By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
St. Joseph College, (now Holy Spirit School of Tagbilaran is celebrating its 100 years. For us belonging to the class of 1958-62, we feel more comfortable maintaining the name St. Joseph College. This St. Joseph College was the school situated at the old campus. It used to stand strong and it looked majestic along Borja Street. We were then called: “Ang mga Taga Madre”.
In that campus was an adjacent beautiful building facin the former Libertad Street that cradled the sisters’ cloister on the upper floor and a parlour with a winding stairs that we used to climb on rainy days. The main gate was along Borja Street, and just across was our volleyball court the Acacia trees.
Elsie Kudemus, Erlinda Pamaong, Honourable Mention, Virgilia Lim, Class Valedictorian, Fr. Namo, Corazon Gonzaga, Salututurian, Rosita Barol and Andressa Malanog, Honorable Mention
And now Holy Spirit School of Tagbilaran has transferred to a new campus under the Bohol Quality Land Development project. It is a place away from the buzzle of the city. We, the alumni, do not understand the reason for the transfer. All we know is: We terribly miss the old St. Joseph building! Yes, we miss the shining wooden floors; the music from the piano; the voice lessons from the rooms; the recitals and regular events at the pentagon and everything.The S.Sp.S. sisters assigned here before were mostly Germans. I remember Mother Julieta, MotherLleonores, Mother Soledad, and Mother Belarmine (nee Dulce Romualdez) who was the first Filipino mother directress.
Last Monday, May 11, our classmate, Pilar Cloribel Reyes, hosted lunch for us in a small get together in Baclayon at Crescencia’s. We are in our eighties now and our number is slowly dwindling each year. We are thankful that Daya and Bong
Yap, bequeathed to us their daughter Girlie. We were 44 high school graduates in 1962 with Daya ( Virgilia Lim-Yap) as our class valedictorian. Every time we passed by the old campus, we always remember the iron gate which our class donated with the funds coming from our Christmas caroling.
Milagros Ayaay, Rizalina Andoy, Milagros Calope, Telly Gonzaga, Pilar Cloribel, Our host all the way from New York, Milagros Pagaran, Co-Interna With Pilar At St. Joseph And Gertrude’s Dologuin.
And today, our Alma Mater is calling her alumni. Today, enrollment in the school at the present campus has gone down to a very low level at 850 students. Todau our geriatric group cannot guarantee if we could participate in the different activities lined up for the homecoming in December.. Today, we accept the fact that while we belong to the green group, the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
Since there were 44 of us, we agreed to put in P60,000 and more. We simply budgeted 1,500 x 44. But individually we can be giving more. It is payback time to our dear Alma Mater. At the same time, we are asking from alumni whom we know to add more to the fund we are giving to the Madre.
Girlie Lim yap of the City Pharmacy is our treasurer. Though both her parents are gone, their spirit remains in Girlie, being the eldest. And now girlie is with us.
Our graduation picture. In front are the honor students.
Girlie Yap, Rizalina Plaza, Gertrude’s Dologuin, Telly Ocampo, Pilar Cloribel, Milagros Calope, Milagros Ayaay.