MULTI-AWARDED BROD WILLIE NEP BRINGS HOME ONE MORE
And Many Things That Most People Don’t Know About Him
by Willie “Tatang” Vergara


For all his many, many awards, Brod Willie Nep has made our beloved Fraternity proud for several decades now. A Filipino household name since the late 70s, Brod Willie Nep has become the unsurpassed and the greatest Filipino impersonator. In fact, many of us will still recall President Noynoy Aquino as saying during his keynote speech at Richmonde Hotel, “Brod pala ninyo si Willie Nep!”


For us baby boomers, we still remember the guts of Willie Nep impersonating and making fun of Marcos in front of the First Couple Ferdinand and Imelda at the height of their power. Who among us oldies could ever forget Willie Nep’s famous line, imitating the expression on Macoy’s face, his actuations (i.e. pointing fingers at everyone) and his booming voice with these words, “Hhhhrrrrmm… Mga kababayan, ako’y natutuwa pagka’t ako’y nagagalak! Hhhhrrrrmm!” With such performances, there developed a myth that would be heard on the streets and barbershops – Willie Nep is Macoy’s double.

At Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) where he worked as a Project Officer in the late 70s, we call him “Nepoy”. So allow me to use that moniker hereon.

 

The last time I personally saw Nepoy getting an award, it was at Crowne Plaza Hotel at Ortigas. This was called the Most Outstanding Citizens of Quezon City. Nepoy is one kind of guy who is “adopt-able”, meaning, many towns and cities in the country would certainly want to consider him as one of their own, like this premier city of Quezon City. It is no secret that Nepoy never settled in Quezon City. Rather, he lived in Marikina all his adult life at the time of that award. This was a grand event featuring other awardees such as President PNoy, Speaker of the House Belmonte, Boots Anson-Roa, Public Works and then DAP President Jose “Ping” de Jesus, and other luminaries.

 

 

 

    


 

But this latest one comes as no surprise. From my perspective, it should have been granted years ago. It is called 2016 UP AlumniAssociation Presidential Award. This award reads as below.

 

 

 


What is remarkable in this last award is that it had to take two Upsilonians to hand over the highest UPAA award to a Beta Sigman.

 

Willie Nep with UP President Alfredo Pascual and UPAA President Ramon Maronilla

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Nepoy will be among the golden-year celebrants (limang dekada bilang Betan) three years from now. It was a pleasant coincidence for me to have seen him up close as a Beta Sigman during his early years, having joined Beta Sigma before he became a Panzer.


Three is a charm. Nepoy tried to join UP Beta Sigma on his freshman year (1966). But he was ‘kidnapped’ even before the first session and his parents caught him with the “marks”. “Di na ako pinayagan”, Nepoy says. The next time was in 1967 but all initiations were suspended after that fateful and much publicized APO hazing death of Ferdinand Tabtab. “I almost joined a third time in 1968 when most of my Fine Arts barkada applied. Unfortunately for them, not one made it because of their quit one, quit all pact,” says Nepoy. “If I joined them, I could have been a three time loser”, he adds. Nepoy finally made it in 1969 and since then, he has been a proud Betan and member of the Panzer Batch 69a.

A Good Betan ever since. Even as a young Betan, Nepoy was always the constructive thinker, a positive contributor, a true artist, and a man of peace amid a heady environment featuring frat wars and intense campus political competition. It is also quite notable that, together with fellow Betans and Fine Arts friends, he was among the singers in a group called “Ma’s Concern” led by our very own social-realist painter Pablo “Adi” Baens Santos ‘64. But Nepoy’s role in this group was singular, distinctive and unique. He was the group’s “harmonica” but without any harmonica.

Hanep sa pakikisama. Nepoy is the type of person who happily serves the frat or another brod if and when he has the time. For instance, I was just on my first week as a DAP lower level manager way back in 1977, when he agreed without hesitation to perform during a Christmas party of my small unit. I have not forgotten this particular favor because my staff, who were still trying to figure out what kind of person their new boss was, were quite impressed that Nepoy honored us with a performance on that event. I remember Brod Milton Mendoza ’63 (then in DAP higher management) saying, “Bilib ako sa iyo. Nakakuha ka ng libreng talent.” On many frat occasions both in the Philippines and abroad, I have witnessed Nepoy gamely and cheerfully sharing his talents either as a performer or as an emcee.


Nepoy’s Boss, Counsel, Ninong, Mentor and Comrade. Nepoy’s first job was that of student assistant. He and his boss immediately clicked and the special friendship lives up to this day. He got this boss as the ninong sa kasal. That brod is our beloved Popoy Castaneda, UPLB ’55 – artist, environmentalist, writer, ocean diver, revolutionary, and once-upon-a-time a fugitive. His many adventures are chronicled in three parts of our website, and his paintings of Philippine Birds are part of our collection at our website’s “Artwork”. Both Nepoy and Popoy were in the kilusan.

 

Popoy Castaneda, UPLB'55, with legendary oceanographer Jacques Costeau

 

[*Web note: to read Brod Popoy's exploits in Memoirs & Reminiscenses, click here> "A Betan's Journey Thru Time and Space";

 to see his bird paintings in Artwork, click here> "Paintings"; to read his many environment articles, go to Environmental Awareness menu.]

 

Nepoy’s Idol. Another one of our great artists - the witty, super creative cartoonist Brod Ely Santiago ’58 was Nepoy’s inspiration and idol. Well, who among us who knew Ely wasn’t his fan, given his two-minute caricatures/sketches and funny anecdotes at the Philippine Inquirer? But Nepoy declares that the relationship between him and Ely was more than just ordinary brods. “We lived the brotherhood life for better or poorer, during the best of times and worst of times.”


Brods to Nepoy’s Rescue. Nepoy looks at the past with fondness and a deep sense of gratitude: “When I was a budding television performer, brods would always come to the rescue. For instance, singing a Beatles song was easy, but I could not accompany myself well with a guitar. Brod Rollie Santos ’65 came to the rescue. One time I was asked by the audience to do a Bruce Lee impression. I can do a Bruce, why not, but aside from one or two kung-fu yells, there was nothing interesting I could show. Sure, I got myself a brown belt but the brods knew at that time that I was not among the competing fighters. It was no secret that I got the belt just because I was the carrier of our Beta Sigma Kung-Fu karate club's banner . But then there was this one show that earned me the critique's eye. Saludo ako kay Brod Cedric Gloria ’69. He patiently taught me a full pinan. Yaaah!!!”

 

Willie Nep, student leader and street parliamentarian, before students in front of the Arts and Sciences Building.


The Master Impersonator was impersonated! Nepoy further reminisces: “There were a lot more brods who helped me as a student, and I owe a lot to them. I was a student leader, an elected councilor-at-large of the UP Student Council, but a delinquent student as well. Ridiculous but true. Three units to go and I would already graduate, but I just couldn’t. Then here came my hero – the impersonator Brod Ben Montejo ’69!” (Just like Jun Rafael impersonated Conde Dancel, or Danny Galoso impersonated Wally Rodriguez, Tatang impersonated Rudy “Ulo, Jr”, and the list goes on.) Nepoy finally graduated in summer of ‘71 and got a flat “1” in that final countdown. Here’s a piece of advice to our young brods, don’t do this at home, okay?



LESS KNOWN PHOTOS OF WILLIE NEP


CARDINAL SIN JOKINGLY BLESSES HIS NEMESIS. One would think this was before EDSA People Power Revolution. It wasn’t. This was an awarding ceremony inside the Manila Cathedral. According to Nepoy, Cardinal Sin himself picked Nepoy for the HUMOR AWARD on behalf of the Filipino people. During those years before the People Power Revolution, Nepoy boldly satirized the otherwise tense situation that followed the Ninoy Aquino Assassination in 1983.


 


VILLAGE PEOPLE. Nepoy was the Opening Act, or curtain raiser, in the show featuring the Village People. This group was at the height of their popularity. According to those in the know, the Village People never wanted to have special photos as a group with individuals. But they must have liked Nepoy so much they agreed to pose with him as a whole group.

In the 80s, Nepoy also did opening acts for many international stars such as Roberta Flack, Lynda "Wonder Woman" Carter, Pauline Wilson and The Seawind", Cascades, Connie Francis, Air Supply, a back to back with Las Vegas impressionist Bob Anderson, Beatlemania tribute band, and more.




PRES. FIDEL "TABAKO" RAMOS. The picture shows then President “Tabako” Ramos giving Nepoy a cigar for his birthday. What most don’t know is that their friendship goes way back to Ramos’ term as Lt. General. Every time they bumped into each other, Ramos would give Nepoy a tobacco. And he collected these little gifts over the years. Says Nepoy, “Actually this was also his birthday. Kuripot talaga ang iyong kabsat.” The significance of this photo? It was sent by FVR himself.




PRES. ERAP ESTRADA. Do you know that Erap was “pikon” with Nepoy because of the latter’s impersonations ever since he was San Juan Mayor? It therefore came a surprise that one day that then Vice President Erap made peace with him through PR man, Reli German. Nepoy recalls, “The following week I was invited to host the launching of his ERAPTION joke book in preparation to his presidential campaign. Kaya pala.”

 


MISS UNIVERSE GLORIA DIAZ. Nepoy also “walked” with stunning Filipina beauties. Here, he was with Gloria Diaz, the country's first Ms Universe in 1969, who was guest of Nepoy’s show at the now demolished Rizal Theatre. Incidentally, this was the year when the first man landed on the moon.




MISS UNIVERSE MARGIE MORAN. Another Filipina of sparkling beauty was Margie Moran-Floirendo, the country’s second Miss Universe. This picture was taken when they were both guests at Joe Quirino’s TV talk show “OK Ngarud” with JQ’s signature expression, “TIK-IT-AWI” (meaning, Take it away).




JANICE DE BELEN. Above picture shows the very young Janice de Belen, of the “Flor de Luna” fame that captured the viewership of almost all sectors of the Filipino society. Of course, Nepoy was also young at the time.




I will end this article with a new but familiar picture. Without a doubt, the picture will later be among the immortal images of this day and age in the life of Nepoy. Was Nepoy impersonating Willie Nep at the left edge of the table?

POSTCRIPT: It was fun writing this piece ON THE OCCASION OF OUR PLATINUM YEAR. But without the full cooperation of my Tokayo, whom I had always regarded with deep sense of kinship, this article would not have been made possible. HAPPY 70th!!!


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