Special letter to ISM students

Dear IS students in the 1998-1999 Media Studies class,

"Many, many, years ago, in a land far, far, away, there lived a . . ."

Sounds like the beginning of a fairy-tale, doesn't it?  But that phrase is chockful of meaning to an old fogey like me.  You see, there was a time in my life when I was footloose and fancy-free, where I wasn't burdened by the everyday responsibilities of adulthood.  Where I could grab a San Miguel or a pack of blue-seal Marlboros at any Sari-Sari store I was tall enough to reach the counter.  A time where I could hang out at the Polo Club, or Elk's Club (now Metro Club), or go to Talisay Beach, or Nasugbu, or Matabukay, or Paksanhan Falls, or take a drive up to Tagaytay (which back then was out in the boonies) to drink wine, and eat sour-dough bread with cheese, and party with girlfriends and pare's, maybe even participate in the consumption of an illicit substance or two (well, maybe just once or twice  :-)  ).

For me, that ended twenty-five years ago, when I graduated from IS.  I lived in Urdaneta Village, at 76 Real Street, on the corner of Real and Santa Potenciana.  I lived there for twelve years, from 1962 to 1974.  I left Manila one week after graduation.  Just for comparison, in my day, the Hotel Intercontinental was the newest and biggest hotel in Manila!  To go dancing at the Intercon's "Where Else?" disco, or munch out in the Intercon's "Jeepney Cafe" at wee hours of the morning while waiting for Marcos's midnight-to-4am curfew to be lifted so we could get home.   I've been back four times since then - 1975, 1993, 1997, and 1998, but its not the same.  I see it with different eyes now.  I'm older, more jaded, more de-sensitized perhaps.  The Manila of my youth exists now only as a distant memory.

But for you guys, that time is now.  I know that you guys have different hang-outs, listen to different music, and God knows so much has changed in Manila and the P.I. (how do you spell T-R-A-F-F-I-C?)  When you graduate, each of you will begin your life's travels and travails, learning and yearning to understand what life is all about.

After a while, maybe in 5 years or so, you'll begin to "wax nostalgic" about your time in Manila.  You'll begin to pine for the "good old days", forgetting the bad events and relishing to good ones.  You'll start to think "Whatever happened to so-and-so?  He was such a baduy!" or "Where did so-and-so end up?  I miss her smile."  And you'll start reaching out, try to re-establish contact with all your old mare's and pare's from the P.I.

I know you.  It doesn't matter whether you've lived there all your life or only a year or two.  If you've attended IS, then you've had the privilege of experiencing a life-style, a diiferent kind of life, which very few people on this planet get to live.

You see, we have an alumni association.  The group that maintains regular contact is about 2,000 strong now.  Every four years or so we have a "GALA EVENT", usually in northern California, where IS alumni come to spend a weekend together.  The smallest attendance has been around 400 alumni, and the biggest attendance has been around 800 alumni.  They come from all four corners of the globe.  The oldest graduate I've heard of was from the class of 1937, and the youngest graduate I've heard of was from 1995.  This year's GALA EVENT is special for me.  Not only is it the last GE of the decade, century, and millenium, but it is also the 25th anniversary of my IS graduating class.

I want to present a "movie", a "music video", a "video compilation" if you will - call it whatever - at GALA EVENT VI.  Maybe an hour or so in length.  I'd like to call it "Manila Memories - Then and Now" or something equally original :-).  I'm going to include video footage from the '70s and video footage from 1999, and dub it over with period music from then and now.  I'll also include the two-page senior class photo of the whole class in the Kawayan's from 1967 thru 1974, and some various and sundry still pictures like the Kawayan's dedication page, maybe the Class Queens page, stuff like that.  I have the source video material for the '70s, thanks to my network of alumni contacts.

What I don't have yet is video footage from 1999.  Can you find it in your hearts to take your BetaCam, or HandyCam, or whatever video camera, and take some video footage?  Vicky (Sycip) Herrera has a listup of places/people/events I'd like to use in the "movie". Your efforts would be greatly appreciated by hundreds of people.  And who knows?  Maybe in 25 years, you'll be sitting in front of your computer, writing a similar letter . . .

This is a "labor of love" that my friends and I are doing - libre - for the mutual benefit of our fellow human beings who experienced Manila like we did.  Won't you please join us in this effort?  Vicky tells me that your teacher may possibly consider this as credit for your classwork.  Think of all the old fogeys like me who will be able to experience this multimedia event - there won't be a dry eye in the house, guaranteed!

Using my resources, equipment, and contacts in Silicon Valley, I will be editing everything on Sony personal computers and equipment.  In order to do the high-quality top-shelf presentation I envision, I'd like to receive all the source video footage that will go into this "alumni video" project by around the end of March.  Won't you please help me?

Thank you and best regards,

Jeff Phillips
IS Class of 1974