Chapter 30– Went Down to Manila & Enroll at Lyceum of the Philippines

In May 1965 I left Baguio and went down to Manila. It was raining slightly in Baguio City when I took the bus about 6:00 a.m. On the way down Cannon Road, I felt the winds and rains were getting stronger. Along the Pangasinan road I saw some fallen trees . More trees have fallen down along Tarlac highway. A typhoon was hitting northern Luzon.

It was 2:00 p.m. when I arrived in Manila. The city was flooded. I proceeded to San Andres Bukid in Malate, where my 5 friend where waiting for me. They have returned from Baguio City where they worked as Itinerant photographers of Visayan Studio. Every summer to go to Baguio City and returned to Manila at the end of May. They were al bachelors and living together in a big room. It was a comfortable room they rented in an old house on the side of the river of San Andress Bukid.

The area was heavily populated with thousands of squatters homes around. There was a small bridge where residents passed. The bridge was made of 4 pieces of bamboos that were lined side by side and tied together, The "bamboo bridge " was more than a kilometer long. There were other bamboo bridges built on both sides of the main bamboo bridge. The houses have bamboo floors about a meter high. Under the houses were murky waters. This was a slum in San Andres Bukid, near Singalong in Malate.

I wrote letters to several colleges and universities in Manila. I applied to enroll as a working student. If I am enrolled with my Educational Benefits, then the money I would earn will be used for my food, transportations and other expenses. I asked for 2 -hours work daily. I sent my letters to the Presidents of San Beda College, the University of the Philippines {UP} Deliman, San Juan de Letran College, Ateneo de Manila University and Far Eastern University. After a week, I received replies. They told me they do not accept working students if I have already scholarship. I decided to enroll at Lyceum of the Philippines, Intramuros, Manila. I enrolled that June.

To earn my daily needs, I joined my friends to work as Itinerant photographers in Manila. There were 3 areas where we found good photography business. One was Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City. Here every Sunday, thousands of Catholics attended mass. And there were some 6 masses from morning until late in the afternoon.

Another area we do good business was at Dewey Boulevard (now Roxas), where many families came to bathe their children in the morning on sea water. During that time, Dewey Boulevard had clean sea waters and seashores. Many children strolled in the mornings and late afternoons with their parents and sometimes until night time.

Sunday afternoon, Luneta Park provided me with good business too. Here photography business was brisk all day from morning until evening. But I have my ROTC trainings on Sunday morning. I go taking pictures only during afternoon and evening.

Local tourists from all over Metro Manila came. They stroll on the wide Luneta Park, visit Rizal Monument, sat on the lawns all over the park or gallivanted around to radio music of the 50’s & 60’s. People listened to the singers of the time like , Elvis Presley, Patti Page, Karen Carpenter, Connie Frances, Perry Como, Ann Murray and other singers.

Often on Sunday evening there were concerts on musical talents from Metro Manila. The beautification of Luneta Park was made possible thru a dynamic leadership of Teodoro Valencia, Manila Times columnists, who was Chairman of Luneta Park Beautification Committee.

I took pictures whole Saturday and Sunday afternoons, delivering these during weekday afternoons, I earned enough amount for my daily needs. The Philippine Veterans Administration (PVA), provided me tuition scholarship every semester.

On Sunday mornings, we were at Lyceum Quadrangle or at Camp Crame, where we have ROTC training. I took my subjects mostly in the morning. In the afternoon after a few hours in the library, I would go and deliver pictures to my customers around Metro Manila which include Pasay City, Makati, Quezon City, Manila, Caloocan, Paranaque, Cavote and other nearby towns.

Some Saturday evening, I joined a friend, a photographer of Reyes Studio in Manila. Eddie is a Japanese mestizo. His father was Japanese who was assigned in Carles and Northern Iloilo during the war. He won the love of a Filipina girl and they lived together. He died during the Japanese American war. Eddie while in Mahila was covering affairs like birthdays, wedding receptions, college students dances and other special occasions. These were often held in hotels and big restaurants in the city. He asked me to join him when I have time.

Photography was a delicate job. It was fast and light works that need lots of imagination before pressing the camera’s shutter. Taking pictures was an art. I enjoyed the work. But there were times, when we have no business, most often during rainy days.

One Saturday morning at Dewey boulevard, I met two young girls in white uniforms with two children strolled in the boulevard. They were trying to breath fresh air by the sea. I asked to take their pictures. I showed them my sample pictures. These were black and whites. There were no color pictures yet during that time.

The two girls looked at my sample pictures. It was a pictures of 3 beautiful girls I took in Baguio City. The girls agreed that I will take their photos. I took 12 shots. They will pay P2.00 per shot with 4 copies Junior size. I asked for their address, telephone numbers and how to reach there home. They wrote these on my Address Book.

I did not took down payments for taking their pictures. I told them to pay only when I delivered the pictures in their home. That was my way to establish trust. Most photographers took down payment, 50% when they took pictures. I learned the two girls live in Forbes Park in Makati.

Forbes Park is the exclusive village for billionaires. Only the richest families lived in Forbes Park. It is the billionaires village of Metro Manila. That was the first time I was to deliver pictures in that most well- known and exclusive village of Metro Manila.

A few days later, I took a bus to Forbes Park. The atmosphere around the billionaires’ village could be felt and seen . The surrounding were fenced with tall hollow blocks. The gates were strong and formidable. There were uniformed security guards around. Big and expensive cars entered and exited the place with uniformed drivers. It was a different place. It’s the village of the most influential and powerful people of the country. Few years later, when I was with Agence France Presse, with my friend, George Angel, we often visited former President Diosdado Macapagal at Forbes Park.

I walked to the gate where several security guards were standing near the Guard House. I politely told the guard “Sir,I am a photographer. I will deliver pictures to the family on the address.” I showed them the pictures I will deliver. The guards looked at me. He touched my waist around and pants down to my feet. He gave me the directions. Forbes Park was really the billionaire’s paradise! It was different place from all other subdivisions I visited in Metro Manila.

I knocked at the door of the home with the address. A girl opened a small window of the gate. Recognizing me, she opened the small door. I came in. It was a very beautiful and expensive home. It was different from any home I saw in Iloilo. I gave the girls the pictures. They looked at their pictures.

After seeing themselves in their pictures they were really glad. I was able to capture what they wanted in pictures : beauty, mood, how they stood or set, their smiles.

While they were looking at the pictures, a very beautiful woman came out from one of the rooms. I greeted her. I smiled to her. She acknowledged my greetings. Then she looked at the pictures. She told me, I took good pictures.

The beautiful woman told the girls to give me snacks. She was a foreigner. Beautiful , wearing sweet smiles and friendly. She stood with the bearings of a queen. A beauty queen. She told me she was leaving. She asked me to take pictures of her children and the girls. I know, I will get a good income again that day.

While I was taking snack, I asked the girls who their lady boss is. They said she was Armi Kuisela- Hilario. She was a former Miss Universe. I gasped. I had not met a Miss Universe in person a meter away from me. She was judged the most beautiful woman in the world that time. If I only knew I could have shaken or kissed her hands! Or, I could have requested her to take a picture of her. Then, I could use her picture as Sample Pictures while taking pictures of local tourists in Metro Manila.

Armi Kuesela, the first Miss Universe, was tall and very beautiful woman. I am glad, I have a chance to look close range at her and talked for a few minutes with her.

I learned later Armi Kousela lived in Norway. She was born in Finland. She was crowned the first -ever Miss Universe, in a beauty pageant held in the United States. She married Virgilio Hilario, a Filipino businessman and resided at Forbes Park. Since that time, I never met a Miss Universe again.

I continued my studies at Lyceum of the Philippines. It was my 3rd Year. I took Political Science. Lyceum was considered one of the nationalist schools in the Philippines. It was founded by the family of Dr. Jose P. Laurel, President of the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. I heared that Senator Claro M. Recto and Senator Lorenzo Tanada, foremost nationalist senators were members of the Lyceum Board of Trustees.

When I was at Lyceum, one of the founders son, Congressman Jose B. Laurel was the Speaker of the House of Representatives. His other son, Dr. Sotero Laurel was Lyceum president. He later ran and won as Congressman in the 4th District of Manila. We helped in his campaign.

I studied for a year under the government scholarship program. However a year later, when I was employed by the Philippines Herald, I waived my scholarship to my sister, Elvira Bernal who was First Year college She was a working student taking education at Central Philippine University. My sister Elvira is bright and dedicated student. To helped her start her studies in Iloilo City my mother accompanied her. Mother was a dressmaker and worked in a dress shop to help my sister’s tuition fees. The PVA scholarship that I waived to her made easier her studies. She finished education at CPU and immediately taught at Filamer Christian College, a Baptist college in Roxas City.

Few years later, she transferred to Carles as principal of Carles High School. She pursued her advanced studies under the PVA scholarship until she finished her masters decree. She pushed on further and finished her doctoral studies. Dr. Elvira C. Bernal is a national awardee as Outstanding High School Principal in the country. I am so proud of her.

At Lyceum, I met some top student who came from different parts of the country. Many students from the provinces who came to Manila were rich. Their parents were well employed with top government positions. Some were children of businessmen. Some were sons and daughters of politicians.

Many were taking courses in law, business administration, journalism, foreign service, public administration and diplomacy.

Except for law, most of the courses I mentioned were not offered in colleges and universities in Iloilo City during that time. Many of my classmates took business administration, foreign service, journalism, public administration and became leaders in business, foreign service and the government. But I cannot remember the names of my classmates anymore.

Some of them joined foreign service, some entered politics, some worked with national newspapers or started and joined newspapers in their provinces. Some also joined the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army.