1982... the year we parted ways... 25 years ago...
(excerpts taken from Echoes '82 San Beda College High School yearbook)
 

I still remember our first day in high school. We caught ourselves staring at new faces, much in the same way that they stared at ours. Everything seemed new and strange. Even the friends  whom we'd known since grade school looked new and unfamiliar to us. For the first time, we heard the bell which would call us to our classrooms for years to come. We felt giddy. It seemed as though everywhere we turned, a cloud of fear, of doubt and of anxiety hung menacingly above us.

That first day seems so long ago, and yet it was only yesterday. Now, it's all over. Time went by so fast we didn't really notice the things that happened. It's difficult to believe that despite the thousands of things we remember doing, only four short years have passed. Four years of high school will always be too brief to be significant. Four years are but a twinkle of an eye on this planet, but since then, the world has turned a thousand times. The experiences we've shared will always overshadow this seeming insignificance. We remind ourselves that it is not how long we live that portion of life, but how well. Who will ever forget those hot afternoons in class, or those tedious homeworks and researches?

Will we ever forget the hours we spent with our respective clubs and activities? Will we ever forget the campings and the bivouac, or maybe the Peace Retreat? Who will forget Mr. Blanco's Monday morning announcements or the times we spent at Aling Shirley's or Mang Conde's? Will we forget the parties and proms and dances we've attended, or maybe the happy moments we shared at the Pasteleria? More importantly, we will never forget the people who, in one way or another, have guided us through this very delicate stage in life. And finally we will never forget the triumph we all shared during our graduation. These memories will forever linger in our hearts and minds, and forever shall we treasure them.

This website is a treasure chest of memories which will endlessly breathe inspiration into our hearts. With these memories, we will be able to disperse those clouds and see the heavens above. And soon enough, we will start saying "I remember when..." instead of "What's new?", for nothing is as perishable as memory.

We would like to express our countless thanks to the many people to whom we owe a great debt of thanks, a debt which may only be repaid by what we make of ourselves in the future. Together we share in our triumph and glory. This is us, Beda7882. To the High School Class '82 of San Beda, our sincere gratitude, our warmest congratulations, and, till we meet again, God Bless Us All! (excerpts taken from Echoes '82 yearbook by Rene Balmaceda)

and the rest was history...

NCAA Basketball 1982
A crowd of some 10,000 gathered on July 26 at the Big Dome, the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, to witness the opening of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball  season for 1981. The NCAA, one of the most prestigious amateur basketball leagues in the country, opened with a big bang, ushering in the participation of six schools: Colegio de San Juan de  Letran, Jose Rizal College, Mapua Institute of Technology, San Sebastian College, Trinity College, San Beda College (led by Mukesh Advani, the senior team's captain; Jose Jacinto Q. Mendoza III, the junior team's captain, and Miss Tina Maristela, the school's muse. A total of three games was played as openers, one of which immediately posted a victory for the Red Lions after beating the defending champion, the Letran Knights. The Red Cubs won the title.

  Class of HS batch `82 brought home honor and glory to our Alma Mater! 

INTEGRATION '81
San Beda High School formally welcomed the freshmen and other newcomers to the Bedan family during the integration rites at the Covered Courts. The Integration-Pagkakaisa has become a tradition in the High School and, as in previous years, it carried the theme of "pagkakaisa." "Pagkakaisa" connotes a joining of two separate elements  into a complete and harmonious faction. This means this event takes care of the need to unite the neophyte students and their "elder" brothers to form a stronger and firmer high school  community. As expected, the rites were highlighted by the usual "dressing up" of the newly-integrated Bedans and their parade around the covered courts. All in all, it was April Fools' Day and Halloween  rolled into one!

BIVOUAC IN TANAY 1982
All gears packed and ready to go on an exciting three-day trip to the wilderness. But the trip did not quite turn out to be exciting as expected. The bivouac came out to be a real test of  strength, stamina and suffering, not necessarily in that order. Imagine yourself in Tanay's rustic scenery complete with all the dust, dirt, hills, slopes, and the Maryknollers (smell & taste their luscious gourmet dishes) versus ours, a cup of rice, one piece of rock-hard meat, Yakult for breakfast, and soup served on plate, if you get lucky. Bask yourself under the tropical sun-burn, don't tan! Nevertheless, it turned out to be fun (not necessarily lots of fun) and exciting-that is, if you do not consider the dust, the dirt, the hard meat, the sunburnt skin, the flaming hot afternoons,  the aching feet, the cold and sleepless nights. And to top it all, our tents didn't even work!!!

JS PROM (Junior-Senior Promenade Ball '82)
It was one event that separated the men from the boys. Even just for one night, the awkward teeners were transformed into decorous and prim gentlemen. Both the Seniors and the Juniors  appeared outstandingly radiant, projecting a true image of a Bedan gentleman. Venued at the Grand Ballroom of the Philippine Plaza, the Bedans were fashioned in formal suits, dashed with  husky and manly scents, and with lovely ladies by their sides. Nothing could ever go wrong. The Junior-Senior Prom came out to be not just a night for gentility and romance, but also an evening of solemnity, marked by the formal turnover rites of high school seniority to the third year students. And so the evening grew old ... the dance floor suddenly filled with music, aptly accompanied by gyrations and dances. The night blossomed into gaiety and romance ...

AND WE PREPARED TO GRADUATE
Then, it was coming - our graduation day. From the beginning, this was the moment we had toiled, worked, labored for. There was a thrill of pride in us - in one and all of us. The punishing ordeal was over. We were in good cheer. We beamed with smiles. There was a common joy in each of us. "Ga-graduate na akoooo! " exclaimed one. The rest echoed it. For the day, our Graduation Day, we had some practices, as shown below... and the rest was history.

...AND THE CAMARADERIE LIVES ON...
(excerpts taken from the Bedan Pride 2007 San Beda Alumni commemorative yearbook)

... Paano kami ngayon?
Life is full of surprises so is GS78/HS 82. After twenty-five years, we have gone the distance amidst the turbulent sea of life. A lot are now Christian family men successful in more ways than one. A number entered the medical profession and became doctors, psychiatrists, med. techs, and nurses. Others went into the IT-enabled services like network gaming, multimedia, and other BPOs. Many are now practicing lawyers and accountants in various capacities. Several decided to be servants of people and of God either in the legislative, executive, judiciary, or military branch of government and the religious. Many became teachers, writers, entrepreneurs, businessmen, advocates and even development managers while some entered the entertainment and sports world. But one thing has never changed, the Bedan spirit is still very much alive, showcasing quality and excellence in everything we do and stand for.

...Preparing, organizing, fund-raising for the 2007 SBC Homecoming...
It all started with get-togethers at Pax Grille in Pasong Tamo in 2000. Then came the 20th Anniversary of the batch held at St. Maur's. Then, the batch saw the need to organize, locate the wherereabouts of other batchmates and drum up interests. Technology facilitated everything. There was email and e-group, texting, voice, chat and telecon. Then, a website was created courtesy of MacArthur Gastrock which updated everyone on what's happening with our batchmates around the globe at a click of a mouse. Then, the occasion called for a formal organization. Hence, duly SEC-registered Beda 7882, Association, Inc. (see separate story) was born. Of course, we had our regular Monday and Thursday meetings, emergency meetings and Bedan nights to promote fellowship.

...2007 Parties of GS78/HS82... And the camaraderie goes on... (and we're back in color)
Endless nights to remember! Welcoming our visiting batchmates from overseas namely Atoy, Butch, Ronald sige sama na si Noel at Francis, Ferdie, Erwin, Jun, Sam, John as well as Arnie and Duane who came from Cagayan de Oro and Aparri, respectively. It was good to see Winston Sy, Chu Hizon, Joey Mendoza at si Chong... as usual walang tapos na alaskahan. Masarap ang pagkain hinanda ng Mocha Blends, chicken wings, pasta, grilled pork. Malinamnam ang vegetarian caldereta na dala in Peter Pica. I had two servings it was really that good =)... meron grupo ng mga "Bobo", Accelerated at ang dating mga Bad Boys. Just identify them in the pictures... looking forward seeing each other again sometime soon...

The Making of www.Beda7882.com
By Atoy Gastrock

I'm pretty sure we are all on the same boat. I missed the 20th year reunion of the batch because of lost contact. Always wondering whatever happened to everyone. For years I was dumbfounded, searching but cannot find anyone. A few got in touch through emails and that started it all. An e-group was initiated and moderated first by Albert Alba. Then, Chichi Herrera, John Fernandez and Monmon Mitra co-moderated the e-group. All of a sudden you see so much activity... and you feel, you were found again, like the prodigal son. But a lot felt that there was still something missing. This is what triggered me to do this Beda7882 Alumni website. It was a lot like putting together a 25-year-old jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces finally fell into place... so people can see that we exist, and it ain't over yet. Once found, you don't want to be lost again. You want to be kept informed, be updated visually and yearn for your same "pride" - talking the same "bedan" language, having the same thoughts and sharing the same experiences only you guys will understand. I'm happy for everyone who shares the same sentiments. I'm willing to step-up and take that challenge... just to see the batch once again, nothing else. This website will remain on the web as long as we are here on this earth. A keepsake, a memory, that will always be marked in our minds. We are no longer an oblivion but a sweet memory forever etched on the world wide web. February 2007 is our year. After 25 years - Beda GS '78 - HS '82 will celebrate its Silver Jubilee. Let's all come back to Mendiola. This has nothing to do with merits, medals, pins, honor cards or trophies anymore. It's pure camaraderie, laughter, old memories, catching up on family and careers, and getting reacquainted. This is our time to celebrate... Reminisce, Reconnect and Renew our old friendships, our good old days, and achieve Alumni unity... Keep those emails coming ...internet and e-mail make the world a better and smaller place . We're Back, We Reunite, Go San Beda fight! ©Beda7882.

Beda 7882 Association, Inc.: Its Beginnings
By Eric Francis Estoesta

The "Beda 7882 Association, Inc." was organized and registered with the SEC on August 3, 2006. The association is a non-stock, non-profit corporation composed of the SBC High School Class of 1982 and Grade School Class of 1978 as members. The name "Beda 7882" is derived from "San Beda College" composed of the graduating classes of Grade School 1978 and High School 1982. The thought of having a formal organization lingered through the minds of a number of batchmates even before the e-group was formed. However, its was only a couple of years ago that the batch decided to move a step forward to formally organize. The e-group beda7882@yahoogroups.com and of course the 2007 San Beda College Grand Homecoming of which HS82 plays host and honoree (Silver Jubilarians) fast-tracked the process. Hence, the association was established primarily to formalize the organization of the batch and initiate and support charitable and educational projects for the benefit of the Bedan community in general. Soon after its incorporation in August 2006, the association secured the necessary registration with the BIR and now maintains a bank account with EPCIB where members can deposit their contributions to the batch. In 2005, the association launched and hosted the lst San Beda Badminton Tournament and last year, the association organized the 2006 Abbot Cup Golf tournament as fund-raising activities. As it consolidates the membership, the association hopes to move forward with more projects and activities designed to benefit the Bedan community in general and strengthen the unity and camaraderie of the batch in particular.

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