Angelo San Pedro

February 1967 – June 23, 2004

Unlike today when the parking lot across UP Diliman’s Palma Hall is brimming with vehicles, there was a time when it was almost empty because very few students own cars. One of those students who did not rely on the Ikot jeep was Angelo. His family lived in a posh village along EDSA. One of his comrades recalled that one time his cousin bragged that Angelo and his other sibling would find it impossible to squander all of their family’s wealth because of its huge amount.

Despite their family’s status, Angelo was a simple and generous comrade. His contemporary remembered how they trooped to the CASAA for lunch and Angelo would often buy laing, his favorite dish. He offered rides to his other comrades, many times overloading his car with passengers. He also opened his home to them. 

How Angelo became a part of the anti-dictatorship movement is a proof of the assertion that state fascism is the greatest recruiter of activism. He was shooting a video in a rally where state troopers used truncheons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Many students like Angelo signed up to become members of the League of Filipino students after the said rally. With LFS as a part of the SAMASA, Angelo became active in election campaigns. He wrote manifestos and election campaign materials like poems for posters for both organizations. He was also a warm body in many rallies.

When Angelo left UP, his father sent him to a province to work for a steel company. He became a part of its corporate communications team. His position was not part of the company’s management, so he was invited during union meetings. The members probably saw how Angelo adeptly articulated their issues and discerned his sincerity because later on, he was elected as the union president.

After his stint there, Angelo would regale his UP contemporaries during drinking sessions with stories on how he sat in collective bargaining agreement (CBA) meetings. He related how he proudly represented the company workers, with a team of lawyers representing the company on the other side of the table. Chuckling, he disclosed that some of them were former activists. He reveled that he was on the right side of the CBA negotiations and that despite not fulfilling his family’s dream for him to become a lawyer, he confidently faced and argued with them to fight for the benefits of the union members that they deserve. 

Angelo continued his work at the TUCP and joined his former comrades in UP after office hours in little huts at the back of the building. He would tell them his stories about his work in the union and his plan to get married. However, tragedy struck. Angelo became ill and had to undergo a kidney transplant. His body rejected the donated organ. He died soon after the operation. 

His father was present in a memorial organized by his fellow LFS and SAMASA members and listened to his comrades’ stories on how his son fought for student rights and welfare, made a stand on national issues, and served the workers.