PHILIPPINE ODYSSEY VI
By Jay de Leon

Prologue

I have a feeling this will be an extended odyssey, so instead of penning a saga at the end of it for which I might not even have the time, I have decided to write Odyssey VI in chronological, serialized form.

If you are one of the few devoted readers of the Adventures of Buckaroo Jay, just pick and choose what you want to read.

I feel constrained to remind you that I do not write as a historical or a social commentator.  I am but an archivist or a photojournalist recording events as I experience them, as well as personal thoughts, observations and opinions that I suggest you ingest with a sack of salt.

Here goes.  Enjoy.

Chapter 1
June 8, 2010 Tuesday
Mini-Grilla Summit
Makati, Rizal

This particular odyssey started on June 6, 2010 Sunday when I arrived in Manila at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport via Korean Airlines from Los Angeles, California with a brief  stopover in Seoul, Korea.

A couple of days after my arrival in Manila, I met with a few key people I have business with, at our usual watering hole, the Grilla Restaurant in Makati.  This included two of my most trusted praetorian guards (arnisadors of Filipino Fighting Arts, Int’l), my personal guro Master Godofredo Fajardo and my confidante, guro Michael Gubat, who also happens to be an IT (Information Technology) expert.

We were also joined by Ateneo de Manila classmate and fellow conspirator Jimmy Melendres who is also a US resident.

Godofredo Fajardo, Michael Gubat, Jimmy Melendres and Jay de Leon of the
International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP) at the
Grilla Restaurant in Makati, Philippines on June, 2010.

Godofredo Fajardo, Michael Gubat, Jimmy Melendres and Jay de Leon of the
International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP) at the
Grilla Restaurant in Makati, Philippines on June, 2010.

Over dinner and a couple of cold San Miguel Pilsens, we strategized for the coming months, and simply caught up on our personal and martial arts lives.

Chapter 2
June 11, 2010  Friday
Luxid Dinner
Malacanang Palace, Manila

On June 11, 2010,  on a drizzly Friday, Luxid and First Gentleman Mike Arroyo hosted a private dinner for batchmates in Malacanang Palace.  It took place at Heroes’ Hall in the Palace, and about 80 batchmates of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and spouses attended.

Friend and fellow Luxid Jimmy Melendres picked me up from my hotel. 
The mood was informal and festive, and  the event was well-attended by Luxids and spouses.  This included the usual suspects like Baby Boy Poblador, Freddie Antonio (rumored to be the next Governor of  the Central Bank of the Philippines), Johnny Nanagas, Ray Panlilio and others. 

Fellow balikbayan and Luxid forum nemesis Ricky Sobrevinas and I shared some hilarious confidences.  It was also good seeing a few Luxids I have not seen lately, including Atty. Vic Velasquez, Mar Alibudbud, Charlie Favis (a fellow Green Man and Lia-Com classmate at De La Salle University), and Nol Ladrido, a ranking official for Couples for Christ and Gawad Kalinga.

Her Excellency, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines, arrived towards the end of dinner.  She graciously made the rounds to greet and meet guests, posed for pictures and then enjoyed a late, light dinner with husband Mike at his table.

All in all, it was an enjoyable event.  A group picture was taken just before the party broke up around past 10:00 PM. 

Thanks for the gracious gesture, Mike, and the best of luck and continued success to you and to Congresswoman-elect (of Pampanga province) Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the next chapter of your political life.

Luxid dinner hosted by Her Excellency, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of
the Republic of the Philippines and FG Jose Miguel Arroyo, at the Heroes Hall
of Malacanang Palace, in June 2010.

FG Mike Arroyo, Dr. Juan Pablo Nanagas and Jay de Leon

Nol Ladrido, Mar Alibudbud and Jay de Leon

Nol Ladrido, Baby Boy Poblador and Jay de Leon

Ricky Sobrevinas and Jay de Leon, balikbayans and protagonists in the
Luxid forum, declare a truce in the Philippines. 

Jimmy Melendres, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,
President of the Republic of the Philippines, and other guests.

Her Excellency, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic
of the Philippines, and Jay de Leon at a dinner hosted by President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo and FG Jose Miguel Arroyo, at the Heroes Hall
of Malacanang Palace, in June 2010. 

Trivia.  This was my second private event in the Malacanang Palace with a sitting President.  When I was in Ateneo grade school, I attended an informal dinner and movie with then President and Mrs. Ramon Magsaysay.  I was a guest of classmate Jose “Jing” Hernandez  whose father was then Secretary of Education.  President Magsaysay held weekly movie nights for families of his Cabinet and staff, his official schedule permitting.  Sadly, Jing’s father perished in the same plane crash on Mt. Pinatubo that claimed the life of President Magsaysay.  Jing Hernandez currently lives in northern California, USA.

Chapter 3
June 18, 2010 Friday
Lakers-Celtics Finals
Binmaley, Pangasinan

At home in Binmaley, Pangasinan, I watched on live TV Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics.  It was a classic, hard-fought, down-the-wire game.  The Celtics led for almost three and a half quarters, and the outcome was undecided until the final buzzer.  But the Lakers prevailed, 83-79.

It was a Laker team effort for this Final Game 7 with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Sasha Vujacic making key contributions at critical times of the game.  But the hero of the game was definitely Ron Artest, who kept the Lakers in the game, and finished with twenty points in an all-around effort, a redemption of sorts for a basketball bad boy and a seeming misfit.

Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant pose with the championship trophy
of the NBA champions for 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers.

The hero of Game 7 of the NBA 2010 Finals, Ron Artest
of the Los Angeles Lakers.

I felt that this game deserved a paragraph or so in this Odyssey with the many hours I spent watching the Lakers’ games in the US, on the big screen of the Matrix Restaurant at P. Burgos in Makati, and of course, at home in Binmaley, Pangasinan.

Congratulations to my NBA home team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

To be continued…