Brod Horacio "Boy" Morales

UP Diliman '60

Sep. 11, 1943 - Feb. 29, 2012

[Photos by Rolly Reyes and Manman Dejeto]

Remembering Brod Boy Morales

(Eulogy delivered by former DENR Secretary Victor O. Ramos (1995-98) during the wake

sponsored  by the Salas Boys at the Premiere Chapel, Loyola, Marikina on March 4, 2012)

My first and lasting impression of Brod Boy was that he was a man in a hurry to make his mark in the world. He felt that like his father and other forbears who died young, he would not have the luxury of growing grey hairs.. His father died at 41 just when he was about to assume the mantle of leadership from his grandfather, Senator Luis Morales -- the political kingpin of Tarlac.

This must be one reason why he considered Alexander the Great his personal hero (both his sons have Alexander as their second name). Like his hero, he was deliberate and strategic in his choice of battlefields. He chose the UP Cadet Corps as an entry point to project himself in UP. He was elected Corps Commander in 1962. Overnight, he became a central figure on the campus and the talk of the town. Who could forget the proud figure of this tall young man standing beside the beauteous Boots Anson, the dream girl of every college boy at that time. Watching the corps parade in front of the Corps Commander and his Corps Sponsor was always a proud moment for us.

Then he was elected Grand Princep of the Beta Sigma Fraternity. Those who entered the fraternity during the sixties considered those years the height of glory of the fraternity because of his leadership. First he recruited the best and the brightest -- varsity players, writers, scholars, ROTC officers, natural leaders from every region of the country. Then he fielded them to capture every leadership position on campus -- Student Council, Journalism Club, Math Club, CONDA, CEG, International Club, etc. With Lito Imperio as editor of the Philippine Collegian, he supported Toti Que and Jimmy Yambao to vie for the editorship which they won. With Grandmaster Johnny Chiuten, he instilled on the fraternity a culture of courage and self-confidence with martial arts. We continued to carry those values until today.

Beyond politics, he believed that culture determined the success of a community. So he brought together the writers and thinkers in the fraternity like Erwin Castillo and Frankie Llaguno who came up with “Folkways”. It was a hootenanny of folksongs that harked back to tradition and its simple joys. He caught the wave of protest songs in the US because of the Vietnam war and brought it to the campus. With this yearly show featuring the fraternity’s best singers (Pet Grajo, Gilbert Joven, etc), he reminded the community that Betans were men of talents and culture. His leadership was recognized by the Greek-lettered organizations by electing him chair of the Inter-Fraternity-Sorority Council.

Having proven his exceptional leadership on campus, he was looked up to as a future leader of the country. But even a man with such leadership skills and a network of talents around him could not go very far in the national arena without launching his career on the coattails of a great man. So, he and Frankie Llaguno often brainstormed and scanned the political horizon for signs of that fateful man on a great horse. They found that man in Rafael M. Salas, then a professor of constitutional law at the College of Law and later Vice President of UP under President Carlos P. Romulo. They contrived every opportunity to get to know Salas. They would park themselves in the coffee shop where Salas would unwind after his lectures or even along the hallways of the College of Law where he would normally pass. They were certain that a man who had ambitions and the brilliance to become Philippine President someday would have great need for an organization man and strategist like Morales and a writer/philosopher like Llaguno.

True enough, in the election for president in 1965 (Marcos vs Macapagal) Salas as campaign manager for Marcos harnessed the talents of Morales and Llaguno in that victorious campaign. Many Betans were likewise involved. After the election, Salas was appointed Executive Secretary. He appointed Frankie as his top assistant and head of the PR/writers group. Boy was assigned as executive assistant of O. D. Corpuz, the secretary of education. It was in that position that Boy was involved in a frenzied building of public institutions. With an endowment fund from the USAID, he organized the Fund for Assistance to Private Education to improve the standards of education in the country. He moved on to a bigger role to organize the Development Academy of the Philippines. In this role, he shook up the bureaucracy with training of bureaucrats and endless infusion of new ideas to improve the effective delivery of public services. New institutions were born, such as the Ministry of Human Settlements and the Farm Systems Development Corp.

At age 30, like his hero Alexander the Great, he had already accumulated a lifetime of achievements. Thus at 33, he was chosen one of the country’s Ten Outstanding Young Men. Here, he shifted gears. Instead of receiving his award, he announced to the world that he was moving underground to help the common man fight a revolution. He did not have the luxury of time to wait for Marcos to die and end martial law. With this decision, he also gave up an offer by Salas (at that time already an undersecretary general of the UN) to become the country rep of the UNDP in Indonesia.

I did not always agree with Boy’s politics but I never stopped supporting him from the sidelines. He headed the United Front of the CPP. With him in that role, we began to believe that the revolution might just succeed.

Those were turbulent years for most of his friends because he would knock on our doors at unholy hours. He needed a place to meet someone, a driver to move to another part of town or a place to sleep over. We always accommodated him. Many of us were threatened by our wives with divorce if we continued to risk our families to military surveillance and political persecution.

When Boy first decided to move out of his hideout after a year in the underground, he sent one of his lieutenants to ask me to pick him up somewhere in Nueva Ecija. He also asked me to bring some of the people closest to him. It would be a mini-reunion and R&R for him. So, I went around to call on his former confidants who were mostly fraternity brods. I can still picture in my mind the horror in their faces on the prospect of having to spend a few days with the man most wanted by the military. I was able to convince only Jimmy Yambao to join me. We brought him to our ancestral house in Pangasinan, passing through various military check points towards San Nicolas. I was then a general manager of a Swedish multinational company. Driving my big Toyota Crown service car helped conceal the identity of my passenger; some of the soldiers even saluted us.

In the safety of our home, I noticed how much he had changed. He was slim and quite healthy. The long hours under the sun did not seem to darken his fair skin. His finger tips were blackened due, according to him, to eating camote tops most of the time! He seemed quite wary of staying in the open, even in the privacy of our courtyard. He told me in the morning that he could not sleep on the cushioned bed; so he slept on the floor to get a good night’s sleep.

The situation amused me no end. I could only compare it to the times when we often joined him in the comfort and luxury of his house on Scout Limbaga where his mother, who we also called Mamang, would always have pansit and Coke for us. Those days of simple joys and comfort were gone. Fighting a revolution was serious business.

He was eventually caught by the military. I remember it only as the day after he held a late evening meeting in my house at BF Homes. I had a suspicion that night that he was being trailed by military agents because when I checked outside I noticed an old American car parked not far from our house. When I tried to look closer, the car moved out. I told him about it but he was unperturbed.

Those were the tempestuous years from UP to the countryside that come to mind clearly tonight as we honor this great brother. Because of his ideals and great works, I will always remember him as a friend, brother, mentor, leader and a hero. Without fail, he dedicated his whole life in the service of our people.
 

BETAN RITES

FUNERAL

E-MAIL MESSAGES and VIEWS

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Please be informed that Brod Boy passed away at 1750hrs today! Further announcement will be made..

Let us pray for the respose of the soul of our dear brother! A brother who can be compared only to a very few... if at all!

Long live Brod Boy's ideals and aspirations!

Cheers, pa rin!!!

Ollie Jumao-as, UPD'73C
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Napaka lungkot nito. Brod Boy, maraming salamat sa pakapaglingkod sa bayan at sa kapatiran...

Nakikiramay ng taos puso sa pamilya’t mga kamag-anak; ganon din sa buong kapatirang Beta Sigma.

Hanggang sa muli, kapatid-

Carlo Malabanan'77UPLB

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Prayers goes to Asiong (Boy Morales) for his untimely death. Our Fraternity certainly lost one of its pillars. I personally would like to thank him for the unselfish contributions he gave to our Fraternity. He surely would be missed.

Boi Wico '65 UPD, Black Saints

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He was a personification of a true blooded Betan… the UPBetan 62B “Diamond” was his creative batch as MOI under GP Brod Jelly Nacino. (Scholars, athletes, writers, Vangaurd and school leaders). He demonstrated this attitude of steadfastness by being a firm leader.

During our final rites in Barrio Rosario in Pampanga he stood up against some abusive “Old guards” carrying out the very brutal tradition of initiation. He did not ran away from those unfortunate consequences but bravely faced the parents of Brod Freddy De Leon who was rushed by the brothers to the hospital. The Betan Cigarette Mark was his trademark and a living tradition to express a Betan commitment of “No death in initiation.”

May Brod Boy find the eternal reward of peace in the cradle of God!

Noli H. Nolasco & family (Te-c. Nilo & Theo)
UP Diliman Batch’62B “Diamond”

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Coming from the same batch - My sentiments exactly.

Angie Garbes'62B

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Condolence on the passing of Brod Horacio Boy Morales. His family and extended Betan families will miss him.

Jim Madrasto, 71d Argentum Pandemonium

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Our personal condolences and sympathies to the family of Brod Boy Morales. He was, as Brod Vic Ramos has stated, a mentor, leader and hero. He was one of those who persuaded me to join the fraternity and to run for university councillor under the Katipunan-Makabansa banner in 1966 for the U.P. Student Council. I shall always be indebted to him for this because the fraternity and the Student Council provided experiences that I cherish to this day. The last time I saw him was in 1996 when I attended the fraternity's 50th anniversary celebration . . . after which he hosted a party at a night club!

Brod Boy Morales is now resting in peace! We pray for his family!

Benild Pires, UPD'64

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Wally Rodriguez '63

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Dear Wally, Thanks for the memorial to Boy. Our Batch was blessed by his leadership as GP, and we were fortunate to have been fraternally close to him. Best wishes, Brod,

I can only add to all the remembrances we have of Boy that he was a great friend. As a freshman in 1963, Boy and Frankie Llaguno recruited me to join Beta Sigma Fraternity in Diliman. That was an epiphany for me - belonging to the Beta Sigma Fraternity changed my life. I was fortunate to have had the friendship, guidance and mentoring that I received from Boy during our UP days, strengthened by the fraternal support of our Brods. I will always remember him in my heart. May he rest in eternal peace.

Toti Que, Diliman Batch 1963

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Dear Friends,

We encounter very few true leaders in our lives…men and women with that unique and perfect blend of vision, intelligence, personal power and courage. Boy was one of those few. It was an honor to have known him, even a little. My heart and prayers go to his family and to all of you, his brods and dear friends.

Love,
Karlin 'Kay' Symons

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It is with a heavy heart and great sorrow to break the news of the passing away of our dearly beloved Brod - Horacio 'Boy' Morales, UPD '60. Brod BM had been a pillar and an icon of the U.P. Beta Sigma! He will be missed tremendously!

May his soul rest in peace.

Aman Carolino '71, GP - UP SoCal

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The UP Beta Sigma Fraternity, Northern California Chapter joins the international community of Beta Sigmans in mourning the death of a pillar who is most instrumental in bringing prominence and recognition to the fraternity during his days as a resident member and later as a public servant. Boy has passed away but his legacy will stay for as long as as there is a Betan walking this earth.

Our deepest condolences to Boy's family and to everyone whose life he has touched one way or another.

Gerry Abenes '66, GP - UP North

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CONDOLENCE TO THE FAMILY OF BROD BOY MORALES AND TO ALL UP BETANS ALL OVER THE WORLD. WE HAVE LOST A PILLAR IN OUR FRATERNITY. LET'S ALL PRAY FOR THE ETERNAL REPOSE OF THE SOUL OF BROD BOY.

Maeng Ramirez UPLB 68

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I join the chorus of mourning voices on the loss of Brod Horacio Rosales Morales Jr. My personal prayers for the repose of his soul and for peace to his grieving family.

One can never fathom the loss until the reality of it hits you, and then you pray and accept. I have fond memories of the 60's when we were at Diliman; Brod Boy, always at the forefront of leadership in the Greek societies of our time.

A great loss indeed, but the memory will live forever and prevail. My personal condolence to his wife and family.

All the best and Viva UP Beta Sigma,
Winston Acevedo '61 Diliman

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May the Word of Our Creator comfort Bro. Boy's family, his friends and our fraternity brothers.

In Matthew 5:4- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. And in Psalm 30:5- Weeping may remain for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning!

Bro. Boy Cheerz! as you enjoy the kingdom with our Lord!

Bro. Rod Reyes 71-D

Pastor RG Reyes
Church for the Nations in California
923 N. Sunset Avenue, West Covina, CA 91790

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I did not know Brod Boy Morales, but I heard he was a high ranking person under the Gloria Arroyo presidency. My deepest sympathy to his family. May he now rest eternally in the kingdom of our Creator.

Benedicto B. Manzano, UPD56

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Brod Boy Morales is a UP Betan.and a true Betan for all Betan brods. He walked a mile where one can walk only a few hundred meters.he opened doors and windows to let the sunshine in to unify Betan earthlings.with much energy and faith.his name continues to linger even in the mind of the youngest of brods. Failure inspires him more and deals with adversities with lightning speed. He can easily afflict everyone with his zest to group and regroup.the vibrancy of his leadership makes him a legend.a walking Betan Credo, This is the 'Asiong' I know. Keep walking brod…show us the way…we will follow.

Rolly Reyes '66

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Before memory fades, may I have the liberty of sharing some facts about Brod Horacio (Boy “Asiong”) Morales. In the early sixties, I witnessed Boy’s ascendancy as the Frat’s top honcho in Diliman, and at the same time as commander of the corps of cadets. As a freshman student in ’63, I was aware that the Frat was rising rapidly to campus prominence with Betans appointed as Phil Collegian staffers by Brod Editor Lito Imperio and actively involved in campus politics and major student activities. Like a CEO, Boy launched a successful Betan recruitment program. He knew how to leverage his organizational skills and moved quickly to remake the configuration of the student power in UP.

As a student leader, Boy was well-respected and assumed the chairmanship of the UP Inter-Fraternity Sorority Council getting several Betans elected as college councilors forcing the student council chairman to ally with the Betan cause. In the mid-sixties, the Beta Sigma Fraternity was in full bloom; Brod Toti Que and Brod Jimmy Yambao won consecutive editorial control of the Philippine Collegian. Like an astute tactician, Boy maneuvered for Betans to take the helm of the National College Editors Guild and the Conference Delegates Union as well. By then, the UP citizenry already knew Beta Sigma was a force to reckon with and together with Malmon’s martial artists, everyone celebrated to sing the “Betan Folkways.”

During the technocratic tenure of the Marcos era, Boy (with his graduate degree in economics from the Univ of Oaklahoma) established the Development Academy of the Philippines as the premier venue to upgrade expertise in public governance. I was enjoying the private sector when Boy asked me to join him (’73) at DAP to be his CFO, but was later convinced by the late Brod Teddy Rey (also a grand master in organizational development) to help set-up a program for rural development, which later gave birth to FSDC. Boy had an outstanding stint managing PRRM and was awarded one of TOYM. It was under Boy’s visionary leadership that DAP created the Human Settlements Task Force. His dedication and devotion to public service was recognized by Erap who appointed him secretary of agrarian reform.

Boy’s contributions make him an outstanding Betan alumnus. More importantly, Boy will be remembered as a true Betan and nobody would disagree that he was a true loyal Beta Sigman epitomized in the Betan Credo – “once a Betan is always a Betan.”

May God bless his soul.

Gilbert Dulay ’64 UPD

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Life is fragile and I did not expect that the 65th anniversary was going to be the last time to meet Asyong! Salamat for your service to the fraternity. Hats off to you brod…you will be missed.

Gabby Moraleda '68b

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Cheers Brod Boy ! Mabuhay !

JJ Jayme

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Boy Morales inspired and influenced a lot of us. Rest in peace brod.

Judge Rey '68a

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Please extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of Brod Horacio Boy Morales for his untimely demise. We will miss his leadership and inspiration in Beta Sigma. May his soul rest in peace. With all our prayers.

Bing Garcia '64 and the brothers from the SOCSKSARGEN Assembly

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Sorry to know that a famous Betan has fallen again. The good ones are going one by one. My deepest condolence to Brod Boy Morales' family.

Cheers to Boy he's so good...he's so good..he's so good.... Brod rest in peace.

Ed Abon '70

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It is another sad day indeed, for one of our fraternity's pillars have just fallen. Boy Morales was the CEO of DAP when I first joined the government. DAP then was an employment agency for brods, as FSDC under Teddy Rey later became one also. So many brods by now have testified to the qualities of Boy that made him one of our greatest brods. But he was also a great visionary and daring reformist for opposing the Marcos regime and leaving behind all that privilege of assured establishment success. Now most of my heroes have fallen - first Teddy, then Frankie and now Boy. Wherever their beloved souls are now brods, let us make a toast to the valuable legacies they left us. Cheers to all these brods!

And one more Cheers for Boy!

Pogs Gaspay '68b

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First met Brod Boy when he was the GP in Diliman. Have admired him ever since. I was so happy I had the chance to meet him in Cebu in 2010. He will be missed. Good bye brother. Rest in peace.

Ernie Tremor '58

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Horacio "Asyong, Boy" Morales. My Brod. My ROTC Commander. My Hero. In our hearts, you will live forever.

I was so fortunate to have shared the same table with Brod Boy during our fraternity's 65th anniversary celebration

Let us all pray for the eternal repose of Boy's soul.

Pol Moral65. UPD. Black Saints.

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It is however my misfortune not to have been able to know him personally on or off campus. I don't remember when Boy ran for Senator, but I remember that my late blood and Betan brod Dong ('62A) told me then that I should vote for Boy, not only because he was very qualified but also because he was a Betan (which I did not know at that time). I did vote for him, of course.

Cheers, Brod Boy. Give my regards to Dong when you see him in the great beyond.

Jun Rafael '67A

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Farewell to a brilliant leader‏

While our closely knit fraternity, the UP Beta Sigma Fraternity, is bearing from a great loss,our country will be missing one of its brilliant leaders whose vision and organizational skill is renowned. A strong leader and skilled organization man in the true sense of the word, Brod Horacio "Boy" Morales, sits atop the ever increasing list of great Beta Sigmans our fraternity has produced. He will surely be missed.

To the family of our late brother Horacio "Boy" Morales, our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences. Thank you for sharing him with us.

Vee deVera '67 UPLB

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It is a sad news to learn of Brod Boy's demise. We both entered UPD. in 1959 and were together with the UP ROTC Officers Cadet Corp for two semesters together with Brod Mat Defensor.and other senior brod officers. He joined the brotherhood in '61, and we seldom saw each other as we belong to different college dept. When I joined Beta Sigma batch '66 again we seldom saw each other as by this time he must have graduated from UP already and might have been enrolled in the masters degree. We crossed path at the time when FPG ran for the presidency in Marawi. where he was the guest speaker of the graduation exercise of a school owned by a brother Betan. That was the last time we were together. He was well loved by the Maranao Betans. When I heard of his accident in Baguio I could just send a small amount as my share since typhoon Sendong victimized us in Iligan City.

I extend my condolence to the family of Brod Boy and may his soul rest in peace with our lord.

Brod Leo Acosta '66

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Condolence to the family of Boy Morales. He was our GP when I entered our fraternity. He will be missed by all friends. But, he will meet another great Betan in heaven, Teddy Rey.

Jorge Angeles '63

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May I share with you portrait of the late Brod Boy Morales. This portrait is taken from Paul Morales' instagram account with title "Portrait of our dad Boy Morales when he was in detention."

May the Brother Boy's soul rest in peace.

Jayrome Rala, UPMin 2000C

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Brod Boy, I had no clue that our meeting at Starbucks sa Timog last June bago ako bumalik dito sa US ay ' yon na ang huli...Sa pag-uusap natin,natatandaan ko na hindi ako nagpigil sa pag criticize sa mga nakita kong mga misssteps mo sa pulitika habang ikaw naman ay pursigidong kinukumbinsi akong huwag nang bumalik dito sa States dahil kamo marami tayong trabahong dapat gawin pa dyan sa Pilipinas. I may have missed the chance of a lifetime to have worked with you again.

I have never intimated to you your significance and how you've touched my life and, undoubtedly, that of thousands more. But let me say my piece knowing that you are still around looking upon all of us with that signature grin.

When I entered the University of the Philippines, you were long gone as a student and resident but I couldn't have missed the legend, the stories of the Boy Morales who is a Beta Sigman, the Corps Commander and the consummate student leader. It was in your era as Grand Princep when the utmost heights of the glory days of the UP Beta Sigma happened in Diliman.You made it glamorous to be a Corps Commander and officer of the UP ROTC and the Vanguard . You had engineered the successive terms of Betans in the Philippine Collegian. And your dominant and brilliant leadership among the Greek lettered societies and other organizations had greatly catalyzed and propelled the rise of activism and the nationalist movement in UP at a time when the term radical change was still being coined in campus. These feats were awesome and it made me more convinced that I joined the right fraternity. Indeed, for me it was a great source of pride and inspiration.

Later on, I heard that you had entered the government and served under the wing of then Executive Secretary Paeng Salas.You also had completed your Masters in at the University of Oklahoma. You then became a part and head of the class of that elite and revered group of technocrats called the "Salas Boys". You were CEO of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) that provided professional training to all government agencies and a center for policy development.You recruited brods into the DAP making it look like a Betan Corporation. You were being groomed to be Undersecretary of Education. And you surprised us all when you announced that night when you were to receive the TOYM award for public service that you were joining the underground NDF. Up to that point, I haven't met you personally but it made me more curious than ever about the mystic of Boy Morales. Nanghinayang ako sa iniwan mong magandang career sa gobyerno, napakalaking sayang! But at the same time I learned to more deeply admire your idealism and courage. At this point, you've shown to us and to the whole nation that there was more to just personal success and ambition.And you had the guts to fight against a violent dictatorship. Di pala hanggang rumble lang ang tapang ng Beta Sigma. And yes, suddenly, the most wanted person in the Philippines by the Marcos dictatorship was a Beta Sigman!

It was about 11 o'clock at night when my telephone rang and the other end identified himself as "Lone Eagle". I immediately figured that it was you and that you wanted to talk to me. You came into our home in Dominga with Brod Rico Sanchez before the 12 midnight "curfew". That was the first time I met you. We talked and in no time you had persuaded me to work with you.

Working in the underground was no easy task during the martial law days. But you made it look easy - you were very cool, confident and unafraid and you had always had your sense of humor. You've joked that the UG had made you younger and better- looking, now a look alike of Edu Manzano.You were did not mind about the hardships, the discomforts and difficulties, the threats and the risks that were all part of the day to day life of the revolutionary struggle that you chose to participate in.You were very energetic, full of energy and you start to work early in the morning right after your routine Coke and coffee and would go on and on up to the late hours of the evening.

At close range, I've observed your charisma, brilliancy, vision and wisdom. I have seen your leadership and organizational skills at their fore.You built the NDF into its best form, forging strategic and tactical alliances as never before been done in the revolutionary movement.You were able to unite with all political parties and personalities of different persuasions who were opposed to the Marcos regime. You had allowed me to arrange and attend meetings that included personalities like Senators Diokno and Tanada, the Social Democrats, human rights lawyers, government officials and businessmen and the hard core leadership of the Communist Party and the NPA like Rudy Salas and I sure learned a lot from these..And as I watched you then, I had believed that a National Democratic government after Marcos was a probable scenario.Your presence in the movement made it a more credible alternative to the Marcos dictatorship because you were able to put more substance and professionalism into its program..Even in the military field you have also shown leadership and genius, making full use of your previous military training. A few impact and effective special operations projects would not have been carried out successfully without you.I also saw how you handled your own staff, how you cared for their comfort and safety while bringing out the best in them.To me, you were a mentor extraordinaire.I have learned so much from you that you have never imagined.

I guess, despite those difficult years, I have been lucky to have seen at least the best side of you Boy. Of course, nobody thinks that you are saint, Boy. But in my own experience, I saw in action -- the Boy Morales who was selfless, brave, sacrificing, undaunted and defiant against the powers that be even in the face of the worst torture. Up to this day I treasure those days of working and struggling with you and that was some 3 hard years until that day when the government military intelligence had arrested you, tortured you and incarcerated you. And oh yes, they had accused me of having been the "chief of staff of Boy Morales in the underground". Well, true or not, this had definitely made my life more difficult than ever and had forced me to go deeper into the underground during those days of martial law at siguro dapat magalit ako sa iyo. But true or not, what really matters is that I am very proud to have work with such a great man, a hero to me, an idol if you will to me and to many others, and a hero to this country. Brod Boy, you have served our Fraternity well, you have served your family well and you have served our country well. Your legacy will remain as our guiding light.

Maraming salamat sa iyo at paalam!

Sonny Pagador '76

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BROD SONNY, MARAMING SALAMAT SA IYONG LIHAM PARA KAY BROD BOY. YOU'VE SAVED ME THE DIFFICULT TASK OF PUTTING INTO WORDS, CONSIDERING THE LIMITED VOCABULARY IN MY FADING INBOX OF WEBSTER'S COMPILATION, THE VERY SAME DEEP FEELING OF APPRECIATION AND LOVE FOR THE MAN NAMED BOY MORALES.

AN INSPIRATION, A MENTOR, A FRIEND AND A TRUE BETAN BROTHER.

LIKE YOU I WAS ALSO NOT ABLE TO VERBALIZE TO HIM HOW SIGNIFICANT AND INFLUENTIAL HE WAS IN OUR LIVES. THIS IS A NEW LEARNING FOR ME. IT WAS PAINFUL FOR ME NOT BEING ABLE TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" TO MY DAD WHEN HE WAS STILL WITH US. PARA KASING HINDI MACHO PAG MAN TO MAN. NOW I REALIZE GANUN DIN PALA ANG HAUNTING FEELING KAHIT SA BROD

I GUESS THAT FEELING WILL CONTINUE TO HAUNT ME EVERY TIME I CARRY OUT  HIS PERSONAL INFLUENCE --- COFFEE, COKE AND CIGARETTE!

LONG LIVE THE LONE EAGLE!

FRATERNALLY,
Willie Nep 69

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Brod Sonny, your words are extremely sincere and truthful that is why your message for Brod Asyong is beautiful. in my own little way, when BM went UG, he will usually knock on our gate at Sta. Maria, Bulacan on wee hours and Ii will drive him to "places". I was just a driver and follower of an illustrious brod who's got so much to give for our countrymen on a time when he's got so much enough for himself. I remember arranging several "meetings" with my uncle, the late Rep. Rogaciano Mercado, Fr. Bulatao. I will fetch then Sen Eva Estrada Kalaw from her San Juan residence and discuss the birth of a coalition of NDF, LP and UNIDO, the new mainstream political party opposing the dictatorship. I was then working as a film production manager for Father Lagerway's Social Communication Center. We were the producing commercial films for public showing but underneath the operations, we were assisting communication tools for the UG. Not many knows this, not my late father, not my wife. Unmarked cars of ISAPF's Gen Kintanar's boys started tailgating me and I noticed that they seized a roadside curb as their parking lot in front of my house. That's the time I left my family and went abroad for 3 years working for Northrop Corporation as head of it's audio-visual team servicing F-5 fighter plane contracts in the Middle East. That's how BM touched my life. On a non-frat activity. Proud of it. Will forever treasure it.

Rolly Reyes '66

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It is a sad day indeed to learn of the passing of Brod Boy Morales. He was a visionary, a great thinker and a manager. He is a great loss to the Fraternity and to the Country.

I first got to know Boy when he invited me to be a Fellow of DAP. It was there that I also had the great honor of meeting Brod Teddy Rey who was also a DAP Fellow. There were other brods who served as fellows of DAP but my memory is not what it used to be so I cannot recall them now. The DAP fellows comprised the think tank that Boy used for brainstorming all kinds of issues and ideas, and for strategic planning. This think tank was instrumental in laying the foundations for the creation of the Department of Human Settlements, the Farming Systems Development Corporation, the Career Executive Service, to name just a few.

I was contacted by Boy a few hours before the TOYM awards ceremony. He said he wanted to share some thoughts with me that night. I was surprised that Boy did not show up. I sat next to his mother who came in his place. She never let on that Boy had decided "to go to the hills". I was also one of those who met with Boy immediately after he got out. Brod Pong Lustre hosted a small, intimate dinner for him. Lahat brods lang ang nandoon. Boy told us how badly he was tortured. (Pong, sino-sino ba ang kasama natin noon?) I heard about water boarding for the first time that night from Boy. He said that this was the worst torture of all. Sisiw lang daw ang kuryente at buntal. That he survived those ordeals is a testimony of his strong spirit and determination.

I last met Boy in Cebu in 2010. He was in his usual carefree and happy and devil may care behavior. So full of life! And still so full of ideas.

I will miss Boy. We will all miss Boy.

Ed Quisumbing, UPLB '56

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My simple tribute to Brod Boy Morales:

I am one of the thousands of brods who came to know Brod Boy Morales from a "distance" as we are not as fortunate as some brods who had the opportunity to enjoy his friendship and personal working relationship while students at UP Diliman, and later on in his life as a human being who made a difference in the Philippines. My only opportunity to say hello and to mingle with him was just this past 2-3 years, as brief as these past events were, when I met him as our guest of honor while visiting at UP So. CA during my term as GP. My first meeting with Brod Boy gave me a lingering and unforgettable "first impression" - that of a demeanor of "humility". I also remember getting that impression, again, when we met in Marbel, Cotabato in 2009, during the Betan Assembly which we attended. That happens to be the last time I saw Brod Boy Morales.

I made a special note of this impression, knowing that even before I met him for the first time, he already carried an "iconic" name which is very appropriate for his accomplishments. It reminded me that this demeanor of humility was consistent with the behavior of really accomplished human beings.

I join all the Betan Brods in bidding our beloved Brod Boy Morales, farewell, with the fervent wish that we all shall see him and other beloved brods who have gone ahead of us, again! May God bless our beloved Brod Boy Morales' soul.

Frank Mamaril, UPLB '56

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Horacio 'Boy' Morales: A great Filipino for having said, 'No'
01-Mar-12, 8:26 PM | Joel C. Paredes, InterAksyon.com

Former President Joseph Estrada and members of his Cabinet are joined by Vice President Jejomar Binay at the wake of social activist Horacio 'Boy' Morales. Morales served as Estrada's agrarian reform secretary. Although not part of Estrada's cabinet, Binay was part of the broad anti-dictatorship movement and was the former president's running mate in the 2010 elections. (photo by Bernard Testa).

MANILA, Philippines – For Edicio dela Torre, the late Horacio 'Boy' Morales - technocrat-turned-rebel and later agrarian reform secretary - defined one chapter on social activism in the country's rich political history.

Dela Torre, himself a one-time rebel priest, should know. He had always been associated with Morales' so-called "popular democracy" movement, having been his political confidant since the day Morales joined the National Democratic Front (NDF), a communist-led coalition of left-wing groups, during the dark days of martial law in the Philippines.

"True, he (Morales) was identified as part of the Left. But that does not mean he had taken a hard-line position since he had always believed that we can unite with all those are not with the Left, if only to advance reforms in society," said dela Torre. He spoke as he assisted the family of Morales right after his death at the Medical ICU of the Philippine Heart Center.

Morales died from cardiac arrest on Wednesday, three months after he went into coma from a heart attack.

Dela Torre described Morales as someone who always had a bias for the "grassroots" and who tried to incorporate left-wing ideologies in his political work.

Morales had a passion and certain tirelessness for reforms, and believed in the need to try to work within the system, Dela Torre said. This supposedly explains why he always engaged the bureaucracy, even after his eventful three-year stint as secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) during the Estrada administration.

Dela Torre had just returned from Europe, where he sought refuge after his detention for being the leader of the Christians for National Liberation (CNL), when he met Morales somewhere in the mountains of Luzon sometime in 1981.

Morales then was one of those personalities in the underground movement who were at the top of the "wanted" list, having embarrassed the Marcos regime when he announced his resignation from government to join the NDF. His shocking statement was issued just before he was to receive his award as one of the Philippines' Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM). He was to be cited for his contribution to the field of Public Administration.

According to dela Torre, Morales was already being groomed to become the NDF's chair when they were both arrested in 1982. Morales was released from the Military Intelligence Group (MIG) detention only in 1986, when the dictator was overthrown during a non-violent revolt that eventually swept into power the late Corazon Aquino.

With the country's newfound democracy, Morales led fellow activists in organizing the Volunteers for Popular Democracy, a notion inspired by the Sandinistas when the left-wing rebel group grabbed power in Nicaragua. The Morales group eventually formed the Movement for Popular Democracy and the Institute for Popular Democracy.

A technocrat for reforms

Morales gained prominence as one who epitomized the brilliant, ideal technocrat who worked within the bureaucracy, only to be frustrated with the system. He was already the executive vice president of the Development Academy of the Philippines, then the government's premier think tank, when he made his dramatic breakaway in 1977.

As part of the team of technocrats recruited by former Executive Secretary Rafael Salas, he was also involved in the reform of the basic educational system, the rice self-sufficiency program and reforms in the bureaucracy by way of setting up a clear administrative framework.

Right after his release from detention, Morales also joined the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) as its president and began revising the country's oldest non-government organization "to initiate relevant civil society alternatives and options."

He also organized the major NGO coalitions such as the Convergence for Community Centered Development and the NGOs for Integrated Protected Areas.

Internationally, Morales became part of the organizing leadership of the Civicus, or citizens alliance for Civic Action (Washington DC), the People’s Alliance for Social Development (Chile) and the Fundacion El Taller (Tunisia).

Brains behind 'JEEP'

As the country geared for the 1998 presidential elections, Morales was one of the brains behind the 'Jeep ni Erap', or Citizens Movement for Justice, Economy, Environment and Peace (JEEP), which organized the parallel campaign of popular movie actor Joseph Estrada.

When he was named to the DAR portfolio after Estrada assumed power, Morales became instrumental in increasing the installation of farmers in contested haciendas and other commercial farms.

After leaving government, Morales organized the La Liga Citizens Movement and the La Liga Policy Institute. He used these NGOs in crafting new approaches to poverty alleviation, policy research and advocacies in good governance.

His political transformation

Few realize it, but Morales did not become involved in militant activism until December 26, 1977, when he defected to the underground movement.

Former Quezon City Rep. Matias Defensor recalled that during the years that they were students, he was already impressed with Morales' political leadership. Still, he never thought his friend would be a full-time social activist.

Morales was their student council president at the Far Eastern University High School. But he was also a member of the Student Catholic Action where Defensor was the president.

At the University of the Philippines, Defensor said he and Morales joined the Vanguard, the organization of ROTC officers, and soon he was recruited by Morales to the Beta Sigma Fraternity.

Defensor confessed they once even considered Morales as "right-wing" then. According to the former QC congressman, Morales opted to join the founding members of the Kabataang Makabayan in 1962, but then decided to accept the post of the ROTC corps commander.

Another fraternity brother, Vic Ramos, the former environment and natural resources secretary, said he had always been impressed with Morales' "very affirming" attitude.

"Boy was a natural leader. When he gets into a group, the people normally congregate around him. He had a great capacity to listen and empathize with you," he said,

Ramos traced his first stint in government to the prodding of Morales, who had recruited him to be one of the so-called "Salas boys." He said Morales and the late lawyer-writer Frankie Llaguno were already close to Salas when he was still vice president of UP during the time of Carlos P. Romulo.

When Mr. Marcos ran for president, they helped Salas in the campaign because they believed that he could reform the system. When Salas was appointed executive secretary, he recruited, through Llaguno and Morales, most of those who had been his political students at UP.

Ramos became one of the speechwriters of Salas, while Morales was tapped to assist then-Education Secretary Onofre D. Corpuz as executive assistant, and later as executive director of the Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE).

After completing his graduate studies at the University of Oklahoma, Morales also taught economics at his alma mater as professorial lecturer.

Turned down UN job

Ramos recalled that before Morales decided to defect, Salas, who had already been working for the United Nations, offered him a job as country representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Indonesia, but he turned it down because he preferred working for his people.

Manuel Balangue, a veteran technocrat at the DENR, said he never worked with Morales, but he had always been considered one of his best fiends. In fact, he was with the golf team of Morales, when he suffered a heart attack last December 1 after they played golf in Baguio City at the Fil-Am Tournament.

He said since Defensor taught them golf 13 years ago, they had been participating in the annual tournament. "Boy is not really a good player but his interest in the game is beyond compare," Balangue said. He lamented that while he had been considered as a loyal friend, he never had the opportunity to work with Morales. "At least during his lifetime, I had cherished his friendship. He really goes out of his way [if you ever needed anything]," he said.

Boy Morales will certainly be best remembered for many remarkable achievements in a life well lived. But among all these, the legacy that stands out is that of a man who said "yes" to a life of serving the people, and "no" to a regime he could not bear to serve.
 

Joel Paredes, UPD'73D

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Jimmy Yambao '63

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HE LIVED LIFE FOR OTHERS

HRM had all the juiciest choices in life. It was but all too easy for him to choose the amenities that would come along with being one of the country's political and economic elite. Yet he preferred a different path, a life among the poor and the marginalized, at times eating only camote tops that turned his fingernails blue with malnutrition.

He was already a legend when I entered the frat in 1967 and years before that for his exceptionally brilliant and visionary mind, and I was so lucky to have been a beneficiary of his legacy - UP Beta Sigma was the most dominant fraternity in campus. Years before he went underground, his expertise in organization was legend (a genius in the field, as others claim). Up close, I saw HRM as a tireless and charismatic man with a disarming personality even in the toughest of situations, loved by his friends and respected by his opponents. Maybe quite a few know that even when he was on the run, he also had occasional friendly liaisons through an intelligence operative with the most feared man in the military during the dictatorship. I also heard first hand from one of the most powerful figures during those times that, because he possessed such great mind and vision and because he was a great potential as a national leader, he should be allowed to live and not be "salvaged" (a Pilipino euphemism for police/military execution) in case he was arrested.

Like many other brods, I met with HRM more than once when he was "on the move". The first time, I gave him two items that were dear to me -- a hunting knife that my father used as a guerilla during WWII, and my maong jacket that I wore during my civil wedding. The latter was for Belle, HRM's wife... In one of those meetings, in the company of a few others that comprised mostly of his relatives, a jeep-full of armed military men parked in front of the house. Everybody including I thought all of us were cornered. There was panic, but Boy remained cool and composed. It turned out after all that the alarm was false: the soldiers were on their way to have good time in one of the joints at West Avenue, QC.

Brod Milton Mendoza and I were among the first to witness his release from political imprisonment at Fort Bonifacio. We helped him pack up some of his prison "souvenirs" - a kaldero, a sleeping mat, a chess set, among others. After a few days from his release, he went to visit us at the Development Academy of the Philippines, a think-tank institution that he built, nurtured, and led as an Executive Director/EVP up to the time he joined the 'kilusan'. At that time, more than half of the staff were new faces, but even these new faces gave him a hero's welcome as if they had known him all along. Staffers old and new followed him around the DAP building as though there was a procession. Then EVP Ping de Jesus (who later became Department Secretary under Cory Aquino, and later under PNoy) offered to give back the post to him. The DAP staff clamored for his return as well. He politely replied in his usual baritone voice, "Ayaw ko na yata."

During that visit, HRM wore a yellow "People Power" T-shirt, very much unlike his DAP days when he was a model of sartorial elegance - a lot of the time wearing a coat and tie. He was after all, a down-to-earth hero of the masses disguised as a dapper executive. He spent much of his life advocating for the upliftment of the Filipino people whom he loved so much.

Willie "Tatang" Vergara '67
Former Vice President, Development Academy of the Philippines

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130 K-7 Kamias Rd, QC, June 1962 - I first met Boy Morales with Mat Defensor and Pet Grajo at our house in K7 Kamias. My older brother, Joelou and these Betans hung out together either at the DMST or somewhere else in the campus. I was in Manila for summer vacation from high school in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. Na-arbor agad ako nila kay Joelou. And that was it.

As soon as I graduated and enrolled in UP in 1963, I was "owned" by the Beta Sigma Fraternity. Thru all the "mini initiations" from the DMST masters and the Vet Med masters and from the UPBSKKK group Boy Morales was there, supervising either from the frontlines or behind the scenes.

After making it through the initiations and finals and all through my UP days, getting involved at the DMST, KM or with the Collegian helping to deliver copies to LB in my old trusted Renault Dauphine car (with at least 6 brods with me) everything was done without too much prodding from Boy. One word from him and we'd try to get it done. No unkind words from him either - just plain old-fashioned words of encouragement. He was indeed a commander-in-chief in everything he undertook. He did not demand respect but got it nonetheless out of sheer respect for him by the brods and his acquaintances.

He was a perfect role model for everyone. He made me accept everything handed to me by the fraternity - through thick and thin. He enlightened me in the ways of the fraternity member expected to serve the fraternity.

Thank you brod Boy for everything. I hope I haven't been a disappointment.

Jopet Laraya'63

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