I am back . I was away for a month reconnecting with family and friends in our dear town of Mangaldan . It was good to be in our old hometown !
I am trying to "chronicle " my stay in Mangaldan and the Philippines in general and the result is a long journal .
WEEK ONE
It was in February 23rd when I left Vancouver . The thought of being back in Mangaldan brought much excitement . The weather in Vancouver had been so cold for the past few months and the prospect of arriving in a warm weather in a few days was such a pleasant thought . I was still almost bundled up in warm clothing when I left Vancouver . The warm weather that would greet me in Manila was something I was looking forward to . Then I joined up with my sister , Lourdes who lives in Lakewood , WA , in Seoul and continued on to Manila in the same flight . It was a long trip and tiresome but as soon as we touched Philippine soil , we felt great . After an overnight stay in Quezon City , we were finally in our hometown . Nothing much happened for the next few days . We just wanted to savor the moments with my siblings . We wanted to enjoy the local food . Pising , bangus , pindang , chocolatee , dried fish and seafood were all we wanted to enjoy . No fancy foods for us ...
My first " official " social activity was a get together with my Santo Tomas High School classmates held at Serafin and Rebecca Serafica's home at the San Jose Subdivision in Mangaldan on March 1st . It was so good to see my former classmates again ..
Serafin Serafica , STHS Class'59 President and wife Rebecca ( nee Aquino ) . A sumptuous but healthy lunch was served at their house .
First group to arrive at the Serafica's residence , Thelma Lalicon , Marina Vergara , Estrella Morales , Rosie Barrozo , Vivien Cera and Ludy Mir .
Olympia Mercado , Marie Aquino , Rodrigo Tibig and Rogelio Velasquez share some few stories .
Chowtime for the Class '59ers . Lunch was on the Serafica's for Serafin and Rebecca's birthdays in March . It was a great , delicious lunch .
Attendees of the STHS Class '59 2011 get together and reunion : Seated from front row : Ludy Mir , Cristina Malabuet , Teresita Aquino , Vivien Cera Veronica de Vera , Florentina Muyano , Olympia Mercado , Cecilia Cabrera , Marina Vergara , Marie Aquino , Jovencia Embuido , Thelma Lalicon , Corazon Cabrera , Gilda Bautista , Estrella Cuison , Rogelio Velasquez and Rodrigo Tibig . Standing are Serafin Serafica ( left ) and Rosario Barrozo .
Same group posed at the family living room before " sempet abong " .
It was really good to be with former classmates again . Hugs and "tongtongs" went on and on for the rest of the day . With the warm weather , the banana-mango juice prepared by Atchi Rose ( sis of Serafin ) was a much -sought- after thirst quencher ..
Class reunions and class get togethers aside from family reunions ( which is most important ) are what make our trips back home worthwhile . My class is very lucky to have such cooperative classmates . It is the 52nd anniversary of our STHS Class '59 . I value the yearly class reunions we promised to continue among us . I am still hoping that our other classmates who have not joined us yet will show up in our future class reunions .
A few days after our class reunion , Serafin and Rebecca invited me to a short trip to San Fernando , to a new resort called Thunderbird . Was I glad I joined them ! !
The Thunderbird Resort pictures :
Entrance of the Thunderbird Resort in Poro Point with Rebecca and Marie . The whole resort has a Grecian ( Greek ) influence ( Ala Santorino style )
Reception area of the resort ..
Enjoying the view are Terry Serafica , Marie Aquino Junio
Purita Aquino , Rebecca and Serafin Serafica .
Merienda means a nice fruit presentation , chocolate cake and delicious drinks ...Nice breeze wafts through the wide open windows .
The ladies by the pool ...
See the backdrop building ? That's the hotel . No , we did not stay overnight but we dropped by the T- Casino where we got a little lucky . Lunch was at Max restaurant . Unfortunately we had to get back to Mangaldan . It was our Fiesta Day . We had to drop by Rosie Barrozo Perez who invited us for lunch , yes , lunch , to her husband's 70th birthday .It was late , late lunch ( 6:30 p.m )
We had a very late lunch ( or maybe an early supper ) with Rosie Barrozo Perez and her family ...But we had to keep our date with the Bialas who invited us for the fiesta dinner . However , I had to rush to Linda ( nee Tibunsay ) and Gil Macatlang's house for another fiesta supper . Being former neighbors , I wanted to touch base with them .
Gil and Linda Macatlang invited Lourdes and Frank and Marie for the fiesta dinner .
Jinky Macatlang Estaris and family joined her parents and the Aquino siblings for dinner . Jinky is the only daughter of the Macatlangs ..It was nice to spend some time with Linda , who was one of my childhood buddies . We could have talked about the good old days but it was getting late . The evening was not over for me as I promised to drop by the Biala residence . It was about 10:00 p.m. Serafin and Rebecca had gone when I arrived at their place . My former classmates , Nieva and Vivien and their families were all there so we had a great time swapping stories .
Pictures show Dita Biala , Nieva Biala Sabado , Tessie Biala Visperas , Marie and Vivien Cera Mariano . Standing are Dr . Monina Posadas and her niece and family .The Ceras and Bialas were all home for the burial of Atty. Abelardo Garcia Biala , the patriach of the family , who passed away on February 13th , 2011 . He was laid to rest on February 19th , 2011 at the Pax Aeterna Cemetery . He was 94 years old and survived by his wife , Demetria Cera Biala and their children . Santiago ( aka Ago ) Fernandez joined us in the second photo .
It was indeed a long day for me . By the time I was home it was midnight . But I covered a lot of grounds . It was a start of a long list of appointments and gatherings ...
The next day , I had to get together with a very dear friend formerly from Dagupan but now a resident of Oroquieta City , Ligaya Fermill Cadungog . It was such a joyful reunion . I was able to meet her mother and two of her children , Rhoda and Honey at the Fermill residence . We ended up at the Dagupena Restaurant in Calasiao where Ligaya ( aka Lee ) treated my sister Lourdes , my brother Frank and me plus her daughters to some delicious putahes of the well-known eatery .
Meeting one of my dearest and long lasting friends , Ligaya Fermill Cadungog , at her Mom's house was a special moment for me . We have not seen each other for a long time and we had lost track of each other for a long time until two years ago .
Lee insisted on treating us to Dagupena Restaurant , an old name restaurant in Dagupan relocated in Calasiao . Her two married daughters Rhoda De Guzman and Honey ( Lianne Gayle F. Cuevas ) joined us for dinner .
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WEEK TWO
The second week came quite fast .. Atchi Lour , Kuya Frank and I went to Metro Manila to pick up my Kuya Andrew and his son Andre who would arrive on midnight of March 7th . I took the opportunity to meet up with two very good friends who were former residents of Vancouver but decided to move back to the Philippines . We decided to meet at the Virra Mall at Green Hills . Atchi Lour and I decided to do some window shopping . Quite surprisingly , we saw Dita and Ago shopping for "paabet " at the mall "tiangge ". Emilie and Rene Punzalan and Chochi and Rudy Peralejo were early so we had an early dinner at a Singaporean Malaysian eatery at Virra mall .
Dinner with my former Vancouverite good friends Rene and Emilie Punzalan and Rudy and Chochi Peralejo and my sister Lourdes ..
It was late in the evening when we arrived at the Saint Joseph College campus . We stayed at the La Verna 11 for the night . The next day , my brother Andrew , his son Andre , my sister Lourdes and my sister Sister Andrea left for Mangaldan . On our way back , we decided to drop by Bayambang where Letty Junio prepared dinner for us , inkalot ya pantat ( from her little pantat pond ) inkalot ya fresh tilapia , gourami , green mangoes and fresh veggies . There goes again my planned diet into the drain ! !
The Bayambang stopover dinner with Letty Junio and son Neil , Lourdes , Andrew , Andre , Sister Severina , Sr. Andrea and Marie .
The ladies in front of Letty's beautiful home , Sister Severina , Letty , Marie , Lourdes and Sister Andrea ..
All my sisters and brothers were home in Mangaldan a day after we arrived home so we decided to have our usual family pictures .
An informal photo of the Aquino siblings . From left to right : Frank , Sister Severina , Lourdes A Sampaga , Peck ( eldest ) , Marie A. Junio ( youngest ) Andrew Jr. and Sister Andrea
Kuya Andrew and Sister Severina are seated while Sister Andrea , Marie and Atchi Lourdes are standing as lunch was being prepared .
This time , Andre , Kuya Andrew's son , joined the aunties and his Dad .
We were joined by my Ninang Asuncion Magno and Letty Junio during our lunch at home .
That evening , we were invited by the Coronels at Sandrell and Celia's house . We were treated with delicious fish and seafoods ...
Seated for a dinner with the Coronels are Sister Andrea , Lily , Kuya Andrew , Andre , Atchi Lour , Marie , Rem , Sandrell and Celia .
Euan , the eldest son of Sandrell and Celia joined us and made some of his "signature " funny faces ....
The next day , I decided to visit the new library and the Inet (where the 10 computers donated by MIO were housed ). I wanted to see how our kabaleyans are embracing them . I brought my sister , Atchi Lourdes and my nephew to the building .
And this is the Inet facade ....
Entrance of the library and the Inet room ..
I finally met Jean Vergara , the Librarian who happily posed with Andre , my sister Lourdes and me .
Andre tried his hands on a computer with the assistance of Jean .
I also tried my hands to test the computer donated by MIO .
Students from the nearby schools worked comfortably with the computers .
After watching and interviewing the users , I was assured by Jean , the
Librarian , that the computers are being used by the students in their researches and their school projects . I was also told that each user has a time limit . I welcome the students' interest in using the computers and I am quite satisfied with the restrictions imposed to avoid overuse and abuse in the usage . The Inet room is quite comfortable being air conditioned . MIO's decision to donate the computers has been a very wise decision , indeed . Note that the pictures of the past mayors of Mangaldan are lined against the wall at the Inet room . I feel so elated and proud to see that the first picture on the wall ( who was the first Mayor of Mangaldan ) is my grandfather ( my mother's father ) , Juan David . 
Thanks to Jean and her assistants , Maria Luisa Abalos and Salome de Vera for taking care of our town library and the Inet ....
A visit to the Mayor's office made our day ! Inspite of his very busy schedule , Mayor Herminio A . Romero took time to join us for a photo shoot . Mayor Romero is joined by Rosalie Hulipas , his Secretary , my sister , Lourdes , my nephew , Andre and Jean Vergara , the Librarian .
The next few days was a whirlwind of parties , two of which were quite significant . March 12th marked the Silver Wedding Anniversary of Dr. Dodie E . and Marcos Maynes held at the Star Plaza in Dagupan City .
Dodie and Mar joined us for a photo .
One of the daughters of the celebrants , Thea Maynes , joined our table for another photo .
The other very significant social affair was the 85th birthday of Mrs. Cesaria de Vera Echevaria , the mother of Dr. Dodie E . Maynes held at the Stadia in Dagupan City .
Tia Cesay with her daughter Nilda E . Ferrer , Marie and granddaughter , Thea Maynes .
Mangaldanians celebrating with Tia Cesay were ready at the Chow line-up ..
More pictures and infos on the Silver Wedding Anniversary and the 85th birthday are now posted on the Mangaldan Hometown site .
A visit to Mangaldan is not complete without a visit and mass to Our Lady of Manaoag . It is the most important agenda I keep . Kuya Frank drove my sister Lourdes , nephew Andre and I to Manaoag catholic church which is the Shrine of Our Lady .
A visit and mass to the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag was the most important part of our trip to the Philippines .The image of our Lady is at the background , accessible to the devotees .
Being a hot and sunny day , Atchi Lour and I decided to have merienda in the church grounds ..
Andre was enjoying the pansit with Kuya Frank ...
Andre tried to eat some turon , too which he found quite delicious . But what we really needed was something cold , like halo-halo but unfortunately , we could not find any store that sells it ..
The next few days were spent on the road , from Pangasinan to Tagaytay City , Batangas , Quezon Province , Laguna , Manila and back to Pangasinan with my friends and abalayans Lily and Rem Coronel.
WEEK THREE
We are off to Tagaytay City , known for it's colder weather . My abalayan Lily , arranged our trip , from our transportation to our lodging .
On our way to Tagaytay City with Rem , Lily , me and Atchi Lourdes inside the van ..
Andre at the front seat to have a full view of the sideroads with our favorite driver Fede Nipales ..
First stop was a restaurant overlooking Taal volcano (smallest one in the world ) and lake , Buon Giorno , a nice Italian restaurant .
Why are we sitting without the Taal Lake background ? It was foggy and we decided to forego that picture ..
At the Buon Giorno restaurant with Atchi Lourdes , Marie , Lily , Rem , Andre and our faithful man of the wheel , Fede .
Still at the Buon Giorno restaurant , enjoying some Italian cooking ...
We took time to take some pictures at the garden of the house where we stayed for the night with a nice Grotto at the background .
Andre and I were excited to show off the coconuts which we always enjoy drinking and eating .
It is Atchi Lourdes and Andre showing off the "catch " of the day ... our fav coconuts ..
Not to be outdone , Rem and Lily shared some affinity with the coconuts with Andre ...
A visit to the Pink sister's chapel before closing time ..
A visit to PAGCOR , the local casino , became a part of our visit to the city . The picture was taken at the Wishing Well , unfortunately , nobody among us was lucky enough to take home a bundle .
An early breakfast became the order of the day . We have lots of places to visit so we had to have an early start . But gee , it was as cold as Baguio but more windy . Luckily we brought our sweaters and heavier PJs .
The next day was a visit to Caleruega , in Nasugbo , Batangas . Caleruega is a house of prayer and renewal . It is open to activities like retreats , recollections , prayer and renewal workshops, study , research , youth camps , marriage and family encounter celebrations, skills training , leadership , seminars , art , music , and environment and agriculture related activities .
Photo was taken inside the first building where souvenirs are being sold .
This is one spot where we can see smaller but different varieties of plants and the little fountain ..
Wow , looks like we are enjoying the beauty of nature , even Rem felt like kissing wife Lily .
Caleruega has also a swinging bridge which we enjoyed crossing .
We finally reached the other mountain after crossing the bridge . The air was so fresh that we felt like singing at the top of our voices to inhale such freshness . We were like the Von Trapp family singing "Sound of Music " .
We finally reached our destination , the Chapel at the top of the hill . Such a breathtaking view from atop .
Now , here's the difficult part , going down the hill . Luckily , we have Andre who gentlemanly held on to Atchi Lourdes whose legs almost gave way .
We had to rest after we descended from the Chapel on the hill . Caleruega is really a breathtaking place . I am truly glad we went to this place . It was truly a great outdoor experience . I could not help but marvel at the different varieties of plants and flowers and I captured some of them in my tiny camera ..
Please focus your eyes to the teal colored flowers hanging on the trellis . Very unusual flowers indeed ...
We spent almost half a day in this special place and I would not mind staying longer but we have another visit to another special place in Lucban , Quezon , the KAMAY NI HESUS site .
After an exhilirating visit at Caleruega , we were on the road again . We made a few stopovers and had lunch in Lipa City . We finally arrived at the Kamay ni Hesus site at about 5:30 p.m . We registered at NOAH'S ARK for the night . Then we went around the vicinity before supper . It was still bright outside so I was able to take some pictures . It was Friday so we were served a simple no meat dinner . We had corn soup , fish fillet and "pako salad " . We thoroughly enjoyed our simple supper . Breakfast was another simple but very enjoyable dinner ..
The big image of our Lord Jesus Christ on top of the mountain . The site is divided into two sites , the Old Testament on the right side of the mountain starting with Adam and Eve . The second portion ( or site ) on the left is the New Testament .
This is a beautiful site to behold . The steps are many in reaching the big statue . The weather was not great , in fact , it was raining but still many people are trying to reach the peak . A healing mass is held on Saturday mornings . We would have stayed longer but we had to pass by La Verna 2 before we would head home .
Pair of animals are scattered around Noah's Ark so Atchi Lour and I held on to our favorite animal , the elephant ...
At the Garden of Eden , the statues of Adam and Eve dominate the site ..
The church where the healing masses are held stands at the background .
Breakfast at Noah's Ark with the cook and servers in the kitchen ... We had a simple breakfast but very healthy one specially with the carabao and goat milk we bought in Tagaytay . We wanted to stay longer but we had to leave in the morning so we could drop by SJC to pick up my sister , Sr. Andrea who celebrates her birthday today , March 19th .
Lunch was reserved for us latecomers , for Sr. Andrea's birthday . We arrived at about 1:30 pm so we had a very late lunch . We left for Mangaldan at about 3:00 pm . We treated Sr . Andrea for another birthday dinner at the Isdaan in Gerona where she was "haranad "
Sister Andrea was serenaded by two groups in the eatery as a birthday treat ...
Back in Mangaldan , I had two more official social activities both important milestones .
Engr . Federico Palisoc , the hubby of Tia Feling Tamondong celebrated his 91st birthday on Sunday , March 20th . The couple are former residents of Canada and USA but decided to spend their reitrement years in Mangaldan . Relatives and friends joined him in this special milestone .
Engr . Palisoc with wife , Feling joined some guests Andre Aquino , Carol Oca , Marie Aquino Junio and Mely Sarzaba ..
Some of the lady guests of Engr . Federico Palisoc are pictured here , Asuncion Magno , Feling T. Palisoc , Mely Sarzaba , Tita Cera , Norma Ramat ,Mrs. Dizon , Tia Juling , Marie , Atchi Agring Quinto , Gloria Surot , Linda M. Ydeo and Auring Samson Cendana . ( More pictures to be posted under the Mangaldan Hometown site )
A little later , Andre and I went to Atchi Vinnie (nee Moulic ) Tan's place to greet her husband , Juanito who celebrated his 75th birthday .The guests have left but we managed to join him and his relatives in a photo shoot . Andre and I enjoyed his birthday cake . 
The birthday celebrant with wife Vinnie , Marie , Andre , Linda and relatives of the celebrant ..
My former classmate Olympia Mercado Ferrer and husband Arthur invited me and my siblings for dinner the night before we left for Manila . Ludy Mir Loresco picked me up . Kuya Frank , Minerva and Andre joined us later .
Olympia , Ludy and Marie took time for a picture ..The above picture shows the table laden with delicious food Oly prepared .
The dinner hosts and invitees enjoyed the sumptuous food and fruits .. Thanks , Oly and Arthur .
On March 22nd , my sisters and brothers and Andre went to Manila to see me and Atchi Lour off at the airport . We all stayed at the Manila Airport Hotel . My two sisters , Sr. Severina and Sr . Andrea packed our luggages . Atchi Lour and I were so overwhelmed with packing so our two sister nuns took over . We wanted to bring everything we bought and given but unfortunately , our luggages were so fully packed that we had to leave so many things that we intended to bring ... We took our separate filghts on March 23rd ..
Oh, boy , that was a good holiday ! ! But I must say , the heat was becoming almost unbearable during the day . There are so many people I want to thank .. First of all , I thanked my two nun sisters , Sr. Severina and Sr . Andrea , who generously gave their time , efforts and things to me as well as my other siblings . Thank you to my two nephews , Juancho and Arthur who gave their time to meet us at the airport . Thank you to the sisters in LaVerna 2 who accommodated us during our stay in Metro Manila . To my friends Rene and Emie Punzalan and Chochi and husband Rudy for the nice dinner and gifts . To Kuya Frank who gave his time to take us around , to my classmates specially , Serafin and Rebecca who have always been so generous , to Olympia and Arthur Ferrer for their dinner invitation and mangoes and other fruits , to the Bialas , to Rosie Perez and family , to Gil and Linda Macatlang , to my friend Ligaya Fermill Cadungog and daughters Rhoda and Honey , to Letty Junio , to the Echevarias and Maynes , Tia Feling and Tio Pedring , Atchi Vinnie Tan and husband Juanito . A million thanks to my two abalayans and good friends Lily and Rem for their great generosity and thoughtfulness . Thank you , too , to Sandrell and Celia Coronel for the very nice dinner at their beautiful home . I hope I did not forget anybody but anyway , thank you to everybody who , in one way or another made my stay in Mangaldan more enjoyable and memorable .
Most of all , I thank our LORD ALMIGHTY for granting us good health and making it possible for my siblings to come together and enjoy each other's company as well as for all of my relatives and friends . May God continue to bless us and guide us in all our undertakings .
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