IMHO

Growing Up With Francis

It finally hit me, just today.

In my joint Law of Mass Media class of 50-odd junior and senior students, not one single person was born before 1986.

Haaahlelujah. Talk about feeling Jurassic (I suppose these kids remember Jurassic Park, c. 1993 like I remember Star Wars, c. 1977 on a brand-new Betamax right out of the balikbayan box, 'wag ka.)

But sometimes, when all these young adults are in front of you, you forget that you're actually an aging adult. And that you were taking this same college class when most of them were still wetting their nappies and discovering their motor skills.

No wonder they're fascinated by tales of how it was in pre-EDSA UP Diliman (in fairness, we were extremely fortunate freshmen when EDSA 1 shook the country - most of us would have never passed Math 11 otherwise. Er, may I just say that I opted for a numerical grade of 1.75 rather than a mass promotion "P." What - it was the highest Math grade I ever got in my life! And I did my hardworking tutor proud. Er, oops.) How students would smoke in class and get drunk in the corridors and compare battle scars after rallies... And what it was like to go to school with superstellar political personalities the likes of Francis Escudero and Francis Pangilinan - Escudero I've known all my life - although mostly annoyingly, from UPIS' grade school, high school (we were the youngest of UPIS' Class of 85), to UP law school; Pangilinan on the other hand I loved all my life (haay my biggest college crush, Miles will attest to that) - er, este, I managed to catch up, and eventually became friends with, in law school. I remember when he was still a mere mortal who loved Ma Mon Luk, who danced a mean swing, and who I could tease mercilessly about being a "Mega" lawyer. I even wrote and segment-produced his Hoy Gising! legal gigs while he was studying for the Bar. All these Francises I knew in my life (plus DOE Chief Legal Counsel Francis Juan, my best beer buddy and superduper lawyer Francis Rivera, and Francis Badilla who was also once part of UP Law 1994-Section A - hmm, all of whom seem to be fratmen from Alpha Phi Beta, except Pangilinan who's an Upsilon boy).

But of course, the generation gap suddenly became all the more apparent, when, one of my students asked, "E Ma'am, si Francis Magalona?" To which I immediately retorted, "no, he's much older than me, ha!" At which the whole class gasped in disbelief. What?! He is older - much. I had a crush on him in high school, when he was still into the breakdancing thing. He has teenaged children (several, I think) for crying out loud. Perhaps I forgot to tell my class that although I knew Senator Pangilinan way back when, Kiko P was a lot older than I was (part of his long-standing attractiveness). Or perhaps Congressman Escudero looks more mature than FrancisM even if Chiz is only 36/37.

Good grief. Now my age is really showing. Stop me before I start talking about Jojo Alejar or the Gel Boys.

posted by Honey Oliveros @ 8:39 PM