[At this morning’s 1st ASPAC Board Meeting for School Year 2017-2018 at the ATENEO Lynch Hall; I was tasked by ASPAC President Katherine N. Sy aka “Kattie” (shown at extreme left) to speak about the upcoming 2nd ASPAC BADMINTON TOURNAMENT to be held on November 30, 2017 at the BADMINTON HALL. Aside from this sort of pep talk to entice participation in the tourney, I also had the chance to rehearse them into singing what will virtually be ASPAC’s signature hymn entitled “GO BEST”. The song is an adaptation of VILLAGE PEOPLE’s popular song entitled “GO WEST”, using the same melody and tune except that the lyrics were revised (the lyrics of which is reproduced below). The present ASPAC BOARD is headed by Kattie as President and Mr. ROBERT TAN aka ROBERT as Veep.]
Ginanap kaninang umaga ang unang pulong ng ASPAC1,
Ito’y kakaiba dahil wala na ang tawang HAGALPAK2…
Wala na kasi si Attorney RAUL ZOSIMO PANLASIQUI3,
Dahil pag nandyan siya’y tawana’y siguradong di PAHUHULI4!
Hindi din dumating ang dating simpatikong PANGULO…
Si Doc ANDY TAN yun, na sa FENGSHUI5 ay PAMBATO;
Malamang ay naisip na nyang mag-“HUNTING-HUNTING6”,
Kasi naman, ang LOVE LIFE nya’y nagpa-BANDYING-BANDYING7!
Ako naman ay nakaligta at lubos na NAKALIMOT…
Akala ko nga ay ASPAC MEETING pa ng dating BOARD8;
Nakalimutan kong ako nga pala’y isa nang SEKRETARYO9,
Naalala ko na lang nang si NAP10 ay nag-KOMENTARYO11!
Oo nga naman pala, dapat ako’y “quick with the PEN12”…
Nawili ako dahil dati’y non-officer at “quick to depart so OFTEN13”;
Kaya ako tuloy ay napilitang mag-OVERTIME14,
Ginawa ko ang MINUTES baka memorya’y “would just escape my MIND”!
Aba at sulit naman ang FIRST MEETING na ito…
Inawit naming sa unang pagkakataon, mistulang ANTHEM po ng GRUPO;
Bago usalin ni MARITESS15 ang CLOSING INVOCATION16,
We did a group singing ala VILLAGE PEOPLE17 in MOTION18!
At balak nga ng lahat na gawing
ASPAC HYMN na ito19…
Pati si DWIGHT19a tuloy ay naging-“creative” at nag-PLANO;
Kakantahin daw naming ang HYMN sa Sampaguita Pictures, WALANDYO20…
Baka kami’y ma-DISCOVER ni Mother LILY21 ng REGAL STUDIO22!
Halos si Doc ANDY ang sya pa ring tampulan ng PANSIN…
Di talaga makalimutan ang GENEROSITY nyang “without a SIN”23!
At sa panahon ng kanyang mahabang PANUNUNGKULAN…
Para bagang ang PUNDO’t BIYAYA’y mistulang UMULAN!
Pero sa CHRISTMAS PARTY aming hiling ay si DOC ANDY…
Makita lamang siya’y “we’ll be BLISSFUL and so very HAPPY”!
Kaya mga ASPAC members, let’s all do the REHEARSAL24,
We’ll sing and dance with ZING and EAT LECHON de PAN DE SAL25!
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[Legend: 1 – ASPAC is acronym for ATENEO SCHOOLS PARENTS COUNCIL.
2 – “Tawang HAGALPAK” means BOISTEROUS LAUGHTER.
3 – Atty. RAUL ZOSIMO PANLASIQUI is ASPAC’s Immediate Past President for SY 2016-2017. He now holds the position of COMELEC Chair of ASPAC. Atty. RAUL is virtually the ASPAC’s “court-jester” as every word that Atty. RAUL utters would certainly induce the males in the ASPAC Board into loud guffaws and the distaff side into interminable giggles.
4 – “PAHUHULI” would literally mean that JOKES and LAUGHABLE stories would almost always be the happy contribution of Atty. RAUL into the discussion of the ASPAC Board meetings especially when the mood would eventually turn somber and serious. Thus, Atty. RAUL’s JOKEs will never be outshone, never be out-matched and never be surpassed.
5 – Doc ANDY TAN is a FENGSHUI Master.
6 – Perhaps Doc ANDY TAN would be focused now in a search perhaps more apt to be described as “BEAUTY-HUNTING” or “WIFE-HUNTING”.
7 – “BANDYING-BANDYING” connotes leisurely biding one’s time. In case of Doc ANDY TAN, he seemed to have sort of procrastinated in finding the love of his life; his soul-mate and eternal partner.
8 – “Dating BOARD” means the past ASPAC Board for SY 2016-2017 where I merely served as Year Level Representative of ASPAC.
9 – “SEKRETARYO” means Board Secretary.
10 – NAP is Napoleon Quejada, a Year Level Representative of the present ASPAC Board.
11- “KOMENTARYO” means COMMENTARY. At one point during the ASPAC Board Meeting held this morning, and as a crucial matter was discussed and resolved; NAP commented that the resolution/agreement reached must be clearly spelled out in the minutes. Thus, NAP was compelled to ask who was the incumbent Board Secretary. And only then did I realized that I have to jot down some notes and take down the minutes of the Board Meeting.
12- “QUICK WITH THE PEN” speaks of my task and duty as Board Secretary to take down the minutes of the Board Meeting.
13 – “QUICK TO DEPART SO OFTEN” connotes my previous actuation and habit to which I have sort of been accustomed of literally flying and zooming out of the board meeting venue to join my Law Office staff as I have usually made it a point to do an informal update meeting with my Law Office staff on Saturday’s which coincides with the usual dates/days of the ASPAC Board Meetings.
14- In view of the oversight, of forgetting that I am ASPAC’s Board Secretar; I was compelled to take into Nette’s PC (Nette is ASPAC’s office Secretary) and quickly encoded and typed out the minutes while the others took their free lunch (i.e. buffet style) served at the hall fronting the ASPAC Conference hall.
15- MARITESS is Maritess Cordero who is a Board Member of the current ASPAC Board; who has always been assigned to do either the opening prayer or the closing prayer in every ASPAC Board Meeting.
16- “CLOSING INVOCATION” is CLOSING PRAYER.
17- VILLAGE PEOPLE is an American disco group of the 70s well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American masculine cultural stereotypes as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics. The VILLAGE PEOPLE did a song-and-dance number of “GO WEST” as can be seen in a video accessible at YOUTUBE in the INTERNET.
18- The “MOTION” connotes the ecstatic song-and-dance number of the VILLAGE PEOPLE in their rendition of the “GO WEST” song.
19- With the revised lyrics of the song “GO WEST” with a similarly revised title of “GO BEST” akin and attune to ATENEO’s “MAGIS” concept; the song seems to be apt to be adopted as ASPAC’s signature hymn.
19a – DWIGHT is Attorney DWIGHT RAMOS who is Board Member of the incumbent ASPAC Board. He really is “quick in the draw” when it comes to momentous ASPAC events such as the 1st ASPAC Badminton Tourney which was held on May 1, 2017, as he caused the documentation of the sports event via a fantastic and wonderful video. DWIGHT intends and plans now to institutionalize the “GO BEST” hymn as the ASPAC’s signature anthem which will be sung after every board meeting of the ASPAC. Based on DWIGHT’s plan, we will have to record the song “GO BEST” in a recording studio within the premises of the SAMPAGUITA PICTURES complete with musical accompaniment. It is really apt and opportune as ASPAC seems to have become “artistic” nowadays what with the plan broached by CYNTHIA ONG to stage a sing-and-dance presentation by the active ASPAC parents on December 9, 2017; the ASPAC’s Christmas Party. With the recording of the “GO BEST” hymn, initial singing of said hymn will be with the recorded audio so that the ASPAC parents will be able to “acclimatize” themselves with the rhythm, the tune, the melody and the cadence of the song. WOW!!!!
20-“WALANDYO” is a Tagalog-slang which actually means “WOW”.
21- Mother LILY is LILY MONTEVERDE and who is the owner of a movie production outfit called the REGAL FILMS or REGAL STUDIO. Mother LILY was also TALENT MANAGER for many actors and actresses.
22- REGAL STUDIO is REGAL FILMS, the movie production outfit owned by Mother LILY who was so popular back then.
23-GENEROSITY “without a sin” is IMPECCABLE GENEROSITY.
24-The ASPAC members will have a REHEARSAL on November 14, 2017 from 1 PM to 6 PM at the BADMINTON HALL located at No. 6 20th Avenue, Murphy, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro-Manila.
25-LECHON DE PAN DE SAL refers to the bread in the form of a roasted pig which was served during the SURPRISE DESPEDIDA PARTY had in honor of Doc ANDY TAN during his last ASPAC BOARD MEETING as ASPAC President on October 21, 2017 at the University Dorm at the ATENEO.]
GO BEST (FINAL VERSION)
(Together) That is ASPAC’s way
(Together) We’ll be BEST someday
(Together) Your hand in my hand
(Together) We will make grand plan!
(Together) We will fly so high
(Together) Tell our woes goodbye
(Together) We will start ANEW
(Together) This is what we’ll do
(Go BEST) Things are peaceful NOW
(Go BEST) Lots of projects WOW
(Go BEST) To perform MORE SO…
(Go BEST) This is what we’ll DO…
(Go BEST) Much to do this time
(Go BEST) We will do just fine
(Go BEST) ATENEO’s BLUE1…
(Go BEST) This and more we’ll do
(Together) We will love the TEACH
(Together) We will learn and PREACH
(Together) Change our kids to men…
(Together) We’ll work hard AMEN!
[This part is some kind of ADVISORY to our sons & daughters in the Loyola Schools]
(We love you) We know you love US
(We’ll guide you) ‘Cos your carefree & fast!
(So that’s why) We have joined ASPAC
(When you said) You wanna lead the PACK!
(Go BEST) Things are peaceful NOW
(Go BEST) Lets BE FRIENDS oh WOW!
(Go BEST) To make FRIENDS MORE SO…
(Go BEST) ‘Tis our GUIDE we’ll DO…
(Go BEST) Much to do this time
(Go BEST) We will do just fine
(Go BEST) ATENEO’s BLUE…
(Go BEST) This and more we’ll do
(We know that) there are many ways
(to reach it) toiling hard it pays…
(Together) we will reach the TOP
(Together) we will never STOP!
(Without the) busy pace back then,
(the hustling), ruffling feathers like hen..
(We know we’re) eager reaching the TOP
(so this is) why we’ll never STOP!
(Go BEST) Things are peaceful NOW
(Go BEST) Pledge our FRIENDSHIP VOW
(Go BEST) To be TRUE and BLUE*…
(Go BEST) This is what we’ll DO…
(Go BEST) Much to do this time
(Go BEST) We will do just fine
(Go BEST) ATENEO’s BLUE*…
(Go BEST) This and more we’ll do
(Go BEST) Things are peaceful NOW
(Go BEST) Let’s be FRIENDS somehow…
(Go BEST) Respect and KOWTOW…
(Go BEST) ‘Tis our lasting VOW!
[fade out]
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[Legend: 1 – The color BLUE in addition to the fact that it is ATENEO’s color, is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.]
