The Red and White Ball

One of the annual festivities of the San Beda College is the Red and White Ball. This is a gala affair complete with Rigodon de Honor. I attended the last one held last Friday, February 17th, 2006. I was expecting the high society of the Philippines. To my amazement I found the high society of yesteryears complete with wrinkles and big tummies. I guess, I have not been seeing myself in front of the mirror lately. My memory of the ball with rigodon de honor are those that happened almost fifty years ago but as usual it was frozen in time. I expected young good looking couples, I found reality instead. See for yourselves. Shown dancing is the never aging Dr. Boy Hilvano.

Oh by the way, it was not all entirely about the high society of San Beda. I also manage to take a few pictures of a friend from New York, Joseph Tieng, who was being honored as the first most outsdanding overseas Bedan. I guess, the judges in the Philippines have not really visited us in New York, they had to settle for Joseph. Kidding aside, Joseph is a good man, a former president of the New York San Beda Alumni Association, of which, yours truly is a Treasurer. Lifetime treasurer, my friend Tommy Villanueva (the current President) always say. I guess circumstances will agree with him since the society's bank is in my town and I am the only signatory. Here is Joseph giving his acceptance speech. Way to go, Joseph! On the right is Joseph flanked by his wife and the San Beda College entourage.

I must be keeping good company since one of the most outstanding local bedan is a classmate of mine some fifty years ago, Dr. Ramon Arcadio, the current head of the Philippine General Hospital - an arm of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. This guy really deserve this honor - he even treated us after the ball! Such a lovely wife, too! Hep, hep, hooray!
Shown above from left to right, front row, Nito Abad (me), Bong Obligacion, Father Benigno Benabarre (yes still kicking), the lovely wife (pardon me but I forgot her name), the honoree, Dr. Ramon Arcadio, our class valedictorian, Victor Alfonse. Second row, Jess "the light" Lindayag, Jun Lao, Boy Hilvano, and the future President of the SBCAA, Paulino Dionisio.