Vancouver With Love

Special Time Among MNHS Class '59ers

Once again , the ever active  Class '59ers of Mangaldan National High School, spearheaded by  Ernie  Ocoma , Fred Martinez and Joselito Quinto  in North  America in coordination  with  '59ers residing in the Philippines  , Zenaida De Guzman , Erlinda Obtinario , Erlinda De Guzman  and Lourdes Tibig  had pulled another  successful  and well- orchestrated  reunion.

  This time , members  of the class  , based in North America , joined their counterparts  in the Philippines for the  reunion  on February 24-26, 2007. There were  50  members  who  signed  in .The  reunion started  at their Alma Mater  for  the registration  and  mass at the Mangaldan  Parish Church  officiated  by Father Francis Posadas , followed  by the official  business meeting  at  the PTA Beach Resort in San Fabian , Pangasinan  which included  dinner  and dance . After  wrapping  up their business  and social   activities  at the PTA Beach Resort , the group proceeded to the well-known  Hundred Islands resort in Alaminos , Pangasinan. A trip to  the City of Pines , Baguio City  completed the tour  outside of  Mangaldan  . Some stayed  behind   for the Mangaldan Town Fiesta  after  the  reunion , some went  to  side trips and most  class members went  back to their  homes , happy and content after spending quality  time with  former  classmates .

I am  posting  some  pictures taken during the reunion activities . By looking at the pictures , I could  see that the members of the class  had  a great  time  being  with  their  classmates  again , 48 years  after  their  high school graduation . This first picture shows  the '59ers in front of the  church with  Father  Francis Posadas  .

The second photo  shows MNHS 59er  Flor Cariaga , MNHS Class 59er Juliet Quinto , MNHS 59er Erlinda Obtinario , Thomasian Amanda  Biala  Cera , MNHS 59er  Mamerto Frianeza , STHS Class 59er Ludy Mir Loresco, MNHS 59er  Carmen Menor , MNHS 59er Lydia de Guzman  and Susan and Fred  Martinez  ( MNHS class 59er )

                                       

                                   

Dinner  meeting at the PTA  Beach Resort in San Fabian . Social activities  like dancing  and singing  followed  ...

This is one of the boats going to  Hundred  Islands

This group picture was taken in Hundred Islands . Standing from left to right are : Romeo Visperas, Erly  de Guzman , Zenaida de Guzman, Flor Cariaga,Carmen Balolong, Ernie Ocoma ,Carmen Menor , Milagros Aquino, Joselito Quinto , Rosie Generosa, Andrew Visperas, Eugenia Movida, Fred Martinez, Lolita Soco , Juliet Quinto and Erly Obtinario. Kneeling are : Felipe Carbonel, Lourdes Villanueva , Dominga Carbonel , Arturo Quinto ( sitting ) Melba Biagtas,and Melanio Fernandez    

      

  And then , MNHS 59ers " invaded "  the  City  of  Pines , Baguio  City and here they  are  ...

The famed  LIONS HEAD at  the  entrance  of  Kennon   Road . The smell  of  the  pine trees  would  be wafting  at  this  point  which means  one  is entering  the official Summer Capital of the Philippines .

Pictures were taken right in the City  of Baguio  where   the  Class 59ers watched  the  Parade  showcasing the city's  pride and joy ...The reunion were fun-filled  days  and everybody is anticipating the next   Class '59  reunion...                            

                                                                             

      

MNHS Class '67 Reunion

                                                                      

With  the e-mail  came  the  pictures . Not  so many names were with the pictures . Ru

February  is  not  only  known  as  the  Valentines' month , it  is also  a month  for  get-togethers  and  high  school  class  reunions .

I received  an e-mail  from  Rustica  Cervas  Miraflor , who belongs  to the Class' 67  of the Mangaldan  National High  School  . She was  the  class Valedictorian  and  a former AFS scholar . She and her family  reside now  in Vancouver and  she is a Board  Member  of  the Mangaldan Residents of Vancouver (MaReVa ) group . The class '67  reunion  was  held in  their  Alma Mater . Rusty  was not  able to attend , but  she received  almost a day to day  update  on what went  on  . Here is the unedited  e-mail  of  Rusty :

Dear  Ate  Marie ,

Here goes  the  little  blurb about our  class  '67 :

Members of  my Class '67 of Mangaldan National High celebrated the Ruby anniversary ( 40th ) of our graduation from high school , on February 24-25, 2007. The  2-day reunion was attended by  close to 90 graduates including  their  spouses . Everyone had the time  of his/her life  reconnecting with  classmates  of  long ago and recalling  fond  memories of  high school. For two  days the class '67 members basked in laughter   and  camaraderie   of  schoolmates . Class members  from  near  and  far came to enjoy the company of their friends. From California  came Joe Lavarias , former MNHS student council president , Cecilia Aquino-Descamp and Herminia Idio  Somera . Roger Ocoma  took   time  out  from his  work  in Dubai, UAE. No one  from  Canada was able  to make it .

The affair  started with  the  celebration of  holy mass  at  the Saint Thomas Parish  Church followed  by a  motorcade  along the main  streets  of  Mangaldan  and  neighboring  towns  where  some  of the school's  population  come  from. A delectable  lunch  spread  was enjoyed  by  all  after  the  motorcade. The only  faculty member  who was able to join the group  was  Mrs. Beatriz Lalata. A business meeting   followed  the luncheon. To cap  the day's  activity , an evening dance  and  program  was  held  at  the MNHS social hall  which included   inspirational talks by  Remy Visperas-Buenafe , Jose Lavarias  and Roger Ocoma . The three speakers  entertained  ( and ultimately inspired ) their classmates with  vignettes  of  their lives'   journeys ..

The 2nd day   of the reunion  was marked by more informal  dancing , eating  , just plain sharing  of  stories  and Karaoke singing  at the Center  Beach  in  San  Fabian. So much  fun  was  had by  all , that  they  agreed  not to wait  for  another  ten years  for  a reunion  but  to do it  within  the next  five  years.

The affair  was  spearheaded  by  Rosalinda  Surat-Escorpizo, Racquel Estaris-Marquez , Fatima Daroy-Soriano, Venny Ferrer De Vera , Angel Garin , Norma Mejia ,Olga Reyes , Estela and Johnny Solis , Adriatico ( Boy ) Golea  Jr. , Esta  Biascan and  Lito Mir.

Our town's Vice Mayor Bernie (  aka Berex )  Abalos , who is a class '67 member , gave his all out  support  to ensure  the success of this  undertaking .  Thanks  . 

                                                                                                                                       RUSTY    

                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                       

P.S.                                         sty and I decided that it would be fun if the subjects  would  identify themselves . After all ,after 40 years , changes  have occurred  in  everyone's life . Some have  added pounds and  some  have  lost  some  so  whichever  category  you are in , we  surely  like  to  know  where  you  are in the pictures. Remember , I was once  your English teacher  . You  probably  won't recognize me with my added  pounds  and  not so young  face  anymore . Forty years has been a long  time to have not seen each other . But no matter  how  you all  look , you are still  what  you  were  and what  you  have become  and that is the most important aspect  of  this  reunion...the acceptance of  what  you are now . So , here are some of the pictures everybody  has been  waiting  for . We hope to hear from you  soon..

                                                                                                 ATCHI MARIE

                                                                 

 

                                     

                           

An open letter to MNHS Class'59ers

I recently received an email from Cecile Ferrer , a member of MNHS Class '59 and her husband, an "adopted " member of the class. They have enjoyed the previous class reunions but  unfortunately they won't be able to attend  this forthcoming  one . Somehow, they want to get involved in their own way . Cecile sent this e-mail as a headstart, outlining the activities in the Philippines   for their colleagues. This is the content of the couple's  e-mail : Marie

"On February 24-26, members  of the Mangaldan National High School Class '59 will be gathering at  the San Fabian PTA Beach Resort to plan and prepare for their Golden Jubilee Reunion On February , 2009 .

This reunion, about three weeks  from now , was spearheaded  by Ernie Ocoma , the class  president , who is based in Richland, Washington.  He is dubbed  "The Tracker " because he enjoys  tracking down  his  classmates'  whereabouts  and  organizing  their   get-togethers . Together  with  Fred Martinez , who is  a resident of  Honolulu, Hawaii , they organized  the  first  reunion  of their class . Classmates finally met  after  48 years last summer , 2006  in  Honolulu , where Fred  offered  his house  as their  base .

Ernie is again the taskmaster in this forthcoming  reunion. Involved  locally ( Philippines ) in  the  organization  of the reunion are Erlinda de Guzman , Erlinda Obtinario , Lourdes Tibig and Zenaida de Guzman . As of now , about  100 MNHS class '59ers  living in the Philippines  have signed up  to attend . About a dozen  or so are arriving  from  North America to join them . Meeting  place  on the first day will be at the MNHS  building for  registration and  photo sessions .                           

Planned itineraries for the  group include a short stay  at the PTA resort where  plans will be laid  for  the Feb. 2009  Golden Jubilee  Reunion , away  from the   hustle  and  bustle  of  our  growing  town  of  Mangaldan . For those who won't be able to be present  during the planning , a  Webcam thru the internet  will be set up  so  they can view  and  participate in the proceedings . Then  the group  will proceed to Covelandia  Du Labrador ( new resort in Western  Pangasinan ),  then  to Hundred Islands in Alaminos and  then  Baguio City . The highlight  of the reunion  will be the attendance  to our  traditional Town Fiesta  in the first  week  of March .

Ross and I will not be able to join  you , my  friends , but we  will be constantly in touch  . Remember that  you  will be rewriting  the history  of  Mangaldan . Have fun and  enjoy the camaraderie of each  other . Abante '59ers  but  don't  forget  to look  back . God  bless  you  all  and  we hope to see  all  again  on  February 2009 .  " 

Cecile ( Ferrer )  and  Ross                           

STHS Class 59er's Reunion

Memories are our souvenirs that time will turn into our treasures.. Our lives are full of memories . We try to gather  and keep as much souvenirs as we can .We keep souvenirs for our  families  and our  friends.

Most of our waking hours when  we were younger were spent in our  schools where  most of our  memories started . Our elementary years  were the start of building  our own memories. In high school, the camaraderie we started in our elementary grades  were strengthened . Then after  graduation , it was time to part .

Deep  within  us , we longed  for our  old  friends and  our past  while building  new  relationships in the next phase of our lives . Reunions are meant  to reconnect  us to our  old  friends .

My years in Santo Tomas High School ( now Santo Tomas Catholic School ) were full of  memories . My Class '59 members residing in North America  decided to hold a mini- reunion  and we decided  on  a " Reunion  On Wheels ".  Venus Jimenez , Norie Cervas  and I flew  to  California to join  Tita Morales, Serafin  Serafica  and wife  Rebecca  ( nee Aquino  and   STHS Class '66 ) , Manny   Biason and wife Naida  and  Aurora  Calicdan  and  husband  Silverio ( Jun ) de Guzman ( MNHS Class '59 ) at  the Serafica residence in Yorba Linda .  Ramon Cabrera and wife Nora  arrived  from the Philippines to  join  us .Cora (Aquino), STHS class '60 and husband Rodolfo  Natavio  joined us on the tour. We all spent  the night at Serafin  and  Rebecca's beautiful  home . Serafin and  the  guys  rented  a 15 seater van . The pictures  I am  posting show where we were during  our  Reunion  on Wheels .  The culminating activity  after  our  tour  was a picnic where  our  Co-Thomasians  in the area  planned a  picnic  . Some  Thomasians , specially  Cecile Ferrer  Mejia who joined  us requested  that  I post  our  2002  STHS  Class  59er's reunion .  She spent  her  first  year  in  STHS  but  graduated  in  MNHS . Her request  was followed  by  some  of our  co-Thomasians ..                                  

On our first day  at  Serafin  and  Rebecca's house : We were starving  so  everybody helped  in the cooking . Manny  was the only  guy  among  the  gals . He decided  to use  his  cooking  prowess  of the  typically  Mangaldan  style  " pising ". Pinmaway ya siansia so expertise nen  Manny ," lutoy Mangaldan" .  The other guys  went out to pick up the  van...

   Here's the  van  the  guys  rented  for  our  trip . It  was more than  a van . It  looked  more  like  a  mini   school  bus . We were  about  to board it but  Rebecca  prepared  so much  food  for  the  trip . "Mairap  lay  nairasan ", kuanto  met  so  we had  to make  room  for  all those " treats"  before we boarded .There  were  fourteen   of  us  who joined  the "Reunion  on Wheels" , with  eight  as  Class '59ers ...

                                                      

First stop was Las Vegas  . Nora , Venus , Cora Aquino Natavio( Class 60 who joined us ) , Naida , Aurora  and  Marie went  strolling in the  Gardens  of  Bellagio  Hotel .(Note: Agmira kaiba ramay duara ya personas ed  kawigui ) 

Recognize  whom we bumped  into ? That's Father Reynaldo " Pal"  Domagas  who was attending  a seminar  in the  same  hotel  where we  booked  in , Monte Carlo  . He was wearing a blue shirt just  in  case you are  looking for him .He  is presently the Chaplain  at Beth Israel Medical Center at New York ( see article under "Heart Of Gold " posted on Nov. 19, 2006 on this site )   

Here's another young priest we encountered during our stay  in Monte Carlo . How  lucky can  we be ! ! Our  trip  was  blessed  by  two priests from  our hometown ..That's  Father Francis Posadas at the  middle , in black shirt ...

 

Venus , Norie , Tita and  Marie ready  for the night  in  Monte Carlo  Hotel. Notice Venus  and  Tita's curlers ? Just  getting  ready  for the  next day's trip .Shall I say  curlers  are women's next best friend ,next to diamonds ?

 

We were  on the road  again .. This time it was a long trip .. Everybody  was   getting  tired .. Manny , Naida , Norie and  Rudy ( at the back ) can't  help  dozing  off and  probably  dreaming.....And Marie ? Could not  sleep so she was  trying to play some tricks ...

   Next stop was Mt. Zion in Utah

                                                                                                                                                             Presenting the STHS Class 59ers  : Manny Biason , Norie Cervas , Enriqueta ( Tita ) Morales , Aurora Calicdan , Venus Jimenez , Margarita  ( Marie )Aquino  , Ramon Cabrera  and Serafin Serafica .. at Bryce National Park in Utah ...

A Sunday mass was  a part of  our itinerary . Rebecca  was  able to  find  this  cute church in Cedar City  at  the middle  of  nowhere through  the internet . We were able  to spend  the night in this  little town  close to the  border  of Utah and   Arizona.  The next stop was Grand  Canyon in Arizona.                                                                                 

This time it was  "just  ladies" photo session . Rebecca , Nora , Venus, Naida , Norie, Tita, Marie, Aurora  and Cora  posed at  Grand Canyon National Park  in  Arizona.                                                      

                                                                         Aurora , Marie , Venus and Tita at Grand  Canyon which  was  our  final  destination  in the  Eastern  part of the US. We headed  back to California  after enjoying  what Grand Canyon  could  offer .

                                                                         Next stop was  Sequoia  Kings Canyon in Southern California                                                                                                        The final itinerary  of our "Reunion  On Wheels "was  Yosemite National Park  in California

After  a few days  on wheels , we headed back to  Serafin's house in Yorba Linda . After a few days of rest , we had the  grand picnic  at Yorba Linda Regional Park . Mrs. Josefina  de Vera , our  former  teacher  and  adviser , with her husband Pedrito , attended . Many  Thomasians  living in the area  were  present .  One thing  was sure , though , about  us during reunions , boys  or  girls  alike, was and still is, we never get tired  talking  of the past .  We had a relaxing day   at  Serafin  and  Rebecca's house  after  a week  on  the  road . Serafin  and  Rebecca  were   great   hosts . Rebecca  was a terrific  homemaker and an excellent cook . Both of them  made us feel so much at home that we felt like  staying  longer .( Opps ! ! Kababaing  met so man over stay! ) But  I guess  we had  to  say  our goodbyes , till  our  next  reunion . ......

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Joining  our class '59  were  Atchi Pinay de Vera and her husband , Kuya Pedrito  . In the picture are  Cecile Ferrer Mejia ( husband Ross is in the first picture above ) and Aurora Calicdan  de Guzman  who are seated  at the front . Manny Biason, Ramon Cabrera, Mrs. Josefina de Vera  , Mr. Pedrito  de Vera , Marie Aquino Junio , and Venus Jimenez Dioquino  are seated at the middle row .  Tita Morales Quinto and Serafin Serafica are standing ... Reconnection  have  been made and  it was  a great  reunion . Sad to say  , though . We lost  three  among the 14  who joined the  Reunion on Wheels .  We have lost  also  Kuya  Pedrito . For those  who  reside in  Mangaldan  and  who could not make it  to the North  America  reunion , I am  posting  our  pictures  during  our previous  reunion  in  Mangaldan .   The picture below  was taken  at  Ramon  and  Nora's garden in Mangaldan , Pangasinan .  Seated  front row are  Francisco Rheberg , Vivien Cera , Nieva Biala , Rosie Sarzaba, Marie Aquino and Dionie Biason . Standing  2nd row are Norie Cervas, Rosie Barrozo, Cora  Cabrera ,Ludy Mir , Lita Sarzaba , Virginia ( Aida ) Aquino and John Gilladoga . Behind are Remigio  and brother Teofilo Imuan , Rodrigo Tibig, Venus Jimenez and Manny  Biason . Higher up in the tree are Serafin Serafica  and Ramon  Cabrera . Sadly , five have joined  our  Creator ;  Ramon , Dionie , Norie , Aurora and most recently  Remigio Imuan . Let us remember them  in  our  prayers . We will be terribly missing  them ...

Till  next  STHS  Class '59  Reunion .. We hope  to  see  more of our  dear  former classmates "Batch  '59ers ".

MNHS 59ers In "Paradise Isle"

I recently  got  an e-mail from our Kabaleyan, Alfredo Martinez, who is based in Honolulu with his family .  Fred. as he is known  and his Batchmates ' 59  in the Mangaldan National High School  had a reunion in  the island of Oahu. The center of the reunion  was at his  house . I am glad  to hear from him and we would like to hear  from his batchmates because I am also a class '59  grad  in STHS. Batch 59ers  who  made it to the Aloha Reunion were  Alfredo Martinez , from Honolulu ; Ernie Ocoma , from Seattle WA ; Cecilia Ferrer Mejia , from LA ; Zenaida De Guzman , from Manila ; Juliet Quinto , from San Jose, CA ; Rollie Bernabe , from Missouri ; Jose Abalos , from West Virginia ; Sergio Ceralde , from Chicago  and Joselito Quinto, from San Francisco, CA . I feel  like I  am  calling  out contestants from the Miss America  Beauty  Pageant ! ! ! Did I miss anybody  among the group ? I still recognize in the pictures some of  my former classmates  during our Elementary  grades  at the Mangaldan Central School  like Juliet Quinto , Zenaida de Guzman, Cecilia Ferrer  and Joselito Quinto . It would be  nice for us, all Batch '59 , regardless  of where  we graduated from , to have our reunion and reconnect . What do you say , ladies and gentlemen ?  I was told  Ernie  Ocoma is the guy behind  the  "reconnections ". I want to hear from you , too , Ernie .. I am reprinting Alfredo  Martinez's e-mail . Thank  you , Fred , for keeping in touch ... Marie

Marie,

Per your message on the MNHS MB, please see below pictures of the MNHS 59ers reunion in Hawaii. I visited www.aliguasmangaldan.net; balibali tan makapailiw.

Keep up the good work and more power to you!

Avante tan maaliguas lanang komon so Mangaldan!

P.S. Mr. Alfredo Martinez  has sent  an invitation  for another  get together  which  I am attaching here . Get in touch with the coordinators  if you are  interested to join the reunion ...