UP High School

One who does not learn to look back to where he came from,
                                  will never get to where he is going.                                              

                  -Dr Jose Rizal

In 1978 and 1979 I went to the University of the Philippines High School. School is located in the Diliman section of Quezon City. The Marikina mountains were to the west and the University campus was our playground.

The main road was Katipunan Road, which was an old dusty street. I went back after 31 years and saw how the campus and the outer loop of Quezon City has evolved. Crossing the street to the main University campus was quite easy over 30 years ago, now it is a trek.....Katipunan Road is now a six lane thoroughfare complete with skywalks.

I visited the school on a national holiday (it was a Muslim holiday). The school was quiet and eerie. I remember, we had an overnight sleep over at the school, and I heard about the ghost stories. The Japanese used the grounds for a prisoner of war camp during the war, and the Filipino rebels would hide in the nearby  Marikina Hills.  As I walked through the open air corridors I could once imagine the campus as a prisoner of war. The ghosts are still there, and you can feel the presence. There were some staff in the Principal's office. I asked the administrator about the "ghost stories" she confirmed that they were true! Herminia Malonzo, the administrator  took me for a stroll of the campus and told me some of the new plans for the tired campus. I asked her what ever happened to my prom date "Cherry Domingo". I lost track of Cherry throughout the years, and I wondered how she was doing. To my amazement Ms Malonzo had phoned Cherry and arranged a reunion to see Cherry after 31 years!

Here is a video about UP High School, interesting to watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOYh5BBbtp8&feature=player_embedded

Kalog ko, 'diba? 

Prom at the Ramada Inn, Manila, Feb 1979

Reunion with prom date, Quezon City, November 2010