Paulinian Hearts, Edition 2011

“Man-jacket kayo, nay lawlawa di tiyempo ( Wear jacket, the weather here is not good.)” was Beverly’s message before 7 AM of December 4, 2011. Beverly (Baday-Calawen) is in Sayangan where our high school batch will have the nth reunion later in the day. “Mayat si awni! hehe… (The weather will be good later..)” I replied. The batch reunion will concur with the opening of the intramurals of our high school alma mater, then, Saint Paul’s Academy (SPA), now SPA, Inc.
I was on my way to the Mary Heights campus of Saint Louis University(SLU) in Bakakeng when I noticed that Beverly returned a message. “Aw, mansegit baw (Yes indeed, the sun is shining) ”, she said.
It was “family day” for all employees of the university where I work and we were required to attend the gathering at the Bakakeng campus of SLU . Oh my! No attendance to the family day means one-point-deduction from the annual performance evaluation and a one-day salary deduction. My participation in the batch reunion in Sayangan was at stake. I was trying a remedy: I will go sign the attendance sheet then escape so I can join my other family at Sayangan. Well! But not! Sorry!!! it seemed, the strategy would not work. The attendance sheet needed my AM and PM signatures to define my compliance to the university requirement. Really! So itis just a manifestation that life cannot be free from opportunity costs. I preferred to leave Mary Heights campus. I found it more meaningful to be in Sayangan. Afterall, there’s some element of outreach at Sayangan because aside from the reunion, some details of the SPA alumni project of restoring the dilapidated window frames of our alma matter will be threshed out through some conferring with the school carpenter, the school principal and the other alumni-in-charged of the project.
While in a cab that was trekking uphill the almost rugged and difficult trace of the road leading from Bakakeng to Baguio City’s town, Joana forwarded Ma’am Joy Apit’s request for short introductions of our batch mates who will serve as judges for the Cheer Dance Competition at SPA (Ma’am Joy is the guidance counselor of SPA, also a member of the alumni and she is our direct ally as regards the alumni project). As in short? I sent these lines: “Perlita-Awingan Canite, Finance Manager of John Hay Development Corporation, BSC graduate of Saint Louis University; Orlando Smith Jr., Holder of various titles in body building competitions and a successful entrepreneur; Theodore Ged-ang, a mechanical and a civil engineer, an executive at Northern Cement Corporation and a board exam topnotcher.” Wow, the lines of texts reached SPA in a moment. Hence, Sayangan is not left behind by the modern communication technology.
Based on the messages I exchanged with the “gang”, all the way from Manaoag, Pangasinan, Theodore drived his “Revo” towards Baguio. At Harrison Road, Junior (Smith) met him and later they were joined by Charlie (Luncio), Perlita and James Ruadap. They may have composed the first contingent from the city. Some may have joined them along the way, I did not get additional details. The second contingent hailed from Buyagan. I liked Joana’s info that Martha (Sabelo-Comiles) will have to hear a Sunday mass before they can leave. Joana (Colsim) and Martha are based at the same side of La Trinidad so it was logical that they share the same ride. Later did I know that the second contingent was carried by Martha’s “Revo” with Martha’s friendly and patient brother-in-law as driver. He is the same driver during the luxury ride that helped us conveniently did the purchasing of a coffee urn and airpot for SPA staff courtesy of “dollar fund” sent by sir Raffy Sepulchre and wife ma’am Tess Miro.
Armando (Palbusa) is supposed to come from the same side as Martha and Joana but Armando might have prioritized a more important concern. He is one of those dearly missed during this reunion.

Being one of the poor SPA alumni, I am a “CARless” person. I had to seek the service of a PUV. There was enough option: I could go to the terminal of the Mt. Province-bound rides at the slaughter compound in Magsaysay Avenue or at the Baguio Dangwa terminal and be in one of the minibuses. However, I thought a service van that starts from Km 5 La Trinidad could afford me a quicker trip to Sayangan. Besides, I needed to pick up my digital camera and my laptop at my family’s residence at La Trinidad. Waiting at the gasoline station beside the entrance of the La Trinidad Trading Post in Km 5, La Trinidad, Benguet are vans serving commuters bound to Mankayan and/or Abatan. Since Sayangan is on their route, they also accommodate passengers who will get off at Sayangan at 90 box, about 25 pesos higher when compared to a bus fare.
Traveling in a small service van was a bit not comfortable, much so, if you are seated at the rightmost side. It was good that I had my jacket as advised. I had to shield myself from the burning rays of the sun that penetrated the window glasses as the van hurriedly en route. I surmised, it is a difficult experience to be seated at the rightmost side of a van while traveling the Halsema highway on a sunny day if the time of travel is within the range 9:00AM to 11:00 AM.
While en route, I reviewed a reprimanding text message of Perlita. She was implying that I failed to comply with her order that I coordinate with some batch mates in Sayangan so they could prepare the Igorot famous delicacy, “Pinikpikan”, for the group. Ngehhh!!! That’s what kind of a manager Perlita is, very bossy! Hehehe. I made no direct reply and I remained composed because I am positive food will not be a problem. I actually started to make arrangements with Beverly the other day when we figured that cooking “Pinikpikan” for the group was not feasible. I knew that food for the group on this reunion is a part of my responsibility and it is the primary reason why I chose to join the group over my employment’s requirement.
After an hour and a half of travel from La Trinidad, I realized I was setting my feet in the SPA campus. I attempted to search for Beverly in the crowd gathered around the open gymnasium of SPA. The student’s cheering competition was about to start. The layered benches on the left side (The area used to be a garden) and on the access stairs to the stage mounted on the entrance side (The area used to be a pond beside a pathway towards the sloping road beside the Sisters’ convent), as well as some benches arranged at the right side under the recreation hall (It used to be to a bowling lane- no more bowling lane), are filled with students in uniform. Five dominant colors are noticeable because the seven hundred plus students were homogenously grouped into five units.


The judges, who I understood, were already introduced were being ushered to their tables. Perlita’s table is in the stage set-up on the rear side- at the side of the then generator house. Junior and Theodore are to be positioned on the mounted stage on the entrance side. I noticed local folks mesmerized by the Mr. Universe body shape of the approaching Jr. Smith. and that while somebody was requesting the standing crowd to give a space for the table of Jr. Smith, some were saying “Abayen tayo ketdin ah (Let’s just stay beside him)”. While Jr. was taking his seat, folks extended some greetings, I heard “Kumusta ngay? Sika gayam jay anak ni x-mayor (How are you, we missed the son of our past mayor…), and other lines being uttered.” Likewise, Theodore took chances to shake hands and flashed greetings with some of his long-time not seen friends who are in the house and are apparently the parents of the kids who are setting to perform. With the limited space around the venue, standing expectators made it difficult for me to read the picture on Perlita’s side.


Suddenly, the friendly Wilfredo (Salasa) was around me. He was with a guy who he said is one of us. I immediately gave up on figuring out who he is because I was preoccupied by the food service arrangement which I have to do. “I’m sorry, I forgot your name” I said. “Pedrito!”, Wilfredo said. “Pedrito from Toludan” I said with a doubting tone. The guy smiled and that made me recognized him well. “Of course, Pedrito Cortez, I always passed by your house when I go home but I never saw you there.”, I said. Pedrito matured physically. Later in the day, Junior informed us that the best student cheer dancer is Pedrito’s son. (By the way, I forgot to protest on Junior’s judgmental attitude. Junior was concluding that Pedrito seems problematic about his son because the son’s smooth dance movements seem to imply that the kid’s orientation is towards being gay. It does not follow that one is gay if he is refined in his movement neither is the case if he dances well. Is it not? In case it is the case, though, what will be the problem? Halah!!! )
Then, there was Gloria(Apit) and Joana rushing to my side. They too, were focusing on the food to be partaken by the group. So! is it true that the primary concern of the Filipino is always the stomach? I was reminded about what I heard from a European professor that the primary concern of Filipinos is the progress of their stomach, the primary concern of the Americans is their intellectual well-being, the primary concern of the Spanish people is their heart that is why most Spanish songs has the word Corazon(Heart). 
With Gloria’s information that Jose (Kinomes) pledged to help handle the food expense and that the first contingent got their breakfast unpaid at Fernan’s restaurant, Joana and I left the SPA campus to make further arrangement with Fernan’s Restaurant for the much needed lunch. With Joana, Gloria and Beverly’s help, it was easy to resolve the food issue. Delicious locally prepared Siopao for snacks and set plate meals for lunch were negotiated. (FYI, if Sayangan was long out of your touch, the space that used to be Salasa’s Store, one block above the, then, Smith’s gasoline station, is now a local restaurant known as Fernan’s Restaurant)
Back to SPA, several were having a hard time getting a strategic location so they can have a good glimpse of the talent that the SPA kids are displaying. The standing fellows at the perimeter of the gym defined a loop that cannot allow a new comer to have a glimpse of what is going on within. This was enough trigger for some of us to start the reunion. Rather than subjecting their “fragile” heads to twisting or elevating their heights through a strength-draining tiptoeing, just so they can have a view of the cheering performances, Abrina (Gamutlong), Esther (Cayat), Elizabeth (Guinyawan), Martha, Gloria, Joana, Marceline (Jose), Wilfredo and I unconsciously convened in a corner. The subgroup decided to go up and check the “Upper Ground”.



On our way up, the semantics of some statements that I heard were “Where is ------------?”, “Where is _________, they are from here so they are supposed to be here? I want to see them.” “Hopefully, they will show up and that they will not be unfair.”
“Yan into si D--- ngay? Laydek ay ilan (Where is D---? I really want to see him)” A lady asked. A burst of laughter came to the open as D--- and the lady who was asking seem to have had connections with each other way back then. Another lady remarked “Ibaga nikan manong!” followed by a louder burst of laughter. The other lady is the sister-in-law of the lady looking for D----. In other words, two of our batch mates are sisters-in-law. “Ay tan boyfriend mo tet-ewa si D--- sin idi (Is D---- really your boyfriend then)?”, someone clarified. The lady said, “(maga tet-ewa, wat kankananda sin idi (no, it was just what they were saying before)”.
It’s really nice when people grow and mature. Seemingly sensitive matters become source of fun and light moods.
The bonding at the upper ground led into a query on who was the most beautiful among them. Jokingly, E--- said “Sak-en the kapintasan tan ad-ado di boyfriend ko (I was the most beautiful because I had several boyfriends.” J--- quickly approved and said “Aw yan! Napintas ka didan, Isunga adim kindeng di eskwelam, inasawa da ka ay dagos(Oy yes! You are beautiful and that made you not finished your studies, someone married you immediately).” The giggles that followed seem to say “That’s your price for being beautiful- You were unable to go to college.


The group recalled the menopause idea during the previous reunion at camp John Hay (Refer to previous episode of Paulinian Hearts , episode! May ganun…). It was refuted that some of those present last time at John Hay were still active as far as reproduction is concerned. About two gave birth several months after the John Hay reunion. They were expected to be present in the current union. Sadly, the day ended without their presence.
“Do you miss sir Raffy and Ma’am Tess?” I asked. “Wey! Aw. Ammo yo adi, kinadwa mi si sir Sepulchre ed Baguio sin osto ay man-rubwat ay man-abroad? In-genan mi din bag na(Yes, do you know that we accompanied sir Sepulchre in Baguio on his way to the bus terminal when he was to leave aboard? We helped him carry is baggage .)” The sisters-in-law said. “They (sir and ma’am) are very kind.” I said. I told the group about the thoughtfulness from sir and ma’am as they sent something for the staff of SPA and even something that afforded some of us a fine dinner.
“Wow! the Alnos trees are still here- it seems nothing much has changed here in the upper ground”. Someone wearing an elevated expensive sandal, made a dare “Let’s have the 100-meter dash race.” No one heeded because some of us cannot run, they have just undergone body repairs (Sensitive medical procedures have been administered to E--- and J---)
The finite time passed quickly yet the events that transpired seem to be infinite and that they cannot be accounted in writing. The finiteness of time is the same reason why everything cannot be written. There are priority tasks to be done else regrets will be reaped.
Anyway, the following are facts and points that may need some dissemination.
• The current school carpenter is someone named Michael with a surname I forgot to record. Actually, he used to be Michael Ducayat , also a member of batch 85. His surname was changed after he discovered a problem on his records at the National Statistics Office.
• There are no more non-fruit bearing apple trees at the school gardens. The terraces surrounding the school are vegetable gardens for real. I didn’t bother to ask who operates the ‘farm’.
• The basketball game played by SPA alumni, most of whom are members of batch 85, against current students and faculty was fun-filled. Perlita and Valentino Smith did some cheering and they exchanged some taunting comments with the school principal, Mrs. Susan Esteban. “Awan, naabak ni principal”. “Haanak piman ngamin nag-cheer para diay faculty ken students ko.” Bernal Bansan played the role of commentator in the same manner as sir Ferdinand Daguio did during our highschool intramural days. The Alumni group won. Some were saying, the current faculty and students were just being hospitable and that they made it a point to register a lower turn out yet the players said they felt everyone who played gave their best. In fairness, it was really a victory over a fair played game.





• The photo opportunity included a recollection of how the graduation pictures, then, were taken. Notice the spot! Somebody demanded that each should pose in exactly the same location when the highschool graduation picture was taken. Of course, it did not happen as it cannot because of the poor attendance.



• Matters regarding the “Big Alumni Group” project were quickly talked about among Joana, Ma’am Mary Joy, Ma’am Susan Esteban and I. The time was not really appropriate for it because the principal and her teachers have to attend to the ongoing intramural events.
While the students indulged into ballroom dance competition, the group indulged in a very late lunch at Fernan’s restaurant. The restaurant owner was so kind to allow us to use the place for our business meeting. Dining was followed by the batch meeting in the restaurant instead of doing it at the Smith’s residence as earlier planned. A credit cooperative for batch 85 was formed. Because of everyone’s interest and support, I could see that such cooperative will materialize. Good luck everyone!!!
The missed details may be reminisced, hence, may be written later….