By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
The gathering of precious friends and classmates
December 15 was the date for us. It was the first day of the anticipated Simbang Gabi. It was also an afternoon of remembering classmates, from elementary to high school: Baclayon Central Elementary School and the old St. Joseph College, now the Holy Spirit School.
December 15 is the day when I will always remember my classmate and friend, Virgilia “Daya” Lim – Yap. We were together in our simbang Gabi in our parish of the Immaculate Conception. Both of us were new widows, then. Daya could not finish our Simbang Gabi at that time. On the 23rd of December, 2023, she collapsed while undergoing dialysis at a local hospital. She asked to be transferred to Chong hua hospital in Cebu and died on February of 2024 on the feast of the presentation.
So, here we are my elementary school classmates from Baclayon Central Elementary School: Lindy Bangoy Salig, with husband willy; Zita Samson, our class salutatorian; Apolinaria Tinonga, an honor student who used to teach at the Bohol National High School who eventually married an Australian and is now a resident there; Mila Calope Galvan, a retired nurse and married to Steve Galvan, a Mexican-American.
Mila finished her elementary grades at St. Joseph College. She really did not experience walking almost four kilometers a day when we were in our intermediate grades at Pisong, now Momes Elementary School.
Zita, Lindy and I, were threesome in our panginhas, pangan-an and pag-amampang in nearby Lao. Lao was a beautiful beach in our younger days with white sugary sand until the commercialization of the sand. Swaki, kibol, saang, paja bungkawil abound in the honasan during our days. Mang-haha mi ug swaki and had a picnic with just our bahaw. Ahhh, missing those days of our youth.
It so happened that Apolinaria, Milagros, Rizalina became classmates in high school. The only classmate residing outside of Baclayon that afternoon was Flor Ungab. She comes from Bilar but she has a little connection to our town. The first wife of his father was an Ello, coming from our neighborhood in Baliaut. We are from the same barrio.
Flor is a dual citizen. Home for her is California with her two children. They just celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with husband, Lito who hails from Albur. She gifted us with pearl rosary beads.
The first to arrive was Rose Bolofer. We were together at Baclayon Trading with Zita. Rose after finishing her course at Rafael Palma College found work in Davao. After retirement, she is now home to Baclayon.
My friend, Caridad Tobia Tharan, grew up in Manila, finished her baccalaureate degree at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She has retired from her work with Ford Foundation and also as Dean for Migrant Studies at Miriam College, Manila. She built her lovely home in Cambanac while she was active with the Ford Foundation. We share her advocacies and she is presently a member of the board of regents at BISU.
Milagros Aya-ay is back home to Bohol after retiring from Baclayon Trading in Davao with her only child in Australia.
The December 15 afternoon ended with my Bff Ardy with her constant Ruth. You very well know that there’s never a dull moment with her.
I prepared local food we used to have in our younger days: Ubi with latik or ujap, suman gabi prepared by my old time buddy, Marsing and, of course, dinuguan and pabadam from my old reliable Dessa.
