(<i>This article is a tribute to Bro. Arlo Trinidad (Eta) who passed away on April 23, 2004.<\/i>) <br><br>
\nIt was a massive display of love and affection. It was a huge gathering of friends, kin and fraternity colleagues of Br. Edmund \u00c2\u201cArlo\u00c2\u201d Trinidad known for his maverick personal style. They came from all corners of the United States to celebrate his 50th birthday and a borrowed life as he is battling a debilitating and dreaded illness known as lung cancer.
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\nThe guests, nay revelers came mostly in garish and outlandish garbs, tattered clothes and what have you simulating the hippie looks in the late 60s and early 70s. And then some were sporting oversized afro hair reminiscent of African-American musicians in that era. Others with bandanas around their locks while a few were wearing \u00c2\u201cpeace sign\u00c2\u201d pendants around their necks.
\n<br><br>The jam-packed crowd of about 300 souls that trooped to the swanky Cerritos Performing Arts hall one lazy Sunday evening, danced, sang, laughed, cried, and wept as they paid tribute to the man of the hour.
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\nThe night yielded $9,000 to the Edmund Arlo Cancer Foundation.
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\nBro. Arlo\u00c2\u2019s kin, fraternity brothers, kumpare, close friends, serenaded, roasted and toasted him like no other recalling his stubbornness, non-conformist ideas, uncompromising, ways, war-freak tendencies during his college days as a fratman, fierce loyalty, opinionated mind, jealous-type husband, frustrated musician, flirty designs etc. etc. etc.
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\nThe birthday celebrator came visibly thinner with a throaty and incoherent voice — amid a wild and loving applause. He was garbed with a colorful Harley Davidson shirt, bell-bottom denim, cowboy boots and a matching bandana over a long wavy wig — typical of a hippie look. Bro. Arlo was still ruggedly handsome despite shedding off some pounds from 170 to 130 in his 5\u00c2\u2019 10\u00c2\u201d frame.<br><br>The hastily-formed BOOB Band of APO-ETA brods Bobbitte Picazo, Oscar Angeles, Ogie Laurente Boysie Brillantes dished out several sounds of the hippie era like \u00c2\u201cVentura Highway\u00c2\u201d, \u00c2\u201cHonky Tonk Women\u00c2\u201d, \u00c2\u201cWords\u00c2\u201d, \u00c2\u201cTo Love Somebody\u00c2\u201d, \u00c2\u201cMy Girl\u00c2\u201d, \u00c2\u201cWonderful Tonight\u00c2\u201d, \u00c2\u201cImagine\u00c2\u201d, etc. I also contributed my Beatles signature songs like \u00c2\u201cShe Loves You\u00c2\u201d and \u00c2\u201cI Saw Her Standing There\u00c2\u201d to set the mood of the evening.<br><br>Brod Yoyo Likwong on lead guitar was a revealing performer as he dished out \u00c2\u201cOye Como Va,\u00c2\u201d and \u00c2\u201cJohnny Be Goode\u00c2\u201d with the BOOB and Bridges Bands. With his electrifying performance as a guitar player in the mold of Jimi Hendrix and Santana, a star is born.
\nBro. Arlo and Grace\u00c2\u2019s three children did their part in entertaining the ambivalent and motley crowd. Janine, the youngest opened with a powerful dance number to the tune of \u201cShine On You Crazy Diamond,\u00c2\u201d Lauren co-emceed the program with Brod Boysie Brillantes. One of the most poignant highlights of the evening was Jandy who crooned an emotionally touching \u201cFather & Son\u00c2\u201d ballad popularized by Cat Stevens. The musically talented sibling accompanied himself on the keyboard. While he was singing, some attendees were shedding tears with. Bro. Arlo incessantly wiping his moist eyes.<\/p>\n
Bro. Arlo\u2019s UP High School chums made a presentation replete with props which elicited a lot of laughter from the crowd. Known to them as Edmund, they were surprised to see him after 24 years as the dashing and debonair new \u201cArlo.\u201d<\/p>\n
A book, \u201cLeave Me But Not My Heart\u201d authored by Bro. Arlo\u00c2\u2019s dutiful and devoted wife Grace was distributed. It\u2019s like memoir about her life with her husband from their college days up to the time he was afflicted with cancer. I\u00c2\u2019m reminded of a similar book \u00c2\u201cAn Enduring Love\u201d by Farah Pahlavi, wife of the late Shah of Iran. Kudos and cheers for Grace for producing a book for chronicling her life with Bro. Arlo. It was a painstaking undertaking, yet she did it in the name of love.<\/p>\n
It was a wonderful sight to behold when Bro. Arlo suddenly sprang to life, figuratively speaking, when he stood alone on the dancing floor gyrating to the electrifying sounds of the Bridges Band\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m a Soul Man. towards the waning minutes of the birthday bash. The few, who had remained, burst into wild applause and joined him on the floor.<\/p>\n
Before we finally called it a night, Bro. Nan Clavecilla crooned Joe Cocker\u2019s, \u201cYou Are So Beautiful\u201d to the delights of the appreciative revelers.<\/p>\n
Mindful of APO\u00c2\u2019s lead role in organizing this Birthday Bash cum Tribute To Bro. Arlo, Dr. Abraham Trinidad, Bro. Arlo\u2019s blood brother from Colorado could only heaped praise through this scribe and The Bridges Band. \u201cI really appreciate your show of support to my brother,\u201d he enthused. \u00c2\u201cI was amazed by your music. Kala ko para lang kayong pang-harana. You made our day.\u201d<\/p>\n
True to the theme of the night, AN EVENING OF PEACE AND MUSIC, \u201ccelebrating 50 wonderful years of Bro. Arlo\u2019s life of love, drugs and Rock and Roll,\u00c2\u201d the program was opened with a rather unusual, offbeat, eclectic rock-fusion of the Star-Spangled Banner Jimmy Hendrix via the footage from a Woodstock Concert. Kudos to Bro. Francis Franco for coming up with the glimpses of the 60s and 70s on the giant screen. His wife Pelucci also rendered a song, \u201cDreams\u201d and \u201cLeather And Lace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not to be outdone are the six other siblings of Bro. Arlo and their spouses from across the country who serenaded him with Ilocano ditties, \u201cTi Ayat Ti Maysa Nga Ubing,\u201d and \u201cNo Dua-duaem Pay.\u201d<\/p>\n
All told, the APO Alumni can truly organize any show, big or small. Thanks to our APO training or initiation back home.\u00a0Everyone deserved a pat on the back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(<i>This article is a tribute to Bro. Arlo Trinidad (Eta) who passed away on April 23, 2004.<\/i>) <br><br> It was a massive display of love and affection. It was a huge gathering of friends, kin and fraternity colleagues of Br. Edmund \u00c2\u201cArlo\u00c2\u201d Trinidad known for his maverick personal style. They came from all corners of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n