D DAY 1980, UST Pay High School 3rd year high school, afternoon session… I was reunited with my 1st year high school seatmates Rommel Lucas, Neal Martinez, Mark Mata and Boyet Mauhay. But this time they were no longer my seatmates but instead I was seated beside Red lotho. Red and Sonny Mantaring were known Skeptrons in our batch. Rommel and Mark were my SDT (Sigma Delta Tau) brethren, an exclusive brotherhood for UST 2nd yr pay high school students founded by Bro Nelson Flores, now a Freemason. Since SDT was already dissolved Rommel joined the SRB (Scouts Royale Brotherhood) while Mark joined the TYM (Triskelion Youth Movement) and Nelson joined the KTO (Kyklos Tri Order) before becoming the lone junior brother of ZEAL (Zeta Epsilon Alpha Lambda). A few months later my 3 SDT brethren were convincing me to join them in their new found families. When our neighbor Edgar and Irvin both members of UPAK (Upsilon Phi Alpha Kappa) found out that I was being eyed by SRB, TYM and ZEAL , they also tried to convinced me to join them instead. This news caught the attention of my 1st yr to 2nd yr best friend Jojo Culaniban (now a Freemason) who was then a member of APO Lakay (UST Junior Alpha Phi Omega) who even visited me at home just to convince me to join them. They all tried their luck on me to no avail. But when Red and Sonny recruited me to join AKP with my new buddy Nereus Lafuente, I didn’t have any 2nd thoughts and we were baptized that same day by GS Kenneth Henson at the back of UST Coop Canteen also known as UST resto. After a month of service the D Day finally came. I together with my classmates Nereus Lafuente, Jay Jamias, Estong Mendoza, Gerry Mendoza, Joel Mendoza and three (3) 2nd yr HS neophytes were brought to MI Brod Preston Maquinto’s house in Project 8, QC for our Final Rites. Out of 9 neophytes only Me, Brod Nereus and Brod Jay passed the final rites. That was exactly 33 years ago, September 6, 1980. Before I forget, my classmates Brod Boyet Mauhay, Brod Lauro Mauleon, Brod Tony Lazaro, Brod Jojo Paner and Brod Ed Lumbis also embraced the principles and tenets of the Skeptron Family sometime in 1981 joining the UST Pay HS Skeptron of batch 1982 graduates brod Butch Dizon, brod Raffy Grajo, brod Sonny, brod Red, Me, Brod Jay, brod Nereus, brod Bong Prospero, brod Lyndon Soresca, brod Kelly Uson, brod Aries Velicaria and brod Sam Venezuela. September 6, 1980 exactly 33 years ago when we (Me, Nereus and Jay) solemnly and sincerely pledged our loyalty and allegiance to the Mighty Alpha Kappa Rho Intercollegiate Service Fraternity and to this date 33 years later our AKP blood still runs thru our veins. Anywhere we go and anywhere we stand we will always be there for Alpha Kappa Rho. Once a Skeptron, always a Skeptron. Long Live Mighty SKEPTRONS!!! LONG LIVE ALPHA KAPPA RHO!!!
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 10:38:03 +0000