I STILL couldn’t believe I did it.

No, I’m not being a menace. I just did it for our upcoming Alumni activity.

I was assigned in the promotion of our Alumni Homecoming scheduled on December 26. (As early as April, we’ve already planned about it but we did not promote it yet because the decision was not yet final. The pioneerig batch sort of has a final say on the matter.) I did some things already to make way for the realization of our plans. I set up our e-group so that we can communicate with one another and we can gather suggestions and ideas from the rest of the alumni. I also created a website to facilitate the dissemination of information. I sent messages to alumni I found on Friendster.

In addition to these online promotional activities, Margie (co-teacher and ANSHS alumna) and I went to ABS-CBN to have our even announced on TV Patrol SoCSKSarGen’ Community Billboard and over MOR. One of the alumni now works at Bombo Radyo, so we have free announcements through the radio station.

So why did I climb up NFA’s fence?

Another way of promoting the activity is through the historic streamer. Margie and I also went through the process of securing a permit to install our streamer in one of General Santos City’s most crowded street. We sent a letter addressed to the city mayor. A day later i called up the mayor’s office and was told that our request was already endorsed to the Permits and Licenses department. It’s been two days already but we still haven’t got the permit. When we went to the Permits and Licenses department, we were told that they hadn’t received the endorsement for our request. We were told later that we need to go to the Engineering office then to the Treasurer’s office and back to the Permits and Licenses department. Red and sticky tape. Heck, that’s a lot of things to do given our limted time. We can only leave the school after three o’clock when we don’t have classes.

Why go through all these hassles just to be able to post a streamer? That brought back to life the rebel in me. I went to the National Food Authority that is strategically located around the corner where the national highway and busy J. Catolico Ave meet. I went to talk to the guards to allow me to post the streamer on their fence. They pointed me to the woman in office clothes. She looked intimidating. She should be one of the heads there. I took courage to talk to her and told her my business of going there. I was quite surprised when she told me she’s glad I asked permission. Other people just hang their streamers on the establishment’s fence without notifying the NFA people. Darn.

It was already a few minutes past five when I stood in front of the fence trying to figure out how to tie the streamer there with the least possibility of being stolen or victimized by some citizens of this land. If you’re frequenting the area, you know very well the volume of vehicles passing by that point at that particular time of the day.

Neglecting the idea of looking stupid, still in my teacher’s uniform, I climbed up the fence and tied each end of the streamer to the fence, ensuring that no matter how fierce the natural and man-made disturbances may be, our streamer will hang on there, proudly announcing that some future leaders are coming together for the first time as alumni of Alabel National Science High School on December 26.

Guys, in case you are an ANSHS alumnus/a, or know someone who is, please attend our Alumni Homecoming. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.