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The University of the Philippines Association of Biology Majors (ABM) held its annual Buddy Bidding activity last July 20, Monday. Members and applicants alike flocked to the Vinzon’s Hall Activity Center located on the 4th floor of the building. The activity was set to start at 1:00 PM and last for three hours, culminating at 4:00 PM.
Applicants were tasked to line up in the narrow space right outside of the Activity Center for registration. Once the members had everything set-up inside, applicants were signing in and receiving their Buddy Points Logs, which doubled as their numbers for the bidding procedure. Those who were done logging in were lead inside and asked to be quietly seated. Shortly after everyone settled down, the Membership Committee officially initiated the year’s Buddy Bidding activity.
Hands holding numbered papers shot up into the air as the descriptions and schedules of ABM members flashed on the wall. Each applicant, upon raising his/her paper and stating whether he/she was proxy-ing for a fellow applicant, was given a chance to bid for the anonymous member using Buddy Points as currency, beginning with a minimum of 2000 points.
The highest bidder would be awarded the privilege of becoming the member’s buddy for the next month, which would serve as the time allotment for garnering the number of points he/she bid. There were also special cases wherein a single member or a pair of members generously took up the two highest bidders as buddies.
Bids generally started low but rose gradually as the activity went on. Numbers reached as low as 6,000 buddy points and peaked at 80,000, with the title of this year’s highest bidder was given to Leif Tan and his bid for member Lisa Corpuz. Members then decided to set the cap at this amount, permitting any applicant the desired buddy by bidding the roof value.
The activity closed at around 3:30 PM, ending half an hour earlier than anticipated. Applicants met up with their member counterparts and planned out their activities before evacuating the room.
ABM’s Buddy Bidding activity is a yearly tradition which lays the grounds for existing members and new applicants to bond and get to know each other. Through the buddy point system, the applicant-member duo engages in various activities designated by the Membership Committee as a way of breaking the ice and closing the gap between them.
Originally scheduled for the afternoon of July 17, the Buddy Bidding activity was postponed due to heavy rain showers and the subsequent suspension of classes.
Last July 11, 18 and 25, the University of the Philippines Association of Biology Majors (ABM) offered its annual tutorial for the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) to the seniors of Krus na Ligas High School and UP Integrated School at Institute of Biology Pavilion 4.
Spearheaded by ABM’s Academic Committee and led by Hannah Co, the tutorials tackled the four major foci of the UPCAT – Mathematics, English and Filipino and Science; with the Sciences further divided into Physics, Biology and Chemistry.
More than a hundred students attended these review sessions held on Saturday from 8AM to 4PM. During these sessions they practiced their test taking skills and were given crash course lectures on the UPCAT subject matter.
Special mention goes to ABM’s members, Joanna Cuayo, Jacqueline Canlas, Lindsay Carandang, Patrick Cruz, JC Reyes, Philippine Science High School Senior, Lance Co Ting Keh and ABM’s applicants for selflessly giving their time to assist in the tutorial sessions.
When asked to comment about this year’s tutorials, Academic Committee Head, Hannah Co said, "My committee and I are very pleased and proud of ABM, its members and its applicants, for showing such great support for this project. I am happy to say it was a great success. My only hope is that we can make it even better next year."
The review was ABM’s first major activity lined up for the school year and it appears that they’re off to a great start.
May 3, 2009.
The most anticipated match of the year for the IBO light welter weight crown, Pacquiao VS Hatton, “The Battle of East and West”, was also the most anticipated day for ABM, which served as a host for the pay-per-view show. Little did its members know that it [would dictate the future of their organization.]
The pay-per-view was set at Henry Lee Irwin Theater of Ateneo de Manila University. As early as 8 AM, customers, reserved and walk-ins alike, lined up to get good seats for the much awaited fight of the year. From one under card match to another, as the main event drew near, customers started pouring in the theater that the org had their hands full.
Finally, it was time for the main event. Customers and org members alike rushed in the theater to watch the entrance of both fighters. As the bell rang for the 1st round, the theater became quiet as the fighters started to survey each other, looking for an opening. Barely 51 seconds after the bell rang, the theater whipped into a frenzy as a right hook brought down the Briton. A one-two left the entire theater in awe right before the end of the first round.
With 2 knockdowns in just the 1st round, the theater was exploding with cheers that fell silent again as the 2nd round bell rang. This time, the theater was starting to feel uneasy as the Briton started to be on the offensive. Just 9 seconds before the 2nd round ended, the theater again had exploded into cheers as Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao delivered a stunning left hook to the jaw that floored Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton permanently.
ABM treasurer Joseph John Sanchez would not divulge the exact amount of the total profit for the event but described it as “kickass.”
- Merlin Sanicas
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