BY JAZMIN BANAL
TWENTY-FIVE years is a long time. In a span of 25 years, from 1998 to 2023 for example, the Philippines has claimed the Miss Universe title twice, the Eraserheads has disbanded and reunited, and the University of the Philippines has become the UAAP men’s basketball champion.
In the U.P. College of Law, there is a tradition of celebrating 25 years after graduation. From passing the bar to working long hours and starting a family or living overseas or shifting careers, U.P. Law alumni have embarked on different journeys. For one night, we come together, and we come home to our alma mater.
This year, that happened last November 17, 2023.
The attire was business casual, and indeed the mood was anything but stiff. The night started with a live band and ended with singing and dancing, and perhaps because there was no huge dance floor the energy flowed easily from table to table. I particularly liked Nextone and their new wave and pop songs and John Lesaca with his violin and easy rapport with the audience. The food, by Dusit’s Benjarong, got me excited, it was delicious as always.
Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen delivered a speech that evening. Fr. Flavie Villanueva Svd also gave a video message; Batch 1998 did some volunteer work at the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Foundation that he established. Both Justice and Priest called on the lawyers to serve and serve well.
“Our people suffer. Under our watch, we cannot fail them.”
“Sa ating pagdiriwang ng pa98alik-tanaw, sa 500 lawyers na nagtitipon ngayon, nawa’y ang diwa kung saan nagmula ang inyong tawag bilang tagapagtanggol ay masariwa at mapagyaman. Kailangan po kayo ng ating mahal na bayan.”
There was also time to pay tribute to the legal minds who taught us in the grand manner. Araceli Baviera (civil law), Juliana Ricalde (taxation), Perfecto Fernandez (constitutional law), Domingo Disini (labor law), Samilo Barlongay (public officers), Ruben Balane (succession), our Dean Merlin Magallona, to name a few. I saw our professors in Sales (Atty. Quevedo) and Property (Atty. Labitag) among the attendees during the homecoming, and I made sure to talk to them. Our U.P. Law professors were one of a kind. We will never run out of stories about them.
We lost some batch mates too. We remember Leo Angelo C. Salinel, Gilbert I. Nolasco, Skarlit C. Labastilla, Dennis Bernard M. Acorda, and Dante F. Bernabe.
As the program was about to end, we heard our anthem, U.P. Naming Mahal. A classmate lifted his right arm — for the duration of the song I think — and, with closed fist, moved it in that forward motion that we often see nowadays in UAAP games. I feel goosebumps whenever I sing this, more so on that night even with my arm calmly resting.
To the U.P. College Law, thank you for the education. To the U.P. Law alumni, it was wonderful to reconnect and take pictures with you (using smart phones that did not exist in our time). To Section C and the rest of Batch 1998, what a joyous homecoming!/PN
