by Telly G. Ocampo

Cultural Heritage – for June 4 , 2023

A grand reunion of three (3) septuagenarians
Fely Ong-Boo, Lika Lagura-Magtajas, and (Telly
Gonzaga-Ocampo (that’s me) were classmates at
the Guiwanon elementary school. My mother,
Segundina, was assigned in that school as a
young teacher; and as a young mother, she
tagged along my sister, Manang Aurora and me to
school. My sister was enrolled in Grade 1 and I
started as a “visitor” – somebody who attends
classes but is not included in the register of
students.
For a year until I reached 5 & a half years old, I
was enrolled in grade 1. My Manang Aurora
finished her grade 2 in Guiwanon, but when my
Mama Gunding was transferred to the Baclayon
Central Elementary School, my Manang Aurora
stayed in grade 2 just so we could be together.
I can still remember our primary school days at
Guiwanon when Fely would always give me
candies. She had plenty of supply since they had a
store near the artesian well located at Taguihon,
Baclayon, the barangay next to Guiwanon. I also
remember Lika, my usual companion every time

she was sent to an errand. She was a good buddy
as she had a bigger build than me.
To the three of us (and, maybe, to everyone, then),
school was a happy place. Our book was Pepe
and Pilar. Our pencil was called eboy. It was black
and bigger than the yellow Mongol brand we have
today. Our paper had double lines – a good
material for us to practice writing the alphabet. It
was the teacher who read to us the book for we
were still learning our abc. Our class hours were
more of the storytelling type and we enjoyed every
minute of it. We did not wear shoes, in going to
school. Even in that tender age in the primary
level, we were already tasked to sweep the floor
and polish our desk with sagusahis leaves.
And we went to high school. Fely and went to the
same school, Holy Name College (now Holy Name
University), for our first year. She was in a section
for all honor students from different elementary
schools. I was in section C with students grouped
heterogeneously.
When the school year ended, Fely and I, decided
to transfer to another school for the rest of our
secondary education schooling. We, then went to
St. Joseph College (now the Holy Spirit School). I
did not know where Lika went to high school and

college. All I knew was she became a public
school teacher until her retirement.
In college, Fely and I still went to the same school
– the University of San Carlos (USC). She took up
Engineering and I enrolled in Accountancy. She
lived in a private boarding house just behind the
USC College of Engineering building adjacent to
the Sto. Rosario church. I stayed in the RVM
sisters’ dormitory fronting Pelaez street.
Fely and her late husband settled in California with
4 children. Lika never changed her residency. I,
on the other hand, was a homing pigeon after
making Tacloban home for 20 years.
Fely is here direct from the U.S.A. Se came home
to visit us, after the death of her husband. She
came with her son, Mike, whose passion is Music.
Fely’s husband was named Roger just like my
husband’s name. Fely and I are now widows.
Another friends is Inday Eleonor Pates-Penalver.
She came home to Taguihon just so she could see
Fely. She has just been widowed. Inday asked
from Fely some black dresses from the U.S.A. As
a tradition, they wear black drasses to mourn over
the dead. I and my children wore white on my
husband’s burial.

Our reunion was grand as we discussed
voluminous stories of yesteryears. We had our
dinner reunion at the bbqhan sa Baluarte
because Fely’s son, Mike, wanted to eat the
Kinamot style. The bbqhan sa baluarte is like the
former “sky is the limit” at the Agora in Tagbilaran.
But at the bbqhan sa baluarte, we have the sky,
the sea and the church as our boundaries.

While we were in nostalgic mood and mode, at the
bbqhan sa baluarte, I asked my daughter Estela,
to have a walk with Mike to our place near the
Baliaut Spring so they could talk about Mike’s
passion – Music. We didn’t want mike to be bored
with stories of our bygone days. Our children are
living in an era totally different from ours.
We are now nearing our eighties and will soon
become octogenarians. What could our
conversation topics be today, except the joys of
our youth?
Ahhhhhhh, our reunion made us feel young again!

The septuagenarians and all reunion ladies (from
left to right): Telly Ocampo-Fernandez (yours
truly), Fely Ong-Boo, and Lika Lagura-Magtajas

At the Baclayon bbqhan sa baluarte

Seated clockwise are: Inday Eleonore Pates-
Penalver; Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo (the author);
Fely’s son, Mike; and my children and
grandchildren.

My grandchildren (from left to right): Elias Ocampo
Fernandez, Magenta and Amber Ocampo Alaan