October 17, 2018 Tuesday
Edmund and classmates are childhood friends because they’ve known each other since kinder. Some transferred school after elementary, some moved to another school midway in high school. But the majority remained loyal to Sta. Maria Catholic School staying for 12 whole years from kinder to high school.
It seemed like no four decades had passed in between. At the gala night they were acting like teenagers. They went back in time and lived the moment. They took turns reminiscing the memories of their school days.
Meron pa silang mga crush-crush. First loves and true loves. I was glad my husband did not have a puppy love or unfinished business in Iloilo otherwise I would feel very awkward. If he had a girlfriend or girlfriends there, for sure he would not bring me along to their class reunion. Helen said Edmund was the quiet type. That was 40 years ago. He is quiet no more.
Edmund designed this party program. He spent many hours putting this together. Nagkakampupuyat sya sa harap ng computer. Pwede na syang mag-apply ng graphic artist.
He didn’t expect that his classmates would generously and wholeheartedly give. While he was planning the three days event, he wasn’t sure how he would divide the expenses. Surprisingly the opposite happened. He was not asking for donations and yet many of them gave.
It is important that those who contributed whether in cash or in kind are acknowledged.
Sponsorships/ Donations October Reunion
I hope I got this accurately:
1. William Tan — P28,000 (seafood dinner)
2. William Tan — P10,000 (supposedly for the coaster rental but since many have vehicles, Edmund cancelled the rental, paid cancellation fees and returned the remaining P8,000 to William)
3. Doc Chester—- Approx P50,000 Gala night food and venue
4. Dr. Nelson Lee—- P4,000 Lunch at Netong’s La Paz Batchoy
5. Edmund —– P32,000 (welcome dinner)
6. Sammy —- P10,000 (breakfast, Kap Esing’s Pancit Molo, etc.)
7. Innocencia —- P6,000
8. Helen and Frank —– Coffee Mugs
9. Avelina —- P 20,000
10. Milagros —- P6,000
11. Mila Sy—– P10,000
12. Jenny —— P20,000
13. Frank —— photographers
After accounting for all cash donations received minus the expenses, P37,000 cash was left in Edmund’s possession. My husband rounded this off to P40,000 which he would turn-over to Sammy, the newly appointed treasurer of the class.
Let’s party…
Dr. Nelson Lee was so shy. He didn’t talk much but I saw him laughing and laughing at the other guys’ stories. Nelson’s two kids followed in his footsteps. They are both doctors.
Franklin sang the SMCS school hymn while my husband provided the fist effect and the dance. This’ what happens after three bottles of beer.
Innocencia and Vic are good friends. Cens is a registered nurse based in Los Angeles and Vic is a professor at De la Salle University.
Vic and Milagros
A combination of real joy partying with his childhood friends and enhanced by an upper called beer.
Nonoy, Innocencia, Liberty Locsin, Adonis, Agustin, Felipe Velasco, Edmund, Wood, ___, Vic Angeles.
Franklin with his wife, Adonis, Milagros and husband, Wood and wife, Stewart with wife Annie (katukayo).
Dr. Nelson, William Kho, Milagros, Sammy, Jenny, Avelina and husband
Drs. Chester and Mary Ann Jardiolin, Helen, Joanne, Mila Sy, Susan
Sammy and his wife came with their pretty 28 year old daughter who is also a doctor of medicine like her mom and older brother. Daming doctors dito. And nurses too.
William Tan wife his wife Angela, a retired nurse.
There was a suggestion before to have a raffle at the gala night. Edmund shot that idea down kasi mahirap daw mag-uwi ng mga appliances, most especially those traveling back to America. They agreed to just have a small souvenir item that’s easy to pack and carry. Edmund bought 25 Ateneo school pins and emmbroidered patches last July during the grand alumni homecoming, and these were also distributed together with the mugs.
Mila Sy lives in Quezon City. Her classmates had fun teasing her about someone in the crowd who was her suitor when they were in high school. Mila’s husband passed away several months ago and she is not yet ready to fall in love again. Nakakakilig yung tuksuhan nila, parang mga teenagers.
Stewart made many of us teary-eyed when he thanked his classmates for their love and generosity. Stewart has an advanced state of cancer of the colon. Naiyak din ako when he said “you are now my family…” (something like that). I saw him enjoying the singing, dancing, sharing. Their next reunion is two years from now which would be the 50th anniversary of their elementary graduation. We all hope to see Stewart there, healthy and strong. It’s not going to be complete without him. His stories were funny. Like when he and classmates were able to sneak inside Maya theater. There was a for adults movie being shown. The police came and raided the theater and brought those youngsters to the precinct. One officer asked Stewart how old he was, he answered 18. Kasi nga it was only an adults movie called bomba nung araw. Ngayon bomba is a bomb that explodes, nung araw bomba referred to sexually explicit scenes and photos. Steward was only 10 years old but he told the policeman he was 18. The police didn’t believe him kasi nga ang liit pa nya. He was brought to the precinct. The officer told him to contact his parents so they could come and pick him up or else he would spend the night in jail. But Stewart refused to call his parents because he knew he would be castigated. He chose to sleep there rather than let his parents know. He was not put in jail but rather he was made to sleep inside the warden’s office. The warden loved Eddie Peregrina so much that the radio was playing the whole night. Stewart couldn’t sleep and he said he could stand being in jail but not listening to Eddie Peregrina the whole night.
My photo with Jenny, Angela, Innocencia was taken at midnight. No one wanted to go home yet.
A few did not show up at the party and didn’t participate in any way which was a pity. Uay was present during the first two days but disappeared on the last day. Susan, who builds and sells houses in Tagaytay City, showed up at the mass held in Sta. Maria but not at the gala night. Melchor, who is a local government official, was conspicuously absent the whole time. Zandra personally went to his office to remind him. Baka super busy.
Gatherings such as this shouldn’t be ignored and missed. I hope next time everyone comes to celebrate their friendships.
About 4 or 5 are in heaven.
My husband and classmates had successfully opened the gates of communication and renewed friendships among them and for that all of them were grateful. The hardest part was leaving and saying goodbye. After all the “i love you guys” it was time to go.
