I knew Manny way back in ’77. We were still in high school then, and although he was an Atenean and I was a Lasallite we had music as our common ground. We were listening to Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Kansas, Styx, REO Speedwagon and a lot of other rock groups at that time. One day we decided to follow the footsteps of our heroes so we begged our parents to buy electric guitars. We didn’t get the Gibsons we wanted but we got the next best thing -- Gibby’s made in the Philippines. I got a black custom, but can’t for the life of me remember what color he got. We both purchased our axes at Cubao for 800 bucks each I think. We jammed, but since we were both noobs we didn’t get very far. I gave up but Manny continued. We parted ways when we entered college. It was only during the 90s that I saw his older brother during an AD&D game and he gave me Manny’s contact number. I gave Manny a call and learned that he became a very good guitar player. We lost touch again, and although we were both in I.T., our work brought us to different locations. I would hear about Manny from time to time from his brother and cousin, but I never got the chance to "hang around" with him again. It was only in Philmusic that I learned of his untimely demise.
RIP Manny and thanks for the memories.
