vmhs class '63 digest issue #6

October 2012

Issue No. 6 Class '63 Digest

INSIDE

• Readers’ Forum • Quiz Contest Special Interest

Articles: • Danilo Caceres • My Buddy Eddie • Best Friends

Forever • Filipiniana 2012

October Birthday

Celebrants:

• Rosario Nantes-

Miranda • Erlinda Tablan- Fernandez • Rosario Miranda- Bartolome • Erlinda Yuson • Victor Valbuena

Guest Editors

• Teo T. Antonio • Adelia T. Salcedo • Regina Ibarra

V. MAPA HIGH SCHOOL

From the Editorial Team:

The Editorial Team

Cesar G. Banaag Juliet de Guzman-Blackwell

Josie Astorga-Campbell Evelyn Teodoro-Cowled Linda Tablan-Fernandez

Regie Lauzon Juliet Mascarinas

Racquel Magat-Sanchez

Issue #6 and counting!

Batchmate and Palanca

awardee Teo T. Antonio

hands us another contri-

bution to the Digest – a

personality profile of the

dashing president of

Batch63 Philippine Chap-

ter, Danilo Caceres,

whose life as a retired

police officer and former

radio reporter is wrapped

up in the article “Sa Kuko

ng Batas at Balita”.

The feature article is part

of our Men in the Force

series. The article forgot

to mention that Danny is

one of our more popular

crooners whose soothing,

velvety voice wows the

crowd in every batch

gathering.

Another guest writer is

Adelia Tablan-Salcedo,

elder sister of Linda

Tablan-Fernandez and a

fellow Mapan who gives

us a glimpse of her baby

sister’s life and career as

an expat in the USA.

We really appreciate fam-

ily members’ contribu-

tion, especially from

someone close to the

heart like ‘Ate Del’

whom we know way back

in our high school days.

Another family member,

Regina Ibarra writes

about her mom, Erlinda

Yuson. Regina says if she

and her sister Rica can be

just like their mother, they

would know they have

done well for themselves.

Josie Astorga-Campbell and Linda Tablan-

Fernandez write with nos-

talgia on their first reunion

in Las Vegas after 44 years,

with their best buddy and

BFFs, best friends forever.

Linda also writes about

another BFF, Rosario

Nantes-Miranda and her

‘fulfilled life’.

Other birthday celebrants

who shared with us their

life and love stories are

Rosario Miranda-Barto-

lome, who traces her be-

ginnings in Quiapo, and

Victor Valbuena, media

man and Falcon awardee.

Evelyn Teodoro Cowled continues her inspired writ-

ings on her travels. Evelyn

gives us not only a glimpse

of Japan but also her im-

pressions on a nation

where honesty is a way of

life.

Regie Lauzon writes

about the travails behind

the scenes in organizing a

fund-raising event (and

then hosting) the cultural

show of the Filipino-

American community in

Central New York.

Lastly, I was really floored

by the surprise page my

editorial team gave me.

We have a Dropbox where

the team works on the cur-

rent issue. Everyone is free

to put in their contribution

or edit an article and one

day I just saw this page, a

loving tribute to me on my

birthday. I couldn’t have

been gifted any better! For

this tribute, I could have

written an ode to my team

where it not for lack of

space. Thank you dear

team and know in your

hearts, you are loved! CB

Class ‘63 Digest

of 16 Page 2 of 1

Wow! Another master-

piece! So entertaining!

Congrats! Sana marami

pang kabatch natin ang

mag-contribute!

Johnny Villanueva

CONGRATS to the Edito-

rial Team.... keep it up

guys! Cheers!

Mandy Vivar

Wow! Ang galing-galing

naman, sana ay manatiling

ganito ang ating pagsa-

samahan walang inggitan at

puno ng paghanga at

kasiyahan sa bawat isa.

Keep up the good work and

the spirit of togetherness

going. May the Good Lord

keep us all united.

Kuya Ben (Andres)

Sobra naman! Sobrang

ganda ng Digest natin.

Quite a treat for me

now. Wow! "Cover to cov-

er" kamo ang ginawa kong

basa. Can't get enough, I

guess. So nice to know

about our batchmates and

what they've been up to

since we parted ways after

high school. Keep up the

good work, mates. God

bless us all.

Letty Laxa-Pusung

Congratulations to the edi-

torial staff of the Class '63

Digest. It is superb!

I read issue #5. How can I

access issues 1 - 4? Could

you possibly add them as

files in our yahoo groups?

(By the way, I do not see

files in the list of categories

on the left side of the yahoo

groups menu. Neither can I

see photos.)

I am so proud of Class '63.

Way to go!

Erlinda Manuel-

Buenavides

I read just now the fea-

ture story done by Rac-

quel. It’s beautifully writ-

ten. Sana may ma-

convince akong mag

madre sa Mapa High

grandchildren. Many

thanks!

Sr. Consolacion

Ducusin

____________________ Photos at right and below: Loreland Resort in Antipolo City, venue for our batch out-ing and golden jubilee reunion in Februay, 2013.

Top of the Class: Inquirer reporter Nikko Dizon, daughter

of our batchmate Oscar Dizon (right), received the Aca-

demic Excellence Award from the National Defense Col-

lege of the Philippines (NDCP) on Thursday for finishing at

the top of her class in the Master in National Security Ad-

ministration (MNSA) program. Above, Nikko Dizon poses

with guest speaker Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and

her parents, Oscar and Lirio Dizon, after graduation rites at

the NDCP in Camp Aguinaldo. (Photo courtesy of Philip-

pine Daily Inquirer online edition.)

IN THE NEWS

Readers’ Forum

of 16 Class ‘63 Digest

The butterflies in my stom-

ach flew away the moment

the plane touched the

ground. The eagerness in

my heart grew stronger. I

couldn't contain my mixed

emotions. I am going to

see my old buddies! People

who have been close to my

heart. People I have

loved when I still do not

know what love is.

My hubby and I found the

escalator and my eyes fell

on a group of three. All

with the oh so familiar

smiles. Linda, Regie, and..

there he was, Eddie! He did

not change. Regie had

white hair. Linda does not

look innocent anymore.

But Eddie? He's the same!

That is, until he took off his

baseball cap later. Aaahhhh

the hidden change!

Sebs is the endearing name

we love to use. Although

that is a surname-nickname

as I call it. Chinky eyes that

looks flirtatious. A warm

voice. An unforgettable

smile. We used to hang out

even after high school. Un-

til I got married. Then I did

not see him and his group

anymore. Until now.

October 2007 was the be-

ginning of five years of

good communication be-

tween us. Persimmons

found their way to my

doorstep all the way from

Northern California. Cheri-

moyas were handled with

care when they reached

Eddie's doorstep from my

humble place in Southern

California. Somewhere in

between those years was a

bit of a scare that sent me

and my hubby on a bus tour

for an overnighter at

Eddie’s place.

He proved to me that he can

easily beat me in Karaoke.

Not even my heart warming

rendition of Barbara Strei-

sand's song can beat his

record.

I just saw my buddy last

month. For the first time

we celebrated our birthdays

together. Thanks to the

generosity of our beloved

ladies: Racquel, JulietM

and Linda. Carlos Ollero, a

childhood friend was able

to join us. Gilbert Dulay

was an honorary guest.

(continued on page 14)

My Very First Reunion. It

started with a lot of may-

be’s. Maybe we can piggy-

back off Regie and Juliet

M.’s UST reunion in Las

Vegas. Maybe they could

extend their stay a day or

two. Maybe Josie would

like to join us. Maybe Sebs

could come too.

Then it became a reality –

Regie and Juliet arrived a

few days early so we could

get together. Mulong and

Tomas M. were able to

come too, but could not

stay long enough to meet

with the ladies.

Josie and I share a sister-

hood that kept us in touch

on and off after high

school. Busy with raising

our families, we eventually

lost phone numbers and

addresses, and have not

seen each other in 10 years.

Regie was a very close

friend throughout high

school. He was a regular at

our house and was consid-

ered one of the family. In

the summer of ’63, we

spent a lot of time visiting

friends all over town, in-

cluding Juliet M. and Sebs

(or Eddie, as he is now

called).

October 25, 2007. I ea-

gerly waited for this day

since we all confirmed to

meet in Las Vegas. While

we all talked on the tele-

phone and exchanged

emails since we re-

discovered each other,

nothing could compare to a

face-to-face meeting. My

heart was full of anticipa-

tion, but I must confess I

was a little nervous.

Then the special day ar-

rived. I woke up very early

and excited. Should I wear

a dress? Should I wear

pants? Should I strategical-

ly put on makeup to hide

the damn wrinkles? It has

been a long time, over forty

years since I had last seen

most of them. Will they

recognize me? I already

knew that Reggie’s hair had

gone platinum and that Ed-

die’s “can’t do without”

accessory was a hat. As for

us girls, well in the pictures

we’re all a little wider so

there was that. I wondered

(Continued on page 7)

Reunion after 44 years : From left: Regie Lauzon, Juliet Mascarinas, Eddie Eusebio, Josie Astorga-Campbell and Linda Tablan-Fernandez.

My Buddy, Eddie

By Josie Astorga-Campbell

Best Friends Forever

By Linda Tablan-Fernandez

Class ‘63 Digest

of 16 Page 2 of 1

I have visited Tokyo many

times but I have not seen

much of Japan except when

I went to Kobe and landed

at Kansai International Air-

port in mid 1990s. My

daughter Therese was still a

university student at that

time. Therese was then

teaching English and her

students were mostly moth-

ers who took us to many

places in Japan. I returned

the favour to all these eight

mothers when they came to

visit us in The Netherlands

the same year, on their way

to Paris. I promised myself

that I should try and see

more places on this visit.

Japan is a very interesting

country to know. The peo-

ple are honest, gentle and

polite although one won-

ders where all that gra-

ciousness go during rush

hours in train stations when

everyone dashes to get in-

side the train. For me,

boarding a train during rush

hours in Tokyo was always

a suffocating experience,

but I found it amazing to

see some Japanese sleep on

the train and know exactly

when to wake up.

Tokyo is clean and the

roads in the suburbs are

narrow. It is a very modern

city and very noisy. Even

garbage collectors have

speakers to let people know

they are coming. But for all

the noise and the conges-

tion, it is still fun to come

and visit the place.

My visit this time to Japan

was more enjoyable. Most

of the time, I would go with

the nanny of Therese’s

children, a Filipina, in

walking, taking the train

and collecting the kids from

school and bringing them to

their afternoon activities at

Tokyo American Club. I

got to know the different

trains and train stations be-

tween school and the house.

There are underground train

stations that are 10 stories

below the ground like the

one close to where we live

in Shirokanedai. Quite un-

believable but yes, ten sto-

ries below with an escalator

as long as a four-storey

building. Some have eleva-

tors to cater to mothers with

pram, the handicapped and

senior citizens. Still, there

are older train stations that

do not have these facilities.

In Tokyo, I got to travel

and do things with a Japa-

nese couple, my friend

Ryoko, who is married to

Jun. We met in Santiago,

Chile where Jun used to

work for Mitsubishi Corpo-

ration and now has retired.

Ryoko and I took the whole

day Hato Bus Tour which

covered visits to the Tokyo

Tower and the Happo-en

Garden and Resort for the

tea ceremony demonstra-

tion. The Garden housed

very old Bonsai Trees,

ranging from 100 to 500

years old.

After lunch, we took the

Tokyo Bay Cruise and saw

Tokyo’s skyline, past many

bridges. Tokyo is actually

built on mostly reclaimed

land. Then we drove to the

imposingly beautiful Impe-

rial Palace, home to the

Emperor and the Empress

with 100 gardeners tending

the garden. After the walk,

we drove to the Asakusa

Temple and went shopping

at Nakamise, the shopping

arcade of Asakusa.

In another trip with Ryoko

and Jun, we visited Kama-

kura, located outside To-

kyo. This is a walking tour

and lots of steps. We took a

train from Shinagawa Sta-

tion to Kamakura that took

45 minutes. Kamakura is

the birthplace of Shogunate.

This is a tour of many tem-

ples and shrines, each of

them has its own story to

tell. Then we took another

train to The Great Buddha

Kotokuin Temple. The very

impressive Great Buddha,

built in three stages in

1252, was made of bronze

and was 39 feet high.

Lunch at Kamakura was at

a typical Japanese restau-

rant that seats only 7 cus-

tomers at a time and has

high chairs only. We had

rice, vegetables and eel

cooked in special sweet soy

sauce followed by green

tea. After lunch, we went to

Hase Kannon Temple with

a great view of the Pacific

Ocean.

My daughter took extra

efforts to make my stay in

Japan more enjoyable. We

took Japanese cooking to-

gether and enjoyed prepar-

ing and eating rice balls and

also going to the noodle

shop for ramen noodles. I love the way they prepare

their mochi (Japanese

cake), baked their sweet

potato on hot stones, and

cooked kabocha (pumpkin).

They are all very simple to

prepare and very delicious.


Japan Revisited By Evelyn Teodoro-Cowled

Evelyn, before the 39 feet high Great Buddha bronze statue,

built in 1252 in Kamakura, Japan.


"From the day I was born, I

knew I was richly blessed!

I am a person who may not

possess material wealth but

I am surrounded by my

family who I consider my

greatest blessing and hap-

piness." These were the

words expressed by Chary

Nantes-Miranda when

asked to summarize her life

story.

Family, to Chary, includes

her parents (both deceased)

and the family she has built

with husband Emil Miran-

da: five children who are all

professionals (Carmelo,

Joffrey, Patrick, Czarina

and Azalea-Mercedes) and

ten lovable grandchildren.

Born in October, the month

of the Holy Rosary, her

parents aptly named her

Rosario. For a nickname,

she answers to both Chary

and Rosie. On October 5th

Chary will turn 66, but not

many people will believe

this because of her youthful

looks and very positive out-

look in life.

Chary started her elemen-

tary education in her

hometown of Lucban, Que-

zon. There, she remembers

having the same teacher for

first and second grades,

Miss Amelia Tolentino.

This teacher left a remark-

able imprint on her young

mind. She became Chary’s

role model and inspiration

to become a teacher.

Three years later the family

moved to Manila and she

completed her elementary

education at Legarda Ele-

mentary School.

Her childhood dream be-

came a reality when after

high school, she enrolled at

the Philippine Normal Col-

lege. She was still in col-

lege when she met Emil

and they got married short-

ly before graduation. On

May 2, 1967, Chary re-

ceived her degree in Bache-

lor of Science in Elemen-

tary Education. She passed

the Civil Service Commis-

sion Examination for

Teachers in the same year.

Chary’s first teaching as-

signment was at Camilo

Osias Elementary School in

Tondo. This school became

her second home for 20

years. She taught Grade I

the first ten years then Fili-

pino and HEKASI subjects

for fifth graders in the next

ten years.

At the beginning of the

1989-1990 school year,

Chary transferred to Fr.

Pedro Pelaez Elementary

(PPES) School in Sam-

paloc. This meant a shorter

commute to work every

day. There she taught Fili-

pino and HEKASI subjects

in the intermediate level.

In 1994, the school

launched a contest for the

teaching staff, a first in the

school’s history. Chary

garnered the highest num-

ber of votes and was

crowned "Reyna ng

Pelaez".

The following year, Chary

was appointed Adviser of

the PPES School Paper. As

a journalism teacher, she

guided her students towards

garnering numerous awards

for the school in the divi-

sion, both in the regional

and national level. Around

the same time, she

was elected secretary of the

Association of Manila Pub-

lic Elementary School Pa-

per Advisers or AMA-

PESPA. She held the posi-

tion from 1995 to 2006, the

longest on record for the

association.

When Senate President

Ernesto M. Maceda offered

a scholarship program for

selected District IV teach-

ers, Chary was nominated

and chosen as one of the

grantees. She attended

Graduate School at the

Philippine Normal Univer-

sity from 1996-1999 then

on March 23, 1999, she

(continued on page 7 )

CHARY NANTES-MIRANDA: “A FULFILLED LIFE”

By Linda Tablan-Fernandez

Above: Chary’s coronation as “Reyna ng Pelaez”, escorted by husband Emil. Below: as school OIC with Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim at the podium during a school event.

October Birthday Celebrants

Class ‘63 Digest

of 16 Page 2 of 1

I was alarmed when my

sister asked if I could write

a little bit about her life.

Seeing my concerned reac-

tion she immediately ex-

plained “It is not a eulogy

you fool - it is for the Class

63 Digest” and added, “Just

a glimpse, ok?”

My sister’s life began on

October 5, 1946 with a sin-

gle pink rose, from our dad

to our mom, in celebration

of a very sweet and delicate

baby girl who they named

and christened “Erlinda

Cortez Tablan”. According

to papa, she was all puffy

cheeks and tiny eyes – she

looked like, and was fondly

called our “Korean baby”

(family still calls her Baby).

Linda is actually the fifth of

six children born to

Eriberto Amor Tablan (a

freelance writer and PRO to

FPJ Productions) and Maria

Alvaran Cortez (a stay-at-

home mom).

From the day of her birth,

our grandmother decided

my sister would belong to

her. She grew up as “lola’s

girl”, abiding by grandma's

strict but loving ways. She

was her constant compan-

ion and mentor, even learn-

ing her basic prayers in

Spanish. I vividly remem-

ber how our parents would

practically snatch Baby

from lola’s care for our rou-

tine family weekend out-

ings (pasyal sa Luneta and

sometimes clamming in the

then pristine Manila Bay).

Although she is two years

my junior, we somehow

followed the same educa-

tional pattern. Linda and I

both went to Pio del Pilar

Elementary School in Santa

Mesa and we both graduat-

ed from Mapa High School

in Manila.

When most high school

graduates had firm plans

and goals for their future

and quite certain of what

they want to become, my

sister was totally clueless.

Her only particular ambi-

tion was to someday go to

America. Undecided and

confused, she naturally fol-

lowed me at Feati Universi-

ty, signing up for a two-

year Associate in Secretari-

al Course. On her second

year, she was hired as Sec-

retary to the University’s

Personnel Manager. Two

years later she worked for

the Credit and Collection

Department of International

Harvester. She continued

her studies at night and in

March, 1969 obtained her

Bachelor of Science in

Business Administration

degree, majoring in Bank-

ing and Finance. The day

she obtained her diploma,

Linda went straight to the

US Embassy and applied

for permanent residency.

In 1972, Linda left for the

United States as an immi-

grant. We had mixed feel-

ings about this. We were

happy and very proud be-

cause of the bright future

ahead of her but we were

also sad and worried be-

cause she would be thou-

sands of miles away. We

sent her off big time – all

the family, a lot of relatives

and even neighbors. I re-

member standing at a roof-

like area, waving like crazy

as she was walking towards

the airplane. For the first

time I saw my baby sister

as an independent, brave

young woman.

Thus her journey to Ameri-

ca began – with one big

suitcase full of clothes and

shoes in one hand and a big

plastic bag containing her

visa in the other. Her final

destination was Michigan,

with a stop in Pacifica, Cal-

ifornia, to spend Christmas

with a relative.

Although she was prepared

for an entirely different life

from what she was used to,

being away from her family

at Christmas was tough. I

remember her dramatic sto-

ry of tears flowing while

she wrapped Christmas pre-

sents. Kids in the household

alternated at handing her

tissues and whispers of

promises for a wonderful

Christmas party. It was the

70s no internet, emails, or

skype and long distance

telephone calls were expen-

sive. Our Christmas call to

my sister had to be well

planned due to time differ-

ences and with everyone in

the family being around. In

talking to my sister, Papa

sensed how homesick she

was, so he offered to fly her

home - no questions asked.

But there was no turning

back for Linda. She stayed

in California, leasing a flat

right in the heart of San

Francisco.

In 1978, she moved resi-

dence to Union City, south-

east of San Francisco, join-

ing a carpool to relieve the

stress of daily driving to the

city. That was when she

met Enrique (Henry) Fer-

nandez who she married a

year later. They were

blessed with two boys,

Walter Henry and Matthew


ERLINDA TABLAN-FERNANDEZ: A GLIMPSE

By Adelia Tablan-Salcedo

Linda (right) shares a light moment with sister Adelia.


received her Graduate Di-

ploma in English Language

Teaching.

On April 15, 1997, Chary

took the Assistant to the

Principal Examination giv-

en by the Division of City

Schools - Manila. She was

among the 82 teachers out

of 142 examinees that met

the cut off score as reported

in the DCS Memo #546

dated September 9, 1997.

Her first assignment as Of-

ficer-In-Charge of PPES

took effect in September

1997 until January 1998.

She held this position con-

current with her responsi-

bilities as the School Paper

Adviser. Chary was desig-

nated as OIC for 22 more

instances filling in the role

whenever the incumbent

principal attended seminars,

meetings and when the

principal took her leave of

absence. While the job was

not easy due to administra-

tive and supervisory func-

tions, it gave her the oppor-

tunity to rub elbows with

other school principals, su-

pervisors, assistant superin-

tendents and division super-

intendent.

In 1999, Chary received her

appointment as a Master

Teacher I and on May 24,

2007, her appointment as a

Master Teacher II.

Chary lived her dream of

becoming a successful

school teacher. Meanwhile,

she had another dream

waiting on the side - that of

immigrating to the United

States of America. A broth-

er who is an American citi-

zen petitioned for her 20

years past. In 2007 she filed

for an early retirement after

receiving notice from the

US Immigration office on

the approval of her immi-

grant visa. In 2008, she

boarded a plane at the

NAIA Terminal that took

her to JFK Airport in New

York City.

Her attachment to her fami-

ly made her very homesick

while she was in the States.

She terribly missed and

longed for her grandchil-

dren. It did not matter that

she was already an immi-

grant and employed as an

Assistant Teacher at a Day

Care Center in Flushing,

New York City. All she

wanted to do was fly back

to the Philippines and be

with her family again.

It was a painful decision

but she finally made one.

In her heart she knew she

had already lived her se-

cond dream, even if only

for six months. It was a

wonderful new world but

way too far from the people

she loved and missed. With

a heavy heart she bade

goodbye to her pupils, co-

teachers and the Filipina

directress of BCL II. In

2009, Chary Nantes Miran-

da was back home, again in

her comfort zone, in the

familiar and filial surround-

ings of home and family.

Scott. Walter graduated

from the University of Cali-

fornia, Santa Barbara, and

currently works as Payroll

Manager for Patelco Credit

Union in Pleasanton, Cali-

fornia. Scott graduated

from University of Nevada,

Las Vegas, and now a free-

lance producer’s assistant

within Sony Corporation in

Culver City, California. As

a family they enjoy travel-

ling and watching local

sports, dominated by the

Oakland Raiders and Oak-

land Athletics.

Linda walked into her first

job in the US with Pacific

Bell/AT&T in 1972. Her

career began as a Stenog-

rapher in the Secretarial

Pool. After three months,

she was tasked to set up

documentation for the Yel-

low Pages Mechanization

project, working with a

group of programmers. This

assignment inspired her to

go back to school. She en-

rolled at the City College of

San Francisco, earning cer-

tificates in Business Sys-

tems and programming

courses. After which,

through dint of hard work,

Linda obtained her first

management position in the

Information Technology

Department. She became a

Technical Writer, working

as liaison between users of

the Company’s Accounting

online systems and pro-

grammers. She developed

program specifications and

authored Users Manuals

and Users Guides for com-

pany-wide use. As a Sys-

tems Analyst, she wrote test

plans and test cases and led

unit and system tests prior

to program installations.

Subsequently, she became

Applications Programmer

for the General Ledger and

Human Resource systems.

While as a Technical Archi-

tect responsible for Interac-

tive Voice Response (IVR),

a very inviting early retire-

ment offer surfaced and in

2001, after almost thirty

years with the company,

Linda retired.

She did not regret early re-

tirement, but it left her rest-

less after a couple of years.

She decided to volunteer at

the local library. Well, vol-

unteering was the plan

when she stepped through

the doors of the library, but

she walked out as a part-

time Circulation assistant.

Today, Linda still works for

the City of San Leandro

Public Library but plans to

retire in Las Vegas soon.

The family often shuttles

from California to their

house in Vegas. And as

people say, whatever hap-

pens in Vegas stays in Ve-

gas so I’ll stop right here.

CHARI N. MIRANDA

(continued from 5)

ERLINDA TABLAN F.

(continued from 6)

I have learned that some-

times "sorry" is not

enough. Sometimes you

actually have to change.

- Claire London

http://www.boardofwisdom.com/default.asp?topic=1010&search=Claire+London

Class ‘63 Digest

of 16 Page 2 of 1

When she was a student at

Mapa High, Erlinda Yuson

was affectionately referred

to as "Inday". These days,

to us, her loving family, she

goes by "Ma".

In 1974, my mom em-

barked on a solo journey to

the United States. I can't

imagine what grit it took to

leave your family, friends,

and country as a young

woman, but my mother

managed to confront all of

these fears in search of pro-

spects for the future. When

she found a job and became

settled, she petitioned for

her parents (my Lola Jovy

and Lolo Eddie) and they

all made a home in Haw-

thorne, CA. My mother and

Tita Abba reside there, to

this day.

She applied her college de-

gree in Communications to

a fruitful career at AT&T,

where she worked for 25

years. She was known for

her organization, mastery of

skills, and her "no-

nonsense" approach. To

this day, she still offers ad-

vice and guidance to her

former colleagues, many of

whom remain her close

friends.

However, despite her ac-

complishments in the cor-

porate world and in provid-

ing tremendous support to

our extended family in the

Philippines, she would

probably humbly argue that

her greatest accomplish-

ments have come with be-

ing a parent.

She is best known as "Ma".

Ever since my sister and I

were born, my mom has

been completely dedicated

to supporting us and has

gone above and beyond to

provide us with a happy

upbringing. She made time

to attend every school

awards ceremony, every

teacher-parent conference,

and every Drama Club per-

formance. My mom used to

pack my sister, all of our

friends, and myself into her

van and drive us to the

movies or to school

events. She even brought

our lunch when my sister

and I were in high school

(needless to say, we both

gained lots of weight from

all the rice we were eat-

ing!). To this day, when I

reconnect with friends or

former teachers, they ask

how mom is doing, and recall memories of the big,

green van she drove, her

willingness to give, and her

cheerful and funny per-

sonality, with great fond-

ness.

As an adult, I look back

fondly on my childhood

and wish things could be as

fun and carefree as they

used to be. I also lament the

lack of common sense in

the world; something my

mom pressed over and over

as an invaluable trait. Last-

ly, I find myself laughing,

often, at things that would

normally enrage others.

These are all testaments to

her success as our mother

and as second mother to our

friends.

As we've grown older, my

mom's energy shifted to

ward caring for our elderly

grandfather, constantly ad-

justing her schedule to be

able to do so.

As I'm sure you've noticed

as you've reconnected with

her, the "no-nonsense" ap-

proach is still there, but so

is an amazing sense of hu-

mor and selflessness that

she shares to everyone she

encounters. She's truly

amazing and, if my sister

and I can be as strong, kind, and funny as our

mother, we'll know we've

done well for ourselves.

My Mom: ERLINDA YUSON

By Regina Ibarra

Erlinda, with daughters Rica (left), Regina and son-in-law Javier.

Funny Corner

Benjamin, Evelyn

Teodoro-Cowled’s 2

½ year old grandson,

who was learning Ta-

galog, once quipped:

"Mama, if tubig is wa-

ter then too small is

juice".


Be careful what you wish

for expresses itself perfect-

ly. It led me to retire early

from Asian Development

Bank1 as I had always

wished. Although I had vis-

ited the U.S. as a tourist a

couple of times in the ‘80s,

little did I know that the

next chapter of my life

awaited me there. While

many immigrated in their

twenties I relocated to the

U.S. in my forties when

“you are over the hill,” as

the Americans would say.

Even so, in 1994, I joined

The World Bank (WB) in

Washington, DC, where I

planned every aspect of

regional and global confer-

ences, in venues in the U.S.

or abroad. I persevered and

was accorded the Presi-

dent‘s Award for Excel-

lence, retiring in 2008 at the

mandatory age of 62. Indi-

rectly, I had a fair share of

contribution (manpower)

towards achieving one of

WB’s main development

goals, that is, alleviating

poverty in the world.

Flashback into the early

years … I was born at the

North General Hospital in

Manila on Sunday, October

6, 1946 at 9:50 am. School-

1ADB is located in Man-

daluyong from its previous headquarters at Roxas Blvd. now occupied by the Depart-ment of Foreign Affairs.

ing started as a kindergarten

at the Quiapo Parochial

School; six years of grade

school at Mabini Elemen-

tary;2 first two years of high

school at Mapa High Rizal

Annex; and the remaining

two at VMHS main build-

ing. Few may know it but I

was into a more artistic ac-

2Notable schoolmates: Lour-

des Manuel, Dianella Racela, Juliet de Guzman, Danilo Ca-ceres, Gil Abadines and Gerardo Limbo.

tivity – folk dancing.3 To

complete my story, I must

mention a fellow Mapan,

who happens to be my

younger sister, Dang (aka

Erlinda Miranda-Parade-

ro).4 We were an insepara-

3 My dancing partners: Regie

Lauzon (Tinikling),(?) Sayaw sa Bangko, Victor Valbuena (La Jota Moncadena), etc. 4 Armed with a BS in Journal-

ism from UST, she was Eco-nomics Officer at the British Embassy when she retired at 49.

ble duo growing up in

Quiapo. Thanks to Mom

and Dad’s (RIP) planned

parenthood, sibling rivalry

was never an issue. We

were apart once when she

studied senior high in Den-

ver, CO as part of the

American Field Service

scholarship program. This

unfolded after a rigid selec-

tion process. Factors that

contributed to her selection

were her graduating at the

top of Class ‘65 and being

Editor-in-Chief of The

Mapazette. Around the time

little sis was away, I shifted

to night classes in UE (de-

gree earned: BSBA in Ac-

counting) while I analyzed

market research data at

Procter & Gamble during

the day. During my tenure

at Hontiveros Advertising,

doing media planning, I

was offered a lucrative po-

sition (one that I could not

refuse) to assist the Adver-

From Quiapo to Washington, DC

By Chari Miranda-Bartolome

The inseparable Miranda sisters: at the Plaza Miranda in Quiapo

Cancun, Mexico: Chari's family basking in the splendor of the

Mayan Temple, in one of their travels.

Class ‘63 Digest

of 16 Page 2 of 1 tising Director. I happily

obliged so I transferred to

Pepsi-Cola and had a blast

advertising and marketing

the brand. I had to resign a

few years later due to a

conflict of interest.

Today, I share a wonderful

life with June Bartolome,

my better half of 42 years.

June is an alumnus of

Ateneo de Davao and was

Director of Media at

McCann-Erickson Philip-

pines, the #1 advertising

agency then, retiring at 55.

We are blessed with three

marvelous children and two

equally adorable in-laws.

Erick left a sterling career

in marketing to pursue life

as an entrepreneur. He now

manages various businesses

involved in outdoor adver-

tising, food, security and

chauffeur services. Cookie,

on the other hand, contin-

ued her venture in the cor-

porate world. She presently

heads ABS-CBN’s inte-

grated marketing. Miko is

Director of Corporate

Communications at a U.S.-

based biopharmaceutical

company. Marc is a prac-

ticing accountant and a U.S.

tax expert. Theo, an entre-

preneur, is the guardian of

our Las Pinas abode, along

with Maxxi, his beagle run-

ning partner. The family

has since grown with the

addition of five delightful

and talented grandchildren:

Andie, Marco, Julia, Jillian,

and Matthew, whose ages

range from 9 to 17.

Back to when our children

were growing up. Believing

that the surest path to great-

er opportunities is good

education, we started our

children at preschool at 2½

at Montessori School in

White Plains, QC. That was

in 1974 when we lived

close by in Project 4. More

importantly, we had peace

of mind (=zero separation

anxiety) while earning our

keep. They continued

schooling in La Salle

Alabang, Assumption San

Lorenzo and Ateneo de

Manila. Although we

moved to Las Pinas in 1978

the distance between home

and schools was not a de-

terrent. Access to the South

Super-

highway

early on

was

quick

and easy.

I was

home in

a jiffy

from Magallanes. Since

then vehicle traffic changed

drastically as more families

settled in the south. We got

a bit of respite, though,

when they learned to drive

at 15 (don’t ask how they

got their licenses). Finally

(with a sigh of relief), they

(in-laws included) graduat-

ed from college, earning

their degrees from Ateneo

(co-ed since the ’90s),

months before my U.S. ad-

venture began.

We took to heart the catch-

phrase “all work and no

play makes Jack a dull a

boy.” Thus travel has been

a huge part of our lives.

Over the years, we traveled

together as a family, as

couples, or singly on busi-

ness. Thanks to wanderlust

– or perhaps the moles on

my feet, as the Pinoys

would say, that make us

wander – June and I had the

opportunities to travel

around the globe (although

we have more grounds to

cover “across the pond,” so

to speak) and to 40 out of

the 50 U.S. states. Last

summer, the U.S.-based

contingent of the family

vacationed in Cancun,

Mexico. We stopped in

Chichen Itza at the Yucatan

Peninsula to soak in the

magnifi-

cent

view of

the Ma-

yan ru-

ins, one

of the

world’s

won-

ders. Family fun also means

getting into health and fit-

ness as well as sports, like.

scuba diving, mountain bik-

ing, golf, tennis, triathlons,

and my favorite sungka

(LOL). I fancy how my

daughter described her par-

ents as hip simply because I

(not necessarily June) enjoy

musical concerts, recently,

of EI and J.Lo in DC and

Usher in Atlantic City. In

this day and age, keeping in

tune with our grandkids’

play lists is a plus.

Our life in DC was simpler

and greener compared to

the complex life we had in

Manila. I walked to and

from the office vs. driving

daily to work. Driving was

relegated to weekend out-

of-town jaunts. Our condo

at Foggy Bottom, within

the sprawling complex of

the George Washington

University, is centrally lo-

cated. It is a few minutes

away from WB, church,

restaurants, etc. and a short

walk to the White House

(yes, the White House), the

Kennedy Center of the Per-

forming Arts (my go-to-

place) and other areas of

interest. This scenario

changed six years ago when

our daughter and her family

decided to settle here. Life,

once again, became more

complex than ever with one

exception. In 2008, I parted

ways with Mr. PC, my

BFF, work buddy and go-

to-guy since the ‘70s. Hon-

estly, I totally became dis-

interested in computers

probably due to data over-

load. Now, my go-to-guys

are kitchen tools as sous

chef to Jillian, the house-

hold‘s executive chef, who

is 12 and culinary-schooled.

That’s the abbreviated story

of my life and my carefree

and fun-loving family. I

leave you with a quote by

author Sarah Ban

Breathnach, a common ad-

age she expressed with a

twist: “All we have is all

we need. All we need is the

awareness of how blessed

we really are.”

“All we have is all we need. All we need is the awareness of how blessed we really are.”


(Continued from page 3)

with the number of years

that have passed, if perhaps

there will be any trace of

the persons we were at 16.

Then the special moment

happened. Eddie and Regie

picked me up. I ran out to

meet them with my hus-

band, Henry, behind me.

After quick introductions I

got on the back seat and off

we were to the airport to

pick up Josie and her hus-

band, Jim. In no time, we

were reliving the past and

sharing great memories.

There was no time to assess

how we now looked – we

just carried on as if the past

that we were talking about

was just two days ago. All

the things that I was wor-

ried about vanished from

my mind.

We continued our chatter at

the airport while waiting for

Josie and Jim. We teased

about holding up a sign that

read “CAMPBELL” but we

agreed they should be easy

to pick out from the crowd.

How right we were! They

were barely off the escala-

tor when the hugging and

jumping with joy ensued.

More introductions and pic-

ture taking then we were

back on the road to Eddie’s

home in North Las Vegas.

On the way, Eddie and

Regie updated us on

Mulong Tolentino and To-

mas Mariano who they met

with but had to leave a day

earlier.

At Eddie’s we had native

lunch of inihaw na bangus

and pinakbet. Regie shared

with us some old pictures

and we had so much fun

identifying who’s who.

Soon Juliet M. arrived with

daughter Jocelyn and her

boyfriend. Of course we

continued our nostalgia

marathon. One story would

trigger another and bits and

pieces of memories started

falling into place. Juliet

surprised us with a well

preserved autograph book.

Turning each page gave us

more fuel for more memo-

ries and remembrances.

There were moments when

it felt like we were 16 years

old all over again.

The following day we met

at the Orleans Hotel and

Casino for a buffet lunch,

this time joined by Jim and

Henry. We proceeded to

our place – we shared more

stories of our families, our

children and our life expe-

riences and adventures.

Then it was time to say

goodbye. We said our

goodbyes but we all knew

we would see each other

again. We have stepped

back into the past and have

caught up into the present.

Now we have new memo-

ries. This mini-reunion was

just a warm-up for more to

come.

Then it was over. In the

past day and a half, some-

thing great happened. I re-

alized that the friendship,

the camaraderie, the close-

ness and the love formed

when we were young and

carefree never really went

away, but was merely inter-

rupted. Friendship, indeed,

is a beautiful thing.

Best Friends Forever

LETTERS AND NUMBERS QUIZ

Rearrange the following letters to form a Tagalog word

by using the letters once in the following mixed English

words:

MAINEAST

ROSEAMOK

TANKAGAIN

TALKAGAIN

ROSIEYAM

Solve the following by using the given numbers once

only and any combinations of the 4 processes (can use

any of the processes more than once) to reach the given

answers. Answers with a difference not exceeding 5

below or above are acceptable.

a) 100 75 10 2 6 4 = 327

b) 50 25 75 3 1 5 = 65

c) 75 25 10 9 7 5 = 187

Email your answers to [email protected]. The first

contestant to submit the most correct answers will re-

ceive the prize. The correct answers will be published in

the next issue. Surprize gifts await lucky winners. Prizes

will be presented at our Batch63 outing in Loreland after

our Golden Jubilee.

Digest #5 QUIZ Winner: BENJAMIN ANDRES

Correct Answers:

WHEEL BATCH SHRINK SPRAWL

Celebrity battles can sometimes turn into:

STAR WAR.

mailto:[email protected]

Class ‘63 Digest

of 16 Page 2 of 1

VICTOR T. VALBUENA

Birthday: October 9, 1946

First Honorable Mention

Class of 1963, VMHS

Victor Valbuena is back in

Manila after 26 years in

Singapore.

Not one to retire fully (to

prevent early onset of de-

mentia!), Victor current-

ly lectures part-time in the

Department of Communica-

tion, Ateneo de Manila

University in Loyola

Heights, Quezon City. He

teaches undergraduate and

graduate classes in film

history, cinema studies, and

production design and

management.

Prior to returning to the

Philippines, he was Direc-

tor of the School of Tech-

nology for the Arts, Repub-

lic Polytechnic, Singapore.

He has also served in vari-

ous capacities as an aca-

demic and as a public ser-

vant in Singapore: Principal

Lecturer and Director of the

School of Film and Media

Studies, Ngee Ann Poly-

technic; Member of the

Board of the Singapore

Film Commission; Found-

ing Member of the Board of

The Arts House at the Old

Parliament; Member of

Specialist Panels in Film

and Art Education, National

Arts Council; and Senior

Programme Specialist and

Head, Research and Institu-

tional Development Pro-

grammes, Asian Mass

Communication Research

and Information Centre.

In 2004, he was awarded

the Public Administration

Medal by the Government

of Singapore, for his con-

tribution to film and com-

munication education. In

2008, Victor received an

Outstanding Alumni Award

from the UP College of

Mass Communication. In

the same year he was given

the Blue Falcon alumni

award by V. Mapa High

School. (Victor's note: The

latter recognition was due

to the persistent efforts of

fellow Class '63 alumni,

including Juliet de Guz-

man-Blackwell and Cesar

Banaag.)

Before relocating to Singa-

pore, Victor was an Associ-

ate Professor of Communi-

cation at the College of

Mass Communication,

University of the Philip-

pines, Diliman where he

also served as Chair of the

Graduate Studies Program.

He has also worked as a

Research Associate at the

Population Center Founda-

tion; Director for infor-

mation, Education and

Communication at the Insti-

tute of Maternal and Child

Health Philippines; Divi-

sion Director, National Me-

dia Production Center; Fac-

ulty Assistant to the Presi-

dent, Lyceum of the Philip-

pines University and Exec-

utive Chairman of LPU's

Batangas campus.

Victor is married to Eppie

de Leon, formerly an Asso-

ciate Professor in the De- partment of English, Col-

lege of Arts and Sciences,

University of the East, Ma-

nila.They have a son, Carlo

Miguel, who graduated

with a BSBA degree (Inter-

national Business, cum

laude) from the State Uni-

versity of New York at

Buffalo. Carlo is now also

based in Manila and works

as an analyst for a Northern

European company.

VICTOR T. VALBUENA: Blue Falcon Awardee

October Birthdays

1 – Zenaida Artales-Villamora

3 – Gerry Limbo

5 – Linda Tablan-Fernandez

5 – Chary Nantes-Miranda

6 – Cesar Banaag

6 – Charit Miranda-Bartolome

9 – Wilfred Neis

9 – Victor Valbuena

18 – Mita Padua-Torres

23 – Danny Morales

23 – Linda Yuson


Men in the Force II

Sa lipunang nangingiba-

baw ang batas ng lakas at

hindi ang lakas ng batas

isinilang ang pagiging pulis

sa lungsod ng Makati ang

batang-Quiapo na si Dan.

Sa kalye Barbosa, Quiapo,

narinig ang unang pag-uha

mula sa sinapupunan ng

inang taga-Malolos, Bula-

kan na kabyak ng isang

pulis-Maynila na taga-San

Isidro, Nueva Ecija.

Hindi niya pinangarap na

maging pulis, ang pangarap

niya ay maging abugado.

Pinilit siyang kumuha ng

komersiyo ng kanyang ama

at bilang mabuting anak,

sinunod ni Dan ang

kagustuhan ng magulang.

Pero mahalaga sa likod

nang lahat ng iyon ang

makulay na pag-iibigan ni

Dan at ang mutya ng R.

Hildalgo.

Bagong sibol si Dan nang

maakit sa naging "muse" ng

kanilang basketbol "team"

sa Quiapo, anak ng may-ari

Police Capt. Dan Caceres

ng Chapilu Restaurant sa

daang R. Hidalgo halos

katapat ng Mapa High

School, Rizal Annex. Hindi

nilubayan ni Dan ang

panliligaw pero sila'y mga

bata pa noon, mas

nagkasundo silang tapusin

muna ang pag-aaral sa

haiskul at halos tatlong taon

silang di nagkita. Sa isang

"debut party" ng isang

kaibigan ay muli silang

nagkita. Doon nagsimula

ang pagmamanman sa FEU

na di alam ng mutya ng R.

Hidalgo. Sa anim na

kabarkadang pumo-porma

ay si Dan ang nagwagi.

Noong mag-aral kapwa sila

sa Universiy of the East,

kumukuha si Dan ng

Business Administration,

major in Management ay

nagkasubuan sila ng

babaeng itinangi bunga ng

silakbo ng kabataan.

Nagkatuluyan sina Danilo

Caceres at Elenita P.

Jimenez at nagkaroon sila

ng limang anak. Pinanindi-

gan ni Dan ang pagkaka-

roon ng pamilya. Naging

"working student habang

nag-aaral. Namasukan siya

bilang "production clerk" sa

Eastern Textile Mills, Inc.

Pagkaraan, nalipat sa isang

istasyon ng radyo bilang

isang Radyo Reporter sa

Radyo Patrol na nuo'y

himpilang DZAQ, ABS-

CBN, habang siya'y

nagsasanay bilang Radyo

Reporter, kumuha ng

eksamen para sa "Police

Eligibility" at nakapasa

naman. Nag-apply siyang

alagad ng batas sa Makati.

Retiradong pulis-Maynila

ang kanyang ama noon at

siya ang kanyang naging

inspirasyon kung bakit siya

naging pulis.

Napabilang sa Makati

Police si Dan noong 1972.

Panahong nasa ilalim ng

batas-militar ang bansa.

Ang maging pulis at

reporter ay isang paninim-

bang o pagtawid sa sinulid.

Mahirap bumangga sa pa-

der, wika nga, sa naghaha-

ring kapangyarihan at bi-

lang pulis at reporter ay

sinusubaybayan nila ang

mga malawakang ‘rally’ at

demonstrasyon sa kalsada

sa Kamaynilaan.

Nasabi ni Dan, "Tinimbang

ko ang panganib ng

pagiging isang Radyo

Reporter at bilang pulis at

napagtanto ko na halos

pareho lang ang panganib

na sinusuong ng isang

reporter at isang pulis.

DANILO CACERES: SA KUKO NG BATAS AT BALITA Ni Teo T. Antonio

Ang kumpletong Pamilya Caceres nuong ipagdiwang ang muling pagpapakasal ni Danny at Baby sa kanila ika-35 anibersaryo.

May nagsabing,

"Ngunit, papaano sa

kanilang hindi dagat

ang buhay at hindi

kastilyong buhangin

ang mga batas na

nilikha ng tao, kundi

bato ang buhay at pait

ang batas na makapag-

uukit ng anumang

ibigin nila?"

Class ‘63 Digest

of 16 Page 2 of 1

Dahil nung mga panahong

iyon, kabi-kabila ang mga

"rally" na kinabibilangan ng

mga kabataang may ibang

ideolohiya sa ating

kinagisnan." Patuloy pa ni

Dan, "Nais kong makatu-

long sa pagpapanatili ng

katahimikan at kaayusan sa

kapaligiran kung ako ay

magiging alagad ng batas."

"Bilang isang alagad ng

batas ay masasabi kong mas

marami akong natulungan

kaysa aking naipakulong."

patuloy ni Dan. Ang

kanyang pag-unlad at pag-

taas ng ranggo ay halos

pawang "meritorious pro-

motion" na batay sa

kanyang "accomplishment."

Di lang minsang nalagay sa

panganib ang kanyang

buhay. Noong siya ay

sarhento pa lamang, ang

kanyang "Team" sa isang

"Special Operation Group"

ay nasabak sa engkuwentro

sa dalawang holdaper na

nambiktima ng dalawang

babae na nagpagibik sa

kahabaan ng kalye Pasong

Tamo sa Makati. Isang

habulang humantong sa

barilan ng pulis at dalawang

holdaper. Nang mahawi ang

usok ng putukan ay

bumulagta ang mga

holdaper.

Nahirang ang Presinto ni

Dan bilang "Model Precint"

o isang "Koban Precint" na

ginawang "pilot project' ng

Japan International Coordi-

nating Council o JICA. Si

Dan at mga kasamahang

pulis ay naglalakad sa

kanilang nasasakupan bi-

lang kaibigan, kapatid,

tagapayo, at ama sa kahit

anong problema na kina-

kaharap ng komunidad at

pawang tulong ang kani-

lang inihahandog sa komu-

nidad na nasasakupan. Ito

ang konsepto ng Koban,

Japanese style o police sys-

tem. Itinanghal si Dan na

"The Best Precinct Com-

mander” ng Makati Police

Station."

Noong madestino si Dan sa

Ayala Central Business

District ay napansin ang

kanyang epektibo at

mahusay na pamamahala sa

presinto at muling itinang-

hal siyang "The Best Pre-

cinct Commander, Makati

Police Station." Pinara-

ngalan din siyang "Out-

standing Traffic Police

Officer, Metropolitan Traf-

fic Police Command." Ilan

lamang ito sa maraming

parangal na natamo ni

Danilo Caceres bilang isang

natatanging pulis ng

lungsod ng Makati.

Totoong napingasan ang

imahe ng mga pulis bunga

ng sinasabing ilang pulis na

"bad eggs." Sabi naman ni

Dan, "Totoo ang sinabi mo,

na maraming mabubuting

pulis kaysa sa mangilan-

ngilan na masamang pulis.

Marahil isa sa mga

kadahilanan ay kulang sila

sa pagsasanay (training)

kumbaga "hilaw ang

ginagawang pagsasanay."

Ginawang iskul-bukol

habang nasa "training

academy."

"Isa pang dahilan ayon sa

aking mga nakausap na

responsableng pulis, na

habang nasa labas na

nagdu-duty at wala pa ang

training academy ay balot

at baon na sa utang ang

isang pulis "trainee."

Sa huling taon ng pagiging

pulis hinikayat siyang

maging Security Consultant

sa Bonifacio Global City,

nuong ito ay pag-aari pa ng

Metro Pacific Corp. Nang

magretiro, kinuha siyang

muli bilang Operations

Manager ng Bonifacio

Security na halos walong

taon at nagbitiw sa

tungkulin noon Hunyo

2012.

Sa kasalukuyan si Danilo

Caceres ay Security

Manager ng Seaoil Phils.

Inc. F. Ortigas Road,

Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Higit sa lahat napiling

Pangulo ng Batch 63

VMHS- Phil. Chapter.

Kasapi rin siya sa Saint and

Light for Christ Com-

munity kasama ang

makatang Rogelio Manga-

has at Fe Mangahas.

Maipagmamalaking ang

katulad ni Danilo Caceres

ay hindi isang pulis-patola

ng ating lipunan. Isa siyang

magiting na kawal ng

kapayapaan na naglalayon

ng matiwasay at lipunang

ang umiiral ay lakas ng

batas at hindi batas ng

lakas. Bayaang puma-

ilanglang ang mabuting

balita sa isang bansang

naghahanap ng mapagka-

katiwalang tunay na alagad

ng batas at kabalikat sa

pagsugpo ng kriminalidad.

Sa Kuko Ng Batas… My Buddy, Eddie

(Continued from page 3)

It was a beautiful day.

Generous portions of

Asian food was on hand

to help us enjoy the day.

Eddie and Caloy were

still on their California-

Nevada journey.

The butterflies in my

stomach had returned. Is

this the last time I will see

Eddie? He had retired and

his plans will take him

away from California. Is

this a goodbye for my

buddy and me? Only time

can tell........

Japan Revisited (Continued from page 4)

I love the friendliness and

hospitality of the Japa-

nese people and my heart

went with them with their

recent calamity. And I

saw the trauma that tsu-

nami has caused my

grandson Benjamin.

Honesty is a way of life

among the people of Ja-

pan. You can leave any

belongings and you can

still find them when you

can come back for them

later. This is one of the

reasons why my Therese

loves Japan. I have been

to Japan many times and

have felt earthquakes and

tremors. The number of

days I have stayed in Ja-

pan all sums up to a year

and a half and it feels like

Bruce and I had a short

posting in Tokyo.


I’ve performed in cultural

shows many times over for

the Filipino-American As-

sociation of Central New

York, but in the recently

held Filipiniana 2012, my

involvement was relegated

from encore performances

(thank you!) to working

behind the scenes and then

hosting the show.

When the chairperson for

this year’s major fund rais-

ing event resigned for per-

sonal reasons, I was asked

to take over the position.

Assured that everything

was already in place, I

agreed - then my headaches

began.

At our first organizational

meeting, we identified and

made a list of activities and

tasks involved i.e., arrang-

ing overnight accommoda-

tions for the performers, a

folk dance group from

Massachusetts, assigned

coordinators for tickets,

publicity, sponsor/dona-

tion, and the silent auction

and bazaar.

Donations were needed for

the silent auction and ba-

zaar. Sponsor solicitation, a

major source of fund, was

the job I dreaded the most. I

hate asking for money from

people even if it is for a

worthy cause, but the

chairperson had to do it.

We panicked when we re-

ceived the list of performers

– 50 people! How are we

going to find host for all of

them? I started by agreeing

to take eight and, with a

little charm or ‘arm-

twisting’, we were able to

match a home for the rest.

The week before the event

was the most hectic. I had

to make sure tickets were

being sold, sponsors were

lined up and the program

was set. Saturday came and

we all converged at the

president’s house for a pot-

luck dinner. We reviewed

the souvenir program and

everything started to fall

into place.

After dinner the guests

were driven to their respec-

tive hosts. Only 35 per-

formers and crew came and

I hosted only for three.

Sunday morning, I got up

early to prepare breakfast

for my guests and then

some. One of my friends

agreed to host four people

provided that they have

breakfast at my house. By 9

am, the performers were on

their way to the venue for

practice. After tidying up a

little bit, I prepared myself

to host the show.

The auditorium was full –

close to 150 people showed

up to watch the show.

Wow! A record number for

this annual event. My anxi-

ety was suddenly gone. I

calmly took to the podium

and it was show time!

The program began with

the usual singing of the na-

tional anthems, followed by

a welcome address by the

chairperson (yes, me).

When I introduced the per-

formers, they made a grand

march to the stage in color-

ful and regal Maria Clara

gowns and Barong Tagalog.

Then they spread out to the

audience handing them leis

of tiny sea shells.

The show was almost like

the Bayanihan Dance, each

one telling a story – they

were all entertaining and a

feast to the eye. The thun-

derous applause after the

last dance - the tinikling,

with four dancers ably ma-

neuvering between six

clashing bamboo poles, was

confirmation of a very suc-

cessful presentation. A light

dinner was served after the

show and the performers

stayed a little while for

more dancing.

The day after, the local

newspaper had this to say”

"The event is a celebration

of Filipino dance, music

and fashion."

FILIPINIANA 2012 by Regie Lauzon

Filipiniana

Regie as chairman and host of Filipiniana 2012, the cultural show of the Fil-Am Assn of Central New York.

The performers in regal Maria Clara ternos wowed the crowd in Filipiniana 2012, the event described as a celebration of Filipi-no dance, music and fashion.

Fil-Am Association of Central New York Cultural Show:

Class ‘63 Digest

of 16 Page 2 of 1

Not just a year older but a year

better. Maligayang kaarawan

kaibigan, from the bottom of

my heart. Take a deep breath

before you blow your candles.

Juliet M.

Thank you very much for

being a very kind person. I

am forever grateful to you

for boosting my confidence

to write and helped me over-

come my inferiority complex

in this field.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a

great guy!

Juliet B.

I felt so privileged when you

offered to drive me back to

Makati after we all met at the

Manila Hotel. I could still hear

the conversation we had. Im-

agine we never spoke much

during our senior year in high

school yet in an hour or so I

felt I have known you for a

long time. You are a very nice

person.

Thank you for your encour-

agement and support to the

Editorial Team.

From Nauru with Love,

Evelyn

Happy Birthday! You are truly one of a kind!

Regie

On your birthday, you will

receive a lot of lovely

greetings and heartfelt

wishes from your friends

and relatives and we are at

a loss for words so we are

sending you this song that

very well fits what we real-

ly want to say. Smile and

Enjoy your special day!

Racquel

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!

One big hug for your birth-

day and many, many wish-

es for eternal sunshine,

happiness and good health.

Linda

"OO nga, subali't, nguni't,

sapagka't si Cesar iyan."

Cesar is Cesar. The person

who will not hesitate to tell

me point blank, but in a

nice way, I erred. Or, I did

good. The old me won't

like it. Sino ba siya? The

new me love it! Why not?

He will also accept what I

said or do. If he does not

understand, he will ask me

to explain. Then he'd tell

me if he agrees... or

not…without hesitation.

So, Cesar, dearest one ...

Maligayang bati sa iyong

kaarawan …

At nawa’y lumigaya ka …

Habang nabubuhay …

Maligayang Bati,

Maligayang Bati,

Maligayang, Maligayang,

MALIGAYANG BATI ... …… Josie

DEDICATED TO THE HEARTBEAT OF THE

DIGEST, CESAR

May you always walk in

sunshine

Slumber warm when night winds

blow

May you always live with

laughter

For a smile becomes you so

May good fortune find your

doorway

May the bluebird sing your song

May no trouble travel your way

May no worry stay too long

May your heartaches be

forgotten

May no tears be spilled

May old acquaintance be

remembered

And your cup of kindness filled

And may you always be a

dreamer

May your wildest dream come

true

May you find someone to love

As much as we love you!

Just imagine your Editorial Staff singing this for you!

vmhs class '63 digest issue #6

Documents

dear team

editorial team cesar

digest page

way of life

adelia tablansalcedo

rosario mirandabarto

fulfilled life

editorial team