It has been a month now since we were in Las Vegas for the MIO First Grand Reunion , but it seems it is very difficult to shake off the euphoria the event brought .
I still receive phone calls and e-mails about the positive effects of the reunion . It may not be as perfect as we wanted it to be but the outcome is as good as we expected it to be .
Reconnections happened . It started happening on the first day we arrived , October 21st , 2009 . Mangaldanians started arriving that day because of the next day's activity , the Grand Canyon excursion . I was with my travelling companion , my cousin Tess Carvajal Marier . By a turn of events , Lito and Estrella ( nee Mejia ) Espinosa ended up in our Air Canada flight to Las Vegas . They missed their very early flight . It was almost a three hour flight . By the time we arrived , it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon . At the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas , the four of us ( Atchi Tess , Lito , Estrella and I ) were debating as to how we would get to the hotel , either by the shuttle bus , a taxi or by limousine . Since the fare was almost the same , we were almost negotiating for the limo . Before the limo pulled for us , who would be rushing to the arrival area but the chief himself , Boy Moulic ! ! He was supposed to meet his sister Josephine and her husband Camilo . But they were nowhere in sight . Being the chivalrous guy he is , he offered to drive us to the Gold Coast Hotel where we were supposed to be billeted . With four big suitcases , four hand carry alls and ourselves , we could not see ourselves and the suitcases fitting in Boy's rented sedan .
Believe it or not , Boy opened his trunk , took out his golf clubs , water and whatever were in his trunk. Three suitcases fitted in the trunk , one big one and two hand carry ons at the passenger back seat . Now the problem was , where will the four Vancouverites be ? Problem solved . Lito sat at the front passenger seat while Estrella , Atchi Tess and Marie squeezed themselves in between the luggages ala " upong diyes lang ". My feet were on top of Estrella's legs and Atchi Tess' legs were on top of a suitcase . How we were able to arrive at the hotel in one piece was beyond me . And luckily , no cops were around .
Hurriedly , Boy and Lito unloaded our suitcases . He had to rush back to the airport ! Sis Josie with hubby were waiting for him ! ! Poor Boy , he became a taxi driver overnight ! !
That was the start of the whirwind activities and the start of the reconnection process . After checking in and putting our clothes in order , we decided to get out of our room and stayed in the lobby . The fun started right then and there . Soon , Father Romeo Biala with sister Luz and her two kids joined us . Atchi Tess could hardly contain her excitement upon meeting Fr. Biala , her former classmate whom she had not seen for many years . At first , the Mangaldanians came in trickles but before the night was over , the lobby was dominated by Mangaldanians . I am sure you could imagine the lobby that night ! Belen ( Villanueva ) , husband Beda Juguilon and their daughter Brenda who reside in Australia , were introduced to us . I was able to meet the Viduyas , too , who are from Indiana . I don't know how I felt then , but it was truly a magical moment when I started meeting in person the people I met thru the Aliguas Mangaldan website ( when I posted their articles ). After a delightful dinner at Ping Pang Pong ,( the Chinese restaurant at the hotel ) with Atchi Tess, Rusty and Briggy Miraflor and Mona and Pepe Tan , we joined again the Mangaldanians in the lobby with some more " Tongtong ya angapoy sampot " , we finally said goodnight to the new arrivals to get ready for the early morning trip .
We were not so many but we fully occupied the big bus that would take us to the Grand Canyon tour . It was another great day during the Grand Canyon Tour . However , we did not anticipate the coldness that met us . Baby Abalos and I had to buy jackets which became our signature attire during that day . Maybe it will be our way of bonding . Later in the evening , I had time to join Tita Moulic , Luz Suhr and her children Francois and Natasha , Josie ( Moulic ) and husband Camilo Olaer and the Juguilons of Australia in the "strip " tour . Josie was my former classmate during my elementary grades .
Walking the strip was a great way to bond and reconnect . It was at the Bellagio Hotel that our cameras started popping to capture the "out of this world " dazzling Halloween decorations .
Tita Moulic and I felt we were in Paris with the Eiffel Tower at the background . But of course , this is still in Las Vegas .
The following day's activities , Welcome /Registration / Fellowship Night worked out very well . More kabaleyans than expected showed up and there were lots of hugs and laughter . Ross Mejia , better half of Cecilia Ferrer Mejia ( a Class '59er of MNHS ) showed his singing prowess ( though he advised us earlier that he is not a singer ) . I admire his showmanship and cooperation when he did . Rodolfo Aquino very well sang but claimed he was unprepared . Atchi Ligaya ( De Leon ) MacFarlane started sharing her story when she emigrated to the US ( Fr. Biala handed her a box of Kleenex ) , followed by Susan M. Martinez , wife of MNHS Class '59er Fred ( from Hawaii ) who also shared her life story as new immigrant .
It was an incredibly great night . Our special guests , Ret . Gen . Arturo Lomibao and his pretty wife , Jackie , and Kgd . Teresa "Baby " Abalos joined the kabaleyans . Baby was our speaker for the night and she really wowed the crowd with her speech . Former Mangaldan Kagawad and now a resident of Vancouver Philip Fabia did a great job of introducing his fomer colleague . It was a great time to really reconnect with each other . Puree De Vera and husband Dario Narvaez made it for the night but they had to leave the next day for a trip in Europe .
Former Arellano Street neighbors Puree and Tess with Marie recalled the good old days .
The Gala Night was truly a dress-up affair . Ladies were in their finest and the guys were also dressed up to their nighs . Once in a while we need these dress-up occasions . Mangaldanians residing in Canada proudly waved their mini Canadian flags while singing O Canada , our national anthem ( led by Mona Lopez Tan ) , after the Star Spangled Banner was sung by Francois B. Suhr . The Phippine National anthem was interpreted by Rodolfo Aquino . Ret . Gen . Arturo Lomibao gave an inspiring talk after being introduced by Gerry Quinto . Mayor Herminio A. Romero was supposed to be one of the speakers but due to the big flood that affected our town , he had to cancel his flight to help and guide our kabaleyans . Inspite of his absence , his speech was read by Kgd . Baby Abalos , who also accepted his Plaque of Appreciation from Boy Moulic . I presented Gen . Lomibao his Plaque of Appreciation . The Manyjer members as well as the Maonca members showed off their dancing prowess . One of the highlights of the night was the 50/50 Raffle which netted MIO $1110.00 which was added to the amount pledged for Mangaldan . Kudos to the MNHS Class 59'ers led by Lito Quinto , assisted by Ross Mejia , who were in charge of that event . Many attendees enjoyed dancing and would have stuck it out but unfortunately , the lights were out at 1:00 and the band stopped playing . For some , the night was still young , and the one-arm bandits were beckoning , so they tried their luck again .
One person I have not met before but with whom I often communicated with was Cristeta ( aka Christine ) Cera Atutubo . I finally met her and her husband Alex . New acquaintance Michelle Molina joined us in this photo . IT WAS TRULY A WONDERFUL NIGHT .( As of this writing , Christine and Alex left for Mangaldan to attend her father 's ( Samuel Cera ) funeral . Condolence to you and your family , Christine ).
Next day was the Picnic in the Park . The picnic ground turned out to be a short drive from the Gold Coast Hotel and it was a " green " and neat picnic area . Food was abundant , including two lechons . The picnic turned out to be quite orderly , thanks to the proper trafficking and distribution of the food by volunteers . An impromptu and unofficial meeting was held . It was great to know that there are many Mangaldanians who are interested in representing their area ( or region ) in the next Grand Reunion . Las Vegas is still the majority's choice of venue . Three years from now ( 2012 ) was originally voted ( by hand raising ) as the next event but many have expressed a change of heart , majority are now rooting for 2011 ...By January 2010 , we should be discussing and deciding what to do for our next Grand Reunion .
Two great outcomes of the just -concluded MIO Grand Reunion were the bonding and the reconnection of families and friends and also the generosity of Mangaldanians when their help was needed . MIO pledged $10,000.00 for Mangaldan . I thank two families for their special donations , Bona De Vera Parayno and husband Choy , and Eduardo and Loy Baltazar . Thank you very much for your generosity . Thank you to all attendees who in one way or the other had given their share to reach our financial goal .
Bona ( De Vera ) and Choy Parayno choosing 10 large size Mio T-shirts while Marie was making sure Bona gets all the large sizes . She ended up buying 20 t-shirts ...This " buy and sell " occurred after the lights were turned off at the ballroom at Gala Night and Joey Tumaneng started selling T-shirts and the Souvenir Journals . Thanks , Joey and Josie for all your efforts in this "department " .
My last night in Las Vegas turned out to be a fruitful one . Ditas , Lanie and I were able to attend the afternoon Sunday mass at the Guardian Angel Cathedral . After the mass , back at the hotel , we were about to spend the evening by ourselves . Call it luck or coincidence , Randy Cortez Estrella came to pick up Ida Jimenez Malanum to take her out for dinner . Randy was able to talk us ( pasootan ) into joining them . Poor Randy , apasubo ed pigaran totoo ya andi horas . Makino's was our destination , an upscale Japanese buffet restaurant . Boy , oh , boy ! ! How we all enjoyed the seafood, all fresh and tasty . But the most important was the reconnection we made . Randy and her parents and siblings used to live in Bari where I grew up . Randy and her older brother Norman used to pass by our house on their way to the Central school . As I was talking to them , I could visualize their parents' faces as well as theirs . It was so good to recall such memories .
I am truly glad that the Tolentino siblings made it to the Grand Reunion , except for Atchi Fe and Elmo. The Tolentino family was a part of my childhood . Our parents were partners of the Tolentino- Aquino Rice Mill until they decided to be on their own and dissolved the partnership , not because of ill feelings but because of practicality . Our families remained friends and truly it was a joy to see Kuya Pecto and family , Kuya Jaime , Atchi Remy and Cecile in Las Vegas .
Unfortunately , I still have some few regrets . I was not able to see some of our kabaleyans whom I was looking forward to meeting again . I missed Mely Cendana Salinas , who was my classmate in Piano under the late Atchi Vinnie Cendana . She may not remember but I do . Another person whom I was looking forward to meet again but did not is Jess Bambalan . Maybe Boy was too busy to introduce me to him . Jess was a former colleague ( co-teacher ) at Luzon University in Dagupan City ( former LC ) many summers ago. Maybe on the next grand reunion I will have more time and opportunity to look for more people I wish to reconnect with .
Time for bonding at Makino's Japanese Buffet Restaurant in Las Vegas with Perla and Norman Cortez , Randy and Peng Estrella , Ida Jimemez Malanum , Marie Aquino Junio , Ditas Palisoc Sarzaba and Lanie Marron Basuel .
A stroll at the beautifully decorated Bellagio Hotel and more childhood recollections brought so much memories to bring back with us to our homes . Thanks for all the memories with a lot of people and faces I met and saw during this First Grand Reunion .
Another positive effect brought by the Grand Reunion for those who attended the Las Vegas Reunion as well as those who were not able to attend , was the spark it ignited to think of the folks back home and their plight . Many are inspired to lend their hands and give more .
Let me take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude to the Mangaldanians truly involved in this special event . Thank you to the Executive Over All Chairman Silverio ( aka Boy ) Moulic for his leadership and great effort in this endeavor , and to the working committee : To Rusty Cervas Miraflor who was behind the design of MIO Logo , the formal invitations and the Chairman of the Welcome / Registration / Fellowship Night . Thanks for all your ideas and efforts in making the Fellowship Night an enjoyable one . Thanks to Tess Carvajal Marier , who helped Rusty in coordinating the activities and program for the Welcome Night as well as acting as emcee . Thanks and kudos to Ditas Palisoc Sarzaba , Chairman of Gala Night , whose ideas and hard work made the night worth remembering and to Cristeta Cera Atutubo , who was the Gala Night Coordinator and emcee . Thanks to Lanie Marron Basuel who had to break her head ( so to speak ) figuring out the seating arrangements . Ditas and Lanie spent so much time in the computer to make sure all guests were seated properly . To the husband and wife team , Josie Aquino and Joey Tumaneng , I thank you deeply for all the efforts you did to put together our nicely done Souvenir Journal and for negotiating our hotel rates specially during the Welcome Night and the Gala Night food service . And to Djoma De Guzman , who was the Chairman in the Web Maintenance . Thanks for helping me in communicating to our kabaleyans news and updates of the First Grand Reunion . Thank you , too , to Tia Lily Yden Orap , Chairman of the Picnic in the Park who showed us her untiring efforts in securing the picnic area , her thoughtfulness and concern to all of us . It was a job well done . Thanks to Rolando Yap , Atchi Anna and Kuya Rudy Visperas and Rudy Estrada who worked hand in hand with Tia Lily . A million thanks to all the volunteers during the Welcome Night , the Gala Night and during the picnic . Without your help , we could not have accomplished what we did . To all kabaleyans who were there to witness history unfolding and to all our guests , thank you for your attendance . We look forward to the next MIO Grand reunion . Let us all be there ..Let us pray to our Lord that we will be healthy and financially sound for the Second Grand Reunion.
By MARIE
P.S. For more pictures and infos during the Grand Reunion, check the 2009 Viva Las Vegas page (feature)
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