CLASS REUNION

Fifty years post high school graduation !  To put them in perspective, they're equivalent to  2, 600 weeks or 18, 250 days or 438,000 hours.  Unequivocally, they spanned a lifetime and a reunion was in order.   It was an event that was farthest from the minds of 49 young faces from Majayjay Standard Academy that marched to their high school graduation song on March 29, 1963.  Their bright smiles  and eager eyes were hopeful and excited for the future, for the chance to carve a niche in some hallowed walls in the great amphitheater of the world.   They were fresh and brawny; they were full of dreams; they were smart, and they were ready.  So each ventured to conquer their legacy to the future to the beat of their own drum. Most went on to explore less known horizons, others searched the beaten paths for golden opportunities, while some decided to stay on the solid and secure grounds of home.

The date was set for the 9th of March 2013 to gather and remember.  The group had been broken with deaths and other personal catastrophies but the remaining members were excited and enthusiastic.  Five of us who were based abroad initiated the preparations and corroborated with three members who resided locally.  Due to the inadequate access to present communication methods, a lot of legwork was required to disseminate the information to those who resided locally but almost everyone that could be reached was informed.  Eding Almonte and Minnie Gordula, both from Chicago,  were unable to attend but they generously sent some monetary help since the expenses would be solely borne by those coming from abroad. A recent U.S. immigrant, Diorme Estebal, also expressed his regrets, as well as Amor Sobrevinas, a merchant marine.   He was summoned to his ship to cover an emergency  but also did not forget to send some funds. Robert Romero, Lita Arceta, Norma Urgel, Rollie Rondilla, and myself,  were in frequent communication via email or phone and plans were relayed to Marino Sunga, Danny Oconer, and Necy Coprada who made sure that things were progressing on their end.  As the day drew near, Lita flew in from Australia and she and Necy picked up Norma and me from the airport on March 5.  Robert flew in from Guam on the same day and arrived a couple of hours later.  We waited for him at the airport because we would be staying in his Antipolo house for a couple of days.  Robert drove Necy's car after he instructed his brother to drive his car home and we reached Antipolo around midnight.  After a lot of catching up on each other's lives and a midnight snack of hot pan de sal, we settled for the night.  The next couple of days was a whirlwind of activities - going to Greenhills and other malls, pampering ourselves in a massage/spa nearby, but most of all, satisfying our palates with local gastronomic fares.  We ate - and ate like gluttons -  and my digestive system, not being used to such excesses, started to become uncomfortable. 

On Thursday, we headed for Majayjay with Necy taking the wheels since Robert opted not to come until the next day.  Norma Urgel and I stayed with Lita and her mom in their nice Origuel home and were treated with homegrown kindness and hospitality all throughout our stay.  The word traveled fast about our arrival and there was a constant flow of visitors, mostly of old classmates who wanted to say hi and get updates about the reunion.  The next day was spent finalizing things.  Marino and Danny gave us a tentative head count and Lita followed up on the food order while I just oversaw things.  I had the program ready and reviewed how things should flow with those who were involved.  The weather concerned us a bit with sudden rains creating small puddles but we tried to conquer our apprehension and hoped we would be blessed with sunshine the next day.

A beautiful Majayjay morning greeted us with a subdued sunshine and a tolerable dose of humidity.  Around 9 AM, we drove to the back of the church which was our gathering place.  A few people were already there and the others showed up in Filipino time style, but the excited mood of the group made waiting endurable.  The town fiesta was coming in three days so there were a lot of vendors selling their wares in makeshift tents lined along the main street in front of the church.  There was a horde of pan handlers that included a number of children that followed us everywhere asking for alms.  There were no beggars in town when I was growing up so I asked my friends why they were all over the place.  I was told they were bused (by whoever) to towns having their fiesta so they were really not local.  I was surprised at how aggressive they were because they were just on people's faces  with their outstretched arms,  saying, "Pahingi pera, pahingi pera,  pahingi".  It was a bothersome scene and the empty eyes of small children carried by young mothers in their threadbare outfits were gut-wrenching but there were too many of them  that giving something to one would surely create chaos.  Well, I'm digressing. 

               Half had gone to a better place, some had other plans, but we're here and that's what really counted.

Before we left for Majayjay Bed and Breakfast,  which would be the reunion venue, we hastily lined up on the church's back steps for a picture taking.  If it was hard to organize a group of active children, it was more of a challenge to get a bunch of adults, some of whom had not seen each other for half a century, to follow instructions.  There was a constant chatter, peals of laughter, a friendly "hello", a shoulder tap here, a  rush to stand next to someone over there.  Finally, everyone managed to stand still and smile for the cameras.  The sunshine was getting stronger and I had to don my sunglasses to curb its intense brightness that was always a problem for my "Lasik" modified eyes.  We tied yellow balloons to the vehicles we're using and with Marino and Danny on their respective motorcycles on the lead, we drove around the town.  The streets, wherever we went, were full of people, mostly children of varied ages.  That little motorcade gave me the chance to see the changes that had occurred in my hometown during the last half century and I was distressed at how this picturesque little municipality that held so much promise had been brought to such a pitiful state of deterioration.  I still had a vivid mental picture of the old Majayjay, the town of my youth, with its clean streets and old but well-tended homes, with the impressive plaza that boasted an iconic hero's monument overlooking a bridge from colonial times, with the clean tennis court next to the municipal building where dances and other town activities were held.  Those structures were still present but they were shabby and in a sad state of disrepair.  There were children running everywhere, adults standing around busy with inactivity.  There were debris, broken vehicles that were just left to rot along the road,  unmended fences, old, abandoned homes. The houses, in some areas, seemed to rival the grungy and unkempt  appearance of "barong-barongs" while right next to them stood a modern, beautiful home.  One of the things that bothered me the most was the presence of an inordinate amount of vehicles - jeepneys, tricycles, motorbikes, etc - that rendered walking on the streets virtually unsafe.  What happened to my town?  Where were the leaders and what were they doing about these pathetic situations?  Sorry, I'm digressing... again. 

Back to the reunion.  As soon as we got to the B&B, we rearranged the tables and chairs in a "T" to enable us to sit together as a group.  The food and servers were ready but we decided we would incorporate the lunch somewhere in the middle of the program.  As we were waiting for the rest of the vehicles to arrive, we saw an approaching SUV that didn't seem familiar.  At closer inspection, we recognized the passengers were Ramon Latina and his wife, Debbie.  We had given up on Ramon's participation after he assured us he wasn't coming due to his busy schedule combined with other reasons.  His decision was causing some resentments and grumbling among many of us because we did not believe his reason was legitimate.  Ramon was an integral part of our high school "Who's Who" so it was easy to understand why his absence, without a compelling cause,  was unacceptable.   Personally, he and Robert Romero were the brothers I never had.  We were a frequent three-some, studying together, walking around town to some "bikang-bikang" party (lol), going to the tennis court to see a dance, or just simply hanging out on a lazy Friday night.  We were a band of "brothers" that stayed close even during the early years of college  but we slowly drifted apart as life pulled us in different directions.  Robert and I reconnected after we both got married but I never saw or heard from Ramon until we had our last reunion four years ago.  A retired lawyer now, he had not lost that winsome personality that endeared him to everyone but his once wavy black hair had been replaced by a headful of gray that he did not seem interested hiding in a bottle of dark dye.   So here he was walking on the soft, rain-soaked lawn of the B&B,  and we were ecstatic!  Like unrestrained little tots, Necy, Lita, and I ran to meet him and his wife, hugged them, and expressed our appreciation for their presence.   Everyone cheered when they saw them and I bet the overwhelming reception really touched their hearts.  But what a difference 50 years made!  Ramon had grown from a skinny teenager with those teasing brown eyes to a mature, self-assured, but slightly heavy-set adult that continued to charm others with his trademark self-effacing grin. 

                                                                       Ramon and Debbie getting ready to go.

As soon as everyone showed up, I gave the go-signal for Marino to start the program.  He was a very capable emcee with the smoothness and ad-libbing expertise that could rival a TV talk-show host.  He had the stage presence of a seasoned performer and his warm singing voice captivated the audience as he belted out old ditties during the Karaoke segment towards the end of the program.  Ramon started with an invocation and I followed with my welcome remarks.   Robert Romero recognized the attendees and read off from  the list the names of those who had passed on.  There was a noticeable hush of poignant recollection as he requested the group to remember those departed souls - old friends - in prayer.   Mrs. Linsangan, our guest teacher, arrived a little late, so we made some changes on the program and decided to have lunch first.  She arrived shortly after lunch was announced.  Nena Dorado offered grace and soon, we all lined up to fill our plate.   Food was plentiful and everyone enjoyed the sumptuous self-served Filipino favorites of pancit, dinuguan and puto, chicken adobo in coconut milk, grilled fish with tomatoes, onions and herbs on the side,  chicken curry, and other side dishes I could not recall because I was more interested in talking than eating at that time.  The program resumed after lunch and the attendees were invited to give a personal profile update.  Everyone spoke and in their revelations,  we caught a glimpse of the proverbial water flowing under the bridge of time as they gave a synopsis of how the intervening years treated them.  It was interesting to note how our lives that started  on the same focal point deviated so far from one  another, that now, our divergent interests and lifestyles, especially of those who had left the country, seemed foreign and unfamiliar to most.   Regardless, there were those common threads that would always link us to each other, that easy camaraderie and affection nurtured during those years in high school that time was unable to erase.  I would have written a number of interesting volumes had I the inclination to do so as I listened to each one recount the highlights of his/her past.  It would be a mistake to assume that only those who had finished a college degree or those who had the opportunity to go abroad were successful,  for success was not something that could be defined in singular terms or fashioned into one distinct, specific mold.  Indisputably, it could be measured in different yardsticks in an arbitrary manner outside the materialistic and rigid definition of the world.  Fame, money, and power had long been considered the attributes of success.  But in the lives of this small group of MSA alumni, that narrow framework had expanded to include the more lasting - and more meaningful - elements of success.  Love, sacrifice, hard work, selfless service:  they were the common denominators in everyone's life as they dedicated their productive years in helping their parents, their siblings, and other close relatives pursue an education,  start a business and other productive endeavors to improve their lives.  There was no easy start for any of us it seemed,  but success, if it could be quantified and bottled, would fill every nook of our old town from the Class of '63 alone.   That verbal exercise undoubtedly touched some raw fibers of the emotion and some tears were shed but those were interspersed with hilarity and light moments of laughter.  After everyone had the chance to speak.  Mrs. Linsangan was presented with a bouquet of flowers as the group's token of appreciation for her attendance and support.  She gave a brief remark in her usual amiable manner and candor that made her one of the most beloved classroom figures  of our MSA years.

Marino, our emcee.

Robert Romero with Marino and Ramon (on the foreground)

                                                                     Stiff competitors Lydia and Nena  - Musical Chairs game

My dear old friend, Lydia Montemor-Palentinos

                                                                                  The young ones (once).

As the evening drew closer, we took advantage of the remaining daylight hours for a group picture.  It was followed with "Let-your-hair-loose" time of games and Karaoke singing.  The games brought out the raucous and competitive nature of the participants especially as gifts were distributed to each category  winner.   There were good-natured banterings and jokes directed to the losers but eventually, everyone had won something from the stash of prizes  brought by the "foreign" class members.  Dusk was falling when the gathering ended.  Everyone seemed reluctant to leave except for Ramon and his wife and Mrs Linsangan and her son who were traveling back to  Metro Manila and San Pablo, respectively.  Torio Ronabio, an honorary class member and a vice-mayoral candidate, invited the whole group to his restaurant at 4:00 PM the next day.  Happy with the knowledge that merriment was being extended, the group dispersed and called it a day.

The whole group of attendees with Mrs. Lucia Linsangan.

At Torio's place, the day after.

Lita, Norma, Necy, Robert, Danny, and I - returned to the B&B later to spend the night in their "Bahay-Kubo", one of the buildings on the compound.  Three of us, tired from the day's activities, took advantage of the cozy accommodations and went to bed  right away.  Necy and the boys, however, stayed until 3 AM playing Mah-jong to the constant drip-drip sound of an all-night drenching rain.   It seemed a fitting finale to our class reunion, a day steeped in grateful appreciation to a loving Eternal Father for the blessings of the last fifty years on the lives of us who were still around to enjoy the sunshine, a restful sleep, and the calming rhythm of the falling rain.   With an unwavering faith that the clouds would lift from the horizon to give way to a clear day, I gave in to the enticing power of sleep.  I closed my eyes,  secure in the knowledge that I was prepared, albeit unwittingly,  to salute the many uncharted dawns of the remaining golden years (and reunions) ahead.  

The Mah-jongeros.  Necy wiped out the 2 guys.

Lita and I slept here.   Danny slept on the floor below.

Obet occupied the top bunk; Necy, the bottom bunk (lol).  Norma U took the other bed  across from us (not shown).

After a wonderful breakfast the following morning (I'll always remember that fresh guyabano juice).

“May the road rise up to meet you; may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”  - An Irish Blessing -