What’s UP, Los Baños?

Let me take a pause as the nation remembers the dark days of Martial Law.

I have heard stories from my elders about what happened during this time, but I wonder, what transpired in UPLB? How many students disappeared? Were classes suspended? Anyone arrested? What was the peso-$ exchange rate?

Each generation of students would have different issues to face - the Martial Law for those in the 70s, Ninoy’s assasination and People Power for the 80s, in my time - the US bases, the Asian currency crisis and Erap, for this decade it would be GMA.

Does anyone have a story to tell?

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Visiting the alma matter? Check out the trophies room.

· LTB Co pa ang bus nun at ang last trip ay 8:00 pm. may sinehan sa crossing at bilihan ng mainit na buns sa ground floor. Hindi trapik,walang polusyon, walang LB Square

· May LTB pa rin noon, pati Laguna Trans and Kapalaran. Meron ding Tritran bus from UPLB to UP Diliman na malapit sa Maquiling School nakapark. Agrix ang sinehan at dito ko napanuod si Forrest Gump. Wala pang Vega, damuhan pa lang yun noon

· Si Sexy lang na may malaking tindahan sa lumang Vega
· Yung Tindahan ni Pogi and Sexy ay lumipat na rin sa kanto, malapit sa Maces. Wala na nga pala si Aling Sexy, si Mang Pogi na lang.

· Nakakulong pa si Ninoy nun at si Diokno ang parating guest sa symposium.
· Anti-US bases ang sigaw namin nun, si Cory at FVR ang presidente, At si Salonga ang Senate President! Malimit na bisita sa symposium ay si Rene Saguisag. Freshman ako nung pinaalis ng Senado ang US bases, parang fiesta kinabukasan at nagkwentuhan lang kami about it sa Kasaysayan I (History I) class ko.

· US$2b pa lang ang utang ng republika pero alam na namin nun na the 1983 loan default will happen and the country will be thrown into financial chaos
· ~US$30b na ang utang ng Pilipinas by this time

· Ang mga terror nun ay Panopio for calculus, Rimando for bio 1 where mortality rate is not good if its less than 60%. Do youstill dissect cockroach?
· Terror? Sina Climacosa, si Beng Boro daw (pero di naman), si Payawal… Wala ng cockcroach - palaka, guppy fish at makahiya na ang stars ng Bio1 class, masusuka ka sa kakagawa ng scientific papers…

· Nasaksihan ko ang pagkasunog ng dating anatomy bldg na tabi ng bio sci at ng SU.Noon nagsimula ang coed dorm. Unit 2 ground ang girls, second floor ang guys. 27 pesos lang a month ang rent and 4 in a room lang ang accomodation.
· Wala namang nasunog sa panahon namin. 110 pesos na ang dorm fee. Five in a room na kami, tawag namin sa panlimang kama ay international bed kasi kahit sino sa amin higa agad dun pagpasok sa room. Sorry ka na lang kung ikaw ang huling nagpareserve sa room!

· Curfew? Dati wala then nagkaroon ng 10pm curfew because of the Gomez-Sarmenta case, walang patumanggang (ang lalim!) daldalan pa rin sa dorm, at kami kami pa rin ang naglolokohan sa dorm. Pag brownout, tabi tabi kami matulog at nagkwekwentuhan ng mga multo at engkanto sa dorm, white lady, footprints sa Unit IV, etc… yung engkanto sa balete tree sa harap ng Women’s!

This is the sight that will greet when you go out of the campus. No more damuhan that was Vega.

Sadly, this is the new norm at UPLB. You can’t just get into the Admin building without showing your IDs. Students and staff are required to wear their IDs now. There was case of this Cambodian student being robbed last summer. Theft and violence slowly encroaching campus. It is sad. Not the campus we have known before. I’m not saying UPLB is not safe anymore. But there are isolated incidents that makes you wonder. Way back in college, we did have a time when IDs were checked. That was the time of Eileen and Allan. Curfews were imposed, too. But then, you can leave your things on the table at the library and still find all your possessions intact. You can still leave your things to reserve a table at Jollibee. There were no children begging at the gate, entreating you to buy their sampaguita or if not, to give them a meal. It is not the same now as it was.

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Your kitchen needs repair? Try Delta faucets for your kitchen sink.

The official website of UPLB is http://www.uplb.edu.ph. Here are some important links within the portal: