PPSA Part 1

Here is the first part of my PPSA experience.

By the way, PPSA stands for Philippine Political Science Association. I attended the 2005 PPSA Conference, which was held at the MetroCentre Hotel, Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

October 20, Thursday:
I arrived at the NAIA Centennial Terminal around 6:30am. I saw Professor Olivia Caoili at the check-in counter. I greeted her and told her that I would be attending the PPSA Conference.

After getting my boarding pass, I went to the departure area and was looking for a place to sit when I saw Prof. Crisline Torres and Prof. Gene Pilapil. Ma'am Torres was reading a journal article while Sir Pilapil was sleeping, with his head resting on Ma'am Torres' lap.

I was with several UP professors during my flight, namely: Olivia Caoili, Maria Anna Rowena Luz Layador, Zosimo Lee, Noel Morada, Gene Pilapil, Raymond Jose Quilop, and Crisline Torres. From Ateneo was Benjamin Tolosa.

October 21, Friday:
The outfit for the conference was "smart casual". For the first day, I wore my green bohemian-inspired dress.

As I entered the MetroCentre Hotel, I saw Prof. Felipe Miranda and Dean Zosimo Lee eating breakfast. I proceeded to the second floor and went to the registration booth but there were no registration forms yet, so I sat down at the foyer. While texting a friend, I saw ate France Bitanga (from DLSU and UMak) and greeted her. Then, Prof. Jaime Naval came down and he greeted me. (He's such a student-friendly professor).

Engr. Jes Tirol delivered the Welcome Remarks, while Prof. Jose Abueva delivered the Keynote Address. There was a plenary session in the morning.

In the afternoon, there were nine concurrent sessions. During the second round of concurrent sessions, Profs. Pilapil and Torres, and I went out of the hotel to shop for pasalubong. I was basically their tour guide. Prof. Pilapil offered to carry my PPSA bag and he did not stop doing so till I gave him my bag. Para daw pantay ang weight sa shoulders niya since he was carrying ma'am Torres' bag on the other shoulder.

During the Welcom Dinner, there were representatives for the Tagbilaran City Government and the Bohol Provincial Government. Acting Mayor Zamora was literally starstruck. He felt so honored to have shook hands with Prof. Felipe Miranda, Prof. Jose Abueva, Prof. Alex Magno etc. We (referring to the UP Diliman contingent) were laughing during this part because for us, seeing Miranda et.al. is just a normal, everyday occurrence.

Near the closing of the Welcome Dinner, a raffle was held, but no one from UP Diliman won.

Our first day started 9:00am and ended around 10:00pm. We were all tired.