365 turns 40

It’s said to be “one of its kind” — this coffee shop  curiously called 365 Club — that’s been the meeting place of journalists and men of power and in power, and probably kibitzers too —  for 40 years or 365 days a year at the Hotel Intercon Jeepney restaurant in Makati.

365 Club was born on Sept. 22, 1972, the day after the issuance of Proclamation 1081 declaring martial law and closing down broadcast networks and newspaper publications throughout the land. For journalists,  365 provided an outlet for pent-up emotions, for they could talk and talk and talk without fear of being sued for libel or slander - although only for the benefit of 365 members only, and not for publication. They followed a rule to the letter: off-the-record comments would be honored, i.e., not put into print or broadcast on radio or television. But foreign journalists made their interviews with government officials in the shop, and got their stories printed by their overseas offices.

Emil P. Jurado, manager of Kanlaon Broadcasting System that operated Channel 9, found his office padlocked  on Sept. 22, and decided to have coffee at Hotel Intercon. It was 6:30 in the morning. At a table sat Makati Mayor Nemesio Yabut, Ka Doroy Valencia, businessman Pat Dayrit, Jose Viterbo and Biding Dibug. From that day on, journalists, radio and television practitioners and media people started having breakfast at the coffee shop. The bill was first picked up by Mayor Yabut until it reached P50,000 a month — a huge amount at that time — prompting  the legendary Ka Doroy to declare that everybody pays for his own bill.

As Emil writes in the 365’s 40th anniversary program, the club survived  martial law and five Presidents. It has no charter of any kind, no election of officers. Ka Doroy held fort as the club’s self-proclaimed chair until he died in 1976, after which Emil proclaimed himself chairman, until a year ago and proclaimed himself as chairman emeritus, and assigned businessman and sportsman Alfonso “Boy” Reyno Jr. as chair, and  Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who is the club’s oldest living member at 88 years, as honorary chairman.

A few females are members of 365, like the well-known writer Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, Maloli Espinosa- Supnet, and star-gazer Zeneida Seva Ong. Other big names, some of them in the good graces of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, were Blas Ople, Ambassador Kokoy Romualdez, Ronnie Velasco, Ben David, and Joe Guevarra.

At the anniversary Sunday evening, Senate President Enrile was honored with a specially-made 365 jacket, and the rostrum from which he, described as “unsinkable” and “Zorro of the Senate,” delivered his  riveting life story.

Also given recognition awards were Intercontinental Manila, Dr. Emilio Yap, Ambassador Felimon Cuevas, Atty. Emiliano Jurado Jr., President Fidel V. Ramos and President Joseph Ejercito Estrada (both former presidents did not show up).

Providing entertainment numbers, to the accompaniment of the Los Caballeros, were Janet Basco, Anthony Castelo, the brother-and-sister tandem of Sharon and David Vicente, and the still sexy, flirty Carmen Soriano. Emcees were Ces Drilon and Johnny Litton.

Perhaps because of age and histories of mild strokes, many of the guests had left before the anniversary guest speaker, Vice-President Jejomar Binay, delivered his address. The VP praised the late Ka Doroy for having founded the 365 Club, thereby not allowing the voice of the people to be silenced (although it could not be put in print or broadcast).

The VP was, and remains one of my heroes. He, like the late Haydee Yorac, Frank Chavez and Joker Arroyo, were my lawyers when I was deluged with libel suits for putting out articles critical of the Marcos administration. I must make mention of possibly a 365 awardee, the late Manila Bulletin publisher, Gen. Hans Menzi, whose female writers put him in trouble with the administration; he chastised us a little, but in the same breath, immediately offered the services of the company lawyers. Us girls accepted the offer of human rights lawyers to come to our defense. Not one of us had ever been convicted for libel.

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Gov. Leonida “Baby” Ortiz, chair of the Special Events Division of the 2012 Anti-TB Educational and Fund Campaign of the Philippine Tuberculosis Society, Inc. (PTSI) announced the holding of a  dinner-dance for TB on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan City.

Funds to be raised from this event are for special TB projects like the TB DOTS program, and the TB educational modules to be disseminated to various Metro-Manila public schools in cooperation with the Department of Education.

Nelia T. Gonzalez is  general campaign chairperson of the 2012 Anti-TB Fund Campaign and treasurer of the PTSI board.

For further inquiries on the dinner-dance, call Celydelos Reyes or Josephine Morota of the fund raising department, 7813747 or 7813761 local 140/132.

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Two of my friends have lost loved ones, but their grief is assuaged by the beautiful memories and loving words spoken by relatives and colleagues on the good nature of the deceased.

Diana Santamaria bade farewell to her second daughter, Frances, who passed away two weeks ago. I knew France personally, and admired her gentle ways and charm. She painted the murals at the Bangus Republic restaurants, baked beautiful cakes, and taught painting to small kids. Diana says her daughter “never complained when she was in pain and always had a ready smile. She passed away on the Feast of Our Lady of Penafrancia, and Our Lady of Sorrows. She’s my angel up there now.”  France is survived by her husband Peps Ong Ante and their children Pio, 6, and Gab, 4; and sisters Nina and Lisette.

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For five straight nights, friends and colleagues filled a chapel at the Paz Funeral Homes in Paranaque to the brim, to pay homage to Pearl Palma Litan, who passed away last week. I’d never witnessed a happier wake than the other night, when Pearl’s bosom friends, husband, children, sisters, spiritual group partners and neighbors, told stories on how Pearl, 52, had touched their lives. She was kind, generous, thoughtful, full of wit and fun, the light and joy of the family, loved wine and traveling around the world and always bringing home pasalubong for everyone, they said. That night love pervaded the  chapel.

 Pearl attended Assumption Convent for high school and Ateneo University for masscom. After she recovered from a  surgery for thymoma cancer 26 years ago, she decided to know more about God, so she went to the Ateneo to study theology and family counseling. She had been a stewardess with Cathay Pacific, and after she retired she founded the Philippine Cathay Cabin Crew Charities, and along with her cabin crew chums did feedings for flood victims, distributed books and clothes, and treated Payatas children to movies. She also took nuns and seminarians to lunch. Last year, she launched a family business dealing in gourmet tuyo and sardines. Her Tita Pearl found every excuse to hold parties in her home, recalled Chikee, daughter of my good friend Ruby Palma.

Ruby told me that Pearl had thymoma cancer 26 years ago, but she survived till she was 52, and had a son, Julienne, and a daughter, Mariel. “Pinky (her nickname) lived a full life,” husband Noel said. The two kids spoke at the wake, and, like their dad, Noel, laughed as they recalled Pearl’s antics, but shed tears towards the end of their remarks. Ruby said indeed, Pearl was a “gem.” All the Palma girls are named after precious stones - Ruby, Emerald, Opal, Pearl, Sapphire and Jade; their two brothers are Celestino III, an investment specialist, and Ian John, a digital imaging expert.

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