Present as always is our reunion celebrations captain---the honorable Phillip Adlao, assisted by our most able host---the honorable Jocelyn Balutan Dedumo and our most loyal secretary/treasurer---Ms. Florida Kaimo-Clerigo. As ever our Batch muse---Ms. Sandra Revecho-Frias, blooms in loveliness as an exemplar of the beauty of motherhood. The most physically fit general of the Batch--- Merlyn Centural-Escañan still wears her military physique. while most of us models Russel M. Nelson’s description: “As we grow older our broad chests and narrow waists have a tendency to trade places. We got wrinkles, lose color in our hair---even the hair itself---to remind us that we are mortal children of God, with a manufacturer’s guarantee that we shall not be stranded upon the earth forever.”
With us is our pediatrician Dr. Amelia Romero-Nambatac, who despite her most demanding profession, honored us with her presence. Of course we were entertained by the dancing queens and songbirds Maria Estobo and Susana Cayasa-Lipang---the Principal, and our long time high school soloist Bobby Abarico. Also in attendance are state-grandmothers---Lola Agnes Billones-Berte; Lola Estelita Balmora-Morales; and Lola Evelyn Confessor-Alac---who believe that their greatest blessings are those who called them grandma and that caring for their posterity can be an antidote for dementia. While she attended during the reunion parade, we missed Julietta Otero’s high school version of Skyline Pigeon at night, probably being too busy preparing for the fiesta celebration. And there is our most fertile teacher---who gave birth to her last born at age 49---whose most noble profession steered her back to the portals of our Alma Mater.
Offering the invocation and blessing for our chow is OFW turned businessman and Christian community leader Catalino Uson. Obviously, I was there simply as a singer, dancer, and Batch 69 chronicle writer.
Indeed, as ever, it has always been a pleasure to meet with friends and classmates as we enjoyed so much moments of gladness together as therapeutics for age of grey seclusion. No matter how honorable and respectable their achievements or no matter how lowly their accomplishments, “It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them (Ralph Waldo Emerson).”
Others, particularly those who are working and residing far from Surigao City are missed. We understand the cost and disquiets of travels. Most of them will be reaching the compulsory retirement age next year, except perhaps for Engr. Nelson Martinez and Engr. Surtalicito Liquido, whose expertise as engineering consultants are still in demand both here and abroad, and also Dr. Celia R. Silverio-Santos who is in the demanding medical profession and being involved in charity works. Atty. Epifanio Almeda is likewise too busy with his law practice and his charitable organization. We are, therefore, expecting that some more will be attending our annual reunions during the next three years comes our golden jubilee grand reunion. “A trip to nostalgia now and then is good for the spirit (John Bartolovic).” If you want to see how age changed things of long ago, you should attend our high school reunions.
We do not have the list of Batch ‘69 graduates, but we estimated that there were a little over 200 in our group. Our hearts are sorrowed by the memories of those of our batch mates who have earlier gone beyond the veil. We are humbled by the thought that with God’s providence we are still accounted for in life’s race and moving forward despite failing knees and limbs.
We remembered and missed the presence of Wilfredo Pantilo that dark Adonis who was a working student of our then teacher Ms. Carmen Silay; Perlito Lopez, the most generous son of then Provincial Treasurer Auspicio Lopez of Surigao del Norte; Antonio Dahug and his step brother; Marlo Crisologo, DILG Director of Butuan City who battled with a crippling paralysis as a result of a stroke; and Jaime Dela Cruz, the comic who failed to be with us because of a very important priority.
For sure, our living teachers will have so much pleasure to hear our successes and failures; defeats and victories; joys and sorrows. Hence, we planned to invite them during our next year’s reunion. We hope that more will be coming to meet and dine with them in the reunion table on 2017. It will be one best opportunity for us to express our gratitude for molding the foundations and forming the building blocks of our futures which we now enjoy.
“No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth (Robert Southey).” We are not sure what God has in store for each of us, but we are hoping that we will still be meeting together comes the year 2019 as real friends and batch mates.
