Boots Mayol, Pearl Miranda, & Delia Delarama
UP-PGHSN Class of 1962
Thirty-one (31) of us went to our first reunion in Virginia in August, 2012. We joined the other alumni for the UPNAAI 33rd Annual Reunion. As Golden Jubilarians, we were expected to present special numbers for the occasion and we did. We chose to sing our class song “Greenfields” and our rendition of “Those Were The Days My Friend,” changing the lyrics to tell a story of our student days at the Nurses Home. The song delighted the audience specially those who had the same experiences.
Most of us stayed for another three days of bonding at the condo of Josie and Billy Sabile. We went home thinking and looking forward to our reunion in the Philippines.
Seventeen (17) of us joined the twelve (12) alumni in the Philippines who hosted the affair. Most of us stayed at the Century Park Hotel. As we met and rejoiced seeing each other again, the camaraderie and the lifelong friendships came rushing back.
We toured PGH and met with Dr. Manuel Agulto, the Chancellor; Dr. Joe Gonzales, the Director; Miss Imelda Mangaser, the Assistant Director for Nursing Services, and all her staff; and Mrs. Adel Mendoza , President of the PGHSNAA. We ended up with a photo-op at the ‘Nurses Home,’ dressed in our Golden gowns to recreate our line-up during our Welcome ball. We felt nostalgic, at the same time felt sorry for the current state of the Nurses Home. It was one of the most elegant buildings of UP Manila before but it is currently in a run-down condition and in need of major repair. This justified our decision to donate and motivate others to start a renovation fund. Climax of the day was the Manila Bay Cruise where we dined and watched the picturesque beautiful sunset.
During the UP-PGHSNAA annual reunion, we saw and mingled with other alumni whom we have not seen for a long time. We sung the songs we rendered in Virginia, once again transporting the audience back to’ Nurses Home’ days. Our spouses who have been very supportive in every reunion joined us in another song, “Bayan Ko.” No matter where our journeys take us, we always think of our homeland. To cap it all, Jane Negre Sta. Ana got the Distinguished Alumni Award and Delia Delarama, the Mother of the Year Award.
Our celebration also included tours to Tagaytay, Corregidor, Manila, and the malls at Greenhills and Makati. We spent a day at our classmate’s resort in Laguna (Jun & Jane Abacan) and feasted on lanzones, big guavas and other sumptuous dishes. We even had karaoke and a mahjong session. We visited the”Kubo Camp for Christ” established in Silang, Cavite by Del & Jane Sta Ana. We planned to visit the orphanage managed by classmate, Sr. Sol Umale but she was not available at that time. It was amazing how our bodies endured the hectic schedule.
Our Golden Yearbook was a labor of love and we are proud of everyone’s cooperation. We apologized to Dinday Bersamin for our error of omission– we tried our best but it shows how human we are.
Looking back at the events and the wonderful memories of our celebrations, we wish, and we will strive to have more reunions. Life is a gift-fragile and unpredictable. We therefore need to savor each moment, appreciate one another, and everything “for the past is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today (the present), is a gift.” We realize the decreasing number of attendees at some class reunions and we hope that other celebrating classes would consider going home for their reunions. It was truly a priceless experience for us!
