The Journey of Brod Rolly Roderos, UPD'63

 (Eulogy delivered by Brod Victor O. Ramos, Chairman/President of the UP Beta Sigma

Fraternity Alumni Association, Inc. during the fraternity’s final rites at the Arlington

Memorial Chapels, Quezon City on January 13, 2006)

"Brod Rolly carried with him the normal ambitions of young men coming from small towns..."

            Life is a journey. In final moments like these, we trace the paths traveled by a man’s soul from birth to death in the hope that in the patterns of one’s life we pick up a few kernels of truth about how we the living can better spend our remaining days on earth.

            For Brod Rolly, that journey started from the historic town of Tayug in Eastern Pangasinan. Historically, Tayug was a town of rebels.

More than any town in Pangasinan, Tayug contributed the most katipuneros that supported Andres Bonifacio’s revolution against Spain. It was no wonder then that when General Aguinaldo wanted to consolidate his forces in his rebellion against American rule; he camped here for almost a month to enlist more soldiers. Having done that, he made the long trek through the Villa Verde trail over the Caraballo to the Sierra Madre where he made a final stand in Palanan, Isabela.

Following this rebellious tradition, Tayug produced Pedro Calosa the leader of the famous 1931 Colorum Uprising, an agrarian revolt against abuses in land ownership.

I am not insinuating that Brod Rolly was born a rebel because of the historical roots of his town. On the contrary, he was a normal kid. In fact, he was a bright and promising student since his young years as shown in his pictures here. He carried with him the normal ambitions of young men coming from small towns, including the need to prove oneself in the outside world, that one can hold his own against the best of his peers in the world.

With such ambitions in his heart, he entered UP together with me and his wife Remy in 1961. I joined the fraternity on my sophomore year. Brod Rolly was more sensible; he took time to join the frat until his third year (1963) when Boy Morales was Grand Princep. My impression of him during our frat years was that he kept very much to himself. Some brods were even jealous of some Ratbu brods to whom Brod Rolly became much closer. I lost track of him after college.

I was told later that he was one of our most successful brods in the practice of Veterinary Medicine. In 1990, he transformed a small trading company into a P140 million corporation – Metrovet. His record as General Manager was outstanding, increasing the worth of the company by an average of 25% a year. Perhaps his economic success bred in him a greater appreciation of life’s hidden thrills and beauties, which I was less privileged to explore. Whatever the case, we accept Brod Rolly’s choices in life as his own. As a brother, we forgive him for his shortcomings. Tonight, we welcome him back as a brother and enshrine him in our memories.

Since I became Alumni Chairman and President of our fraternity, it has been my sad duty to express our fraternity’s expressions of commiseration to the families of our brothers who have gone ahead of us. What really bothers me is that this task has become more frequent these past months. We lost four brods during the past two weeks alone – our worse period so far. As brothers, we are no longer strangers to tragedy. We have learned to accept that there is an end to every journey. But the end of that journey is not the cemetery. For us Beta Sigmans, every death is a homecoming. That home is the Beta Sigma Fraternity. We remember our brothers wherever they may be. In this sense, they never die. But the burning ember of grief that we feel every time a brother falls is forging a stronger brotherhood among us the living. So, there is a continuous link or symbiosis between the living and the dead – a living chain that connects us thru the pathways of eternity.

In closing, let me therefore assure Remy and the other members of his families that in their moments of loss, we are here to hold their hand and walk with them the final mile of his life’s journey. We want to make sure that they will not walk alone.

Life may be short and temporary but Beta Sigmans, like diamonds, are forever!

Brod VicR, "Brod Rolly was one of our most successful brods in the practice of VetMed..."

###

More Pictures from the Final Rites of Brod Rolly Roderos...

Brod Buddy Garbanzos UPD'63, as emcee, starts the solemn rites.

Brod Joe "Kuyang Pepe" Agulto, fondly remembers his Ka-Batch...

as Brod Jun Advincula, another batchmate, says, "Brod Rolly was quick to anger,

but he was quicker to forgive."

Brod Rico Arranz, frat co-founder, hands over the Certificate of Enshrinement to wife, Remy.

"Beta Sigmans, like diamonds, are forever..."

Wife Remy, recalls some light moments, "I will never forget Boy Morales for what he

tasked Rolly to do when he was a neophyte", unaware that Brod BoyM just walked in...

drawing an impromptu from Brod Boy Morales UPD'60, the GP when Brod Rolly joined...

Brod Rolly's daughter, with wife Remy, by his side for the last time...

As other relatives and well-wishers watch on...

And the candles lighted, in the final recitation of the Betan Credo, in Brod Rolly's presence...

Farewell, Brod Rolly !!!