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25th Anniversary of the Beta Sigma
Fraternity Alumni, Canada Inc. by Roy Palacol, SBC'79
[Photos by James Castañeda, Mer Quimson, Vivo Chua, Willie Vergara]
The Beta Sigma Fraternity Alumni, Canada Inc.
achieved a significant milestone in celebrating its 25th anniversary in
Canada by holding the Chapter’s 12th biennial Grand Fraternity Reunion and
Induction ball at the Westin Bristol Place, Toronto, Canada last Augusta
13-16, 2015. It also hosted the 2015 Convention of the Federation of Beta
Sigma Fraternity Chapters in North America.
"The Man of the Hour" - GP Bogs Cabanatan
The inspiring speech on unity and the
uniqueness of the Beta Sigma Fraternity delivered by the guest speaker,
Brod Rolly Reyes resonated well with all the brods from diverse resident
chapters. It was a most fitting preface to the solemn Reaffirmation Rites
that followed.
The Guest Speaker - Rolly Reyes
25 years of Beta Sigma Brotherhood in Canada is
not anywhere comparable to 50 years, but to all of us who have been
involved in ensuring that the Canada Chapter continues to grow
progressively with time, we feel we have achieved much and have been doing
the right things for the right reasons. We have not doubted our abilities
to celebrate our accomplishments and successes, but we all realize that
the bests of the Canada Chapter still lie ahead, as we continue to commit
ourselves to the tenets and principles that make us Beta Sigmans… to the
ideals that make us better men.
Toronto Reunion and Frat Ball by Boyet Fernandez, UPD'69
[Photos by Willie Vergara]
For us coming from Pinas our travel plans began when Canada GP (Boss Chief Manager Master Dios) Bogan invited us to his inaugural ball when we at the Engie De Gracia ’66 (Makati) Chapter hosted a bienvenida when he visited last February. Beloved Rolly Reyes right away said he would go to Toronto. I said I would too if my schedule would permit.
Bogs reiterated his invitation at the annual Panzer Batch anniversary in March (actually a joint celebration of all 3 Diliman 69 batches), one of the more well attended parties of our batch which included Rolly Balingit from SoCal and Sher Gacho from Bacolod. Lakan Fonacier and Rolly Balingit said they too would attend. Ed Abon initially said yes (but work got in the way and he was a no show) while everyone was encouraging Torch Manalang to go as well (still terrified about a visa interview).
As the date of the ball came closer, only three of us would go: Beloved Rolly, Lakan and me.
And then I thought of Brod Julio Templonuevo from UST. He’s a client in the engineering contracting business who I have known for at least 25 years since we played tennis. He often goes on business trips abroad and I told him to take a break from his stressful business and to come with us to visit the brods in Toronto and meet others he has not seen for years. I told him it would be fun. And so he came along.
And then there were four of us from Pinas to attend Bogs’ inaugural ball: Julio UST, Lakan and I UP Diliman; we took the PAL flight together. Rolly Beloved took the Cathay flight.
We arrived on the night of August 12th and checked in at the Westin hotel. It was late and the hotel restaurant was closed but we were hungry and went to the grill place next door. We were joined by 2 brods who recognized Julio at the hotel lobby – Panggoy from San Sebastian and Henry Josue from San Beda. Over beer and pulutan, we immediately bonded as brothers should. We must have been loud that Ike Araneta came over to our table. He and his gracious wife, Tanya, had just finished dinner. Tanya called it a night and left for the hotel while Ike hang out with us.
Three Betans from UP and 3 from UBelt meeting for the first time having beer. We all felt at ease with each other and stayed until the place closed around midnight. I felt that we “climbed” the “barrier of region and prejudice” and “created a feeling of kinship” bound by the mythical glue called Beta Sigma. Actually, we broke down the barrier of discrimination between Brods from UP and the other chapters. That first encounter would set the mood for the rest of the 3 day event, one Beta Sigma, Betans without borders.
The following day Ike Araneta was kind enough to take Julio and me in their rental to Niagara Falls. At the hotel lobby, we met a brod from CLSU now residing in San Diego who told us he and his wife were also going to Niagara they were waiting for a sis who would take them. We all would meet again at the Falls and were together in the boat that went near the Falls and had lunch together. We all had an amazing time. We have pics taken by Ike to show.
Actually, I went to the Niagara Falls twice – the second was with Kabatch Rolly B with another brod from the other NorCal chapter (I know he’s from San Beda too but I’m blinking on his name or was it Ed?) and our tour guide was Rolly Cunanan of San Beda, an interesting guy with a colorful life story, neighborhood buddy of Kabatch Boy Jaurigue, married with children to a Spaniard whom he met in London and has settled down in Toronto. After the obligatory tour to see the Falls, he took us to have a picnic in the charming town of Niagara on the Lake with wine and food leftover from the party the night before which was a great idea until he discovered that the wine was cork screw and he didn’t have one. He made up for it by taking us for a wine tour of Niagara, bought a few and drank a bottle at his home and met his two lovely daughters and grandkid. The two Rollies hit it off and never stopped exchanging stories. It was amazing how one would finish the sentence of the other and this went on and on.
During the GP’s night and Welcome night, the hall was filled with Betans from different colleges coming from different chapters in North America, their spouses, Sigma Betans. Booze flowed, food galore served all night. Everybody had a good time. Met brods I’ve not seen for a long time. As if we relived the life at the Tambayan with “The Masters” – Noli Nolasco, Bart Gacad, Gilbert Dulay, Elmor Villanueva, Ding Cavestany, Fred Young, Tatang Vergara, Josue Castillo, Amang Rivera, Judge Rey; and the “Amuyongs” - Babes Galoso, Togi, Edwin Encomienda, , Bernie Bacosa, Danny Vizmanos, Vale, Edsel Arceo. Reacquainted with succeeding generation brods like Nilo Espino who was part of the Makati Chapter before he moved to Toronto, Jicki Evangelista. Glad to see LB brods Ted Quijano Art De Vera. And of course, the brods from the other chapters who were providing music and manning the bar and the food and everything else to make sure that we were having a real good time.
Borderless camaraderie continued at the golf course. Our flight included Lakan, Dan Vizmanos and Jun Castro from New York (I think he is Beta Sigma NU). Jun and I have common friends from the forwarding industry. It was raining, the course was nice but wet and unfamiliar. Rolly B played his usual A game scoring in single digits over par.
The event was capped by a more formal induction ceremony of GP Bogs and the inspiring speech of Guest of Honor, Rolly Beloved. Brods were in their fine suits or elegant barong. And Bart Gacad danced the night away, never mind the arthritis.
Toronto exceeded our expectations. We experienced a yet uncommon fraternity activity among brods who welcomed everyone with no care about your origins or chapter. All Betans are equal but some chapters are separate. For how long would this equal but separate situation continue?
Toronto has set a new bar by which similar fraternity activities in the future will have to match, at least if not surpass.
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Nick Galvez Ed Quisumbing
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