Last February 2012 meeting, the club had a very special guest in the person of Emil Davocol. Yup, ‘Davoks’ as he is more popularly known, was present. After suffering a stroke some years back, Emil has rarely attended the monthly meets and for the members, it is really a joy to see him. So surprising was his presence that Lifetime member Sonny Camarillo did an impromptu tribute to the four-time Master Photographer (1983, 1995, 1998 and 1999) and long-time friend. Sonny’s tribute was so emotional that he was not able to hold back his tears while reminiscing the past, citing past CCP activities they did with other close members, back to the days when they were called Grupo Singko.
Grupo who?
For some of the newer members who were not around when Emil was still active (including this author), it was hard to relate with some of the stories. But who really was Grupo Singko?
In 2003, the Diamond Jubilee Year (75th) of CCP, Sonny wrote a special article for the Viewfinder entitled Camarilla by Camarillo (The Camera Club of the Philippines – The Second Coming). His article talked about his 25 years of experience with the club, way back in the 70’s. Here is an excerpt from the article:
During the mid-70’s and the early 80’s to me has been the most competitive years among the CCP members. Being among whose pictures were featured in the Viewfinder is already an achievement. The On-The-Spot photo contests during those years were more intense. But the camaraderie was just superb. Like anyone among the more senior members, I could provide pages and pages of our OTS experiences. The most memorable OTS were our first trip to Vigan, Baguio and Abra. Almost everyone would join except the batches of the 50’s and 60’s. I can add that all our monthly and OTS contests were as important as putting a man on the moon.
Gruop Singko in the 80's
The OTS made me closer to Emil Davocol, Waldy Cruz and Bien Bautista. We travel in my car together always. My other good friends Omeng Esguerra, Johnny Cruz and Benny de la Vega would bundle together maybe because they share the same passion – Antiques. . . . In the Abra OTS, a group was formed, Sonny Camarillo, Bien Bautista, Waldy Cruz and Emil Davocol. We called ourselves The Grupo Singko. The participating members were divided into teams. There were six and ours was Group 5. Abra was starting to be a hotbed of the Leftist insurgents. We went to remote places sometimes crossing two rivers. Everyone had a taste of dust, literally. . . . I wrote a diary about that Abra OTS, it was published in the Viewfinder and Grupo Singko was given an ovation for the slides presentation. That was the beginning of presenting behind the scenes of the OTS. After Abra, Grupo Singko presented slide shows of succeeding OTS behind the scenes. We would shoot members in action, in different moods, awkward shooting positions, all for the laughs. I was credited and given a Plague of Citation by CCP President Dr. Jorge Faustino for conceptualizing the OTS Rules.
Grupo Singko a few decades afterwards
At the time Sonny penned this article, Waldy Cruz had already passed away. It was actually he who coined the name ‘Davoks’ to Emil while writing for the Viewfinder. Bien, as we all know, is still very much active in joining competitions. While Sonny, although no longer competing, is always present during the meetings.
Grupo Singko today with Sonny Camarillo (L), Emil 'Davoks' Davocol (M) and Bien Bautista (R)
Nowadays, we have the likes of the Dirty Dozen (DD) and the Illuminati boys, members who bonded during their probee years. Who knows, maybe one of them will be writing the same article on the club’s Centennial year? That is just 14 years away. But for now, we look forward to our 85th next year.
Long live the CCP!