ROC at 12

(for the 12th anniversary of Rock Opera Company, Oct 2, 2001)
by Christian R. Vallez

It was all planned out for me. I had it all figured out.

I entered the University of Asia and the Pacific in 1997 with one thing in mind, to graduate with a degree of Master of Science in Information Technology--to become the ultimate IT consultant, the richest man in the country, the rival of JAZA. I'd make myself rich, marry a beautiful woman, live somewhere in the south, help Southridge Night School with the money I would be earning--as an IT person. Never did it cross my mind that I would be a writer--especially of plays.

I was never into theater. When I was in high school, I was not even a member of the Teatro Sambotani, the resident theater organization of Southridge Night School. I did not even join elocutions and dramatic speech contests in the school. I didn't know how to act on stage. The only background I had perhaps were the choral interpretations I directed, not because I loved the craft, but because we were required to produce one every Linggo ng Wika or English Week. It was all about batch pride that is why we were forced to win them out--not for the love of performance.

When I entered my university life, we were forced to be a member of two organizations--one arts and a sports organization. I decided I would join the Orient because that would be the only thing I knew how to do--to write poetry because of my creative writing classes in high school. The other org was the table tennis org, which died out after a few months of training.

But this org had to catch my attention. They were the only org who performed in Filipino. They performed a comedy entitled "Kung Bakit Babae ang Naghuhugas ng Pinggan." It wasn't a spectacular play. The choral interpretations I directed in high school looked better. It wasn't the performance either. They were just fooling around the stage! Maybe that was it. I saw a bunch of people having fun on the stage. They weren't acting--they were playing! I decided to try this org out.

A week later, over a hundred students applied for membership. I remember Iris Yu handing out hand-written application forms. Their booth wasn't very fancy. It was a plain round monobloc with a lot of photocopied application forms, not even encoded in MSWord. Audition day came, we were screened three at a time. I was with Maha and Sargee then. I couldn't remember all the things I said. I remember seeing a bald guy playing around with the org members. Later on I found out he was a teacher--turned out to be my AIS teacher that sem.

They asked us about our theater background. Sargee has been active in highschool theater, Maha was great in singing. As I have said, I didn't know how to act, so much more, to sing! (Wolfgang songs maybe) So they asked me why was I there. I told them I came there to write. I told them I knew how to write. But I never told them I didn't write plays. I wrote poetry and fiction for my creative writing classes, not plays! But they never asked. I just told them I wrote...period! Well it wasn't entirely a lie. I wrote one play in my creative writing class. I wrote it five minute before the deadline on an intermediate pad paper. It got a satisfactory grade. It was never staged. So much for my writing experience.

The screening process was very tough. Only 10 of us were accepted as members (plus 10 auxiliaries. back then, there were people who qualified as members already unlike now, everyone has to be auxiliaries for a sem). Only two of us were guys--Cima and Me. I was surprised to get in. (perhaps, they needed someone to write plays because Jourdan was already a senior then). We felt honored to be part of this org--barkada actually, for they refused to call themselves an org.

They were in fact, a barkada--we were. We spent more time hanging out at the Salt 'n Pepper (Now Basilique) drinking beer, smoking, and throwing ideas for "rakets" than having formal org meetings for projects. ROC became the spice of my college life. I spent more time with these people than my blockmates. After writing my first play (and winning in the first ROC playfest :) ), I was addicted to ROC. It became part of my system. I was so into ROC that it even became my only motivation to go to school.

ROC changed my career orientation. I had it all figured out. Now, I have Rey Leuterio to blame. It was the fault of Jourdan Sebastian, Third Domingo, Iris Yu, Ryan Golez, Charm de Asis, Eden Natividad, Omar Dapul, Red Sandico, and the rest of them! They just had to introduce me to this art, to this barkada, and I almost thought of shifting courses (and transfering schools) more that a dozen times! What the hell was I doing in IT?!!!

Well, I am still in IT. I am still in UA&P. And I am here with the new breed of rocketeers, celebrating its 12th year.

Before I started writing this essay, I had a thesis statement in mind. Now, I just lost my train of thought.

So I'd just like greet ROC not for its 12 years of existence but for its 12 years of friendship. Because this is what we have bragging about ever since: ROC is a barkada--a circle of friends. So many things have come out of this circle of friendship in the last 12 years...we still have some of them now, right Cia, Budi, Meg, & Cims? I have only spent 4 1/2 years with ROC and I could tell a dozen of stories about this circle. I am glad to have been part of this circle. (sniff, sniff)

I can say that 75% of what I learned in this university, I learned from ROC. From the actors I have worked with, from the directors that taught me, from the moderators who guided us, from the officers I was with when I was president, from everyone...auxiliaries to friends of ROC. ROC changed my life...literaly as you have seen. I no longer have plans of pursuing a career in IT. (fallback na lang siguro) But I am staying in the university for one thing...to be with the ROC people (honest! and to get my degree of course, sayang naman di ba? hehehe)

To the newbies, hindi kayo nagkamali sa pagsali ng ROC. tiyak kong mababago ng ROC ang buhay ninyo. Pero sana hindi one-way, baguhin nyo rin ang buhay ng mga kapwa-ROC ninyo. Hindi kayo sumali sa org. sumali kayo sa barkada. Maximaize your stay in ROC. Let it change your life as it has changed mine. But most of all, strive to change the lives of your friends.

Tama na 'tong kasentihan na 'to. Kumukorni ka lalo habang tumatanda. HAPI BERDEY ROC. Mabuhay kayong lahat! Marami pa sana kayong maging supling!

kadugo at kapatid sa dilim,

Juan Ekis