Balik Samahan is not a political group

Curtain-raiser:

• Dale Adriatico performs in The Good Samaritan Productions’ A Celebration of Second Life: A Night of Thanksgiving and Support for Bernie Julve tonight (starting at 7 o’clock) at Jade Palace Restaurant, 106 Shaw Blvd., Pasig City. Julve is the Philippines’ labor attaché in Hong Kong. Performing with Dale are Julve’s singing friends former Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, former UP vice president Jose Endriga and public relations consultant Lincoln Rex Drilon. Other special guests include Senate President Frank Drilon, Rep. Art Defensor, DOLE National Capital Region director Ciriano Lagunsad, Senate secretary Oscar Yabes and the Sigma Rho fraternity brothers of Julve. (For more information, call Lincoln Drilon at 0917-6276355.)

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Everytime veteran stars gather for anticipated reunions, they jokingly call each other "lumang album", referring to, you know, scrapbooks of faded but well-treasured photographs and other memorabilia. During those gatherings, the stars have a fun time recalling the good old days, comparing notes, swapping and passing around showbiz tidbits, celebrating the joys and triumphs in their respective lives, and consoling those who have problems.

A few days ago, some three dozen such "lumang album" stars (with a few relatively younger faces) had a grand reunion at the new house of former Sampaguita star Liberty Ilagan. Susan Roces, whom everybody is teasing as "the new First Lady," was supposed to be there but she got stuck somewhere in another pressing appointment.

Among those present were (at random now) Lilia Dizon, Gloria Romero, Gloria Sevilla, Marita Zobel, Nita Javier, Carlos Salazar, Marissa Delgado, Barbara Perez with husband Robert Arevalo, Amparo Lucas, Imelda Ilanan, Amalia Fuentes, Tina Loy, Helen Cruz, Tita Muñoz, Isabel Rivas, Boots Anson-Roa, Celia Rodriguez, Myrna Panlilio-Borromeo, Anna Ledesma, Elsa Payumo, Jo San Diego, Ricky Davao, Luz Valdez and Ronaldo Valdez.

The group has called themselves Balik Samahan.

Since it’s election time and FPJ is running for President, some people will surely suspect that Balik Samahan was organized as a support group for FPJ. Or, specifically, Susan Roces’ own counterpart of women’s groups like former First Lady Imelda Marcos’ Blue Ladies.

Not so, according to Pempe Rodrigo, one of the group’s organizers.

"We used to call ourselves the Bright Hill Club because a few years ago we used to hold our reunions at my home on Bright Hill St. in New Manila," said Pempe. "For one reason or another, our reunions were interrupted and we would see one another only during sad events like wakes. But in August last year, Susan, Liberty and I decided to regroup. We started at Liberty’s place with 14 participants which became 20 in September when we held our reunion at Delia Razon’s place, 28 when we held it at my place and 29 when we met for Amparo Lucas’ birthday in November. Last week, 36 showed up. We expect more to attend in our Balik Samahan salu-salo next month."

Pempe stressed that Balik Samahan is not a political or a religious organization.

"It’s purely a friendship group," said Pempe. "The host prepares most of the food, but every participant is requested to bring extra food, pot luck style. Members pay P300 each every meeting; some give P500, P200 of which is set aside as seed money. Later on, when we have enough funds, we plan to help members in need."

Asked which presidential candidate Balik Samahan is supporting, Pempe kept mum.

Her silence was revealing.

Your guess is as good as anybody’s.

Letter From Rina J. David

Dear Ricky,

I just wrote to react to your column on the Spirit of '67. I do agree with you. I’ve just seen them once before, at a benefit for my daughter’s school, the community of learners, and I tell you, they converted me into a dancer – albeit only of those dances from my youth! My husband and I really had a grand time dancing to their tunes. The Spirit of ’67 really know how to get people off their butts and on their feet on the dance floor!

I hope you can tell your readers that die-hard Spirit of ’67 fans and followers can have more of them outside of the Mandarin Oriental’s Captain’s Bar on Feb. 7, Saturday, in a pre-Valentine dance concert for the benefit of women's causes supported by Abanse! Pinay, the women's party-list group. The dance concert will be held at the Fort Bonifacio Philippine Army Officers' Clubhouse and starts at 8 p.m., after dinner, although dinner is available for sale at the Café Villa on the ground floor. A table of "friends" for 10 is available at P5,000, a "patrons" table for 10 goes for P15,000 while a "sponsors" table for 10 can be had for P25,000. There will also be free-flowing peanuts and a round of drinks for each table. And door prizes, too.

Interested buyers may contact Abanse! Pinay (c/o Melody) at tel/fax no. 852-7134 or cel no: 0917-5368121.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected])