and paraphernalia, did diagnostic work and rendered veterinary services. The following year, it became a corporation and I became one of the stockholders and company treasurer. It was renamed Stud and Stable, Inc. In 2001, our medical technologist resigned and I took over the laboratory. During the surra outbreak in 2001, our laboratory was the first to identify the protozoan agent. I then performed serological tests to detect positive reactors and identified the parasite by direct microscopic exam. Basically, our laboratory runs hematology and blood chemistry with our automated IDEXX machines, the first of the kind in the Philippines in 1997. (There is one now at the Ocean Adventure in Subic and at Herma Farms in Batangas). I also perform CELISA test for the detection of EIA antibodies.

In 2001, I was nominated to the Board of Veterinary Examiners by the Philippine Veterinary Medical Association. The PVMA president then was a classmate, Enrico Flores. I was not taken in but another classmate made it to the board, Angel Mateo.

I consider myself semi-retired now, working for our own company. I have reached a point in my life when I no longer think I have to prove myself to anybody anymore. Being your own boss, you know and having attained what you aspire for. I am a simple person with simple joys and aspirations. I now enjoy watching my kids grow and discovering the things God wants to do with my life.

"NANO REUNION" IN NEW YORK

PORTIA CORTES visited New York City for a day (March 25th) and got together with CARMEN and NOEL for a little reunion ("nano reunion" a term coined by Ramon for a gathering of a small number of batchmates that does not meet the required number to be called "mini reunion,".....gee, we must be really bored with our jobs!). Above are some snapshots of her whirlwind tour including a 360 degree viewing of Manhattan's skyline at the new observation deck of the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center), Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero, Central Park, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Plaza, attending mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and seeing an Oprah-produced Broadway show called "The Color Purple."

GET-TOGETHER AND BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN CALIFORNIA

Last Sunday, March 25th, DOLLY DALUSONG hosted a party at her home in Chino Hills, California to celebrate her and her daughter's birthdays. Among her guests were batchmates VIC VELASCO, RICO FLORES and wife NIDA, TESS CALALANG and husband ED, and ALICE CAMBAY-BUNGAY who recently completed her research fellowship at Washington State University. Also present were former UPCVM faculty and staff members GERRY ESGUERRA and wife SUSAN, DEL HAPIL and MILA MENDOZA-FREEMAN. Also in one of the photos is Dolly's husband POL. (Photo credit: Vic Velasco)

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Alice Alma Cambay-Bungay

ALICE THEN & NOW. College days at the UP College of Veterinary Medicine in Diliman; graduation at UP Diliman in 1979; at Washington State University where she is a Fulbright senior scholar; with her loving husband Everest at a batch '79 gathering in Manila; facade of the College of Public Health, UP Manila where Alice is based.

ALICE ALMA CAMBAY-BUNGAY lives in Biñan, Laguna with her husband Everest Bungay, a Senior Assistant Vice President of Federal Phoenix Assurance Co, and daughters, Resalice Anne, 24 a Marketing graduate and Business Administration student, and Raisa Dana Marie, 19, a Computer Science student. Alice is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines at Manila. Currently, Alice is in the United States as a Fulbright senior scholar and visiting lecturer/researcher at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Her lecture and research work at the veterinary school of Washington State University focus on “Current Trends and Updates in the Study and Diagnoses of Emerging Foodborne Diseases and Zoonoses of Public Health Importance.” Later this year, she will be heading to Heidelberg as an invited researcher sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Program.

After graduation from the UPCVM, Alice took a faculty position in the veterinary school of the Gregorio Araneta University Foundation, then at the Philippine College of Technological Resources, while working as a part time veterinarian. For several years, Alice worked as a senior science research specialist at the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology. In 1997, she earned a Master of Veterinary Studies (Public Health) from Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. She has also completed postgraduate courses in Occupational Health and Safety from the College of Public Health, UP Manila, and in Laboratory Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Alabang, Metro Manila. In addition, she has earned a teacher’s license and a Diplomate in Veterinary Public Health (DVPH) from the Philippine College of Veterinary Public Health. In 1997, Alice joined the faculty of the UP College of Public Health where she is a lecturer of medical microbiology and public health courses, thesis adviser and technical reviewer of research proposals. She also lectures part-time in various institutions including De La Salle Araneta University, University of Perpetual Help System, Emilio Aguinaldo College, San Beda College and the Angeles University Foundation. She has served as principal investigator in several research grants, and has authored or co-authored scientific papers. She serves in numerous academic committees related to research and development, biosafety, laboratory animal care and use, and assessment of food handling. She is also a reviewer for medical, veterinary and pharmacy board exams. During the course of her career, Alice received extensive public health-related training from prestigious institutions in the Philippines, the Unites States, Germany, Japan and Thailand. Diverse areas of training include cancer research, aflatoxigenic fungi, microbial monitoring in laboratory animals, environmental monitoring, detection of foodborne and waterborne pathogens, hemorrhagic E. coli isolation and identification from farm animals, electron microscopy of Yersinia enterocolitica, hazard analysis and critical control point, and laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases. Alice has attended or participated as a lecturer in international scientific meetings held in France, Italy, Thailand and Japan.

Alice received numerous awards and recognition for her work in laboratory animal science, veterinary research, and as an outstanding mentor in microbiology. She provides free veterinary consultation and services to homeowners in her neighborhood. Alice has been involved in community and extension services that benefit various sectors through lectures and the mass media. As a resource person on timely topics such as anthrax in biological warfare, zoonoses, emerging and re-emerging diseases, food and water safety, Alice has appeared on or participated in news and public affairs programs for major television networks GMA 7 and ABS-CBN as well as leading radio stations DZMM and DZRB. Recently, her expertise in Microbiology earned her the APEC consultancy job in the "Capacity Building Seminar on Good Agricultural Practices for Developing APEC Economies” last September 2006 in the Philippines.

Alice’s enthusiasm for gaining and sharing knowledge is driven by the Sanskrit verse: "Knowledge is the best type of wealth. It cannot be taken away from you by the thief, by the government in the form of taxes or by relatives as their fair share. As it has neither shape nor weight, it is not a burden to carry but most of all, it increases everyday by distribution".