21st USTMD70

January 1, 2018: USTMD70 e-mag

Fr. Leon Inchausti, one of the SEVEN Martyrs of Motril

Blessed Leon was born in Mendita-Beaskoa, Caserio de Ajanguiz (Vizcaya) on June 27, 1859 in a family of patriarchal court closely related to the church. His father, Benito, had the fame of sanctity. Even ten years after his death, people in the town still remembered him as ‘the saint of Beaskoa’. His brother, Ceferino, was a sacristan of the parish from 1900 until his death in 1925. He was succeeded by his son who had the same name and was likewise the organist until his death until 1977 when he died. A son of his younger sister, Casta, also embraced religious life.

After studying the basic of latin in Guernica, he entered the Recollects novitiate in Monteagudo at the age of 19. On November 11, 1879, he made his first religious profession before Fr. Patricio Adell, one of those who would restore the Recollect foundations in America. During the first stages of religioius life, two experienced and expert directors guided him. Fr. Miguel Ugarte was his novice master from November 1878 to April 1879, and Fr Ramon Maranon took over. Then he continued his ecclesiastical studies in the colleges of Monteagudo, Marcilla and San Millan de la Cogolla, where he professed the solemn vows on November 12, 1882.

Filipinas

He arrived in Manila on July 1, 1884 together with thirteen religious. In order to learn the Visayan dialect, he was assigned immediately to the Parish of Compostela in the island of Cebu. On December 22 of the same year, he was ordained priest and started exercising his priestly ministry. His first years, 1885 to 1892, were full of frequent transfers to different parishes. It seems that the Superiors counted on him to substitute or cover up temporary loopholes.

His first assignment was in the parish of Carmen (Bohol) where, where he was an assistant curate from march to June 1885. Afterward, he was transferred to the parishes of Loay, Dimiao, Sierra Bullones and Ubay, all belonging to the island of Bohol, and in Banton, Azagra and Romblon (1891-1892) in the island of Romblon. In all these assignments, he acted as assistant curate. In 1892, he was named parish priest of Banton. He stayed in this isolated islet at the center of the Philippines until 1897 when he was transferred to the convent in Manila.

Unfortunately, there is not so much written account left of his pastoral labor. It is easy to imagine that he would continue following the directives of the Libro de Administrar of the Order and observing the Filipino customs. Therefore, he would combine his duties that were strictly pastoral with other functions of social and political character which were part of the responsibility of Filipino parish priests during the Spanish regimes. What can be rightly confirmed was that he was a lover of music and in Damiao, he organized a choral group composed of children whom he started teaching solfeo.

While in Manila, he had to live the anguish of the American interruptions and later on of the American occupation, as he was obliged to share his life with the soldiers who were occupying most of the convent. On October 11, 1898, the superiors acquired for him a ticket to Spain and he immediately left the peninsula. In Spain, he visited his family and, although it has already been delayed for 13 years, he celebrated the solemn Thanksgiving Mass which was a tradition for all priests. During the ceremony, his mother,  quite fragile in her health collapsed because of excitement. Neither was his father feeling well, but he would live for almost ten years more.

Fr. Leon was already a man tired and advanced in age. The tropical heat and the ministerial fatigues in vast and inhospitable parishes had damaged his organism at the age of 61. The Superiors agreed to leave him in Spain, at the residences in the southern part where the pleasant weather and the kind character of the people facilitate the insertion of the ‘american’ friars. For some months, he resided in Granada, in Hospitalicos which was by then the most active residence. But in November 1921, he left for Motril where he would stay until his death, except for ten months in 1928 when he stayed in the new house in Bilbao. In that occasion, he was again permitted to visit his brothers and his nephews. His parents were already dead.

As it could be observed, Fr. Leon was a simple religious, dedicated to a silent exercise of his ministry. He left this world hardly leaving behind any footprint. Only one letter surpassed the tests of time. Through the witnesses who testified during the process of his beatification, it is certain that in Motril, he enjoyed a good fame, as all his companions.

From the “Curia Generalizia degli Agostiniani Recolleti” Rome, Italy

Busts of the Martyrs of Motril are located in San Sebastian College, Manila,Philippines

Mini, Letty M, Luz D, Evelyn V, Marietta G, Marietta’s hubby, Doming

RP’s Asian Breast Center and Manny. Beautiful!

Latest state-of-the art Asian Breast Cancer in RP of our sensational classmate Norman San Agustin.  From left: ,Ato,  Dr. Norman. Linda, Manny. Norman runs the Asian Breast Center.

Luzbella’s Connecticut Summer House below

L-R: Mini, Marietta, Luz, Evelyn V, Luz D, Letty M with Niantic Bay behind.

Charles and his Camaro (see above) Photos by Charles Dunifer

                                    Christmas 2017

Dear family and friends,

Once again, we reach out to you with our Christmas newsletter.
We did not use medieval monks to write it for us this time. Otherwise,
it would take centuries to reach you. (Smile) Hopefully, this
newsletter reaches you in time for the holidays.

Mini is now on her 41st year at work. Eventually,  Art
(arthritis) may catch up with her and she may eventually throw in
the towel.

Sylvia works with an Alarm Company in a neighboring town as
one of their accountants. She is lucky to  drive just
3 miles  to work.

Alfred is now in graduate school in electrical engineering.
With lots of library work, he hardly sees us now. He knows
the library staff more than us.

Eric takes care of our real estate. A  parking lot/park
was built by the town in front of the building. Still waiting
for Bank of America to rent one unit. (Just dreamin’)

No cruises for us this year. No more losing the shirt off our back,
no sunburn, no weight gain of ~ 10 lbs or, worse, no coming down

This Xmas, Mini prepared an easy-to-do recipe that she saw at the
EWTN TV show, Food For the Soul.

Super – Easy Potato Salad

Peel the potatoes, boil, then let it cool down.
You may cut them into quarters if the potatoes are big.

Then cut these vegetables into bite sizes.
Beets, one can
Celery
Carrots
Onions
3 hard boiled eggs
Mix in 1 tsp – 1tbsp relish.

Mix with mayonnaise. Refrigerate. Enjoy!
Just go easy with the salad.

May your days be merry and bright!
And may all your Christmases be white! 
Mini

From Joey’s memoirs:

Many years ago I must have been in elementary or high school, we decorated a leafless small tree with various ornaments and lo it was beautiful just like the usual Christmas tree. Not our idea, copied it from others. Have you seen one in RP? You may say it’s a winter Christmas tree, never seen one here in the US. I don’t know where we got it, it must have been one dying as I remember the trunk and branches were dry. We did not have pine trees where we lived, not even sure we had a decorated tree every year except at school where there was one, year after year in the spirit of the season. We did have Parols, for 50 cents you can get it at the market or make it yourself, easy, use papel de japon or colored translucent papers of various colors, your choice, then make the tail on each side, usually the fun part. The schools took the season seriously and decked the halls with leaves of artificial holly. It was not absolute that every home had a tree, most have Parols, it’s the experience of the season that counts, cool nights simbang gabi, coconut husk baked bibinka, puto bumbong, and salabat drink early at 4 am if one was awake to go to church. It was hit or miss, sleep well or to church and stop by for those delicacies. I hope they still have them , the rural areas are now overpopulated. Our town was barely recognizable from how it was. We no longer have a house in the province as the home where we used to live was moved or demolished as apparently the lot belong to a family friend of my father and in the old days transactions were done by word of mouth but paper documents stays. The owner’s son wanted the lot and we had to move. We moved to QC which was good for by then we were enrolled in different schools, Mapa High, UE, UST, Mapua for the rest of the siblings. I was then in 2nd year Pre-Med getting used to speaking Tagalog. Over the years we all left the country. The house in QC was sold 5 years ago to the renter, a Chinese businessman. If we have to go home we stayed with cousins. Home is where we are now, something we did not foresee while we were living in RP.. Christmas in RP as I remember was spiritual, social and joyful, here too only in a different way, mellow and nostalgia in the mixed, thoughts of days sleeping in a mat under the kolambo to screen mosquitos, of cold December nights, the only time when blankets were necessary. Silent nights, holy night and in deep slumber, care free and at peace.

_

Sonny is how we call him, he was from Mindanao, Jesuit educated, he was one of the brightest among us and yet he was so humble. Never heard any negative statement from him a true gentleman. He will be missed. May his soul rest in peace. Dr. EMMANUEL A. BACAS

IN SEARCH OF MY ROOTS by  Mini

Never in my life did I think that I would trace my ancestors over several generations. Never in my life did I imagine that I would have fun writing about them. The search for my roots begins in Banton, one of seven islands in the province of Romblon. Romblon is located right in the center of the Philippines. My mother, Patria Yap Perez, came to this world on January 12 in Banton. It was 1928. The United States was at the height of its prosperity. However, the following year, the stock market crashed and ushered in the Great Depression. You would not know it in Banton, one of about 7000 islands in the Philippine Archipelago which was acquired by the the United States after the Spanish-American war. The Great Depression did not affect the Bantoanons. Modern civilization seemed a thousand miles away in this tiny island. The Bantoanons lived in a world of their own. They received news of the outside world from vacationing relatives and friends several weeks or months after the events happened.

It is so isolated, so remote that, in the old days, anyone who got seriously ill had no choice but to pray and pray and pray — not to recover but to plead that the welcome at the gates of Kingdom Come by St. Peter would not be unfavorable.

The Rocky Island

The name Banton means rock from the Visayan word ´bato.´ Banton is an island of rock. Sharp rocks dot the island. Banton’s boulders are so numerous and huge, and its terrain so rugged that there is hardly any flat land. It is hilly with few arable fields.The island was so poor then that famine, especially during the months-long rainy typhoon season when fishing was impossible, was not uncommon, and it is so small that one can walk around it in a few stumbling hours. Since there is very little flat land, people are forced to live in steep hillsides. Good farmland is also scarce. Hills, which are not good for farming, cover most of the land. Forest grow all over the island like moss covering stone. Banton was dependent on nearby Mindoro for rice, its staple food.

Life was harsh in Banton and people would work tirelessly to farm its little precious soil. From this harder way of life came a kinder and more tolerant attitude. Many of Romblon’s professionals come from Banton. Unfortunately, the unpromising future in Banton drove these professionals to leave and seek greener pastures elsewhere.

Patring, as my mother was affectionately called, grew up, under beautiful rural circumstances, in a quiet farming and fishing community in Banton. The wives grew vegetables in their small garden plots while their husbands either went deep sea fishing or
raised crops. It was that kind of village where you worked hard from dawn to dusk even if, at the end of the day, you could only bring home a few fishes and some vegetables for dinner. Patring spent the first ten years of her life in Banton before she and her family moved to nearby Simara island where land was cheap. Her father Alfredo Perez had taken the job of municipal treasurer of Corcuera, Simara and built the biggest house in the island. Despite the move, the hard-working habit of the Bantoanons left a lasting impact on my mother.

An island girl, she cultivated a strong work ethic and had big dreams. Throughout her life, she firmly believed that hard work and perseverance brought success.
Growing up with few material comforts, she believed that personal success meant success in economic terms. I was brought up to believe in hard work, perseverance and taking advantage of every good opportunity that came my way. A strikingly beautiful woman, my mother was tall and slender with milky-white complexion and jet black hair. At the age of 15, my mom won the provincial Miss Commonwealth of Romblon beauty contest and Uncle Eking (Enrique Fallarme) was her prince consort.

A Bataan Death March Survivor, My father (Napoleon Famadico Festin) was different. He was the product of an upper-class upbringing and Manila schools. To him, a better indicator of personal success was the contentment with which we viewed our lives. The story of my father also began in Banton. He could trace his roots to barrio Sibay in the island. Almost all of Sibay’s population is a Festin or originated from a Festin. I still have many Festin relatives living there. Many Festin’s became priests and nuns. In the 1990s, Cardinal Sin honored the Festin clan for raising many priests and nuns. A Festin uncle (Augusto) donated land to establish a major seminary in Odiongan, Tablas, another Romblon island. My family donated a church to the Archdiocese of Romblon while the clan gave land and money for a Gawad Kalinga village in Tablas. My dad signed up voluntarily to be a soldier in WWII. While hiding behind a tree, a bullet almost grazed his cheek but he survived the war unscathed. Otherwise, I won’t be here.

The Colonial Life under Spain
By order of Governor General Narciso Calveria y Zaldua, the Spanish friars started baptizing the natives of Romblon on November 21, 1849, choosing their surnames from the “Catalogo de Apellidos.” Thus, everyone in Banton had a last name that began with the letter F – Fabella, Fadriquela, Fabicon, Fadrilan, Falqueza, Fajutrao, etc. (It´s a good thing we did not get a curse word from the catalog). In Spanish, ´festin´ means a small festival. Three-hundred fifty years of Spanish rule gave us our names, our religion, and influenced our music, cuisine and language. The melodious Romblon dialect, like Spanish, is a phonetic language. It is pronounced as it is written. The Spanish catalog was also
used in the neighboring island of Sibuyan, where names begin with ´R´, and the main Romblon island, where names begin with ´M.´

Elderly folks in Romblon still remember the legend of Ulo Aweng, my great-great grandfather. Here is how the legend goes.

The Legend of Ulo Aweng, the Jono of Barangay Sibay

Early in the 19th century, Ulo Aweng, the village philosopher, was one of those unfortunate islanders who was believed to have been taken as a slave by the Muslims. He served his masters well. Aweng certainly gained his masters’ trust and confidence for he became a constant fishing companion of the Muslims. Aweng later was allowed to fish alone. These solo fishing expeditions gave Aweng the opportunity to escape.
One night, Aweng packed his clothes into a sling  and sailed his masters’ outriggger boat into the darkness of the night. He reached an island, but, much to his dismay, he found
out that it was still Muslim land. Aweng did not panic. Out of the blue sea, a big fish appeared. Aweng yelled, ´If you were sent by God, come to the shores and take me home.” Somehow, the fish edged to the side of Aweng and off they swam to another island. The Spanish authorities believed Aweng’s fish story and he was brought back by boat to Banton island. Ulo Aweng was baptized and given the name Manuel
Festin.

A Modern Snow White by Mini

She’s washing her face in sea water
Building her armour, brittle and white
Bruises for rouge, blood for her lips
Exhaustion shadows her eyes and,
Narcotics for nightshade.
And when she steps outside
They call her beautiful.

L – R standing: Doming, Letty, Alice, Evelyn, Marietta, Luz, Luz D, Mini, Christy Kneeling: Ando and JoBum.

16th USTMD70 E-MAGAZINE

 

 

July 10. 2015

 

 

 

My  Life
By  Rene Fred

 

Part I

My parents, Alfredo Sr & Adelina, came from the same town, Bugallon, Pangasinan, in the Philippines. My father  was my mother’s second-degree uncle and was seven years older than her. My father’s parents were landowner-farmers in their town and fought in the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish colonizers. My grandfather’s weapon then was a “bolo,” which he afterwards hung in the center of the main wall in his living room. I was very curious about that “bolo” and often wondered what fights it was used in to deserve being so prominently displayed.

During summer vacations, my parents made us children leave our home in Manila and live with our relatives in Bugallon. This way, we could enjoy the differences between living in Manila and living in the countryside. My fondest memories of my grandfather were the little things he did for me on these vacations. Once he carved a top for me from scratch. He broke a small branch from a tough guava tree and whittled a top with his sharp knife. Another time, at break of dawn, he allowed me to help plow a water-soaked rice field with a wooden and steel plow drawn by a carabao. My father had a reputation for being bright and was sent to Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, where he was accepted to the highly selective and very prestigious College of Medicine of the University of the Philippines. During vacations, my father would come home and spend much time visiting his cousin Cirilo, who was the town judge and another landowner. Cirilo’s oldest daughter, Adelina, who was to become my mother, looked forward to these visits, because my father oftentimes invited her and her cousins to go on outings or go to the town’s refreshment parlors. My father was good looking and was fancied by many of the young ladies in town and the surrounding towns. After graduation, he joined the faculty of the Department of Medicine at the University of the Philippines in Manila.

The relationship between Alfredo and Adelina became closer when she went to Manila to study for her bachelor’s degree in education. Her parents entrusted her to my father’s care in Manila. She never completed her degree because their marriage intervened. They had a grand wedding in their hometown. He left Manila and started to practice medicine and join his wife at Lingayen, the capital of Pangasinan Province, which was a few towns away from their hometown of Bugallon.

After about two years, I was born in Lingayen. Although my father had already developed a thriving practice, he decided to abandon it and start all over again in Manila. He thought that if he were to have more children, he wanted them to have the best education available, and that meant they had to study in Manila. He realized that he could not afford to maintain two families, one in Lingayen and one in Manila. Besides, he wanted his family to live together. The young doctor and his growing family had some difficult years in Manila. As his family grew, he had to move from one rented apartment to another, and then from one rented house to another to keep pace with the growth of his family.

After me came Jose, who became a successful physician-inventor, and realtor, then Andre who became a lawyer and Deputy Governor of the Central Bank; then Rory who became a Manila beauty and wealthy businessman.

When the Pacific War started, our family banded with the family of my mother’s sister, the Lozadas, and the family of other relatives, the Castillos. As the war progressed, our parents, the only grown-ups in our small group of refugees, kept studying the only map we had, a small-scale road map given by our neighborhood gas station. Our fathers were always trying to figure out what the route the warring army’s were likely to take, and to get as far away from such routes as we could.

We walked, carrying our clothes, utensils, and food in bundles hung from both ends of bamboo poles balanced on our shoulders. When we were lucky, the children could hitch a ride on passing “caritons” going our way. Wherever we stopped for the night, we dug ditches and trenches in which we could take shelter because sometimes we heard explosions from bombs and artillery which seemed too close for comfort.  We kids enjoyed most of the exciting events that we experienced. Despite our parents’ frantic pleas to hide in our trenches when planes appeared overhead, we would stay out to watch the dogfights and see burning planes plunge to the ground. However, the scariest moment of my life came one night when anti-aircraft shells burst above my head and I heard shrapnel rain all around me. Luckily, nearby was a rice barn  built  on a raised platform above ground. I ran for cover and crawled under the barn just in time to escape the shower of shrapnel, which fell and rattled all over the roof. After the war, my brother Mel was born. Then came Eddie. Finally, Lina.

The war interrupted my formal studies, but I was fond of reading and read everything I could lay my hands on, which were so few at that time that I devoured  every writing, even if it were only the fine print on labels on cans and bottles. Luckily, I found an algebra textbook used in Hongkong and a textbook in physics used in Manila’s fourth year high school course, the war “vacation” gave me enough free time to study and work through every chapter and every problem in those two books. Hence, when I resumed my high school education after the war, I “aced” my math, science, and physics subjects. Naturally, I came to love the physical sciences.

When the time came to decide on a college course, and I had to choose between medicine, after my father, or physics, which I loved, or mechanical engineering after my uncle Lozada. I chose mechanical engineering because it involved  a lot of physics, math, and at the same time provided many opportunities for prosperous careers in the Philippines in that period of “reconstruction” after the war. Moreover, my brother Pepe was very willing to follow our father into medicine, which would avert any disappointment from my decision not to follow in his footsteps. I graduated with honors from Manila’s Arellano High School and enrolled in the College of Engineering at the University of the Philippines. All my high school classmates who ranked above me also enrolled at UP and received scholarships.

My initial success at college encouraged me to exert at least enough effort to maintain my scholarship. As a result, my grades steadily improved and I won the university-wide competition for the three-year “all expenses paid” Bailon dela Rama scholarship. I graduated with a grade total which was a small fraction short of qualifying for the highest honor given to a graduate. I was awarded my degree in Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, “Magna Dum Laude.” I then took the government Junior Mechanical Engineer licensing examination and passed it.  I had my first job during a summer vacation while I was at college. I was an inspector at the re-paving of an airfield just outside Manila.

Right after graduation from college I was recruited to join a team of engineers at the National Power Corporation, a semi-independent corporation, to harness the power of the large, tall and beautiful Maria Cristina Falls in Iligan City in the southern island of Mindanao. My first assignment was to participate in the design of the Maria Cristina Ammonium Sulfate Fertilizer Plant which would use the cheap electric power to be generated at the Falls to break up water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, cool air to such low temperatures as to form it into a liquid, separate the nitrogen from the oxygen, mix the hydrogen and nitrogen gases, and then compress the mixture to such extreme temperatures and pressures, in contact with a catalyst, so that they combine chemically to form ammonia. We would also import pure sulfur powder from Texas, burn it to form sulfur dioxide, then let it interact with the ammonia to form the ammonium sulfate fertilizer.  At the end of the design phase of the project, I was re-assigned as a construction engineer to the site of the fertilizer plant, which was located just outside Iligan City. At that time, most of the area was still wilderness. One day, a Moslem worker offered to sell me a baby crocodile, which he caught at the mouth of the river, which was less than a mile down the beach from the construction site, where work on both hydroelectric and fertilizer plants were carried on day and night.  On completion of the fertilizer plant, I became a plant supervisor for the Ammonia Plant.  After many months, I was re-assigned to the main office in Manila to take part in the design of the plant expansion. After starting the expansion design work, I was recruited by Colgate-Palmolive Philippines to help in their plant expansion in Makati, just outside Manila.

The design work required electrical engineering skills. So I enrolled in the Electrical Engineering course at the Manuel L. Quezon University and earned my Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. I took the government Junior Electrical Engineering licensing exam and passed it. I could now do electrical designs and sign them, which I did. While studying electrical engineering, I also taught a Thermodynamics course at the Manuel L. Quezon University. I completed the expansion of the Colgate-Palmolive Plant and was groomed to build a plant in Malaysia.  All this time, I was also very much interested in religion, and read many books and articles about religion, philosophy, mathematics and science. I felt that worldly success alone was not enough to satisfy me, and I felt more and more in love with God. But I had also been in love with one female friend or another in the past, and enjoyed female company. Finally, after several months of prayer and thinking, and some discussions with my friends, with much trepidation, I approached my confessor and sought their advice.They thought I may have a  calling to serve the Church more closely.

The Capuchin Master of Novices listened to my qualifications and experiences and advised me that with such a background I should first apply to join the Jesuits, and if they reject me, he would gladly take me in. I did just that and the Jesuits accepted me. I resigned from my jobs and entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Novaliches in Quezon City, the oldest novice by far that year. I completed the Jesuit course in liberal arts and in philosophy at Berchmans College in Cebu City and received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree. I qualified to receive a Masters Degree, and with such a degree we thought a masters’ degree would be superfluous. So the Masters Degree was not conferred on me. I value my Jesuit training most highly and learned a lot from it. I am very grateful to God and to the Jesuits for the many years I was with them and taught poor children and listened to people in trouble. I applied for a Fulbright Fellowship to the United States, and I was told that I topped the competition. However, since I was a Jesuit, I was offered much less than the usual award. In consultation with my superiors, I declined the Fulbright offer and accepted instead a World University full scholarship to the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. Saskatchewan had a small physics department, but it was reputed to be the best in Canada. In two years I completed the academic requirements for the PhD in Physics degree and passed my qualifying exams. All I needed to get my degree was to finish my thesis research on the upper atmosphere, write the thesis, and have it accepted.

However, a small group of graduate and undergraduate students and technicians from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology came to use the Saskatchewan linear accelerator for part of their research because it was the finest instrument of its kind in the world. Everybody who met them was very much impressed with how good they were, both theoretically as well as experimentally. I then took the Graduate Records exam for physics and did very well. So I took a few days off and went to Cambridge, Massachusetts to visit both Harvard and MIT, and speak with some faculty members. I was so highly impressed that I applied for admission to both schools. Harvard accepted me first and I accepted their offer which included a fellowship to work at the Blue Hills Observatory just south of Boston.

When MIT accepted me and offered a fellowship to do research on the upper atmosphere, a topic close to what I was to be involved with when I return to the Manila Observatory at the Jesuit’s Ateneo de Manila University, I resigned my Harvard appointment and accepted the MIT offer. While taking courses, I helped set up a lab to do research on how to shift the frequency of a ruby laser beam by bouncing it off aerosol particles in the air. The objective was to develop a lasar radar (lidar) to measure aerosol densities in the upper atmosphere. When my adviser, who was an Italian professor,, received an appointment to set up and head a research lab at the University of Rome, he invited me to join him. I decided to remain at MIT even if it meant that I had to find a new research topic and adviser.

While studying at MIT, I lived at the Jesuit house in Boston for students, and taught math to some Jesuits. I also spent some hours a week as an adviser to several Filipinos and Americans. After some years, with fellowships from various agencies like The American Chemical Society and the U.S. Navy kindly obtained for me by my thesis adviser Professor Ted Madden, I received my MIT Ph.D degree in Geophysics with a combination theoretical and observational thesis on hydromagnetic waves in the magnetosphere, which is a region around the earth above the ionosphere.

I applied for a position at the Weston Observatory in Weston, Masschusetts and was accepted and given a position in the Physics Department of the Boston College and an office. It was located in Weston, just west of Boston. It was owned and operated by the Jesuits as part of Boston College, a popular Catholic university. However, at that time, the Boston College budget had not yet been approved, and nobody could give assurance as to when it would be approved. Without an approved budget, I could not be given an official appointment. Since my student visa would expire soon after graduation, without an appointment I would be staying in the United States as an illegal alien. When one of my MIT professors offered me an official job as a research scientist in his project on Climate  Change, I accepted.

On completion of my physics studies, it was time to make a firm decision to take theological studies and proceed to the priesthood or not. I realized that I was no longer firmly convinced that God wanted me to serve Him and my fellowmen by being a celibate priest. I prayed, spoke with my religious superiors, moved to an apartment, and lived alone for more than a year while I pondered what was the right thing to do. I decided to apply to be released from my religious vows, and after several months it was granted. Then I met Minnie at a party of my landlord’s house. We dated, and eventually got married and had three children.

I was promoted to senior research scientist at MIT. After a few years, government funding for research became very tight and continued funding for our MIT research was in jeopardy. At this time, coincidentally, I received a generous job offer from a small high tech defense research company started by a former MIT professor. I accepted a position as a senior research engineer and did geophysical research on topics related to defense. I wrote my own research proposals and went to Washington DC to promote, and to win approval for my projects. Again, government funding became tight, and when the Challenger space project exploded and killed the whole crew of astronauts, the government stopped disbursements of unspent research funds in order to have sufficient funds to find out the cause of the disaster and remedy it. That was when I left government-funded research and went into semi-retirement. I subsequently worked for the computer company, Data General. However, it also soon fell into hard times and downsized till it was transformed into a different kind of company.

In 1991, I suffered a small stroke which, after intensive rehabilitation still left me with uncertain gait. I have been slowed down by the stroke, but have remained active in helping my kids through their various youthful crises and their studies. I have also been active in managing a few rental units. Managing real estate can be a headache and requires patience and flexibility in dealing with people. Looking back on my life, I would not do anything differently. Life has been at least interesting, if not exciting. Quoting a recent Oscar-winning movie, “Life is beautiful.”

 

Part II
I was born in Pangasinan, Philippines. When I was in Grade 1 at a women’s university, I had a crush on a pretty girl in grade 2. She did not know about it. When I was in grade 3 my grades were all 75’s, so my teacher, a Miss Albert, thought that I should be doing better. So she had my eyes checked. After I got my prescription glasses my grades shot up. I was my arithmetic teacher’s favorite and found math and science fun and easy. My studies were interrupted during my teenage years because of the Pacific War. Luckily, I got some math and physics books and studied them by myself and invented toys, using some principles I learned. I used tin cans, pieces of wood and discarded automotive parts from a neighboring auto repair shop.

My father was a practicing physician who was a founding faculty member of a medical school in Manila (FEU). My mother was the daughter of a municipal judge and studied education. I had a great time growing up with my brothers and sisters and my neighbors. I remember especially going out into the fields and playing in the fields where a road was being constructed. We would have war games and engage in battles with groups from neighboring streets. Those were exciting days.

When we were kids, during summer vacations, my parents would send us to our home town, which was a rural area in  our province of Pangasinan. It was fun to climb fruit trees and swim naked in rivers and the ocean and live a life with no running water or electricity. I got to know my relatives and saw how beautiful the night was when there was no electricity. For us kids, it was an adventure

When I was seven, my mother’s sister taught me some basic catechism and together with other kids my age, went to confession. Afterwards, my family interrogated me about my confession, perhaps because they saw the priest come out of the confessional and scold me.

I received my mechanical engineering degree from the University of the Philippines (UP), magna cum laude. A lot of people knew me in UP because they thought I knew a lot of math and physics. Some people thought I was a genius. While at UP, I revived the UP Math Club which had been dead for several years. I arranged to give the inaugural lecture, on digital math. At that time I suspected that hardly anybody in the Philippines was familiar with digital mathematics (this was decades before the age of digital computers). To everybody’s great surprise and joy, the vice-president of UP (Vidal Tan) attended my lecture. We discussed a lot of the math during the lecture and he (being a Ph.D. in math and having written books) participated during the lecture. My lecture was on the mathematics of finite differences. I didn’t’ realize then but that became the basis for computer technology. A lot of our members were women,. I didn’t realize until later on that some wanted to be friends. Some were pretty serious about me. Years later, I regret that I should have been more serious with them and not let those opportunities pass me by. Some women were very nice and good-looking. I was popular at that time. Once, I was on the sidewalk at UP when I caught a smiling face on a bus window. I remembered that face and I watched out for that face in the coming days. I saw her again. Then I got to know her and we became friends. It was just a platonic relationship. Then, after graduation, I had to leave to work at the Maria Cristina Falls in Mindanao. I heard about her later on. It seemed that she and her best friend broke up because she thought, it was because of her best friend that I never saw her again.

Upon graduation, I took part in the construction and operation of a chemical fertilizer plant in the island of Mindanao. A large part of the island was not as westernized as the main island of Luzon. In fact, we were on the edges of one of the civilized parts of the island. One day, one of my Muslim laborers offered me a squirming baby crocodile that was caught on the banks of the Agusan River. I didn’t know what to do with it and did not buy it. The mother of President Gloria Macapagal owned property there. I used to be a guest at their beautiful cottage on the banks of a clear, flowing stream. I used to take my siesta in their bed. They let me take a siesta in the bedroom. It was my first time to lie on a thick, soft mattress…..the first time in my life. I used to talk to Gloria when she was still a kid. Her family was always dressed up.

I supervised and directed the erection of factory buildings and heavy machinery with many Christian and Muslim laborers. I stayed in Mindanao for 2 years. I socialized together with the other young engineers but not a lot. Once, during a party, they tried to get me to drink alcoholic beverages just like the rest of them. I told them I was allergic to alcohol. But they insisted and , of course, I didn’t know what my capacity was. So, it turned out that I drank too much. Immediately, my face became red as a sugar beet. Everybody was scared. They put me to bed and had some people keep a vigil over me. Fortunately I survived the ordeal.

One night, I was on duty in charge of the factory. While I was patrolling, walking in the ammonia synthesis plant, all of a sudden, I smelled ammonia fumes. I hit what I felt to be a cloud of ammonia fumes. Ammonia, if you breath enough of it, one breath can render you unconscious. It was so powerful, I immediately run to higher grounds which started just outside the fence and kept struggling upwards, holding my breath all this time, until I collapsed, unable to hold my breath anymore. Thanks to God, I had landed at a place to which the ammonia fumes had not yet ascended. (Ammonia is heavier than air). I could have died. The ammonia did not come from our ammonia-synthesis plant, rather from the ammonia-synthesis plant nearby. Nobody knew that there was an ammonia leak in that plant.

Upon my return from Mindanao, I got my electrical engineering degree while teaching at M L Quezon University. Then, I went back to Manila to participate in the expansion of the Colgate-Palmolive factory in Makati.. They wanted me to go to Malaysia but then it fell apart because I joined the Jesuits as a seminarian. The seminarian life was demanding and tightly controlled but deeply satisfying. When I was in the seminary, I won debates. After I won one debate, the moderator, our American professor in English, scolded me in front of everybody, which, I am sure, was no gentler than the dressing down by a drilling sergeant to a wayward private. I wasn’t aware of any crime or violations that I committed.

Once, in the novitiate, I was praying during morning meditation with the group. All of a sudden, I had a feeling that the boundaries of space and time disappeared and I was in a nice atmosphere. I felt I was in the presence of the Holy Trinity. It was very peaceful, very loving and I felt that every single person was my brother. Everybody was connected as a brother. How long did it last? I don’t know. It was a peaceful, happy feeling…..an indescribable feeling. I wanted to let everybody know how good God is and how I should love others like my brothers. The happiness and joy lasted many days. I told my novice master.

As part of my trials, I went to the Culion leper colony near Romblon where people were suffering but seemed to be really happy because they found closeness to God. Initially, one would be repelled by their disfigured appearance with missing limbs. But later, one would not want to leave because of the people. They were nice and happy on the island and felt that it was their home. Talking to some of them would be difficult because of their disfigured face. There was a lovely nun who contracted leprosy after several years of ministering to them. She did not look sick at all. The priest there said to me, “There are many saints here.“ It was quite an experience.

I received a World University scholarship to the University of Saskatchewan (reputed to be one of the best in physics in Canada, with the first linear accelerator in the world) and received a graduate scholarship in Physics. I spent the winter in Saskatchewan where the campus buildings were far apart. I had to endure the biting arctic winds as I crossed the campus to go from one class to another. One day, I was caught, after office hours, on the streets when a blizzard blew in and the temperature dropped to minus thirty-five degrees F. The streets were deserted. I wedged myself in a niche on the façade of a building to escape the wind and the stinging snow. I thought, at that moment, if the city bus did not arrive on time, I would certainly freeze to death. I thanked God the bus came on schedule. I was the only passenger.

Then, I received another scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where I graduated with a Ph.D in Geophysics. I did research on air-sea interactions and global climate changes. My life at MIT was most enlightening and challenging. It was exciting and fulfilling working and discussing with world-famous scientists and engineers. When I chose Professor Theodore Madden to be my adviser, he immediately presented me with a problem. He has been monitoring extremely long wave-length electromagnetic waves, using telephone lines as receiving antennas. He said he was puzzled by the fact that these waves were surprisingly very heavily damped. This means that they hardly travel a few wavelengths before they lose energy. For the past five years, he had asked experts at MIT from all departments about the problem…..how to explain it because it was so unusual. Nobody could explain it…not even close to an explanation. So I kept thinking about it. When I walked across the bridge to and from MIT to my residence in the Back Bay, I would watch the waves on the Charles River and figure out how to approach the problem. Ted thought these waves were generated from outer space. It dawned on me that maybe, these were the resonant interactions between the electrified particles in interplanetary space and these high-frequency electromagnetic waves. I just kept looking at he waves of the Charles River and their interactions among themselves and then this insight came to me about the wave-particle interaction. I made rough calculations using the limited data we had about interplanetary space. My computations showed that the wave interaction did explain the extreme damping.

While at MIT, I lived in the Jesuit Novitiate in the Back Bay. I taught the Jesuit scholastics and priests and anybody else who was interested some Math and Physics.

At the completion of our air-sea research project at M.I.T., I joined The Analytic Science Corporation where I did classified research on global defense problems and did work on varied defense-related projects. TASC had been trying for five years to get a government contract with one of the large offices of the Department of Defense. They were not able to get a single contract. I submitted one for them. Most of their proposals were very thick books. Mine was just a few pages. And mine was approved. Everybody was surprised. They were wondering if I had a relative at that government office because, after many years of trying, mine was the only one approved by that office. Unfortunately, that was the time when the satellite Challenger blew up in space and all government funding was frozen. Then, I suffered a stroke during the Gulf War. Since then, I have retired doing various work related to computers and real estate.
During all my studies, I had planned to go back to the Philippines and practice there. I did not change my visa from student to immigrant when I got my Ph.D. But I changed my mind when Pres Marcos declared martial law. My Jesuit superiors agreed with me that I should stay in the US.

Part III
My studies were interrupted during my teenage years because of the Pacific War. Luckily, I got some math and physics books  during that time and studied them by myself and invented toys, using some principles I learned.  I used tin cans, pieces of wood and discarded  automotive parts from a neighboring auto repair shop.  I received my mechanical engineering degree from the University of the Philippines, magna cum laude.  (Ed note. Had he graduated the following year, he would have received  summa cum laude because UP College of Engineering lowered the grades requirement the year after he graduated).

My first job (summer) was to be a project inspector in an air field, just outside Manila, the Nichols Air Field. I was a quality inspector for the resurfacing of the runway. Of course, it required that I be under the hot sun in the daytime, morning and afternoon. That explained my extensive aging spots later in life.

I next participated in the construction and operation of a chemical fertilizer plant in the island of Mindanao.  A large part of the island was not as westernized as the main island of Luzon. There were also large Muslim populations. I directed the erection of buildings and heavy machinery with many Christian and Muslim laborers.

Upon my return from Mindanao, I got my electrical engineering degree while teaching at M L Quezon University. Then, I participated in the expansion of the Colgate-Palmolive factory in the suburb of Makati. My Filipino and American bosses wanted me to go to Malaysia to help build a factory there, but then it did not materialize because  I  joined the Jesuits as a seminarian. Seminarian life was demanding but deeply satisfying.  As part of my trials,  I went to a leper colony  in Culion near Romblon, where people were suffering but seemed to be really happy because they found closeness to God.  After rejecting a Fullbright scholarship offered to me, I received  a more comprehensive World University scholarship to the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and received a graduate scholarship in Physics.  I spent the winter in the Saskatchewan prairie where the buildings were far apart. I had to endure the biting arctic winds as I crossed the campus to go from one class to another.  One day, I was caught, after office hours, on the streets when a blizzard suddenly blew in and the temperature dropped to minus thirty-five degrees F.  I wedged myself in a narrow niche in the façade of a building to avoid the  wind and the stinging snow.  I thought, at that moment, if the city bus did not arrive on schedule, I would certainly freeze to death. Fortunately, it came on schedule.

Then, I received a graduate scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where I graduated with Ph.D in Geophysics. I did research on  air-sea interactions and global climate changes.  My life at MIT was most enlightening and challenging.  It was exciting and fulfilling, working and discussing with world-famous scientists and engineers. Then, I joined The Analytic Science Corporation where I did classified research on global defense problems and  did work on varied defense-related projects.  Then, I suffered a stroke during the Gulf War.  Since then, I have retired doing various work related to computers and real estate.

My father was a practicing physician who was a founding faculty member of a medical school in Manila. My mother was the daughter of a municipal judge and studied education. I had a great time growing up with my brothers and sisters and my neighbors.  I remember especially going out into the fields and playing in the fields where a road was being constructed. Trenches and mounds crisscrossed the area. We would have war games and engage in battles with groups from neighboring streets. Those were exciting days.

When we were kids, my parents would send us to rural areas for vacation. It was fun to experience climbing fruit trees and swimming naked in rivers and lakes and living a life where there was no running water or electricity. For us kids, it was an adventure.

During all my studies, I  had planned  to go back to the Philippines and practice there  but when I got my Ph.D, I changed my mind when Pres Marcos declared martial law. My Jesuit superiors agreed with me that I should stay in the US.

I first met Minnie at my landlord’s party. She was friendly and was easy to talk to over a wide range of topics. She had an interesting personality. Later on, she told me she was full of pimples but I never noticed it. Her grandmother and sister were with her. She had just come from work and I was on my way out on a group date. So, I left her and went with my group. Obviously, she did not make such a big impact on me as to cause me to thoroughly disrupt my original plans for the evening.

I did offer to help her out since she was a new arrival in Boston. She said she would call if she needed help. Three weeks later, she called asking me to drive her around so she could look for a new car. So, I offered to see her that weekend. I brought her to Friendly’s and since then, we became inseparable.

It turned out the reason she was so at ease talking to me was she thought I was married. And therefore, she did not put up her defenses.

My life is not particularly exciting but happy because my family is very supportive of me. My kidneys are failing and I am undergoing hemo-dialysis. My family has helped me a lot.

The legacy that I emphasize in my children has been to conform ourselves to the will of God. The highest and overriding goal of life is to conform to the will of God, achievable only through a lot of prayers. One lesson I realize is that God has been very generous to me. I find God’s gifts to be limited only by my readiness to receive and follow His graces. I pray “The Lord’s Prayer” most seriously, noting the part of the prayer, “and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” The most important thing I love to leave my family is that realization of God’s goodness.

As I grew older, I gained perspective in life which I could spread to other people. Fortunately, every detail of my life is in the hands of a good , powerful and loving God. I wish I could have a deeper realization of this and that’s what I would like to spread to other people. I have three wonderful kids and a loving wife who is a physician. I never thought of having a family when I was with the Jesuits. I am content and happy living in the United States. Below are photos from the  funeral.

CURRICULUM VITAE OF ALFREDO R. NAVATO Ph.D

NAVATO Y ROSARIO ALFREDO/RENE

DATE OF BIRTH: OCTOBER 1, 1929

PLACE OF BIRTH: LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN, PHILIPPINES

PARENTS: ALFREDO PANTALEON NAVATO

ADELINA ROSARIO CALUYAG

ADMITTED TO MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: SEPTEMBER 1965

FROM BERCHMANS COLLEGE, QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES

COLLEGES ATTENDED:
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES 1947 – 1951 B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
MANUEL L. QUEZON UNIVERSITY, MANILA PHILIPPINES 1954-56 B.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING 1956
BERCHMANS COLLEGE 1958-1963 A.B. 1962
UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA 1963-1965
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 1965 – Ph.D IN GEOPHYSICS

WORK EXPERIENCE
1945: QUALITY INSPECTOR NICHOLS AIR FIELD, QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES
1946: ENGINEER, NATIONAL POWER CORPORATION, MINDANO, PHILIPPINES
1954: COLGATE PALMOLIVE, MAKATI, PHILIPPINES
1970: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH SCIENTIST
1977: THE ANALYTIC SCIENCE CORPORATION, SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIS
Did  classified research on global defense problems and did work on varied
defense-related projects
1980: DATA GENERAL: SENIOR RESEARCH ENGINEER
EXCERPTS FROM FRED’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY:
“After some years, with fellowships from various agencies like The American Chemical Society and the U.S. Navy kindly obtained for me by my thesis adviser Professor Ted Madden, I received my MIT Ph.D degree in Geophysics with a combination theoretical and observational thesis on hydromagnetic waves in the magnetosphere, which is a region around the earth above the ionosphere.”

“Then, I received another scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where
I graduated with a Ph.D in Geophysics. I did research on air-sea interactions and global
climate changes. My life at MIT was most enlightening and challenging. It was exciting and
fulfilling working and discussing with world-famous scientists and engineers. When I chose Professor Theodore Madden to be my adviser, he immediately presented me with a problem. He has been monitoring extremely long wave-length electromagnetic waves, using telephone lines as receiving antennas. He said he was puzzled by the fact that these waves were surprisingly very heavily damped. This means that they hardly travel a few wavelengths before they lose energy. For the past five years, he had asked experts at MIT from all departments about the problem…..how to explain it because it was so unusual. Nobody could explain it…not even close  to an explanation. So I kept thinking about it. When I walked across the bridge to and from MIT to my residence in the Back Bay, I would watch the waves on the Charles River and figure out how to approach the problem. Ted thought these waves were generated from outer space. It dawned on me that maybe, these were the resonant interactions between the electrified particles in interplanetary space and these high-frequency electromagnetic waves. I just kept looking at he waves of the Charles River and their interactions among themselves and then this insight came to me about the wave-particle interaction. I made rough calculationsusing the limited data we had about interplanetary space. My computations showed that the
wave interaction did explain the extreme damping.”

Christmas 2015

Fred’s  last day

Dear  Fr. Pojol,

This has been a sad year for us. My dear and loving husband, Fred Navato, passed away on June 3, 2015. We miss him very much.

He died unexpectedly in the dialysis center. He was doing very well after his

dialysis treatments were increased to 4X/week 3 months before. We took very good care of him watching his diet and fluid intake closely. We gave him everything that he needed. We were in the process of buying him a stair lift. The night before he died, we heard him get up at midnight and walk to the kitchen for snack. Looking back, we did not hear him use the walker. Then, he wanted to brush his teeth & accidentally spilled ginger ale on the floor. He then went back to bed after waking me up to wipe the floor dry. Before I got back to bed, he thanked me for cleaning up the kitchen floor while sitting in bed wide awake. I fell asleep shortly.

The following morning, before going to the dialysis center, he made himself ready for the dialysis,  asking when he would be getting his eyeglasses, etc. He was unusually quiet. As usual, Jing, my sister, and Eric, my son, drove him to the dialysis center. At the center, Jing tucked him with blanket into his designated reclining chair. He smiled and said, “Thank you.”

Then at 5:30pm, Jing and Eric arrived to pick him up. They saw an ambulance coming out of the center. Little did they know that Fred was in it, being brought to the adjacent Lahey Clinic ER. They were told in the dialysis center that, at the end of the dialysis treatment, he complained of difficulty in breathing. In a second, he slumped to the right, stopped breathing and the heart stopped beating. The ambulance was called which brought him to the Lahey Clinic Emergency Room.

After 7 years of dialysis, Fred wanted to live for his family. He knew we needed him. He never complained about his dialysis and offered it instead to God. He would sometimes quote, “Don’t go gently into the night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light!” Fred was pronounced dead at 6:10pm.

Fred would appear to Jing two days later. He was dressed in the very same clothes he wore at the dialysis center when he died, which were a winter hat, a  blue shirt and a green vest over it. His face, arms and legs were a dark grey. His arms were moving slightly as if he was floating in a grey mist. Unknown to them, he was watching Eric and Alfred talking earnestly from a dark room adjacent to the kitchen. Alfred had just arrived from California for the funeral. He appeared for only a minute. Fred loved his children very much.

Fred was buried a few blocks from our house. We visit him weekly, pray over his grave site and talk to him as if he is still around. Fred is now in heaven, watching over us. And a  few good things have happened to us since then.

Peace on Earth to All!

Affectionately,

Mini,Sylvia, Alfred, Eric and my sister Jing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20th USTMD70 e-mag

July 4, 2017

IN MEMORIAM

LIBERACION CRUZ-PIERONI   died   11/14/2007 in Toms River, NJ at age 61. She retired as a pediatrician in New Jersey at the Department of Human Services, Division of developmental disabilities in Lisbon, New Jersey.

Her daughter, Dr. Cristiana Geny Pieroni and Andrew David McGee were married Saturday evening at the Central Park Boathouse in New York.

Photo of her daughter.

The bride, 36, is an eye surgeon in private practice in New York. She graduated cum laude from Tufts University and received a medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway.

She is a daughter of Dr. Pier Luigi Pieroni of Toms River, N.J., and the late Dr. Liberacion Cruz Pieroni. Her father retired as a vascular surgeon in private practice in Toms River. Her mother retired as a pediatrician with the New Jersey Department of Human Services, division of developmental disabilities, in New Lisbon, N.J.

Above (Front Row: Noli Cruz, Vicy Co, Suzette Correa, Puring Cruz, Patty Cruz, Beni Coloma Back row: Dy, Cherrie Co, Yet, Libby, Freddie Domingo

Below Patty Cruz, Cheri Co, Puring Cruz, Libby, Noli Cruz, Suzette Correa, Vicky Co

Second below: Noli Cruz, Libby, Vicky Co, Yet, Puring, Professor, Ping Duran, Suzette Correa, clerk

Evelyn Duran, Cherie Co, Freddie Domingo, Beni Coloma, Suzette Correa, Vicky Co, Libby Cruz

REYNALDO CASTILLO  MD DIED JUN 17, 2008

Reynaldo G, Castillo, M.D., aged 62, formerly of East Grand Rapids, died Tuesday, June 17, 2008. Dr. Castillo was a Board Certified neurosurgeon practicing in Grand Rapids for over 20 years. Surviving are his wife of 31 years, Kathy; children, Rey Philip (Anna), Donna Slater, Florence, Reynaldo, Jr. (Grace), Jennifer (Eric), Matthew, David; seven grandchildren, Keilahna, Michael, Dominik, Marissa, Martin, Keyden, Mikaela; brothers, Dr. Florencio (Miriam) Castillo, Orlando Castillo; sister, Dr. Evelyn Castillo; several nieces, nephews, cousins and a multitude of friends and colleagues. Reynaldo was preceded in death by his parents, Attorney Florencio and Luz (Garduque) Castillo. He was a graduate of the University of Santo Thomas in the Philippines and completed neurosurgical training at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Castillo was the Chief of Neurosurgery at St. Paul Ramsey Trauma Hospital, St. Paul, Minnesota. He was a Past President of the Michigan Association of Neurological Surgeons and most recently President of the Society of Philippine Surgeons in America (SPSA). Funeral Services will be held Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church. Interment Graceland Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday. Those desiring may make memorial contributions to support the surgical missions of the SPSA.

 

 Norman San Agustin’s Announcement

Whereas cats have 9 Lives, men, if lucky, have only two.  The first is usually for themselves and for their loved ones.
The second, if given the opportunity, is for God and country.  I have been blessed with both and happily share this second life with those who believe in the mission of the Asian Breast Center.

I would also like to share the letter from Trish O’Keefe, the President of , announcing the end of my career in the United States and the proud beginning of my new one in the Philippines.  This also erases any doubt that I have now indeed decided to devote all my time to the ABC.  My contract with the hospital was for another 6 months but I have finally come to fully understand what my friends Ramon and Joey have been telling me for a long time, “there is no such thing as absentee management”.  Fortunately the hospital honored my request.

I still do not believe in Serendipity.  I strongly believe we are all together in this altruistic project by Divine Design.  With God’s blessing and guidance we cannot fail.

God Bless and Best to all… Norman

Morristown Medical Center
ATLANTIC HËALTH SYSTEM
Dr. Norman San Agustin will be relocating to Private Practice in the Philippines
to devote all of his time to develop an Asian Breast Center, the first free-standing
comprehensive Ambulatory Center dedicated to the management of one disease, Breast
Cancer.
He will continue to work in his current practice until December 31 , 2016 and
transition the practice leadership to Dr. Michael Hernando.
Dr. San Agustin was a Chief Resident in General Surgery 1976-1977, had a very
successful, private practice from 1977 until2012, when he aligned with MMC/AHS
successfully forming the Morristown Surgical Associates and within two years built the
practice into a 7-person multi-specialty surgical group.
He also provided community service, as Medical Director at Villa Walsh
Academy, providing care for all the Religious Nuns in the institution, assumed
numerous roles as one of the Founding Fathers and Director of the Morris County After
Care Clinic for over 38 years, Chairman of the Comprehensive Cancer Care Program
and Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Saint Clare’s Hospital.
Through the Nikki San Agustin Foundation, Dr. SanAgustin was responsible for
the passage of a Law that now makes it mandatory of all children to wear helmets when
they ski, donation of one of the first dedicated Pediatric Mobile Intensive Care Units to
MMC, establishment of the Nikki SanAgustin Feeding Center in the Philippines.
It has been an honor to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. San Agustin
during the past many years.
Please join me in wishing Dr. SanAgustin well in his new private practice in
the Philippines.
Trish O’Keefe, Ph.D., RN, NE-BC
Morristown Medical Center
100 Madison Avenue
Morristown, NJ 0796CI

MEMOIRS

You were told, by the time you finished medical school half of what you learned is obsolete. In time you knew that was not exactly right but you get the idea. Times when your job was to do a gastric lavage to contain a GI bleed till your hands cramped or the iced melt on you. No more, now it is Protonix drip as the standard of care plus endoscopes to find the site and fulgurate it or shut down a bleeder by interventional radiologist and as a last resort the surgeon goes in by a laparoscopic procedure. Times are when you need a team to fight and stop a disease causing havoc to a frail body that is not meant to last. With a team of specialist, you may buy some time for the patient whose life now tethered to tubes, IV fluids, medications, respirators, and cardiac monitors. When all else fail, you are yourself the last theraphy, to provide comfort to the family. The team leaves you and you are there the last person standing along with the Palliative care team. Call the Hospice. It’s over and let go. Pope John Paul 11 says, “there comes apoint where one just have to abandon all human calculations and somehow grasps the Godly dimensions of every difficult issue.”

JDLeoncio
USTMD70

Ars Longa Vita Brevis

The ERMD called me to see a patient of someone I am covering for. The patient’s name is one I remember so well when I used to do part time work at the Health Department. When I saw him he was not that patient I know but has some resemblance and I asked if his fathers name is the same. He answers yes. I said I took care of your father in the early

80s and you look just like him. He laughs and said his pastor told him,  his dad, can’t deny him as he looked just like him. His said his dad died of heart failure many years ago. Alas, I am seeing adult children of those I used to care for. If you practice in another specialty long enough like OB, it would not be a surprise if you deliver them babies and their

own babies many years later or in Pediatrics, treat the children of the children you used to care for. Here you realized you are a witness standing in time, a minuscule link of the art that flows thru the centuries.Now you understand the wisdom of that inscription if you again enter the portal of that white building.

JDLeoncio

USTMD70

7/4/2017

PEACE & LOVE BY Mini

Come buy! Come buy!

Toys of wonder! Toys of joy!

Toys for every girl and boy!

Things for beauty! Things for health!

Things to bring you love and wealth!

Come buy! Come buy!

Come buy! Come buy!

Happiness and amity!

All for a nominal fee!

Just follow the party line!

And you’ll feel just fine!

Come buy! Come buy!

Come buy! Come buy!

Gotta sell on a budget?

We can help reach your target!

18 to 30s, soccer moms,

Any group with bells on!

Come buy!  Come buy!

19th USTMD70 e-magazine

 

 

 

IN MEMORIAM: MONET ABRAGAN JR MD (1944-2016)

MANNY DE LEON III MD (1945-2009)

LYNNE AGUILAR-MARIANO MD (1946-2017)

TEOFISTA VINAS-DIAZ MD

UST E-MAGAZINE

JANUARY 6,  2017

 

RAMON “Monet” ABRAGAN MD (1944-2016)

Born in MISAMIS, ORIENTAL, Philippines on 11 April 1944

Passed away in PHILIPPINE HEART CENTER on 17 November 2016

Late of 0008 ISABEL VILLAGE, PALAO, ILIGAN CITY

Aged 72 years,UST TAU MU Society member

IInterment place will be in Iligan City

Monet with Botoy, Manoy Ping, Lito Durante, Troy Lynde and Myself talent at Veterans Memorial Golf Course in Quezon City.

Lynne Aguilar-Mariano MD (1946-2017)

 

Obituary of Erlinda Mariano MD

Mariano MD, Erlinda “Lynne” (Aguilar)

Spencerport: January 1, 2017. Lynne is survived by her husband Teodoro Mariano Jr. MD; children, Dennis (Jennifer) Mariano, Chris (Tara) Mariano, Dominic (Jessica Gustafason) Mariano, Mark (Lindsey Mason) Mariano; daughter-in-law Molly Brigham; grandchildren, Benjamin, Brendan, Kylie, Gabriel, Neila, Isabella, Natalie & Juniper Mariano; siblings, Jose (Gloria) Aguilar, Teresa (Robert) Teodosio, Marietta Munoz, Agnella Bandril, Mary Joan (Delio) Angeles, Maria Lourdes Buncayo, Miriam (Vincent) Gorre ; several nieces and nephews. For more information about Lynne please visit http://www.bartolomeo.com

Lynne’s Visitation will be Friday, 1-3 & 6-9 at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane (Between 390 & Long Pond Rd.). Her Funeral Mass will be Celebrated Saturday, 11 AM at St. John the Evangelist Church, 55 Martha St., Spencerport, immediately followed by her burial in St. John’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN, 38105

Lynne was born July 1, 1946 in Manila to her parents Francisco & Fausta Aguilar.

While attending Medical School in the Philippines it was there that she met who would become the love of her life, Teodoro Mariano. After graduation from Medical School, she and Ted came to the US to complete their Residencies.

Ted and Lynne started their family in Spencerport, NY. They ended up having four loving children and 8 adoring grandchildren. Family was always the center of what mattered most to Lynne.

Lynne was a very faith filled person. She regularly attended Mass and participated in the BLD Prayer Group at church. She regularly prayed the rosary and she had a strong Faith in God and a devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary.

She was a wife, mother grandmother, sister, aunt, friend and doctor. These adjectives and titles are all a part of defining her. However, it was her actions that truly showed who she was. She was gentle, compassionate, thoughtful, organized, selfless, courageous, ambitious & generous.

Lynne’s creative side was regularly seen in her love of music and writing. In her free time she played the harp and enjoyed writing poems. It is no coincidence that she enjoyed attending concerts, dancing with friends and listening to a wide variety of music, especially religious songs.

She had a love of all animals. She especially liked cats and dogs. If there was an animal that needed a home it could very likely end up with Lynne. Her children fondly remembered, “mom would bring animals home,” it was very important that “everyone keep the secret,” as the animals would start off in the basement. Soon though, they would be brought upstairs and they became a part of the family. Her favorite pet by far was her dog Abby Girl.

Lynne always seemed to be on the go. Her role as the Chief of Medicine at the Rochester Psychiatric Center in Rochester, NY kept her dream of being in the medical field at the early age of 5 very much alive everyday. Her entrepreneurial spirit didn’t end there. She owned/operated International Gift Express, Grandview Florist and Asia-Pacific Travel Agency.

Lynne and Ted enjoyed travel. They have traveled extensively throughout Europe. Many times they would find themselves in their travels visiting religious sites. When they weren’t traveling abroad they enjoyed spending time with family and friends at their vacation home on Keuka Lake.

Lynne was well loved and she gave her love to all who knew her. She will be fondly missed!

 

True Friend

Sharing life’s sweet precious moments
At your side ,be it wind, rain or sunshine
Delighting in small or great achievements
Always and forever, is there, a faithful lifeline

When dark clouds come and cover
Guiding light ,steady,radiant till it’s over
When tears flow and hearts are broken
Arms embrace ,comforting words are spoken

Blessed are those who find a true friend
Who points to the rainbow in rough seasons
The silver lining beyond the clouds of gray
Who picks up the fallen to kiss the tears away

It matters not if one has no gold or silver
It matters not if one has a palace or a castle
In earthly journey , a true friend is sublime
A true friend is a treasured gift from Divine

Be a friend as He clearly showed us how
His love is deep,wide unchanged then and now
Be assured He is Friend to one and all
Laid His life ,shared glory , life eternal

By Lynne ,
March 26, 2015

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500 MILES AWAY FROM HOME

I love that song . 500 miles away from home -meaning final home or earthly home . The latter being more likely .

As we know , no one knows exactly when our time on earth is up.

And so , the nuns taught us to be always prepared i.e. say the act of contrition before we go to sleep for we may never wake up.

I think that’s the best way to die , while sleeping . But, we don’t have a choice either .

You are correct, Mon, about the First Friday’s devotion . It means one would be given a chance to repent

I feel that God will  give us lots of chances to repent . Unless one is obstinate and refuses to repent, salvation is for everyone

It is a serene Labor Day weekend

Thinking about St Mother Teresa

Our Saint,  somebody we saw in action and someone to emulate. Someone who lived every word of 1 Corinthian 13 . Today is her feast day

Love and peace to all

 Lynne

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There are people who have what they call” third eye”

Meaning they can see beyond what’s apparent.

In other words, ESP or extra sensory perception, it is called nowadays.

My mom had a sharp third eye which I inherited .

Yes, she saw ” ghosts”. Sometimes in her dreams . Sometimes, for real .

I do too .

My aunt died of breast cancer during our internship year . Ted and I visited her at the UST private hospital . She was on her way to radiation therapy one day when we came . She said she was afraid knowing she was not going to make it . She did pass away shortly after. I attended the funeral services.  My sister who was her God child did not, as she had an exam. My sister and I were roommates. That night, I was awakened and I saw by the door, my aunt. She was wearing the dress she wore for her interment. She was elevated and seemed to be floating. I got scared and jumped into my sister’s  bed .

My sister, later on, told me that she saw her too . Her description was exactly like my description .

Yes, “Ghost ” or spirits inhabit the earth and beyond .

Believe it or not,  I know for sure.

Lynne

Dr Manuel Cruz De Leon, III (1945 – 2009)
Birth: Dec. 13, 1945 Death: Jun. 23, 2009 Manuel Cruz de Leon III M.D., “Manny”, 63, had a talent for anything he put his mind to. His latest projects involved many home improvements in the Bolingbrook, IL neighborhood where he lived with the Cruz and Bapara family. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at home from a heart attack. Born in Manila, Philippines to parents, Manuel de Leon Jr. and Ester de Leon, he was one of 14 children. As the third Manuel, following a governor and a lawyer, he followed through high expectations by excelling in studying medicine. In 1974, he got recruited to practice his internship and residency at Deaconess Hospital in Milwaukee, WI. Then continued his residency at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. He settled in Sheboygan, WI to start his private practice in 1977, where he raised his family. He also practiced in Massillon, OH, Medford, WI, and Milwaukee, WI. He enjoyed road trips and frequently journeyed to visit family and friends. He was always sure to cover full footage of events with his video camera. He loved being outdoors, fishing, gardening, and playing basketball. Anyone who came across Manny heard at least one of his famous jokes and if you didn’t find the joke funny, you’d laugh with him laughing at his own humor. Manuel leaves behind three daughters, Amy (Peter Petzel) de Leon of Denver, CO, Melissa (Charles) Aprahamian of Birmingham, AL and Angela (Brett Belden) de Leon of Franklin, WI; two grandchildren, Carter and Audrey Aprahamian; siblings in North Carolina and the Philippines; siblings, Rodolfo, Teresita, Victorina, Rosario, Corazon, Antonio, Marcelino, Ernesto, Luciano, Orlando. He married and divorced Deborah (Schmidt) de Leon of Sheboygan, WI and never remarried He was preceded in death by his parents and three siblings, Oscar, Pilar and Larry. A ceremony celebrating his life was held in Bolingbrook, IL on Friday, June 26, 2009. The Sheboygan Press Burial: Unknown

Look for Manny in the photo

TEOFISTA VINAS-DIAZ  WRITTEN BY HER SON (abridged)

Dr. Teofista Viñas, My Mother, My Inspiration

by Patrick Diaz

My mother passed away at the age of 37. At four years old, the life that was so fatally lost was the center of my universe, which I was only beginning to grasp.

My earliest memory in life was of my mother, and it took place when I was merely a few months old, at  Jersey City, New Jersey, where we were living at the time before we moved a block away to Beacon Avenue. It was in the living room of the second floor, where I was bathed naked in both water and light, and in my mother’s soothing words. In my crude state of consciousness and my inability to speak, I still knew with utmost clarity what my mother’s words meant  and they all meant one thing: love.

She always spoke with tenderness and patience to my inquiries and observations; there was a soothing calmness in the movement of her words.  My mother was the perfect human expression of unconditional love.. We passed through a store in Orlando, Florida with an aquarium display, of which I have a vivid memory of a diorama inside it. It was of an old time scuba diver, struggling to free himself from the tentacles of an octopus.  Perhaps that image impresses itself deeply upon me because it reflected the paradox of life which I would struggle with after the death of my mother: how one can exist, but not be alive.  I was irreparably heartbroken and sinking, at only four years old

At the start of every year in elementary school, we were asked by our teacher about our classmates who lost their mothers at an early age  I felt, for the first time, that I wasn’t alone in my loss, that through art I would be able to channel my fear, pain, loneliness, and anger, and hopefully create something beautiful.

I began volunteering in Habitat after September 11, 2001 as a way of coping with all the destruction that took place in Manhattan  just across the river. At  an early age  I was haunted by my crippling sense of inadequacy that perhaps I wouldn’t be able to give as much love to others since I didn’t receive much of it growing up.

In my travels volunteering for Habitat,   I think about my own mother, who achieved brilliant success in a career as a doctor, and who was never in want financially, but, from what others have told me, was always exceedingly generous and giving. She studied medicine in the Philippines, and, on her first try, passed the medical exam to earn the right to practice medicine in the United States;   I learned to see with immense gratitude how fortunate my mother was in her own upbringing, and how she passed down to me all the rewards of her fortune, both inherited and self-made. I express through my volunteer work that gratitude for having a wonderful and perfect mother for four years.

A relative told me my mother had a regal presence about her. My mother was very beautiful. There is an air of sophistication, style, and class about her, fully independent and free-spirited, and it is always difficult to reconcile that with the down-to-earth, modest and plain-demeanored, inscrutable and enigmatic, and an unconditionally loving image I have of her. It seems like she sacrificed all those fashionable, prominent trappings of success to take on the humble and demanding role of a parent, to become my mother. She was so young, but she seemed so ancient in her wisdom and tenderness. To me, she was simply my mother.   My mother has a place in all the homes that I have helped build around the country. She will always be frozen in time at the still youthful age of 37

One of the last memories I have of my mother was when the entire Viñas family took a road trip down to Florida to go to Walt Disney World, a few months before she died. There is a massive hotel lobby through which the monorails pass on either side, framing a giant vertical mural. Two of my cousins, my mother, and I sat on a bench directly below that abstract mural waiting, for what I cannot remember. I stared up for a long time at the high ceiling, transfixed, at a Mickey Mouse balloon floating up there

—-From Charles Dunifer (See below)

My brother’s Thanksgiving dinner: (From left: Fe (his wife), Jing (my sister), Eric N, Nestor (my brother), me and Sylvia (my daughter)

James’ sister Emilie on the left in a PMANE party. My two paintings above it: “Vase of flowers” on top and “Covered bridge” below it.

Center: Mini F and Emilie Z in Philippine Medical Association meeting

Sister Jing, Daughter Sylvia, a Filipino doctor, me and Luzbella at her huge picnic.

Post CABG 19 .Inducted President of
SOPEC Medical Lions Club. July 17,2016.next day is her BDay.
Congratulations, President Nora Dalman-Holipas!     ————-

Dante Ragasa became president of APPA (Association of Philippine Physicians, Inc)

Dr. Dante A Ragasa is a Pathology Specialist in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. He graduated with honors in 1970. Having more than 46 years of diverse experiences, especially in PATHOLOGY, Dr. Dante A Ragasa affiliates with no hospital, and cooperates with other doctors and specialists in medical group Professional Service Fund Of Deborah Heart And Lung Center.—————————————————————————-

SPSA (Society of Phil . Surgeons in America ) celebrated their Sapphire anniversary 2017 and elected Corazon (Bing) Panlilio Quiroz their President.—————————————–

Pol Lasala received  last November 18, 2016 the following awards:

TOTAL AWARDEE in Humanitarian Service and

TOTAL AWARDEE as the Thomasian Family (Lasala Family).

This awards is the highest award given by the UST & USTAAI to all Thomasian Alumni in different categories.

Cheers to USTMD70 in 2016…..the year of the Presidents!

    THE OUTSTANDING THOMASIAN  FAMILY

                                              Message of Gratitude

                                            by Dr. Apolonio L. Lasala

I do not remember having had a better pleasure than this, to address this august body of Thomasian luminaries this evening, feeling  humbled but at the same time, extremely honored  for our family to receive  this special award, The Outstanding Thomasian Family   Award ! Praise God! 

We cannot find the perfect words to express how  we really feel about the award. But please allow me, in behalf of my wife, our children , children- in- law and grand children, to extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude  to our beloved Alma Mater, the University of Santo Tomas and  to the UST Alumni Association, Inc., for having bestowed upon our family, this prestigious  Award.

The TOTAL Award as we understand is given by the UST and the USTAAI to a family where the head of the family, the wife and children are all Thomasians.

Along that line, We consider our family a full blooded Thomasian family, because , except for one , our sons and daughters -in- law are also Thomasians. 

A  brief glance  at our family:

• I graduated Doctor of Medicine,’70 at UST, had my private practice at USTH, a faculty member at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Department of Surgery for 36 years , and retired Full Professor 1 in 2011.
• Eva graduated BS Nursing ,’70 and MA in Nursing at UST Graduate School; she worked at  USTH   from 1971 to 2003 , a total of 321/2 years ; became a faculty member of UST College of Nursing  2003- 2013 ( 10 years ) , and retired in 2013 with the rank of Asst. Professor 3.

  –  We got married at the (UST)Santissimo Rosario Parish Church

  –  We are blessed with five healthy and adorable children , all born  

      at USTH ( all by Cesarean section).          

      Had their education at UST. 

      (From Prep until they  graduated)

  –  Alfred , Doctor of Medicine

  –  Bernard,  Civil Engineer

  –  Carolyn, Doctor of Medicine

  –  Dorothy, Doctor of Medicine, and

  –  Apolonio, Jr. – Doctor of Medicine

 We renewed our marriage vows on our 25th  Wedding Anniversary on Jan. , 1996 here in UST. Celebrated our 40th Anniversary on Jan. 2006; then, our 45th Anniversary last Jan., 2016. God permits, we wish to renew our marriage vows here in UST on our 50th wedding anniversary.

For now, Eva and I feel so blessed knowing that our children are all doing good in their respective chosen careers and in their family life. We feel so confident seeing them  raise a Christ-centered family… having a prayerful life, teaching their children compassion and already involving their children in missions and work with the poor at an early age.  Truly, we feel so secure for our old age  as we experience the love of our children  with their respective spouses and children. We cannot thank God enough for this wonderful family and for His bountiful blessings.

Again, thank you very much to our beloved UST and USTAAI  for the award ! And  to you all here present, Salamat po ! 

 We  pray that with God’s unending grace, our family will be able to exemplify the Thomasian core values  we learned and, through our ways, be able to inspire the younger generation to do as well. 

As one author says, ” What we learn, we teach, What we get, we give”..

PROUD TO BE THOMASIANS! Thank you and TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

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RESPONSE IN BEHALF OF ALL TOTAL AWARDEES,2016

                           By Dr. Apolonio L. Lasala,M.D.

Very Rev.Fr. Napoleon Sipalay, Jr. O.P., Vice Chancelor, University of Santo Tomas, 

Very Rev. Fr. Herminio  V. Dagohoy,O.P.,  the Father Rector Magnificus of the University of Santo Tomas,  Engr. Frederick Parayno, USTAAI President,  Mr. Henry  S. Tenedero,  Chairperson, 2016 Screening Awards Committee,  Atty. Jack Castaneda, VIce President, USTAAI,  Mr. John Simon, Head, Program Committee, 

Asst. Prof. Cherry Tanodra, Director, Office of Alumni Relations, Deans, Regents , Presidents of Alumni Association of the different Faculties and Colleges of the University of Santo Tomas, TOTAL Awardees, 2016,  our Professors and Mentors, Fellow Thomasians,  Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good evening…

In behalf of the TOTAL Awardees, 2016,  I wish to express our sincerest appreciation and gratitude  to Rev. Fr. Rector Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P. and the UST Alumni Association, Incorporated, for the honors conferred upon us. 

We are humbled but, at the same time, extremely honored to be chosen as recipients of the 2016 TOTAL Awards.

This award is truly priceless and so important to us, Awardees , because it symbolizes  the recognition of our lifetime achievements.

I believe that what brought us here tonight are  the qualities we gained over the years, during our formation in the different Centers of Excellence within the portals of our beloved Alma Mater, The Pontifical, Royal  and Catholic University of Santo Tomas. 

Yes, as we were raised in an institution with the Culture of Excellence  and imbued with the Thomasian core values of Competence, Commitment and Compassion, we emerged fully geared to soar high and reach for  our “Star”. Our sincere thanks to Fr. Rector  for your inspired directions and charismatic leadership . Thank you  deans, regents, faculty members, professors, mentors, whom we have looked up to as our role models of the 3 C’s.  Our thanks also go to the administrative and technical staffs, and to the countless others who, in their own capacity, had helped us along the way. We cannot thank you enough. 

To all the organizations , associations  and the people we worked with, thank you. 

To our respective families, our inspiration and strength, thank you for your love and support, and for being our prayer warriors.

To Mama Mary and St Joseph, thank you for unceasingly interceding for us.

 And to our Almighty Father, who made everything possible, 

To You Lord, be the glory!

In closing, please allow me to address my co-TOTAL Awardees, 2016.

As we step out tonight, carrying the Awards conferred upon us, let us ask ourselves, what is next?  I hope that the awarding ceremony is not the end.  I hope that all the TOTAL awardees, from 1993 up to the present, unite and forge a collaboration with the help of the Office of Alumni Relations and the UST Alumni Association Inc in order to foster the advocacies of the University and be the light of the coming generations of THOMASIANS. May we look forward with greater passion and continue to uphold and exemplify the legacy of our beloved UST and inspire the younger generations to do the same.

Thank you, Mabuhay Ang Tomasino!

        Message of Gratitude

                  As recipient of TOTAL Award for Humanitarian Service,2016

                                             Apolonio L. Lasala, M.D.

 First of all, I must say my heart leaped with joy when I received  the email of Engr. Frederick Parayno, President, USTAAI,  with the enclosed letters  of the very Rev. Fr. Rector Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., formally informing me that I have been chosen to be the recipient  of The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni (TOTAL) Awards in Humanitarian Service for the year 2016.  That joyful feeling became doubly  intense  when I learned that our family is also the recipient of TOTAL Awards-Family category. PRAISE GOD!

Truly, I feel humbled but extremely honored  and excited to receive this TOTAL Award in Humanitarian Service .  With all sincerity and grateful heart, I wish to thank The University of Santo Tomas and the UST Alumni Association, Inc. for  this Award  which is the  “highest honor bestowed by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the UST Alumni Association, Inc. (USTAAI) upon the Thomasian Alumni, in recognition of their significant and exemplary contribution to the society and the Church.” 

As I receive this award, please allow me to take this opportunity to thank,  first and foremost, the UST for molding me into a full-blooded Thomasian Doctor imbued with the core values of Competence, Commitment and Compassion. 

To name some of the countless people who walked with me, supported and helped me reach this stage in my life, my sincerest gratitude.

To Ms. Hazel Vera Tan, who nominated me for this TOTAL awards, ; 

To the Screening Committee headed by Mr. Henry S. Tenedero, to the Board of Trustees of USTAAI, headed by Engr. Frederick Parayno and

To the Office of Fr, Rector Magnificus Herminio V. Dagohoy,O.P., for approval, Thank you for having chosen me to be the recipient of the TOTAL Award for Humanitarian Services.

My thanks to the Faculty of Medicine  and Surgery , Department of Surgery, to the late Dr. Domingo Antonio ,Jr  and the late Dr. William Barlett, who appointed me  as Faculty member in the Department of Surgery; to my former mentors , who may not be here now but am sure they are all happy for my achievements.

To my other mentors, Dr. Fernando Parreno,  Dr. Cresencio Abes , Dr. Angel Agbulos, Dr. Willie Lagdameo, Dr. Florentino C. Doble , and to all my colleagues  and co-workers who continue to inspire me up to this time. 

Thank you.

My gratitude goes to all the organizations ,  its officers, team leaders, Fr. Regents, and members of all the mission teams I had worked with in the service to our countrymen, especially the poor and the marginalized :

UST Medical Missions

USTMedical Alumni Association

Manila Medical Association,

Philippine Medical Association

Philippine College of Surgeons

International College of Surgeons

Philippine -American Group of Educators and Surgeons (PAGES)

ICSA-Philippine Section

Catanduanes International Association

Couples for Christ 

Gawad Kalinga 

CFC-ANCOP

At this point, I want to give tribute and thanks to my late mother, Juanita Lasala , who worked hard to give me good life and good education and, likewise, to my dear father, Alfredo Lasala. Am sure they are both very happy and proud watching me hold up this award for my achievements.  Salamat  po Inay at Tatay!

To my best friend and  lovely wife, Eva, and  dearest children, Alfred,Bernard, Ma. Carolyn, Dorothy Marie and Apolonio, Jr., you all deserve my deepest gratitude for giving me your unconditional love, understanding and support in all my undertakings.

My thanks to the patients who bravely entrusted themselves to us. Yes, they are the reason for whom Medical Missions and other outreach programs are done. Salamat po!

Above all, my deepest gratitude to our Almighty Father and Eternal God for giving me the grace to spend the best years of my life serving people, especially the poor and the marginalized. He is, in fact, the author of this all, so I offer this award to Him. To God be the glory!

In closing, I pray that God give us all many more years to uphold the legacy of our beloved University and that we, TOTAL AWARDEES, be an inspiration to the young generations coming after us. 

  Salamat po ! Mabuhay Ang Tomasino! 

 ELECTION BY MINI

Carnival ride and candy floss

Stop the world, I want to get off

One red king and one blue queen

And two white pawns for a sweet sixteen

Throw your money, hedge your bet

Is election season over yet?

SPIRITUAL NOTES by FRED N

Jan. 30, 2008

Good spiritual thoughts seem to arise spontaneously from nowhere. Actually, they are whispers from God. They can come even if you seem troubled or active. You do not have to be in a quiet, peaceful state for them to come, although it will be easier to notice them and respond properly if one were in a quiet, peaceful frame of mind. They can come unexpectedly, “soto voce;” in which case one must cultivate a receptiveness to God’s promptings in order not to miss these many times unexpected, split second, and subtle signs These most precious nudges from God are like tender touches that lovers frequently exchange with one another because they enjoy each other’s company and closeness. They are rewards for frequently trying to live in God’s presence. Then it turns out that “constantly thinking of God and being aware of His continuous care and love no longer seems a difficult, if not impossible, way of living.” This state of bliss (of consolation) I find, oftentimes alternates with states of spiritual desolation; so much so, that I have come to anticipate this alternation. I have learned that feeling close to God is no sign that I am good and holy; rather that it is a free gift from God. And so also are times when I do not feel God’s closeness but feel miserable or very attracted to unholy matters. I remind myself that such states of feeling are also valuable gifts from God, and so I many times manage to be grateful to Him for them too. Then I remember Jesus in His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed to His Father to spare Him from the coming suffering, but soon embraced it all with His words “not My will but Thine be done.” I, too, pray and try to do the same. I think of these things when I hear that others manage to be happy even when their lives appear to be filled with suffering and misery. But then, of course I eventually realize that Jesus taught us by His life that the way to true and eternal happiness is through suffering and love. Suffering and happiness are two sides of the same coin, but suffering must come first. I must receive the strength to suffer from God, so I pray for it. Because of Original Sin, we all must suffer. I pray and struggle that I may transcend the suffering part and attain the happiness part.

Sept. 13, 2008

In His life on earth, what did Jesus mean by being “glorified?” He is glorified as He follows the Will of His Father. He shows He is “One with the Father” in His obedience (love) to the Father.

“The hour has come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone. But if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit.

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause I came unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. A voice therefore came from heaven. I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Oct. 24, 2008

From the above excerpts from the New Testament learn more of (and deeper) the meaning of “glory.”

Consider the whole meaning of my “acts.” Since I am both spirit and material, there are both spiritual and material aspects to my acts. Logically speaking. first there is the spiritual movement, which involves my realizing a need for my action, for a spiritual decision. Then there comes the material action that follows or accompanies the spiritual component (motivation). Maybe these considerations help me understand and correctly appreciate the spiritual value of The Little Flower’s little (and many times, invisible) acts of charity. That spiritual motivation can be vastly more significant that the material action. “Little” things can thereby be very great things in God’s sight. Hence, to live a life as full as possible of God’s love, it helps a lot to live as quiet a life as possible consistent with one’s obligations. The “quietness” makes it easier to pay attention to the “motivation”.

Nov. 19, 2008

Here are some ideas that may help me gain a greater understanding of My Lord God. Maybe, for His intellectual creatures, as part of the process by which they come to enjoy His Presence, He tests them all. The Tradition, the Bible, writings of His Holy Ones, all these things mean that they were tested. It makes sense too. If we understand that suffering is one means of testing us, this insight will help somewhat explain the mystery of suffering. Many of us wonder why even innocent people suffer. Maybe suffering is not meant to be the end of the story.

Dec. 8, 2008

Discuss concepts of beings, like God, material beings, spiritual beings, fields of force in physics, ideas, order in different kinds of beings, mathematical beings, thoughts. All these can manifest their existence by having effects on other beings, or the recognition of our ability to distinguish one kind from another, etc. Go through what other thinkers have written about them.

Dec. 10, 2008

As I started walking toward the toilet door after using the toilet at about 11:00 AM, I felt a surge of joy, peace, ineffable happiness because I felt so deeply grateful for the goodness of God, for the grace of feeling being in His Presence. My joy kept increasing as I walked out of the toilet-It actually overwhelmed me so that I felt I could not stand the pleasure as it kept growing, it felt well beyond my control, I could not contain it, and wondered whether I would die because of it. The joy was the result of feeling that God allowed me to experience His close Presence. I was crying for joy and happiness, (much more intensely than what I sometimes experience at Mass) and felt somewhat out of this world, but not entirely, since I was somewhat aware of where I was as I walked out of the toilet toward the foyer. In the foyer I slowly fell on my knees in adoration and thanksgiving to God while I was feeling these things. Towards the end, I did not care whether Mini was around and saw me. At the peak of the experience, I was not aware of boundaries of space and time. I felt I was in the happy, somewhat luminous world of heavenly spirits in the company of God. I thought that this was happening to me not because I deserved it, but rather, despite my sinfulness, it was entirely because of the infinite graciousness of God towards me, and this increased appreciation of God’s goodness fed my love, joy and gratitude.

After several minutes I gradually returned to my usual awareness of the world, but remained shaken, somewhat in disbelief that I really underwent such an experience, but filled with gratitude, I kept thanking God, felt very humbled and prayed for all the people and causes I usually pray for. I applied some of the insights I gained from St. Ignatius’ “discernment of spirits,” and I therefore thought the experience was probably from the Spirit of God.

This was just the second time something “half-out-of-this-world” experience happened to me. The first time was when I was meditating in the company of my fellow Jesuit novices during the first year of my two-year novitiate at Novaliches, Philippines. I told my novice-master, Fr. McCann, about the event. However, this second time was much more intense than the first. Since spiritual consolations and desolations usually alternate, I braced myself for the soon to come desolations for which this remarkable consolation was given to strengthen me to fight and endure them. I prayed for help.

Jan. 20, 2009

God loves me. I can probably correctly infer that He has, analogously, affection for me. Incredible! Maybe I am beginning to understand His revelation of His love symbolized by His Sacred Heart ablaze with love.

Feb. 23, 2009

What did Jesus man by: “The light will be among you a little longer. Continue on your way while you have the light, so that the darkness will not come upon you; for the one who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Believe in the light, then, while you have it, so that you will be the people of the light. After Jesus said this, he went off and hid himself from them. Even though he had performed all these miracles in their presence, they did not believe in him, so that what the prophet Isaiah had said might come true: “Lord, who believed the message we told? To whom did the Lord reveal His power?” And so they were not able to believe, because Isaiah also said, “God has blinded their eyes and closed their minds, so that their eyes would not see, and their minds would not understand, and they would not turn to me, says God, for me to heal them.”

Words and sights can have multiple meanings, and their meanings applicable to a given situation may remain obscure, or may glow with brilliance and clarity, depending on how they are illuminated by God’s grace. Be spiritually disposed, humble, to be receptive to God’s grace, and pray for mercy to become more like him.

18th USTMD70 E-Magazine

 

 

 

USTMD70 class, July 4, 2016

IN MEMORIAM: LORD B, PEPOT R, ELOY B, CARMENCITA M, CATA G

 

 

 

 

 

Carmencita L. Mogol

Born: 1945 Died: 2010; State of last residence: Rockville,   Maryland

Anesthesiologist

———————————————————————————————-

Lord Bernabe MD

front row on the right.

See photo below: Seated on the right side:  R – L: Lord ( w bigote) Freddie, and Emeng. On the left side L-R:, Max, Ed Capitulo, Pepot.

Taken at Villa Maria resort, Talisay, Batangas
Second from left next to Bing, Max standing behind. The boys L-R
Ando, Jun, Dado, Ed Cap, me, & Emeng
The Girls, L-R standing Spanky, Mags, Mayet, ? , Rancie
Seated, Bing, ?, ?, Alice

Texas Obituary

Jose Antonio Robles M.D.

Posted on Saturday, 28th May 2016 | Houston

Dr. Jose Antonio Robles passed away peacefully surrounded by family at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX on May 21, 2016 at 11:13 am. Born in Manila, Philippines on September 20, 1945, the eldest son of seven to Tito Robles and Soledad Rulloda, he grew up to the sounds of The Beatles and Elvis with aspirations of being a businessman, but ultimately taking the advice of his mother to become a doctor. Dr. Robles received his medical degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 1970 and served medicine and surgery residencies in that country. In 1977, he came to the United States and served an internship and first year surgical residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He completed a radiology residency in the Illinois Masonic Medical Center in 1978 and in July of 1980 completed a Residency in Nuclear Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. In 2006, he received an MBA at Devry University. In 1977, during his medical residency in Chicago, he met and fell in love with Myrna Francisco and followed her back to the Philippines to propose a marriage. They then moved to Chicago and shortly after, a small town in Texas where he began his long career in radiology and started a family. He was a very charismatic and generous man with many talents including cooking, singing and playing the guitar, basketball, and billiards. He had a love for nature and always surrounded his home with plants and enjoyed gardening. He was a devout Catholic and was a member of Couples For Christ for several years and a proud brod of Tau Mu Sigma Phi of the University of Santo Tomas. His love for various arts such as music, movies and live entertainment were instilled in his children. Travelling provided the opportunity to form the soundtrack to his adventurous life with the musical sounds of The Beatles, Elvis, The Bee Gees, The Carpenters, The Beach Boys, Chicago and Steve Miller Band among other artists. He was a family man at heart and delighted in road trips from east to the west coast, frequenting exciting cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Orlando. He is survived by his wife Myrna and their five children – Laura and her son Jude, Allen, Annette, Isabel, and Erika. He is also survived by his siblings – Marite, Lulu, Pete, Maruja, Tito Junior, and Marivic. His mother passed away peacefully in Manila on May 23, two days after his own passing, at the age of 94. The Funeral Mass will commence Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at 10:30 AM at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail, Houston, TX 77079.

May he rest in peace.

Jose  Antonio Robles

September 20, 1945 – May 21, 2016

May you rest in peace.

Pepot’s photos below from So. California Shindig on 10/2011

  Eulogio “Eloy” Banez

May you rest in peace in heaven

It’s not something people like to think about.
For those who’ve watched the health of a family
member or close friend decline with age or illness,
it can be painful to see their suffering. However,
God is still present in these difficult moments,
ready to generously give hope and strength in the
midst of struggle.
Loy Banez, and others who serve our homebound
parishioners, are often a beacon of hope in
what can be a very lonely time. In many cases, the
simple act of bringing Holy Communion to someone
who is too ill to attend Mass can bring great
consolation. These visits also serve to remind
homebound parishioners that their parish family
cares about them, even when they are not able to
be physically present.
Loy, who has been serving in this ministry for
the past 16 years, visits 23 parishioners each week.
“I bring Communion and give Gospel reflections
to the homebound, to share the love of
Christ and the parish family with them,” Loy says.
“We start with the opening prayer, then the Gospel
reading, some reflection, the Lord’s Prayer,
For those who are homebound, volunteers bring Communion, read
the Scriptures and pray with them.
St. Augustine catholic church
Sometimes Lonely, But Never Alone continued from front cover
and [I] give them Communion. Then we talk a
little bit…”
According to Loy, his appreciation of the ministry
has grown over the years, both in realizing how much
parishioners look forward to the visits, as well as in
enjoying the ministry more himself.
“They are very happy to see me,” Loy says. “In
fact, some will ask me [where I was], if I did not show
up the week before.”
The visits are an opportunity for Loy to encourage
those who may be struggling, and remind them of
God’s love and faithfulness.
“I hope that the people experience the love of
God,” he says.
Serving homebound parishioners in this way has
also been a blessing to Loy and helped him grow
closer to God by serving those in need.

 

Loy hopes to involve more people in this ministry,
sharing God’s love with those unable to come to the
parish. Those who want to become involved serving
in this way will first become Extraordinary Ministers
of Holy Communion. Following that training, they
will then accompany Loy, or another minister, on
visits to those who are homebound, before visiting
parishioners on their own.
There is truly no greater gift to a person suffering
than this reminder that they are not alone. Not only are
they loved by their parish family, and but even more
importantly, they are loved by their heavenly God.
Loy Banez and others who serve the homebound hope to
remind elderly and ailing parishioners of God’s love and the love
of their parish community.

Sometimes Lonely, But Never Alone
Serving the Spiritual Needs of Our Homebound Parishioners

“[Serving in this ministry has]
made me stronger in my
faith, and closer to God. It
helps me think about what
God wants me to do in my
life.” – Loy Banez

 

Obituary for Eulogio B. Banez

Eulogio “Loy” B. Bañez was born on September 13, 1940 to Vicente Sr. and Simeona Monica Bañez in Manila, Philippines. He was the second eldest of five siblings.

Loy attended Rafael Palma Elementary, Arquillo High School, Letran College (Pre-Med) and University of Santo Tomas. After graduating with his Associates degree from Letran College he taught at Don Basco College in Bialig, Surigao DeLsur, Philippines for two years. He went on to continue his studies at University of Santo Tomas where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine. Loy then became an anesthesiologist at Quezon City General Hospital. He also taught Anatomy at Clinica Arellano Nursing School.

 

Loy and his three children then went on to join his family in San Francisco, California in 1979. Once in San Francisco he started working at San Francisco General Hospital in the medical records department and at the Plasma Center. During this time he started teaching anatomy and physiology at City College of San Francisco. He moved on to work at the Medical Records Department at San Mateo General where he later retired.

 

As a testament to his faith and his involvement to his community he became the Religious Director for Epiphany Church in San Francisco soon after retiring. In addition, Loy has always been deeply involved with his parish at St. Augustine Church in South San Francisco where he spent most of his time for many many years. He was also a member of the Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, St. Augustine Chorale, collaborative ministry and many more.

 

Loy passed away peacefully at the age of 75 at Kaiser Hospital in South San Francisco on June 11, 2016 with most of his family at his side. He is survived by his brother Vicente Jr., Joventino (Mila) and Josephine (Ricardo Sr.). Norberto Sr. (Amelia-2011) preceded him in death in 1989. He also leaves behind his children Merlee, Rica (Armando), Dante (Tamara) who has blessed him with 12 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews.

 

Loy aka “Papa” was the rock for the family and has touched so many lives in the catholic community. He will be greatly missed.

Eloy and his apos. See photo below

May Cata rest in peace.

Passed away Sept 12, 2014

Dr. Catalino Carlos. Guzman Jr. Retired physician, devoted husband, father and grandfather, 70 Dr. Catalino C. Guzman Jr., 70, of North Caldwell, N.J., passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014.

Born in Calumpit, Bulacan, Philippines, Dr. Guzman graduated from the University of Santo Tomas Medical School in Manila, Philippines, before immigrating to the United States in 1970. Dr. Guzman practiced medicine at the Essex County Hospital Center in Cedar Grove, N.J., for 37 years before retiring. Dr. Guzman was also a major in the U.S. National Guard for seven years. Surviving are his beloved wife of 44 years, Dr. Dulce Dungo Guzman; devoted children, Carlo Guzman and his wife, Elza, and Debbie Price and her husband, Ryan; cherished granddaughters, Kalea and Makena Guzman, and Ava, Barrett and Pressley Price. He is also survived by his loving sister and brother, Dr. Aurora G. Mia and Dr. Benjamin Guzman. Dr. Guzman was the beloved uncle of many nieces and nephews from the Dungo, Mia and Guzman families.

Cata’s intern group:  Gani Laurencio, Evelyn Eustacio, Mini Festin, Rechie Flores-Orlino, Ofie Fule, Efren Leonidas, Joey Leoncio, Jimmy La Madrid (Mila Galang-Gonzales, Myrna Galang-Capati, Linda Guirnalda, –not shown)

 

Mini, Luzbella, Steve (from middle to right) in PMANE party, April 2016 

PATHOS   BY Mini FESTIN

 

Mourning is an exercise in dichotomy

 

We mourn twice

 

First for the dead,

 

For what  they no longer can do

 

Then for ourselves

 

And everything we have lost.

 

 

 

Are we selfish to mourn for our pain?

 

Or is it better to cry for those who  can still feel it?

 

 

 

And there are two types of mourners

 

Those who  regret for chances missed

 

Words unsaid, actions undone

 

And those who long

 

For what they have done every day

 

And will never do again.

 

 

 

Is it worse to have never said goodbye?

 

Or to have said it every day?

 

 

 

But the end does not only divide

 

For Death melds all lives

 

What has come before

 

Continues in what survives.

Lord of the Universe

You are God who knows well the heart of man

For you have formed man in Your grand design

Perfectly crafted as only He Who is perfect can

Creator creature in Your image body soul,mind

Where art Thou the Lover of my soul?

I seek Thee high and low and find You not

Lord of the Universe hear the cry of thy servant

Take this cup before me, show thy Face in haste

Your blessings I forget not, bountiful from day to day

Immensely grateful I am for your love and care I pray

Your presence manifest in the fresh flowers of spring

In the voice of friends and family , joy in my heart ,I sing

Your presence speaks in the face of the innocents

I hear you in the gleeful laughter children bring

Your love I see in the heart of a friend ,tried and true

Your kindness in ‘the healing touch and compassion

I come before You now , Lord of the Universe

I know not why nor do I understand and accept

My strength is failing though You are my strength

Confused , , unsteady though You are my light

I turn to You for I have nowhere else to go

You are indeed the the Way ,the Truth and the Life

Why do I fear death , disease and aberrant cells?

You are the Lord of the Universe , always in control

Thank You , Master , forgive my doubt , I implore

You have held my hand all along this path , I know

You sent Angels to wipe my sweat in my distress

Patiently , I’ll wait for You ,take up my cross follow

–Lynn Mariano

Confessions of an FMG: Part I: CHARLES DUNIFER

I did not think then that the 28th of June, in the year

       of our Lord, 1971, would be a watershed time in my,life, but it was,

        for it was on this date that I had embarked on the road to high

         adventure, leaving the comfort of my “nest”, to the uncertainties

          of life in a foreign land . It turned out to be a hot, scorching,

          cloudless summer beach of a day almost devoid of the the usual

            summer breezes that caresses one’s face reminding one that

            they are still on their native land!

                               The trek to the Manila International Airport was a

              long and quiet one, each of my relatives contained in their

              own personal thoughts of perhaps missing me, specially

              mom. We finally reached,our destination.There, the other

              people, who would be sharing this trip with me, were also waiting

               for our plane that will ultimately bring us to Akron, Ohio. They

              included Roy and his Mila, Rey Lazaro, Bing Orlino and Aurora

              Leyva, secretly married at the time, and two ’69 graduates, Roger

               Belmonte and Virgilio Ponferada. I remember seeing Carlos

               Alberto, as one of our well-wishers. He shook my hands,

                 wishing me luck & good voyage. I did not know then that that

                was the last time I’ll see him. We were friends since Pre-Med.!

                  A lady then came by and handed me a glass paper weight to bring

                 as a gift to our Training Director there in St. Thomas Hospital

                  from Dr. Alunos, the man who recruited us for this trip . One

                   could feel the tension in the air and the high anxieties

                  everyone was feeling. There were butterflies in our stomachs,

                 mine was a giant Monarch as I recall.

                              The time for goodbyes finally came. It was a bitter

                    sweet moment for me. We were ushered down the tarmac

                    and we lined up and started walking towards the waiting

                     DC-10. I can almost remember that we were humming

                    Neil Diamond’s “We’re coming to America”! A few were clicking

                      their fingers to the tune (can you imagine Joey?).

                                  I remember that our first stopover was Guam. I

                      immediately bought a a postcard and mailed it

                       home at Guam’s airport (come on, Charles, you’ve only

                      been gone a couple of hours at best). Our second stop was

                      ‘Frisco. It was night in ‘Frisco. I remember seeing a poster

                       ad for Ford Pinto and in an instant fell in love with it,

                       promising it’s the car I’d buy on my first paycheck ( seriously,

                      Charles). Then our connecting flight finally took us to

                       Cleveland. It was daybreak ! We then took a taxi to the

                         Greyhound station. We took the bus and headed for

                       Goodyear City.

                                 “Confessions of an FMG”

                                               Part Two

                                       ” When Charlie met Sally”

                         The trip down Akron was an awe-inspiring, eye-

        opening experience to all of us despite the overcast skies

        with scattered drizzles here and there that seemed to have

        threatened that uplifting feeling of excitement that usually

        afflicted the foreigner when he steps on the soil of a foreign

        dominion!

                           Unbeknown to us all, that affliction called the

        “culture shock” bug was already creeping into our sub-conciousness

        as we noticed the wide highway of 271 S (it was like the size

        of Highway 54 only two folds)! The “shock” went on as we espied

         the homes of these Americans as they dotted on both sides

         of the highway. They were widely spread, surrounded by well

          trimmed grassy yards  but a few were surrounded by a

           fence and if so, they were only decorative and super clean. ” Hey, what

           time do you have there?”, somebody ventured to ask. Then we were

            introduced to” Mr.Time Difference,” another culture shock as

          we exited to Route 8. A few more minutes & we arrived at Akron

          proper and parked at the Greyhound Terminal at South High

         Street across St. Benedict’s Church. Dr. Belmonte tried to call

         his friend at St. Thomas but no dice. After a harrowing “call”

          night, he’s asleep at home, the Married Men Apartments. With

          no one to save the day, we took a taxi and were on our way to

          St. T’s !

   CONFESSIONS of an FMG

                                                       Chapter II

                                            “When Charlie met Sally”

                                                          ( cont.)

                                                               by

                                                  Charles L. Dunifer

                                44 North Main Street, Akron, in effect houses

St. Thomas Hospital, a moderate sprawl with 150 patient beds that boasted

close affiliations with Case Western Reserves University and complete

residencies in General Surgery, Ob/Gyn, General Practice and a Rotating

Internship with Pediatric rotation at Akron Children’s Hospital the tenth

best in the country at that time.

                                  The taxi came to an abrupt stop in the front end of the

hospital where we alighted and were confronted by two massive glass doors

that to our surprise slid wide open automatically letting us into the

building. A wide anteroom for patients’ families and friends gaped

impressively greeting us in earnest. It has a boutique on its left and, “Lo and

Behold ,a wide screened COLORED T.V. (This is the Promise Land ) across

its opposite end. A hallway at its side beckoned us to proceed inwards

further, leading to the office of the Director of Medical Education.

                                    A mild mannered fortyish lady of somewhat good

upbringing, statuesque by her own rights and demeanor with slightly

graying hair and who sort of reminded me of Bond’s Miss Moneypenny, only

a bit older, greeted us upfront. ” I’m Grace. I’ m Dr. Streinreich’s secretary.”

“He has been waiting for you guys since this morning. Let me take you to meet him. O boy, I finally get to meet ‘M’ “! she added .I then gave her Dr. Alunos’ glass paper weight to give to her boss.

                                    Dr. Otto Steinreich was everyone’s notion of a middle

aged avuncular, easy to please man but who would stick to principles come

hell or high water at all cost. “How was your trip?”, with a husky voice, he

commenced, then went down the retinue of what’s expected from us, some

do’s and don’t’s, a brief history of the hospital, etc., etc., etc. Then he,produced

several envelopes with $50.00 in each one and handed it over to us (I’m

loving this place already).” To tide you up ’til your first paycheck”, Dr.

Steinreich uttered with a slight grin on his face. He then wished us luck

and led us to his door.

                                     Outside, I noticed a parked portable X-ray unit with

a girl next to it. She was in an all white uniform , but no nurses’ cap that

did great justice to her svelte figure especially to her generously

endowed “front” that impressed me enormously as they stared at me

with those achy longings as if telling me, ” I really like you!” This girl

seemed to be naturally “tailor-made for me!” The girl is in her early

twenties, with wild hazel eyes and hair a smart mixture of blond and

light brown prettily tied up in ponytail fashion!

                                     Our eyes met briefly. Her lips parting into a sweet

smile that sent my heart a happy note. It all seemed too good to be true,

too perfect to last (I definitely want to stay here forever)! Never so soon,

my reveries were cut short by voices coming from her friends, ” Sally,

you coming with us to ‘Red’s? (a discotheque across town) after work?”

“Maybe,” she answered. Then, we were back at each other. “Sally, I’m

 Dr. Dunifer. Charles just for you,” I volunteered, offering my hand to her

at the same time .We shook hands. We spoke briefly because she got paged

after. Both being single, we met several more times. We dated and

trysted for some time, but as all good things must come to an end, we

parted ways amicably, but I’ll always treasure the day I met Sally in my

heart of hearts forever.

   –Charles Dunifer

 Charles’ temptress

JOEY LEONCIO’s D-DAY

The Mohawk Airlines took me to a small airport in Schenectady. It was the 2nd day of January 1972.It was snowing. A cab took me to Ellis Hospital about 10 miles away. I entered the lobby of an old hospital almost antique, not something I expected. I hauled 2 luggage with me, my sole possession. I was given a key to the Schaeffer’s House known as the interns house. A two story building also old like the house at Psycho.or Animal House whichever one prefers to call it.

My room was to the left, huge really for 2 people but was all mine. Across my room was the living room with a black and white TV. The kitchen is ready for cooking whatever you want to cook. Eggs , orange juice and sodas are in the refrigerator. But, no need to cook, food is free all day long at the hospital. I did not cook..A laundry chute is available where all clothing including underwear and socks can be thrown in. Send them to the hospital laundry and in a few days you can get them back wrapped in plastic bags.Free laundry.The house was available only to single interns or residents. The married ones live in nearby apartments  I could go on but I rather hear your story Charles, your first day, your first date and whatever else was exciting.

Ruby and Marrietta were at Hahnemanns or where they just rotating there as I was?

That is were I saw them, Ruby in green scrubs while doing evening pre op rounds and Marietta after the grand rounds that was fed via video in real time to their affiliated hospitals such as Easton where I was. One can ask questions after the rounds talk the equivalent of via satellite in modern times. During my stint there at Hahnnemans, at lunch I walked down to this Italian vendor who fixes Philadelphia Cheese steak subs, the best, Reuben sandwich, delicious and expensive and for cheap go to McDonald’s at half the price. I don’t think Ruby came from Temple. That place is not safe at night, not sure where Albert Einstein was. You say it’s at North Philly in Broad St? No wonder you like guns, you may need that in Broad St at night.

Joey

YET DIZON’s ARRIVAL IN THE US

  Around December 1970 I got hold of the Green Book and wrote to 6 programs along the East Coast only. I got three responses from Program Directors. One of which was Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. Long story short got accepted for Internship at Sinai to start July 1971. Coincidentally or not, Ando Dijamco, Jing Ordinario and Roger Liboon were headed to the same destination. No recruiters or sponsors to my knowledge. Found out Angie Dingkong and husband (Mascardo?) were there a year ahead with others (don’t remember their names, except for Henry So) from UST and UP. Angie did not keep her husband that long and found another while we were there. Ando, Jing, and Roger’s future wives were there (Jing & Roger) or in transit (Ando) to the dismay of our group of Filipina SYT’s who volunteered to be our welcoming committee. I was yet uncommitted. After too short a year, we all split up . Ando headed for Cleveland, Roger to Chicago, Jing to Louisiana (?) and moi to Philadelphia. After two years in Philly headed to New Haven for Fellowship (Yale). Took my boards at the end of my Fellowship 1975, boarded by October 1975. Joined staff in New Haven for 3 years (faculty/prestige/very low salary), then headed for a more decent salary in Georgia 1978 and stayed. Did Open Heart Anesthesia and Critical Care till I was retired by ALL in 2008. We actually started the Open Heart Program in Macon, Georgia starting at one a day (209/year) until 2008 (8-12/day; 1200/year) when I retired. There were four of us from New Haven who were in this team, with Faculty appointments at Mercer U. Today because of advance stents that do not easily occlude, they are back to doing just 1-2/ day (250-500/year). The high compensation of Cardiac Surgeons have shifted to the Interventional Cardiologists. Very boring right?? Other’s will be more interesting for sure.

     Elsa went to the same hospital Louie Kodumal went for residency (sorry for missing her), I did mentioned Nieves but I didn’t know where Mike was doing his residency then. Lot’s of Pinoy’s in Philly because of the Navy Base and because Nurses then had unlimited employment possibilities. They had huge Pinoy parties mostly nurses and Navy personnel. We attended a few but the Navy men were not pleased, and practiced “bakuran”, wherein they put human barriers on the ladies so we couldn’t dance with them. BTW Ed & Precie Holgado ended up in the Philly area later, after I left.

Yet

MINI F’S COMING TO AMERICA

It would be my first trip abroad, but I was undaunted. Surely, if others could do it, so could I.

I boarded the PAL plane  bound for Hong Kong. Through the plane window, I looked at the airport and wondered when I would be back. (Time would tell.). In about an hour, we were landing in this quintessentially British city of China. It was a small island with tall buildings dotting the hillside. I was quickly escorted alone to a waiting limousine that brought me to an impressive Mandarin  hotel.  I checked in and went up to  my room. An old Chinese lady greeted me when I stepped out of the elevator and escorted me to an expansive and elegant room. She offered me hot tea. I would only be there for a few hours so I just took an afternoon nap. Soon, there was a knock at the door and the old lady beckoned me  to leave now for the airport.  It was amazing how time had flown by!

I boarded another plane for Tokyo. Tokyo was modern and I was to stay there overnight. It was midnight. Heavens!  I was the last passenger to be dropped off in my hotel. The van driver was very apologetic, kept saying, “Sorry. I didn’t see you.”  Wow, I never expected such graciousness from people; I like being  a tourist. The following morning, I wanted  a Japanese breakfast.  A Japanese receptionist pointed the American restaurant in the hotel instead. After breakfast, I went to the basement to canvass Japanese shops. I was convinced to buy a Seiko watch for $50 (This was 1971). “Duty-free!” the charming Japanese sales girl exclaimed. I then boarded a van that would take me to the airport. Five minutes before boarding, I discovered that my papers were left in the airport shop where I just ate.  I pleaded with the stewardess to wait for me while I retrieved some important papers in the shop. Then I took my fastest run ever, literally flying as people parted to make space for me. I got back on time and boarded a Japan Airlines plane  to San Francisco. Whew!

It was morning when I arrived in San Francisco. I still had 12 hours stop-over  in SF so I laid down in the restroom. A matronly  lady asked if she could help expedite my trip without charge. Sure. So my flight schedule was advanced and I was to leave for SF in an hour on a Japan Airlines plane.

I arrived in Buffalo at midnight. Now, I realized that the travel agent who sold me the ticket purposely delayed me in SF to arrive in Buffalo during the day. As soon as I entered the building, the PA system repeatedly called out, “Dr. Festin, please report to our office immediately.”. Uh-oh! Did I leave some papers in SF? It turned out that the taxi driver sent by the hospital was waiting for me in the office.

 I’ll be riding a taxi alone with a taxi driver in the middle of the night in an unknown city.  A scary prospect, but it turned out well. He was nice & well-mannered, saying that he picked up foreigners frequently from the airport.  When I arrived in Kenmore Mercy hospital, three angelic nuns were waiting to welcome me at the door. A nun said they only got news of my arrival an hour before. The Chief of Staff knew nothing about it. I was shown a hospital room which will be my residence for the next 6 months.

I spent little in my first 6 months.  In time-honored residency tradition, I took advantage of whatever was free in the hospital. Six months later, new arrivals who graduated a year ahead of me came. (Drs. Ansel Laredo and Amelito Canlas, Dr. Sotero Fabella who turned out to be my cousin) There was also Dr. Robinson Baron from Far Eastern University and his wife. Women lived in the ladies’ apartment in the hospital grounds and the men in another apartment). I was no longer lonesome. I joined them in shopping sprees, churches, trips, picnics, etc.

One day, someone was calling me. It was Rita Hernando who interned in the Genesee Hospital in Rochester, NY. We had a good time together and continued our friendship  in  NYC where I took up my Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency in New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center.  For a while I thought of retiring in Buffalo, but winter quickly changed my mind.  Still, I look forward to having time to visit again.

Be like the birds

Free thou thy wings ,beloved

That thou may float above the clouds 

Empty thy mind of worries 

It is futile . Everything is ladened for thee 

Drop  to the ground will thou  

Provisions aplenty for the day , 

The universe is vast , it was made for thee

Gather thy wings , glide to the blue sky

Watch the sunrise golden rays 

Display the beauty beyond compare

Feel the breeze , gentle rain drops 

Refresh thy brow , soul renew

It is odd . How did I not know ? 

It is not up to me . It is beyond me

It is a force greater than self that propels 

A Power  that has dominion over all

Take pleasure in the day ‘s offerings 

Cherish each moment of communion 

Savor the  richness before thee

Be one with the universe , like the birds 

By Lynne

April 7, 2016 

CHRISTMAS ACTUALLY CAME EARLY FOR FILIPINOS IN BOSTON by Mini

The Advent celebration came in form of the San Lorenzo Ruiz statue’s journey from Manaoag town in the Philippines to the city of Malden in Massachusetts. It happened in September 2007.

The Boston Filipino Apostolate is blessed because it recently received the statue of San Lorenzo Ruiz. For several years, they had always honored the San Lorenzo statue on loan from  a female parishoner. In late August 2007, the owner said that she wanted to take it back. The Boston Filipino Catholics were in a quandary. In the past, they did not have their own because they relied solely on someone else’ statue. Now was the time to get one of their own. The San Lorenzo devotees prayed for guidance in resolving this problem soon in time for the San Lorenzo Feast Day in September 2007.

Since no one could travel to the Philippines to get one right away,  the Filipino Apostolate Liturgical Coordinator, approached the Coordinator of the Santo Nino Prayer Group. Does she know someone in the Philippines who could deliver a SLR statue to Boston on such short notice? Yes, indeed.  she has a sister who lives close to the town of Manaoag, Pangasinan which is known for its excellent craftsmanship of religious statues. Within ten days, the San Lorenzo statue arrived on the doorsteps of her house. That night, a prayer group of Glo, Virgie, Esther, Paz, Gigi, Minnie & Fred, saw the unwrapped statue for the first time. The four-foot tall statue showed a praying San Lorenzo Ruiz with his face looking up to heaven, inspiring the congregation to pray as well. The prayers of the San Lorenzo devotees were heard . Truly, one cannot underestimate the power of prayers.

Manaoag and Malden (M&M – as the Filipino devotees now call the twin cities –  have more in common than just being linked by San Lorenzo Ruiz. Established in the 1600s, these two places have a similar population of about 53,000. Malden ’s area of 5 square miles is similar to Manaoag. The Filipinos in both places have a strong devotion to the Holy Rosary. A Living Rosary always precedes the Filipino Mass in Malden . In Manaoag, Filipinos venerate “Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.”

The town of Manaoag is famous for its “Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary shrine” and her countless miracles and healing powers. Located some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Manila , it is about a five-hour drive with a few stops. The Church of the Most Holy Rosary was established 300 years ago, older than Lourdes , Fatima and Guadalupe. Close to a million visitors descend on this rural town at the  peak months in the summer.  It is the town’s biggest tourist attraction. Thus, the town is dubbed the Pilgrimage Center of Northern Philippines or, sometimes, the “Antipolo of the North.”

Malden is a city, just 5 miles north of Boston . Once the richest city in Massachusetts , it is now economically and ethnically diverse. The city’s Asian population is 20%. Out of a total population of 53,340, a recent census showed that 157 are Filipinos, about 0.3%. There is a regular Filipino Mass held at 12:30 pm every second Sunday at the St. Joseph Church in downtown Malden . Other weekly Filipino Sunday Masses in the greater Boston area are in West Roxbury (first Sunday), Boston College (3rd Sunday) and Quincy (4th Sunday). Established in 1902, St. Joseph Church reflects an international and ethnic awareness. Its current pastor, Fr. William, has welcomed the Filipinos wholeheartedly. He prepared a special place for the San Lorenzo Ruiz statue on the altar.

San Lorenzo Ruiz was the kind of man who said that he “could die for God and religion a thousand times if he had to.” On September 29, 1637, Lorenzo Ruiz, together with fourteen companions, died a martyr in Japan because he refused to renounce his faith to spare his life. They were hung upside down with their heads inside the well. Their temples were slit open to let blood drip slowly until they died. Canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 28, 1987, San Lorenzo Ruiz holds the honor of being the first Filipino Saint, the “most improbable of saints,” as Pope John II described him during his canonization ceremony. Lorenzo Ruiz had killed a man in Manila and joined a religious group which was going to Japan to do evangelization work. The group were mostly priests and religious. After their martyrdom, a miraculous healing occurred through their intercession. The miracle  led to the canonization of the group.

To mark the arrival of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Statue, a solemn Tagalog Mass was held at St. Joseph Church  on the second Sunday of September 2007. The Mass was preceded by a procession that took place around the Church. The statue brought up the rear of the procession. True to Filipino tradition, two female parishoners  had decorated it earlier with a lei of sampaguita flowers. It was on a platform borne by 4 male parishoners.The attendees vocally prayed the rosary together during the procession to show unity in prayer with Christ. The procession ended in the church where the statue was carried to its special place on the altar.

The church was filled with people. the Spiritual Director of the Boston Filipino Apostolate, was there to con-celebrate the Mass with six other priests. The  Filipino Choir, led by the pianist sang during the Mass. Special prayers to San Lorenzo Ruiz were said. At the end, the lively San Lorenzo Ruiz hymn was joyously sung. After the Mass, there was sharing of food and camaraderie in the Parish Hall. A special program was presented in the Parish Hall as part of the celebration. A participant was heard to say, “I am so glad I am here. I wanted so much to join in the prayers of the installation ceremony. “

This is just one of many examples of how the religious spirit continues to thrive in the Filipino community here in Massachusetts .

“I AM A CHRISTIAN, AND THIS I PROFESS UNTIL THE HOUR OF MY DEATH AND FOR GOD I SHALL GIVE MY LIFE. ALTHOUGH I DID NOT COME TO JAPAN TO BE A MARTYR, NEVERTHELESS AS A CHRISTIAN AND FOR GOD I SHALL GIVE MY LIFE.” St. Lorenzo Ruiz.

They were all there. I call them ” BORN AGAIN” with all the facials, manicure, pedicure, deep tissue massage, hairdo’s, colors  together with Ando & Nap( less the make up). They were all pampered by Norma our gracious & benevolent Host. (exclusively for the CLASSMATES.). What a nice flashback, that word I always heard from the late Tony Robles, during girl-watching in the corridors, hallways & grounds. I’m sure they were all flattered by our benign, fitting comment. Ha Ha Ha!!! Regards to Ed. ( PS) Nap is our adopted 70 classmates. They call Murel, TAKSiL because he did not join us & went to Sali -Salu with his batch mates. So Ofie was solo & she relished our togetherness, as well as our out-of -towners – Charlie & May, Pol & Eva & company, Brenda & Caloy, & Luz D. H., Luz & Nap. Max didn’t come either because of his charity gig for the Golden Jubilarians & Board members’ meeting. Our dinner was seafood delights – Maine Lobsters, dungenous crabs, salmon belly, palabok, Inihaw na halibut, fish bowl, adobo. An array of seasonal fruits, water melon water, kiwi-flavored water, Pampamga Tamales. were all in line for everybody. For dessert, we had Halo-Halo. Everybody were all hyped up for dancing. Live music & DJ entertained us all. Pictures & snap shots were all flashing through the evening. It’s a never-ending bonding, chit chats, fun & laughter. The highlight was the celebration of birthdays of Ando & Nap. Each had his own cake from the hosts Norma & Harry. They blew the candles repeatedly waiting for the light to come on, just for souvenir picture. Then the couples of celebrants kissed too. What a hilarious moment! What a wonderful night to remember. Norma gave a very nice thank you speech as well as Luz D.H, Alice & Ando & Charlie.

To all our classmates, please don’t hesitate to visit us & experience the Beverly Hillbilly reception, California Sunshine Welcome & Hollywood style. Hullabaloo.

A million thanks to Norma & Harry

Manny de Sagun

 The Fourth of July holiday is a time for celebration and for enjoying the company of friends and family.  But it’s also a time to say thank you to the Veterans who were there for us when we needed them.  This weekend is an  opportunity for us to say thank you to these quiet heroes among us.

Cris Cosas (Army)

Jun B

Boy Bautista

Mags Tiamson (Army)

Max Basco (army)

Lolit Echaluse (Navy)

Mini F (Army)

 

17th USTMD70 e-mag

 

 

 

 

December 25, 2015 USTMD70 e-mag

 

 

TWO ACTS IN  CONTRAST by MINI

LOOK AT ME,

LOOK AT ME,

IF ALL YOU WANT TO DO

IS SING PRAISES TO ME,

AT LEAST,

LOOK ME IN THE EYE

AT THE SAME TIME.

 

LOOK AWAY,

LOOK AWAY,

MY HANDS TREMBLE, BUT I

WILL HIDE THEM

BEFORE YOU SEE THAT

I’M AS AFRAID OF

THIS AS YOU ARE.

Mini

 

 

“Christmas Horses” Painting by Mini

Why Summer Vacations are the Best Gift from our Parents by Mini

Almost always, my parents sent us children to Romblon during the summer vacation. They thought that we would enjoy being in closer contact with nature. We would climb trees. We would forage for wild fruits and we would run around barefoot. Sometimes, we vacationed as a family, but more often, I would accompany an aunt to Romblon. I started vacationing in Romblon, without my family  at the age of 7. 

My father´s family lived in barrio Colis, town of Despujols, and the town of Odiongan, the capital of Tablas island. Odiongan was a small town but the biggest in Tablas. It had a Catholic church and also Protestant churches. I had no close relatives on my mother’s side in Tablas. I usually stayed with my Auntie Nita and Uncle Dom in Odiongan. They lived in a big house and were “too civilized” because Uncle Dom was the town judge. Their daughters mostly stayed home. Even if I wanted to visit our neighbors, I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to get out of the house and break an unspoken rule not to go out.  Occasionally, I would ask my aunt if I could accompany her to the market just to get out of the house.

One room in the house had a makeshift altar. Auntie Nit would light a candle in the altar every time a member of her family would travel out of town. It was a way for me to tell if that person had arrived home. I would expect the candle to have been extinguished. They were a devout Catholic family and two of her daughters later became nuns. 

In my entire life, I have never tasted a better longanisa than Auntie Nit’s homemade longanisa. Even as a child, I was determined to learn it. I would watch the household helper hang the intestines from the ceiling to dry. These intestines will become the covering for the sausage. The filling of the sausage was made from a mixture of pork chopped into little pieces and mixed with several spices. Her yema was also very delicious. I tried to remember how the maids made it so I could do it back home. During meals, Uncle Dom got the first choice. I could hardly wait for him to pick his longanisa and yema so we kids could start eating the rest. We had a heirarchy of privilege. 

On weekends, Auntie Nit would bundle up her family and me and bring us to their seaside summer home. I could still see myself playing on the beach with my cousins under a fading sun, wading in the water and picking up beautiful shells. What a peaceful place, away from the hustle and bustle of Odiongan.

Sometimes at night, when Uncle Dom and Auntie Nit would go over to her sister’s house across town for dinners, they would bring me. Auntie Nit would shine during those conversations. Her interesting stories, told with her melodious voice, entranced me. I wished she wouldn’t stop talking. My other aunt, Auntie Nen, would quote passages and poetry from memory, which showed a cultured background. Auntie Nit was lively, outgoing and always on the go. Uncle Dom was quiet and reserved. He was dubbed the “gentleman’s gentleman.” They were a study in contrast. I thought he was lucky to have married her because she ran the household very well and still helped Uncle Dom take care of his work and their lands.  It was said that when they got married, both of their parents gave them one half each of the barrio of Balogo as a wedding gift. 

Papa Nardo, my widower grandfather, would pick me up sometimes and bring me to his big house in Colis.The travel was dusty and bumpy. He lived alone with daytime help. His kitchen was spare and bare compared to the busy kitchen of Auntie Nit. The town of Odiongan had electricity at night while Colis relied on the Alladin lamp and small oil lamps, like Simara. My grandfather ate meals with me and he would often read newspapers and magazines during meals. We rarely chatted and we both ate little. I thought we only had two meals a day.  Sometimes, we were interrupted by the overseer who would respectfully enter the house. In between meals, I was on my own. 

Now I still fondly remember climbing the ratiles tree in my grandfather’s farm. This was my paternal grandfather, ex-congressman Leonardo Festin.  Once, he saw me happily sitting on a branch of a tree.  With his booming voice,  he yelled at me to come down, waving his cane.  With my insides churning, I hurriedly climbed down. I avoided him for the rest of the day so I didn’t get berated, or worse, belted.  Actually, he forgot to scold me probably because he was just happy that I didn’t fall. He never used the belt on me though.

I could not walk from my grandfather´s big house in the farm to the center of town by myself. I could not take a bus because  I didn’t think I was allowed to ride the bus by myself. Besides, I had no money. I never saw a  ´karitela,´ a horse-drawn carriage, on the roads. Once in a while, I saw a bicycle. So the only thing I could do was explore the area around the house. There was one area I would never think of exploring. And that’s the ground floor of the house.  After repeatedly hearing the loud staccato noise of gekkos (tuko) coming from the ground floor at night, I pictured them as  big and frightening. Decades later, I would find out that they were not big. They were just slightly larger than lizards.

Once I ran into the forest and a branch of a tree struck my eyebrow. Thank God, it didn’t hit my eye. A tenant-farmer asked me what was I doing there. I answered, “Don’t you know this is our land?”  Then, I ran away as fast as I could without looking back. One day, Auntie Pans, my traveling companion, came for a visit. She brought me to our private beach. While she swam, I was careful to stay close to the beach because there was no one watching me. She would shout at me, “Watch me do the butterfly” as if I knew what it meant. After chatting with my grandfather (her father), she was gone the next day. Sometimes, I would hear them talk about me when I used the front stairs  but I didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping.

A closed door in the big house intrigued me. So I pushed and pulled the door several times with all my might like a handsaw until it opened. There were lots and lots of canned goods inside, some dusty books and souvenirs from foreign travels. I grabbed one book and started reading. As a kid, I was fond of reading and read everything I could lay my hands on. Books were so few in Colis that I devoured every written thing, even if it were only the fine print on labels of cans and bottles. I could spend the whole day doing nothing but read.  The book I was reading in the room that afternoon was so interesting that I forgot the time. Then, I heard my grandfather ask the household helpers, “Where is Minnie?” I hurriedly put down the book, quietly tip-toed out of the room and ran down the back stairs through the kitchen, unnoticed. I was afraid of my grandfather. A little later, I quietly climbed the front steps and my grandfather asked, “Where were you?” I replied, “I was playing.”  That’s the end of it.

My grandfather had a small, dusty chapel near his house. One day, I stumbled onto a small closet behind the altar and, to my amazement, saw porcelain-white dolls with thick eyelashes, long, curly hair and satin clothes. I was mesmerized. They were religious statues. I would go back to that chapel every now and then to play with the dolls. I loved those dolls better than my dolls in Manila. They were my only playmates in Colis.

Everyday, my grandfather would ring the chapel bell from his veranda twice a day to announce the time for his tenants to start working in the morning and to stop in the afternoon. Every now and then, a truck would enter the dirt driveway in the front yard to bring large kerosene pails of water, pumped from the town artesian well, into the house for cooking and bathing. Its arrival was hard to miss, with its engine sputtering loudly in this sleepy place.  The helpers would try to wrestle me for my clothes because I would not let go of them. My mother had instructed me to wash my own clothes and not rely on them. Only when they promised not to tell my mother did I hand over my clothes. 

My grandfather’s house was full of life-sized pictures on the walls. They seemed to hold a lot of secrets and looked like they had a story to tell. There was I, all of 7 years, staring at the pictures of my ancestors. I thought they were looking down directly at me and watching me. My grandmother, Mariana, was angelic and lovely. My great-grandmother, Dolores Famadico of East Indian descent, looked stately in beautiful clothes. Her father escaped from the British Army & settled in Banton. He became the richest man in that town after opening a general store. I felt spooked by those pictures. A marble bust of my grandfather was  in the corner of the living room. Marble is one of Romblon’s favorite exports. I was very curious about that bust and often wondered what he did he do to deserve it. Later, I found out that he was the Majority Floor Leader in the National Assembly (Congress) for decades, sometimes  the Speaker of the House.

The scariest moment of my stay came one night. After a long, restless night broken by the staccato exchange of gekkos (tuko), I  woke up to relieve myself. As always, the house was dark except for my grandfather’s bedroom in the veranda.  In the dark, I almost collapsed  when I saw a life-like Buddha statue, across from my bedroom, sitting on the floor with crossed legs and staring at me, without blinking. It looked human. And if he was, who was he?  I never ran so fast to go back to the bedroom, closed the door and covered myself with bed sheets. I kept telling myself that my parents would not send me here if the place was haunted.  I could not sleep and waited for the morning light before I could relieve myself.  It wasn’t a ghost. It turned out to be my grandfather meditating. I had no idea that my grandfather would wake up at the break of dawn. Most of the time, ghost stories are like that. They are really something natural that I didn’t know at that time. 

Was I overjoyed to see my cousins come & pick me up to bring me back to Odiongan! I excitedly ran to the bedroom to pack my clothes. Then, they said  they were staying overnight so we could catch the bus the following morning. Somehow, during my stay in Tablas, I contracted chicken pox in Agpudlos, where my cousins’ paternal relatives lived in a big, gleaming white house against the backdrop of  coconut plantation behind it and rice fields in front. It was dubbed the White House. of Romblon.  My cousins’ grandfather was  a former captain of a ship who migrated from Batangas.

Chicken pox was contagious so I was confined alone in  a room for a few weeks. My only constant visitors were the maids who brought my meals. Auntie P would visit me sometimes. Although I mostly stayed in bed, I would occasionally stand & look out the window to watch my cousins play on a beautiful day.  But I wasn’t sad. I thought that being confined would help me recover fast so I could play with them again. When I recovered enough, I was told to pack my things as I was going  back to Manila.  Auntie Nit’s parting words were, “You will always remember your stay with us and the camaraderie we shared.” When I returned to Manila, I received a gift from her in a few weeks.  I must have been a good girl in Tablas and did not cause them trouble.

Sometimes, my family would vacation together in Tablas. Whenever my family and I arrived in our relatives´ house, they would welcome us warmly. We enjoyed our visits because we would get to eat all kinds of food like fresh fruits and the traditional home-made delicacies cooked in the barrios which seldom find their way to Manila. There were different kinds of coconut desserts, rice cakes (suman) and chocolate (tsokolate). My mother would teach me to make cocoa into ´tsokolate.´ That was the best chocolate I ever tasted. My mother said, “Do this on weekends. Everybody loves a good cook.” Up to now, the Romblon cocoa is sought by foreigners and exported abroad.

Whenever my siblings and I were together in Odiongan, we would be taking our rare walks into the center of town. The household helpers would show us how to deal with stray dogs that would be yapping at our heels. There were my sister and two brothers.  We did almost everything together. I could keep up in the war games with my younger brothers.

Our relatives treated us like their favorite relatives. They thought my sister was beautiful and intelligent.  Maybe it was because she talked and socialized more. They didn’t realize that I was more scholarly than her. I was a quiet, shy child. I thought then that children were supposed to be seen, not heard. It was in the United States that I found my voice.

My sister  eventually became a Miss Caltex first runner-up and a nurse. I became a physician while Art became a landlord. Nes became a veterinarian. My other two siblings who came fifteen years later were Vic, a veterinarian, and Gina, a nurse.  

It was a good thing our parents sent us to Romblon.  That way, we could enjoy the differences between living in Manila and living in the countryside. We would never have enjoyed those activities had we stayed in Manila for the summer. Wanting to make little Robinson Crusoe’s out of her children, my mother had sent me alone with a relative, starting at age of seven, to Romblon to learn survival skills. Somehow, with the mercy of God, I survived.

 

 Nieves DeGuzman DeCastro, MD, 68, of Blue Bell, died on July 25, 2015 at her home surrounded by her family. She was the beloved wife of Miguel Amora DeCastro. She was born in San Rafael, Bulacan, Philippines on February 2, 1947 to the late Herminio and Candida (Valdizno) DeGuzman. Dr. DeCastro was employed as an Anesthesiologist for several hospitals in the area including Mercy Suburban Hospital, Haverford Mercy, Misericordia Hospital, and Medical College of Pennsylvania. While at Misericordia, she served as head of the Department of Anesthesia. She graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, and received her training at and was an Assistant Professor at Hahnemann University Hospital. Nieves served as President and held other leadership positions for the Philippine Medical Society of Greater Philadelphia. As a member of St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia, she served as a Eucharistic Minister and a Lector. She was also a member of St. Helena Church in Blue Bell. In addition to her husband Miguel, she is survived by 3 children Michelle DeCastro and Rick Skelly of West Chester, Maebel McFadden and Sean of Blue Bell, Michael DeCastro and Michele of Havertown, 3 grandchildren Kylie, Kaelyn, Kirsten McFadden, her siblings Ernesto DeGuzman & Lynn, Fernando DeGuzman, Sr. and Rosario, Nicetas Violago & Ildefonso, Candida Villarosa & Cesar, and many nieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by siblings Herminio DeGuzman, Jr., Benvenido DeGuzman, and Lutgarda De La Paz.

 

 Dr. Federico Gatchalian (3rd from left)  May he rest in peace.

Death by Linda Aguilar

A word most dread by all here existing
Yet ,  it is known by those who are living
Birth the beginning , death the ending
So we believe ,but it is not , I am thinking

The flesh  decay , the immortal souls stay
Bodies return to dust , not so ,the spirit
Though the heart cease to beat , love exist
Mind of God created beings liken unto Him

Short is our sojourn on the beautiful earth
Man labor to taste the goods of the planet
Joys and sufferings as part of the journey
Do not worry in tribulations , it is not lasting

Believe the  promise of the life everlasting
Hope to see the Face  of God , comforting
Nothing compares to the heavenly abode
No eyes have seen the beauty of the scene

No ears have heard the ethereal sounds
Joy , beauty and peace surround unending
Where God and His saints forever dwelling
Our loved ones too , who have gone before.

By Lynne

August 3, 2015

Mini gave a lecture @ Regis College, Weston, MA

---

 Evelyn, Max and wife Evelyn, Luzbella, Mini

Mirla, current president of North Texas Medical AssociationEvelyn, Max & wife Evelyn, Luzbella, Mini

15th USTMD70

 

 

15th USTMD70 e-magazine, February 8, 2015

Featuring: The Sapphire Class Reunion   JAN 2015

PAPAL AUDIENCE WITH USTMD70 CLASS

 

 

 

Moments…

“Who was Manuel Veranga?”
By Charles Dunifer M.D

The mirror is your one run-of-the-mill full length variety constructed of sturdy oak in a black lacquered finish sporting Late Victorian vintage. I found this treasure in one of my weekend jaunts in search of garage sales from an old mystic who confided in me that the mirror has magical powers and that at the right moment     (at the stroke of midnight) and with the right incantation, it can literally travel one to the past (Awesome!).  I bought it for it had some real re-sale value and not that I believed in the old coot.
At my place, awakened from a deep slumber after a night of unbridled lust and passion, I glanced at my Phillip Patek which registered midnight, the witching hour! I then looked at my partner who was soundly asleep with the Mona Lisa smile etched on her face and I thought, “Wait a freaking minute, how come women could prolong the ecstasy of lovemaking long after it’s over and done with?” I felt a tinge of jealousy. I felt used!“ My thoughts were then cut short with the temptation of testing my mirror at the foot of my bed and as if challenging me to go ahead and try it. And since it was the right time, I felt compelled to do so.
I stood myself before it and carefully uttered the magic words: ” Mirror, Mirror, on my floor, Who has the best memory of them all? ” An eerie silence fell upon the room… then an answer came out out of the mirror. ” Knoweth thou that thou has it.” In perfect 15th century English (Cool!) A green smoke quickly then filled inside the mirror which dissipated quite quickly as it has appeared unraveling a path to the past (the plot thickens). I felt somewhat eager to step in and so I stretched my one leg and suddenly found myself inside the mirror trekking the path that led me to a familiar building which I recognized as my old Medical School edifice with its “Ars Longa, Vita Brevis” motto on its facade. (Totally Rad!) Then the path led me through a walkway that ushers into our Charity Hospital! A wall calendar announced that it was May,1968, the start of our Medical Clerkship year! Then, I overheard voices, gossipy ramblings of an awful event! The name “Manuel Veranga” and the word, “Murder” lorded over  these gossips. A dirge-like Beatle number could be heard from one of the patients’ radio,”…Hey Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better…”
The story went like this: Our Clerkship class was given an assignment to write any disease condition and that it has to be TYPEWRITTEN. It was for our Medicine ll subject,” And well you know that  it was you, Hey Jude, you’ll do…”By  sheer bad luck, Mr. Veranga did not have a typewriter.But his girlfriend had one.”…Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders…Na..Na..Na..Na..Na..Na..Na..Na..Na. So in that  fateful afternoon, in his girlfriend’s house, while she typed away his report, two armed men broke into her place with the intention to rob.”…So let it out and let it in, Hey Jude begin. The movement  you need is on your shoulders…”but something went deadly wrong.”…Na..Na..Na..Na..Na..Na..Na..Na..Na “Our classmate tried to resist and was shot dead!” Hey Jude, Don’t be afraid. You were made to go out and get her. The minute you let her under your skin, then you begin to make it better…” A much livelier Beatle ditty ensued,…”Obladi…Oblada.. Life goes on Bra. La..La..How the life goes on. Desmond has a burough in the market place. Molly is a singer in a band. Desmond said to Molly, “I like your face and then he took her by the hand…'”

“O come let us adore Him” by Lynne

T’was  a night in cool December
while  the world in deep slumber
The Angels’ song joyful rejoicing
For the  promise His birth ,fulfilling

Gifts of gold , frankincense and myrrh ,
Kings  from the East did bring , offering
Stable  lined with hay ,grass  and fir
Babe in the manger ,wrapped swaddling

Shepherds amazed  astounded ,sheep ,oxen too
Babe ,maiden ,young man , they had no clue
Miracle unfold on the holy night of long ago
Is this He ? How could it be ?  He ,so poor as we .

It is He . It is true . the promised Messiah
The Word made flesh . We heard from Isaiah
Walked,taught , healed , loved and died
The Son of God , obedient ,emptied ,offered

“O come ,let us adore Him”the Angels sing
“O come , let us adore Him ” , let us sing
Sing  loud , for all the heavens  to hear
All corners of the earth, the universe ring

“O , come , let us adore Him ” All come
Praise and honor to You we bring
Into our hearts ,welcome now ,Savior King
Trinity , three in one , accept our thanksgiving

Lynne Mariano
December 8, 2014

The Virgin and Child

Joseph and  Virgin came walking down the road
Pregnant with the Holy Child
” i need shelter for the night ”
“Please take me inside your heart”

“My time is close ,there is no place for us ”
Full of grace ,come and stay with me tonight
Warm thy hands by the fire so bright
In here, you’ll find welcome in my heart

Let me find mat , sheets and quilt
Witness to the sublime ,I’m honored
Joy to the world ,darkness no longer
God made man, the Christ is born

Truly ,He desires the hearts of man
Forever ,He ‘ll wait for open door
Together from moment to moment
heartbeat to heartbeat ,one

Oh, those Buffalo Winters

by  MINI, MD

I was already an Internal Medicine resident at the Philippine General Hospital
when the Kenmore Mercy Hospital accepted me for a one-year, rotating
internship. It was one of the two Mercy Hospitals in Buffalo. My hospital was
the one closer to Niagara Falls.

When I arrived in Buffalo, it was damp, cold and blustery but the air was
fresh. It was midnight. The hospital had conveniently arranged for a cab driver
to pick me up. On my arrival in the hospital, I was welcomed by three lovely
nuns. They were very nice to me. They gave me one of the hospital rooms. I had
no roommate. The next day, I found out that I was the only Filipino in the
hospital. The other two interns were Chinese and Korean male physicians. Their
English was hard to understand.

I am not particular about food & I can easily adjust to any kind of food. I
befriended some nurses and secretaries. They were very nice to me and they
treated me with great affection probably because I was a new arrival from
overseas. Too bad, I had lost contact with all my Buffalo friends.

What I dreaded most was the Buffalo winters. There were no mountains to block
the winds that swept unhindered from the North Pole. Buffalo was one of the
wheat-producing centers of the United States. They had a short summer and thus,
a very short growing season. To make up for that, outside the growing season,
the weather was too cold for bugs. Hence, the wheat production was not bothered
by bugs. Because of that, the wheat grown there was one of the best in the
world. They were able to grow the best strain of wheat. The population of the
city was small. I suspect it was because of the harsh climate. It takes a hardy
man to live through the long winters.

Among my experiences,

One wintry day, I went downtown to report to the county hospital. I didn’t
realize that, while I was in the hospital, a fast-moving and strong snowstorm
developed. I noticed that the city was rapidly being emptied by people. So I
decided to go home too. But I noticed that I was the only one left on the
street. Before the usual closing time, shops and the offices closed early and
very soon, the streets were empty. The weather was rapidly deteriorating that I
was the only one on the street with no shelter, no people and no vehicles
anywhere. It was rapidly getting worse. So, I thought to myself, “If something
happened to that bus and it did not come on time, I would surely freeze to
death.” I was well wrapped-up but it was not enough. That was an unusual day. I
saw that the temperature was minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit and there was a strong
wind to drop the wind-chill factor.

I don’t remember how long I waited but I was close to the limit of my endurance
when the bus came. I don’t remember now whether there were any other passengers
in the bus. The driver made no comments to me. Maybe, it was an ordinary winter
day for him. I decided then and there that I could not continue living in
Buffalo.

It was in Kenmore that I went shopping for necessities in a grocery store which
was within walking distance. I was lucky that, at the store, an older, female
employee from the hospital offered me a ride home because it was snowing. I was
very happy. When I boarded her car, she told me that she had to stop by two
stores to pick up some stuff and another store to deliver something. It was too
late to back out. Besides, I didn’t know what it meant to drive in a snowy
night. On our way home, our car spun 360 degrees on the bridge but it came
back to its original direction. I thought we were going to go over the bridge
onto the crowded highway below. Actually, we almost did. That was very real
danger. I could have gone over the bridge to my death. It was a great adventure
but a frightening one. We continued on the icy road, skidding here and there.
The snow plows could not keep up with the falling snow which was piling up.

Halfway home, the car ground to a halt. So, we approached a snow plower to call
a tow truck. We stayed inside the car and the seat was cold. It was a snowy
night and all we could do was wait. After a long wait which seemed like an
eternity to me, we decided to walk our way back to the hospital as my friend
was familiar enough with the area. By this time, the snow was almost three-feet
high and I felt like walking in a maze of snow tunnels. Since I was sliding and
had fallen a few times, I was hanging on to my friend for dear life. Both of us
slowly and carefully walked the snow-covered streets until she recognized tall
buildings in the dark from afar. She said, “Hey, that’s Mercy Hospital.” She
noticed that, in certain streets, the wind was stronger so we headed for other
streets. This delayed us even more. So, that’s how we managed to find the
hospital. Finally, I reached my destination in one piece. These things really
happened to me.

Here are other experiences…

During one wintry day, my female attending and I went to another hospital in
the north. Normally, one does not drive during a blizzard unless you want to
commit suicide. But on our way home, we found ourselves suddenly in the middle
of a snow storm. The snow was so thick, we couldn’t see beyond the front of our
car. We kept on driving because we did not want to get stuck alone in that
lonely road. This was Buffalo and it was winter and there was very little
traffic on the road. We did not have cell phones then. Had we stopped, we could
not start from a standstill because the snow would blanket us fast. We were
driving slowly, but not too slowly as to get buried in that heavy snowfall.
Somehow, we reached home.

In Buffalo, before I went to sleep, I would always cover myself with several
blankets. This was Buffalo and I expected it to be very cold. One day, I stayed
behind to talk to the cleaning lady. By this time, I had already moved to the
interns quarters because other female interns had arrived. I casually mentioned
to her how cold my room was. She first checked the thermostat and then the
windows. The storm windows were missing! She immediately asked the maintenance
people to install the storm windows that same day. What a difference it made.

Turning on the shower was hazardous for me at first. I never encountered hot
and cold taps in the Philippines. It took me quite a while to learn how
multiple-control faucets worked. Nobody taught me how to use them. So the first
time I took a shower, I almost scalded myself, not realizing that I could test
the taps first using the bottom spout, rather than the shower. I suspect this
would be a common occurrence for newly-arrived foreigners.

I was invited to join a welcome party hosted by the city to new foreign
students and interns. It was nice of Mercy Hospital to submit my name to city
hall. Wine was available so I drank a little, then a little and a little until
I could not stop talking. I never drank wine before in my life. I also felt the
floor seeming to slide underneath me. I was surrounded by a few people who
seemed to enjoy my conversation or were they revelations? I found out later
that my host was running for election and eventually became the city manager. I
really made good friends in Buffalo.

My first winter was cold. I used to test the saying that “If I spit, the
spittle would be frozen before it hit the ground.” I thought that happened to
me.

Most of the people in Buffalo did not seem to be bothered by the really cold
and dry winter. One of the things that bothered me about the winter would be
how often I would get static electricity. Static electricity would jump out of
my fingers and were somewhat painful. They always startled me.

I applied to change my J-1 visa to an immigrant status since most of my family
were already living in New York city (NYC). When I was accepted in Buffalo, I
thought I would be close to them. It turned out that NYC was a 10 – 12 hour bus
ride from Buffalo. So, that made me feel very strongly that I should apply for
a residency position in NYC.

I had been going to NYC to visit my relatives many times and liked the hustle
and bustle of the city. I felt more at home in the New York crowd of
foreigners. So I applied to Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn and went for an
interview. They took me on the spot & I accepted it. I had planned to go back to
Buffalo that summer to bid goodbye to my friends. But I did not get that
chance.

 

14th USTMD70 e-magazine

 

 

 

14th USTMD70 e-magazine

October 8, 2014

 

Dom and Marietta

 

Marietta Lozada-Galvez, USTMD 70 NARRATIVE

I write this on a Sunday at my home just outside Philadelphia. My husband Domingto is cooking dinner while I settle some bills from the week. My in-house chef and second husband, retired pathologist Domingo Java has been my companion, reliable gardener, road-rage backseat driver and all around Mr Fix-it for the last 12 years. We have renovated our home together and have seen our garden mature into something we tend and love everyday. It’s been and continues to be a lot of work but our home and garden has been a constant source of contentment, relaxation and pride.

The past years have been especially momentous. I became a grandmother to Eleanor, now 4, daughter of my middle child Marisa, now in her mid-30s. And just this year, I have decided to retire (finally!). With this decision and Domingo’s retirement last year, we look forward to embracing our new role of grandparents/willing babysitters in addition to some traveling adventures and a much anticipated visit to the Philippines where I still have a younger brother and a host of nieces and nephews.

My middle child Marisa, in addition to be a Professor of French at Stanford University where her husband Ronald Greene also teaches in the department of English. Although they are across the country, Dom and I have relished the food and culture of the Bay area. As someone who was both a young parent during a medical residency, I see myself in Marisa and couldn’t be prouder. I marvel at her dedication to raising her child while pursuing professional success.

I have two other children: Paul and Christina of whom I am so equally proud. Paul , my eldest, now 40, also teaches in the East coast (Wellesley College just outside Boston. In addition to teaching Art History, Paul also write and reviews shows for the Art Forum. Christina, my youngest, now 30, just graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence from the Industrial Design Department. Needless to say, my children continue to surprise and impress me.

I am the happiest when the family can convene, especially at our home outside Philadelphia. It reminds me of our Filipino custom of family togetherness and closenss. Philadelphia has been my home city for the last 30+ years since I came here as a young intern. It was the city where I met my first husband Alberto. It was also in this city where Alberto Galvez passed away in 1992. Twenty two years later, I am happy with my second husband and look forward to what life has in store for us.

NARRATIVE OF YET DIZON

It’s been almost 45 years from graduation, time surely flies. I’m still married to my wife of 40 years, Grace Duque-Dizon (UPMDClass70), my first life changing experience, the other two are the births of my two daughters Jeanie and Camille. The most important life changing event for me was in June 2007 when I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Only a few years from retirement I was forced to stop working, had to undergo an intensive 6 months of IV and intrathecal chemo at Emory University and followed by two years of oral chemo. I’d been retired since then. Long story short I’m now 7 years in remission (post chemo) and still here. Everyday is now a blessing and a “bonus” day! This latter event made me change my outlook in life, older, somewhat wiser, appreciative of friends and God but without regrets. It could be a lot worse. Lessons learned? I’m in full admiration of our classmates who stayed back, and of course to the ones who ventured in foreign lands like me. In my 43 years in the US and the short but priceless visits to the Philippines, everyone has been a success story in their own specialties irregardless of country and that’s God’s design anyway, it really doesn’t matter where you are. Life is what you make of it. Do what you love, love what you do! Majority of us are now retired and doing what we love “apostolic duties” although I’m still waiting for my first one. Godspeed to all and just maybe I’ll see you in 5 years for our “Golden Anniversary” God willing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Butch (Photo below)

L-R: Phebe, Charlie, Butch JunB, Butch’s daughter, Eva (spouse of Pol)

Seated: Roy, Pol,

 

Catalino Guzman Jr. MD

August 22, 1944 – September 23, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L-R: Ralph R, Art R, Cata

 

 

 

L-R: Efren, Norma, Dulce Dungo, Brenda, Ralph Rances and wife Leni, Art R @ wake

 

 

 

PREFACE TO ATTORNEY ALFONSO FALLARME’S  “TRIALS TO TRIUMPHS” AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Long before Congressman Totoy Ylagan, Governor Budoy Madrona and Vice Governor Peping Fonte of Romblon, there was Atty. Alfonso Perez Fallarme. Although reared in the small Romblon island of Sibali, he was destined to rise above his ordinary circumstances to become one the of the outstanding Romblomanons.

Atty. Fallarme, Uncle Ponso to us nephews and nieces, deserves credit for organizing the Perez & Fallarme clans in Romblon. Nothing can be more natural than a charming Atty Fallarme hobnobbing with relatives in a Perez clan reunion. There he was-entertaining, hospitable and going out of his way to say nice things to guests.

In his 60’s, after an illustrious career in the Philippines, he pulled up stakes and started a new life in the United States. People thought he would retire. But Atty Fallarme did not go golfing towards his retirement. He pursued another career. For the next 15 years, as Auditor of 17 hotels in Rochester, MN, he never missed work except on that one day when the snow was waist-high. Time and time again, he had met life’s challenges with gusto and still relish every moment of the adventure.

Many years later, I encountered him as one of the subscribers to an internet e-mail group called RDL (The Romblon Discussion List). I was struck by his varied interests and his gift of story-telling. Through my urging, the idea of writing about his life came about. He was enticed to write his autbiography.

So, at the age of 87, after his second retirement, Atty. Fallarme went to work on his memoirs. His vivid biographical sketch chronicles the life of a well-traveled man, a Filipino scholar (as the first ASEAN United Nations Scholar on Tariff and Taxation, a vigorous opponent of government corruption (as the the Head of PAGCOM, the Philippine Anti-Graft Commission). a WWII hero and a friend of Philippine Presidents.

I have tried to understand how Atty. Fallarme can trace his roots and relate his remarkable life over many decades. He later told me that he kept a diary. I can confidently say that the autobiography of Atty. Fallarme is insightful as it is inspiring. He makes the past come alive and writes as if he is talking to you face to face. It is one book that I cannot put down.

Many years from now, we will no doubt be long gone. It is unlikely, however, that Atty. Fallarme’s work will soon be forgotten.

Mini

NB. Uncle Ponso passed away a few years ago at the age of 96.

Uncle Ponso

 

Mini, Uncle Ponso’s niece, in surgical garb

 

 

 

Rechie and Elmo welcome Ando and Alice in their house

L-R:Evelyn,unknown, Ando, Max, Alice, Carol, Elmo, Rechie, Manny, Carlos Ferrer, Arthur

Summer lunch at the Java’s garden patio

L-R: Luz, Marietta, Nieves, Mike, Brenda, Doming

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luz soiree: L-R: Luz, Brenda, Nieves, Marietta, Mike

Rose, Rechie, Elmo

July 20 brunch meeting at Valle Verde

L-R: sitting: Seth, Danny, Raffy, Ping, Renato (Ato), Pura, Rosalina

Standing:Paul, Linda, Loy  Ayroso, Vicky Co, Florante Lomibao, Angie

 

LA (again) plus RP: Norma welcomes Carol, Ando, Alice, Manny, Bert, Seth, Max, JunB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The three faces of Elvira watching the July 4th parade go by in Martha’s Vineyard: Elvira Luz, Elvira Amgard (Amse), Elvira Virginia (EV)

The happy vacationers.

L-R: Alice, Luz, Evelyn, Brenda in front of Luz’ summer home.

 

 

 

 

 

Max with Fr. Fernando Suarez, the healing priest

A Fatima, Portugal visit by unknown, Luz, Grace to the children’s house.

 

 

 

Ping and Pol modeling the blue Barong Tagalog

Dinner at VALLE Verrde 5 with Luming Mangrobang- Lim, Pura, Paul, Lito Durante, Carol, Pol Polintan, Max, Ping, Raffy, Seth, Zaida Sucgang, and Mabeth Villarama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucio’s daughters: Jonelle and Farah wearing their mother Claudette’s

(in the middle) Miss Coed gown. Still fits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manny  with the wanderlust in the most beautiful falls after

the Victoria Falls…Mt. Montmorecy Falls

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mon and Minda in St. Peter’s Port, Channel Islands

Wonder how St. Peter’s Gate looks like. (Smile)

Gathering at Charlie and May’s garden patio in RP.

Ato, Linda, Vicky and spouse Tony Dee Du Tin, Seth,  May, Bing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Elnora Dalman-Holipas

Diplomate,  Pediatrics

Diplomate, Neonatology

Lew and Donita after the party.

LA reunion: Our Hollywood classmates sizzle!

L-R: Rita, Jessie, Seth, Alice, Norma, Carol, Rechie, Brenda, Evelyn

Standing: Ando, JunB, Tony, Uma, Ed, Harry, Manny, Elmo, Arthur V & wife, Caloy, Max

 

 

 

 

 

Desiderio Ines and wife.

___________________________________

Mila & Roy’s Family Narrative

I am now in the next chapter of my life. My retirement!!! Roy retired 8 yrs ago after he had CA of lung. We are married for 43 yrs and this is the first time we are together 24/7.  And enjoying each other company. sometimes we annoy each other so we just go to our own corner of the house. People are asking me if i am bored . Never a dull moment!!!

For 34 yrs I spent my time taking care of family,and patients Now I have time to spend for myself,no more eating in a hurry, waking up early and staying up late doing EMR. NO stress!!!

 Now I have time for Roy, playing golf, watching movies and doing a lot of traveling, visiting my children and  grandchildren The only thing I miss is my paycheck but I found out there is not much that we need except food as long as we stay healthy.

So life is good

Below Mila and Roy’s daughter and son in law:

Rachel, Jamie, Gabby and Sophie

 

 

 

 

Rey & wife Zeny visited Mini’s EMG laboratory

Rey Lazaro and wife Zeny visit Mini’s EMG laboratory

Below; Nap, Luz, Norma, Harry in Ceasaria, Holy Land.

 

 

 

 

 

Tres Martires GK houses sponsored by USTMD70

L-R: unknown, Seth, unknown, May, unknown, Charlie, Ato, Linda

Turning over GK house to future occupants. The biggest key I’ve ever seen!

5th from the left: May, Charlie, Ato, LInda, Seth

L-R: Boy, Dr. Sol, Lily in their residence

L-R: in Luz house: Caloy, Brenda, Ando, Alice, Nieves, Mike, Luz

 

 

 

Whiskey Shivers band @ LA’s Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur’s park. Lew’s son Jeff is first from the left

 

 

ROUNDING BY JOE LEONCIO MD

I walked into a room to see a patient and a visiting  lady across
seated on a chair  across the bed & introduced herself as her daughter. She was possibly around 28 to 30. She asked if I am the doctorseeing her mother and she asked for my name. Then she said, I know you, I’ve seen you before. I was
secretly tickled that someone knows me who I don’t even recall seeing
before. Well, we are doctors and we see a lot of patients and it is not unusual when someone says hi to us when we meet them in the malls or restaurants.We usually return the greetings and we go on our way. This time I am in the room
and I was trying to search my mind where I saw this lady but I can’t,
so I asked her, are you nurse or hospital employee? She says no, neither, so I said,” I know you too, I just can’t recall where or when I’ve seen you
Would you mind refreshing my memory where we met?” She said,” doctor,
that was many years ago, my grandma was sick, I saw you at the hospital, I was with my Mom, I was a little girl, I was 12

JDLeoncio
USTMD70

Please be sure if you say, you knew her
It’s a sin to tell a lie.
–a song( lyrics slightly modified)

Ando and Alice visit Brenda and Caloy

The “REST”  dancers with Bing

L-R: Danny, Ping, Bing, Ato and Linda in the keyboard

 

 

 

 

 

Cristy and JoBum as Hermana and Hermano Mayor, New York

13th USTMD70 e-magazine

 

 

 

13th USTMD70 e-magazine

June 30, 2014

 

THE ORIENTAL WEDDING

by Mini

True to Chinese tradition, the invitation, embossed in red, came in a red envelope (red for good luck) and read as follows:

Mr. and Mrs. H.C.Lee and Mrs. Alicia Perez F. request the honor of your presence to celebrate the marriage of their children

Ling and Eric

on Sunday the 8th of August Two Thousand and Four.
Cocktail Hours to be held at 4:00pm. Followed by Chinese Banquet at 5:00pm.

Newton White Mansion
2708 Enterprise Rd.
Mitchellville, MD 20716

Fred and Minnie made the eleven-hour drive from Boston to Mitchellville. The MapQuest directions were so simple that, if we used our head, we would have been lost. A handsome and outgoing Vincent flew in from China with Uncle Cente. Tricia and Sal flew from New Mexico. A youthful Auntie Vering and Uncle Narding flew in from Chicago. Vena and Marcus came from Hawaii. Fresh from their travels, Auntie Charito and Uncle Rudy drove from New Jersey. And many more came from New York. Some relatives came from England.

The night before the wedding, Eric’s siblings, hosted a sumptuous Filipino dinner, complete with the unforgettable halo-halo. Stories were exchanged and pictures were taken. This was the time for the blending of the families in an informal way.

When Fred and Mini arrived in Largo, MD, the first place they looked for was a Catholic Church where they could attend Mass. As Mini drove into the parking lot of the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church that Sunday, Mini said, “Fred, I bet you that couple over there is Filipino.” As the couple drew closer, Mini shrieked, “That’s Uncle Narding and Auntie Vering!” What a pleasant coincidence! From the Church, Mini and Fred invited them for lunch at the the Red Lobster. The conversation was so enjoyable, we lost track of the time.

The St. Joseph’s church was filled with African Americans being served by a white priest. The Mass was thoroughly Catholic and tailored to blend with the black culture. Their choir was a music ensemble with tambourines, castanets, bongos, electric guitar, electric piano and trumpets. The priest participated in the singing and swayed with the chorus and clapped with the congregation. The priest’s sermon was lively, punctuated by loud “Amens” and a thunderous applause whenever he made a telling point. Unlike our local church in Lexington, the congregation participated loudly and enthusiastically in the Mass. Despite the novelty of the experience for them, Mini and Fred felt at home because they heard every single part of the Mass that they have been accustomed to hearing and in the same sequence as their Mass in New England. The congregation were in their Sunday best. The ushers wore suits with a red rose in the lapel. They were friendly to us and the priest introduced the visitors. As befits a great celebration, it lasted at least two hours.

After lunch, we barely had time to change clothes to make it to the wedding on time. We arrived at the elegant Newton White Mansion a couple of minutes too late for the official picture-taking. The mansion was not so big as the Breakers but it was imposing with a gorgeous garden. It was like the Rose Cliff of the famed Newport, Rhode Island mansions. Dressed to the nines, the first thing the Perezes did was pose for the official picture. There was plenty of time to chat and drink. There were so many people, about 250 by visual estimate.

Earlier in the day, there was a private Buddhist wedding ceremony at the home of the bride’s parents. Only the immediate family was invited. The weather was perfect, an omen of good things to come.

The bridal entourage was introduced by two lovely, young Chinese DJs. Carlos looked tall, slim and impressive as he escorted a happy Auntie Alice who was presented to the guests as the mother of the groom. The parents of the bride followed. Nicholas in barong, came next as the adorable ring bearer. Other members of the wedding party were introduced. Lastly, the bride and groom were introduced as “Mr and Mrs. Eric ______.” Eric was dashing in his barong tagalog with an “arnis” Philippine sword hanging by his side. It goes without saying that Eric is promoting the popular Philippine fencing, “arnis.” Ling was beaming and resplendent in her white wedding gown. They took to the dance floor for the first dance of the evening.

The table, with a huge lazy susan and the obligatory chopsticks, was adorned with a papyrus plant. We were served a 12-course Chinese lauriat which included such exotic food as octopus, lobster, sharp fins soup, squids, cod fish, bird’s nest and lychee nuts. We stuffed ourselves so much that we forgot to leave room in our stomach for the dessert. But, no matter what, we still ate the dessert. We had a nice, chatty conversation in Table #3.

Later, in the middle of the dance floor, Eric declared his love to Ling with romantic words. In return, the radiant Ling serenaded Eric with Chinese love songs. Although they were in Chinese, we tried to make sense of what she meant. Being fluent in Chinese, Vincent translated some Chinese words for us.

The popular karoake, beseiged by would-be singers, was so thoroughly enjoyed, there was not much time left for dancing. Tricia and Ingrid sang a duet in front of many videographers. The Philippine Dance Company performed the Binasuan and the ever-popular Tinikling that brought the house down.

Then Eric and Ling vied with each other in eating the hanging red maraschino cherries and ended up kissing each other. It was so funny. During the wedding-cake cutting, they lovingly spoon-fed each other. In keeping with tradition, Ling later changed into a proper red kimono.

As a take-home gift, guests were given a picture frame with Rico and Ying’s wedding remembrance message in Chinese characters. Being such gracious hosts, Ling and Eric showed their appreciation to us for having traveled so far to join in the joyous celebration of their wedding. Ling asked, “Did you have fun?” And Fred promptly answered, “Yes, we should have another one like this.” It was a wedding to remember for a long time. The whole affair was truly magnificent. The wedding will make Uncle Tong proud.

The next day, while still in the hotel, Mini went to get the morning papers to see if the society page carried a story of the wedding. Mini loves weddings.

Mini and Fred drove back to Boston the next day. This time, their trip took 12 hours. The traffic was so bad that it took them almost 2 hours just to cross the George Washington bridge. The traffic jam was a tremendous 3-billion dollar aberration. That’s what one would now call a “bridge-gate” although I didn’t see any closed lanes.

Fred, Minnie, Auntie Pat of Toronto (in her 90s) and a few Festin relatives waiting for the wedding.

“ Moments… “
By: Charles Dunifer, M.D.
( This one’s not only a labor of love… It’s my love child )
“ JIMMY CABATINGAN’S EPIPHANY “
RATING : PG-70
In one of my recent “ Astral Wandering,” I found myself falling through the proverbial  “Rabbit Hole “ which I later found out to be a wormhole through time as the past years started whizzing by past me until it ended up in 1966 where instead of meeting the mad hatter, I flopped down in our old Pathology Lab !
Dr. Elias Pantangco was deep in his lecture, & I believe, we were in earnest discussion on the topic of female inflammatory ailments.
There was this rough chalk sketch of the External Female Genital Organs on the Blackboard as a 60’s song was playing in the background emanating from the back office, “ Tall and Tan and young and lovely, The girl from Ipanema was walking and when she passed, each one she passes goes Stunned … “
I was sitting a student from Jimmy Cabatingan on my left, and noticed Jim’s intense gaze at the unlabeled drawing at the blackboard. He had this quizzical, wondering stare as if searching for an answer. Suddenly, He raised his right hand and stood up.
“ YES? “, Dr. Pantangco asked him.
“ You can call me ignorant Sir,” Jim started, “ But, kind Sir, What is that pea-like structure underneath the Labial folds ? The one you said is made up of erectile tissue ?  “Oh but I looked at her sadly … How can I tell her I love her… “
One could hear a pin drop in the Pathology Lab. Dr. Pantangco’s jaw dropped in disbelief. In the silence that has fallen, everyone’s thought focused on how Jim could’ve missed that. That center of womanhood ! That powerhouse of the female libido ! “ Yes, I would give my heart gladly … Everyday as she walks by the sea … She looks straight not at me …” Was he absent the day it was taught in “ Gabriel’s Anatomy? “ Was he just feigning ignorance? Or maybe Jim just didn’t read PENTHOUSE FORUM ( Just probably looked at the Penthouse Pictures, But wouldn’t those be more informative on the subject? )
As Dr, Pantangco was explaining Jim about the “ C “ structure, Jim’s whole countenance gradually changed. The veil of ignorance was suddenly lifted off his face. A naughty grin formed at his lips. JIM MUST HAD THE EPIPHANY OF HIS LIFE ! What was once Terra Incognita to him is now a part of his realities in life. … “ Tall and Tan and Young and Lovely, The girl from Ipanema keeps walking … “
After that incident at the Lab., Our Jim was never the same. He became more open. He became more unaffected with jokes as when Manny De Leon calls him Cliff Richard. There’s glee in his demeanor, a lilt in his steps and a confidence unmatched in his relationships with the fairer sex. With such a life experience, I’d be too ! … “ And when she passes, each one she passes goes stunned ! “

Next issue: Bote’s Hairy Moment…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our talented musicians
The musicians at the basement: Max or Ando at the piano, Ralph or Max with the guitar, Romo on the bass, Marife provided the voice

“Shall we dance? Shall we dance? Shall we dance to the Footloose, shall we dance?”

The dinner dance reception: L-R: Seth, Roger, Brenda, Espie, Ando, Linda, Evelyn,

Lourdes, Ato, Rod, Art J, Pura, Efren, all dressed to the nines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Philippine contingent from across the seas: Ato, Pura, Linda, Seth with Ralph and Lourdes

Beauty and the Best at the Marriott: Seated: Manny, Dado, Roger, Ed Q
standing: Efren, Vicky, Jobum, Max, Ed C

 

And the show-stopping Beauty Queens at the Marriott: Angie, Uma, Bing, Evelyn, Ledy, Cora

Happy Birthday, Ping, from Charles D and the USTMD70 group

The somber class meeting: Cris, Joey, Manny in front; behind: Ralph, Lew, JoBum, Roger, Efren. One can hear a pin drop!
THE CRIME OF THE CREME BY MANNY
No it’s not crime to indulge, only Gluttony
With our host who is the Mostest Alice in Blue surrounded by the accidental tourists Ato & Linda, Pura, Espie( LIPSTICK), Yet ( The MAN)…..thanks for the Maggiano treat….. Volare de pinto De Blue. Evelyn ( PEARL of the Orient), doesn’t she look like a gem, she brought ensaymada, Suman mamon, bibinka …. Wow ang sarap ….. & .
me living the moment.
Regards to all & those not present; we missed you.
It was really a day to remember, everybody savoring their guilty indulgence.
Ando busy with the gourmet cuisine of an array of Red Snapper escabeche & sinigang but not forgetting to entertain us with his key board. Everybody was swaying, singing.
So with Charlie playing the piano & singing to his heart’s delight.
Angie also played classical Rachmaninoff pieces.
Another show stopper is Ledy Dizon. She graced us with her presence; she looks lovely as ever with BFF Milo. She presented in our behalf a south sea pearl to Alice & Ando. & Golf package in appreciation for organizing this memorable pre-jubilee celebration. Ledy, thanks for stealing the show, biro lang…….calugurang daca.
After the presentation, Ando did ” capa mo” to Alice. Is this right? Correct me. What a roar in the crowd. Then they sealed it with a kiss. Another tidal roar ensued.
The highlight is the afternoon delight LECHON courtesy of Art Racelis & Lena. With the assistance of Ralph Rances & Leni. Thank you. You sated us.
Norma & Harry surprised us with delicious & healthy Cherimoya( mom Cherie Amour). She maintains her elegance & poise as usual & Harry with his infectious smile.
Luz Duque -H, hard to spell her last name, was assigned mandatory by JoBum to coordinate the New York reunion, no objection prevailed .
Brenda, Vicky, Lourdes, Evelyn, as usual Kalog pa Rin.
New comers are Dado Castillo & Cora Golez all the way from Sweet Home Alabama. What a couple! They haven’t change except Dado’s wisdom HALO.
Pol, Efren, & me remain seat mates even way back our proper years. Guess who copies during our exam? Well I tell it’s Raffy.
Max came with Bieber persona sans hairdo.
Art Jurao & Emy are good neighbors, driving me & Efren around. It’s funny, in spite of GPS, we circled around 3 times to locate the place. It’s an adventure.
My memory is fading so somebody has to fill up those that I haven’t mentioned.
During the ball, l Roger & Lita did a wonder Tango exhibition, talbog ang dancing with the stars.
The disco ball trophy went to JoBum & Cristy.
The stage award went to Max & company for their rendition of YMCA.
Jessie was not able to jam because of her knees. But she looks stunning as ever.
To Seth, Viki & Pura, you are always welcome.
Well I have to end. Lourdes & Brenda are waiting for breakfast. They are Marriott elite. Bye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The avid photographers: Annabelle and Cris (our Army colonel). Angie E & Vicky watching

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YMCA! YMCA!

The top of the chart “Village People”: Ato, Charlie, JoBum, Ando

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YMCA! YMCA!

JoBum, Ando, Rod, Joey (with headdress) brought the house down

 

 

 

 

 

Luke Thien An with Minda and Mon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here comes the accidental tourists. Seated Art J, Manny, Angie, Jessie

Standing: Lourdes, Efren, Rod, Cris, Tony R

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hungry (but not angry) group waiting to be served.

L-R: Espie, Nap, Luz, Cora, Jessie, Evelyn, May, Luz, Ledy, Milo

The hardy museum buffs. Take cover!

L-R: JoBum, Cristy, Joey, Marife, Manny, Brenda, Evelyn, Ed, Bing, Ed Q, Efren

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a bow! Lights, camera, action!
L-R: Vicky, Seth, Evelyn, Jessie, May, Linda, Alice, Luz, Brenda, Ledy, unknown
Standing: Cris, Ralph, unknown, Roger, etc
Middle: unknown, Charlie, Ando, Manny, Vicky, Pura, Harry, Jobunm, Efren
Ed and Evelyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seems like Time stood still among the  USTMD70 class.

L-R: Jessie, Manny, Ledy, Seth, Alice, Angie,Alice, Ando, Max, Evelyn dressed to the nines

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Come hell or high water, we will all be together!”
L-R: unknown, unknown, Tony & Jessie Romero, Ando, Espie, Angie, Noel
seated: Lew & Donita, Cris in Ando’s residence

The first arrivals in Atlanta: “The Stone Mountain People!”

The young and the restless

L-R seated: Pura, Evelyn, Ledy, Cora, Seth, Espie, Vicky, Bing, Lew, Rod, Charlie, Linea, Vicky Co

Standing:Efren, Manny,Norma, Harry, JoBum, Yet, Art, Lourdes, Roger, Art R, Noel, Cris,

Docky, Ando, Ralph, Romo

The young men and women in blue (not the Air Force but the blue-blooded USTMD70 class)

These are the best looking and youngest senior citizens I’ve ever seen!

Seated: Pura, Evelyn, Ledy, Cora, Seth, Espie, Vicky, Alice, Bing, Lew, Rod, Charlie, May, Linda, Luz, Vicky Co

Standing: Efren, Manny, Norma, Harry, JoBum, Yet, Art J, Lourdes, Roger, Dado, Art R, Angie, Cris, Noel, Ed Q, Joey, Docky, Jessie, Tony, Max, Ando

 

 

 

 

 

“They came, They saw, They had fun!”

The lovely ladies near the bonfire  at the  the white sandy beach with Ando

L-R: Evelyn, Brenda, Luz, Alice, Ando

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the pianists
The 5 pianists of USTMD70: Angie, Max, Ando, Joey, Charlie. Classical pianist Angie playing Rachmaninoff at the piano with Max and Marife looking. Wow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marife and Joey

Here are the class psychiatrists. Class, stand in line and wait for your turn.

L-R: Manny, Angie, Espie, Lew, Art, May; Luz left early; Noel & Max in the backgroune

 

 

 

 

 

Cris and Annabelle

 

 

 

 

 

Mila, Roy, Mike attending Mass by rock star Cardinal Tagle

The bold and the beautiful

First row: Vicky, Seth, Evelyn, Jessie, May, Linda, Alice, Luz, Brenda, Ledy, Bing, Norma, Luz, Angie

Second row:Noel, Art, Lourdes, Cora, Charlie, Ando, Manny, Vicky, Pura, Espie, Harry, JoBum, Efren

Third row:Ralph, Cris, Ed (Docky), Ed Q, Art, Roger, Max, Yet, Joey, Rod, Dado, Lew

Forever young!

Kneeling: Rod,Cris, Noel, Art R, JoBum, unknown, unknown, Charlie

First row: unknown, Vicky, Seth, Jessie, May, Linda, Alice, Luz, Brenda, Ledy, Norma, Luz, Angie, Evelyn, unknown,

Second row: Ed Q, Vicky’s spouse, unknown, unknown, Lourdes, Evelyn, Cora, unknown, Vicky, Espie, Lew , Donita, Grace, Yet, Pura, Cristy, unknown

Third row: Ralph, Marife, Joey, Tony, unknown, Efren, Ed, Art, Ato, Dado, unknown, Harry, unknown, Manny, unknown, Max, unknown, Uma, Docky

39 classmates attended the Atlanta reunion. Thanks to our hostess with mostest, Alice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mensa

 

 

 

 

 

Deng, Cecilia, Myrna arriving in Fort Lauderdale

 

 

 

 

 

:Luzbella’s party: L-R: Doming, Luzbella, Marietta, Mini, Lynn, Ted

Seated: L-R: Ted, Lynne, Marietta, Doming

Standing: Mini and Luzbella

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The illustrious Duque family: Luz on dad’s lap and Grace on mom’s lap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini and Marietta talking to a British redcoat near the Olde North Bridge, Concord, MA

The Churchgoers praying for the continued friendship of the  USTMD70 class

L-R: Bing, Alice, priest, Pura, Joey, priest, Espie, Vicky Marife, Cristy, Lew

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Myrna, Cecile and Deng  hit the shops!

The hard-working kitchen crew: Go easy on the lechon!

L-R: Vicky, Brenda, Alice, Ando, Art

Introducing Hall of Fame Recipient: Lucio Margallo MD (with Justin and Claudette)
our dignified Hall Of Famer Lucio from the land of Mt. Rushmore.

Dear Doctors, Titos, Titas, cousins and friends,

Dakota Wesleyan University announced the election of our DAD, Dr. Lucio Boy Maga Margallo 11 to the DWU ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME. He will be inducted on April 26, 2014 at the campus Sherman Center.

Dr. Lucio, as they call him, is an avid sportsman but never played any type of sports at the university, however, dedicated his services as team physician for more than 35 years and served as preceptor and lecturer for the Sports Medicine Athletic Training Program. He served on various admissions and recruitment committees for the department in general. In addition, he was strongly responsible for the initial and continued accreditation of the programs curriculum. His educational involvement helped the students and trainers attain their certifications as Athletic Trainers and some have have successfully pursued professions as Physicians, Doctors of Physical Therapy, Certified Nurse Practitioners, Physicians Assistants and Chiropractors..

He is a proud THOMASIAN 1970 graduate and a General Internist in active practice serving as Medical Director for the Avera Health and Rehab, Avera Queen of Peace Hospital Cardiopulmonary Services and Mitchell Technical Institute, Medical Assistant Program. Furthermore, he maintains an academic appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and PA Program.

In 2005, Dad was awarded the Prestigious DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD by the South Dakota State Medical Association and in 2011, also awarded this by Mitchell High School student body. The National and State Jaycees organization awarded him the Presidential Award of Excellence, Leadership and Honor and the South Dakota State Speak UP winner in 1975. He serves as Chairman Elect of the South Dadota State Medical Association Political Action Committee and an officer councilor of the association and past President of the 6th District Medical Society.. He is the founder and Chairman of the Board of the United Iriguenos Inc.a humanitarian and Medical Missions organization serving the needs of the orphans, impoverished and Aboriginal Agtas in Southern Luzon. Philippines.

We are very proud of his accomplishments but most of all, he is the best DAD, Papoo (grandpa), husband, and doctor.

Please join us in celebrating this humble honor and recognition.

Sincerely yours…..his children,

Farah Victoria Margallo Hofer

Justin Salvador Margallo

Christopher Kissy Margallo DPT

Jonelle May Margallo

The mega-watt smiles of the welcome party to Georgia (on my mind)

Seated: L-R: May, Seth, Vicky Co, Alice, Linda R

Standing: L-R: Pura and spouse, Ato, Charlie, Seth’s spouse, Ando

“We are the stone and, upon this stone, we will build our spirit and camaraderie!”
L-R: Manny, Evelyn B, Ato and Linda, Luz and Nap

 

 

 

 

L-R: first row: Evelyn, Jessie, May, Linda R, Alice, Luz C, Brenda, Ledy, Bing, Norma, Luz H, Angie E
second row: Lourdes, Cora, Carlos, Ando, Manny, Vicky, Pura, Espie, Harry, JoBum, Efren
Third row: Ed C, unknown, Art, Roger, Max, Yet, Joey, Rod, Dado, Lew

On to greater things!

The elite

L-R: Lourdes, Efren, Rod, Cris

Seated: Art J, Angie, Manny,

The Red Snapper stole the show. First come, first served!

L-R: Manny, Rod, Efren, unknown, Art J, Yet, Vicky, Bing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nida and Dante

Cheers at Kueka Lake: L-R  Caloy, Brenda, Lynne, Ted, Marietta, Doming

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lew’s first driver’s license.

Who will be brave enough to ride with Lew?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike and Nieves visited by Mila and Roy

oo-la-la! The glamorous guys and dolls  of LA (no, no, not Louisiana)

Seated L-R: Rita, Carol, Luz B, Norma, Concep, Evelyn B

Standing: L-R: Elmo’s cousin, Jessie, Boyski, Nap, Harry, Max

Kudos to the PMA Auxiliary in Chicago: L_R: Roger & Lita, Charlie & May, Luz & Nap, Rose & Neil

 

 

 

 

 

At the Gawad kalinga tour: L-R: unknown, Charlie C, May C, Linda,

The Pre-Party: Norma’s birthday pre-party in Chinatown.

Seated, L-R:unknown, Ed C, Jun B, Manny, Carol, Concep, Max, Evelyn; Standing: Tony, Jessie, Rechi, Elmo, Harry, Norma

The real Party

Hosted by Norma: L-R: Jun B, Max, Harry S, Manny de Sagun, Elmo, Rechi, Tony & Jessie Seated: Norma, Art V, Carol M

Welcome luncheon for Ato and Linda in New Jersey

Lunch with Linda and Ato Reyes at Fresco Italian Restaurant today. L-R
James Zipagan and Ciony,Robbie Diaz,Caloy Sison,Brenda Caparros-Sison,Marietta Lozada Galvez,husband,Dom Java. Sitting,Angie Diaz,Linda and Ato Reyes.

“We had a great time exploring medical entrepreneurship to support our retirements, informal discussion about CAD and soft water aggravating it, statins, travels, our upcoming Asian Cruise( 5 days)Tacloban and GK. Very stimulating and entertaining conversation spearheaded by Ato, our visiting lecturer!”

 

 

 

 

 

Joey’s last day at work. “Why I miss work.”

By the Sea Shore by Joey
In one of Chekhov’s story, a character was contemplating on the sea while a soft breeze runs through his face. The waves were crushing through the shore and he steps back a little to avoid the wavelets that creeps slowly toward his feet. He knows, that for of years, the sea has always been there and thousands more years after he is gone, the sea will be there the same as it has always been. What if he could live forever like the sea?
What is it about the sea that it seems to have an eternal life. Could he have a life eternal after he passed?The Gospel promises eternal life. Could that be true? What is it anyway? Cardinal Ratzinger, in one of his books, says eternal life is not a series of moments as we know it. Paradise is not limited to life hereafter. Everyone had those moments when time stood still. Some ecstatic moments, fleeting as they were,
are a foretaste of things to come. The birth of a child, a spouse who is there from somewhere, whose interest is your welfare above and beyond his or her own family origin.
Cardinal Ratzinger says, eternal life is a new way of being when time collapses and the passing of time was not felt because one was caught in the moment. Maybe today I’ll write this and maybe lose the perception of time, even just for a moment.
” Nothing last forever but the earth and sky, all we are is dust in the wind,”
—-Kansas
God is near us.
Cardinal Ratzinger aka Pope Benedict
Photo, courtesy of Phebe of USTMD70
Have a good day,
Joey

L-R: Harry, Norma, Luz, Nap “Younger than springtime” in Lake Balboa

The Paulinians! 3rd, 4th and 5th from the right: Brenda, Marietta, Mini

Seeing one another for the first time 52 years since our high school graduation from St. Paul College of Manila!!! Toronto Reunion 2014: L-R: Suzette, Brenda, Marietta, Mini, Rosalinda Amor, Ami
The 1962 Paulinians & 1970 UST Medical Graduates: Brenda, Mini, Marietta, Rosalinda

L-R: Lourdes, JoBum, Rod, Linda S, Norman, Alice, Rancie, Luz @ JoBum’s residence

Max and Evelyn with grand kids in front of the Boston Public Library (the first US public library)

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to the Holipas’ 42nd wedding anniversary!

Should old acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne? Our heartfelt appreciation  to our gracious & generous hosts, Ando and Alice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 43rd wedding anniversary to our hosts. May you have more happy years of a blissful life to come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pianist Joey reads the notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pianist Charlie plays  by ear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parting is such sweet sorrow!

“May the good Lord bless and keep you ’til we meet again.”

12th USTMD70 e-magazine

12th USTMD70 e-magazine

March 30, 2014

The chapel is situated  on the rice field behind Pete and Lets’ house.You can see the roof behind the right side of the chapel. The  chapel bell is on the left side of the chapel but isn’t seen in the picture.Also the front and interior of the chapel are seen.

Moments…

( An Eidetic Journey Through Our Yester Years )

Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z  Z 

To The Max

( Parental Guidance Is Advised )

Another Labor of Love by Charles L. Dunifer 

                In the still of the evening’s twilight, a break away breeze found my lazy hammock, rocking it into lullaby rhythm, lulling me into REM slumber underneath a canopy of a darkened sky studded with stars, reminiscent of Van Gogh’s “ Starry, Starry Night “. Nearby, a radio was blaring a REYCARD Duet Oldie, “ I see that worried look upon your face, You’ve got your troubles, I got mine… She’s found somebody else to take your place… You got your trouble and I got mine….. “

                Dreaming or not, I found myself donned in a white uniform with a yellow nameplate atop my chest pocket and sitting in a Decury in the old North General hospital amid a Motley Crew ( Ha-Ha ) of familiar faces attending a class in “ Physical Diagnosis “ with the likes of “ Bote’ Bautista, Pete, Mon, Anthony Catipay, and of course, Max B., “ … I too have lost my love today… All my dreams had flown away… Now, just like you I sat and wonder why… You got your troubles, I got mine… “ I recall Max would sit at the far back of the class so just in case he falls asleep, no one would’ve noticed. At 2 P.M., Max can fall asleep at the drop of a hay !

                Now, we had an unwritten rule in our group that whosoever sits next to Max will be responsible for waking him up if he gets called for anything “ … You need some symphathy, well, so do I … You got your troubles, I got mine … “ I also do recall that Max had this uncanny ability, call it a “ KNACK “ for guessing one’s Hemoglobin Level right and he averages pretty Close to the Official Lab Reading by just peering Into a person’s Lower Lid Conjunctiva.

                Mon, on the other hand,  got so “ Involved “ with the Examining Technique called “ Digital Tactation”, one where the examiner’s one hand is tapped by the fingers of his other hand over the questionable area. The diagnosis is then reached by the quality of the resonance of the elicited sound. It is mostly done over the chest and abdomen, But Mon would “ Tactate “ even over the Patient’s Cranial Area ! “ … She used to love me that I know and It seems so long ago… “

                Then Max’s day of reckoning came one gloomy Tuesday afternoon as Cumulo-Nimbus clouds crept ominously predicting a downpour. The class was anxious enough to hear each other’s “ H & P’s. “ Anthony C. went on to recite first. We all got a laugh when he included pets under family history for which Dr. Guytingco admonished us ! … “ That we were walking, That we were talking … “ Then the kind doctor called on Max. Once… Twice… Thrice like an auction at Sotheby’s and got no answer. Our class knew that we’re all in trouble when we found out that Max was asleep and worse, Bote, Max’s “ Waker-Upper “ also had fallen asleep ! “ The way that lovers do … ooo … ooo … ooo … “ Needless to say, Dr. Guytingco got a bit perturbed as he made the discovery. He gave Max what seemed to be a “ Z “ Grade  ( For Sleeping ? ) and seemed to have thought, “ You snooze, You lose, Buddy “ as he was scribbling Max Grade. “ She has somebody else to take your place “.

                In deference to Max, I was told that Max studies ‘til the wee hours of the morning and that explains his propensity to dose off in class ! “ You’ve got your troubles, I got mine … “

*        Other Pop Music Worthy of Note for the Period :

Penny Lane

Eleanor Rigby

Strawberry Fields

Green Grass

Winchester Cathedral

King of the Road

Next Issue : Jimmy’s ( Cabatingan ) Epiphany

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forgiven

Out of the depth of my wounded soul,I weep
My sins , dark as the bottomless pit
Self righteous ,blinded by my pride and greed
Night and day, restless with my  guilt
Places to places, I roam helpless
I run here and there ,breathless
Eternal Beam , don’t flee
Hide not your face from me

Child ,I loved you before you were ever be
Every strand that  falls is known by me.
Believe as promised,I walk beside you
From the pit to the heavens, count on me

Get up ,lift thy chin and look
It is me who took the cross .
It’s my blood that cleansed
Thy sins erased from the book

By Lynne Mariano
3/21/2014

 

 Fe Mondragon, Cynthia,  Riz, Mon

Efren, the class humanitarian and philantrophist, in Guiuan, Samar

HOW I MET THE ONE  NOT MEANT TO BE

   I  remember  I made the “top ten” at St. Paul College of Manila graduating class of 1962, together with Marietta and Brenda. No, my rank in high school  did not garner me a college scholarship. However, although my high school grades in English were not something to be proud of, my English teacher in first year college English stunned me by giving me the highest grade. I had always loved English and the richness of the language.  Unbelievably, my chemistry teacher gave me also  a high grade. I had supplemented my chemistry studies with an American book recommended by a chemistry teacher in another university.  I had to personally order it from the United States since it was not easily available in the Philippines at that time. Alemars Book Store made me their only

sales person for this book. I got many orders and made over 3000 pesos.   In BS Chemistry, Chemistry carried much weight in computing grade-point averages. Hence, I was included in the top ten of the first year BS Chemistry class.

      Something happened in the Chemistry lab that made me switch careers. My lab partner turned the gas valve of the bunsen burner too much and too fast that the flame instantly shot up two feet, burning her arms. That incident  was a career-changer. When I met a high school classmate (Marietta)  in Pre-Med, she encouraged me to switch from BS Chemistry to Pre-Med. Much to the surprise of my parents, I transferred to a Pre-Med course. My high school classmate in BS Chemistry Annabelle tried to dissuade me from leaving BS Chemistry  to no avail. I just didn’t want to spend the rest of my professional life in a chemistry laboratory.

When I was in BS Chemistry, Annabelle & I frequented the Conservatory of Music because she knew someone there. I accompanied her during those visits. One day, I caught sight of a dark, handsome boy in one of the small rooms . He was looking at us, smiling.  I thought his dark skin complemented my fair complexion. What an excellent pianist!  I decided, right then and there, that I was going to ask about him. I don’t remember the details now but I found out his schedule.  A piano teaching assistant, he was a few years older than me. He was from Albay. That was close enough to Romblon.  He was looking for volunteers to participate in an upcoming musical event. Annabelle and I immediately  volunteered to be back-up singers. I decided to brush up on my elementary piano skills and bought several piano pieces. I began practicing in the dormitory piano consistently. I learned to love classical music.

After our chemistry classes, Annabelle and I would proceed to the Conservatory of Music. When I learned he was good in drawing, I overcame my shyness and summoned enough courage to ask him to draw a religious picture for my class project. He drew me a beautiful picture of a rosary dangling from clasped hands.  But what attracted me most was he behaved like  a gentleman towards me and Annabelle. I was on my way to having a huge crush on him.

Regular classes ended and I began earnestly taking Pre-Medical courses that summer.  I took summer courses throughout college  so I could finish Pre-Medicine in three years. I took classes in different colleges. The only classes I took in Pre-Med were Psychology and Spanish. The 1965 class was the last class allowed to enter medical school after only three years of the usually four years of pre-medicine and I was determined to be in that class. When  I transferred to Pre-Medicine, I lost touch with Annabelle and my “crush.”

To my amazement, I entered medical school with the next to the highest score from the combined entrance MCAT exams, graded interview and cumulative grade-point average in Pre-Med. (Nareng was the highest).  Medical school was all-consuming. There was a lot of memory work. Being in the upper bracket, I was practically buried in books to keep up with my smart classmates. My grades remained consistently high but the biased and easily abused revalida was another story. Both of my parents died a year apart during medical school which temporarily put a damper on my studies. I recovered and, in their honor, resolved to strive even harder in my studies.

During my premedical and medical years, I stayed with Auntie Pepang (Felipa Festin-Negado) and her handsome and patrician – looking husband, Uncle Sanoy Negado (Director of the National Water and Sanitation Authority and Lily’s uncle.) Auntie Pepang was the Dean of the Philippine Normal School (now University) and ran the El Centellon Restaurant in the corner of Morayta and Espana Extension. Auntie Pepang wrote the book Favorite Recipes of the Philippines which can still be found in Amazon. During my spare time, I would chat with the Romblomanon waiters and chefs and play music at the jukebox.

To my surprise, I bumped into Anabelle in medical school.  She had become a teaching assistant of Dr. Cabatit, a professor of Biochemistry in the medical school. She had gone on to  higher places.

Following graduation, I was accepted to the Internal Medicine residency program at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). While a medical resident there, I unfortunately encountered discrimination from some UP-PGH medical staff towards non-UP medical graduates. It didn’t bother me much at that time because my sights were set on  the United States.

In PGH, I admitted many sick Romblomanons flown to Manila for further treatment. After one year in PGH, I was recruited by a US hospital for a more advanced education and professional training. Many Romblomanons were sorry to see me go, the second Romblomanon doctor to have worked in PGH. (My uncle Dr. Socrates Festin, a UP graduate,  was the first one). This was the height of the Vietnam war and  many US hospitals faced a shortage of residents and interns who were assigned to the military. I easily got accepted in Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Buffalo.  I had decided to brave the cold winters of Buffalo, not knowing it would be one of the worst winters on record in that city. By Mini

Mini’s high school graduation photo

Mini (3rd from right) with BS Chemistry class

Mini (second from left) with BS Pre-Med class

Mini (2nd from left) with first year Medical School classmates

Mini (3rd from R) with her interns’ group

L-R: Gadie Guzman, Linda Guirnalda, Letty F, unknown, Cata, Jimmy La Madrid, Elmo, Mini, Rechi Evelyn Eustacio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L-R: Ismael, Cata, Evelyn Eustaquio, Mini, Candido Lemana, Rene Grabato

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L-R: Letty, Mini, Evelyn Eustaquio, unknown, unknown, Linda Guirnalda, Rechi, Gadi, Ofie Fule, Standing: Cata and Joey L, Seated: Efren Leonida, Jimmy LaMadrid, Gadi Laurencio

See photo below: Rechi, Mini, May, unknown, Gadi, Linda G, Letty, Ofie F, Evelyn E

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graduation day: Rechie, Say Fernandez, Mini, Letty, Virgilio Floresca, Evelyn Eustaquio, Bobby Evaristo, Genaro Elane, Boyski Ferrer

Mini (second from right ) with UP-PGH interns at Bae, Laguna where she did a rural rotation.

See photo below: Mini (second row, extreme right)

Kyle Gozo wedding with Ping Duran on the extreme left and Monet on the extreme right

Raffy’s wife in the middle

Mini’s painting: “Two Horses”

Phebe’s painting of the fish pond beside a Bukidnon restaurant “Palaisdaan.”

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick meets Boston Filipino community leaders

Front row: Deval is in the center, Mini is farthest right

Mila, Roy, Gabby and Sophie

Mags (Tiamson) & Jun Beato, looking good after all these years

Front: L-R: Letty, Tita Catipay, Estela Tan-Melquiades (1978)

Back: Pete and Anthony

Manny’s birthday at the Mission Inn Riverside

Happy New Year from Mon and Minda

Budding pianist Lana at the piano, following in the footsteps of Lola.

 

Pol back on his feet so soon.

Lucio visits LA… Max and Jun B

Evelyn & 8-month old Kiara. Similar smile…dead ringer of Lola.

Norma’s Xmas party 2014

L-R: Evelyn B, Rita, Mila, Jessie, Carol, Norma, Rechi, Concep

Lynn at the left of her father

Photo above: Yet (3rd from left)  with his father & brothers

Photo below: L-R: cousin Benita, sister Lilia, Tom, Yet, Mon, cousin Teresing

World-class traveler Manny dining at Harrahs

Happy Birthday, Nilda, with Ato, Efren, Raffy. Looking very  good & very young, Nilda.

Photo above: Canvassing hotels for the Sapphire reunion.  It’s never too early.

L-R: unknown, unknown, Raffy, Max, unknown, Linda, Ato, unknown, Pura

Max and his band. Way to go!

Phebe and Monet in Starbucks, CDO

Lucio biking a couple of weeks

after cardiac bypass

Sitting: Lourdes, Evelyn

Standing: Ed and Pol

L-R: Art, Evelyn, Manny @ Forum Ballroom, Caesar’s Palace

Lucio Margallo, the late Freddie Adriatico, medical residents Dr. Libby Apelledo and

Nina Vicente. Lower photo: Manny de Sagun and now deceased Freddie Adriatico with other medical residents.

Gemma, grandaughter of Mila and Roy, lives in Newton, MA

Ismael and Nora (4th and 2nd from right) and Fred D (2nd from left ) on a Philippine

medical mission; Photo below:

SOPED Medical Lions Club feted its president (Ismael Holipas) on his 66th b-day

Nora standing fourth from left

Luz (seated) and L-R: Evelyn, (unknown), Max, Yet and Grace in Serendra, Global City, RP

Max in a gig in Holiday Hills, San Pedro, Laguna with Atty Ferdie Topacio and the Jazzholes band.

Linda’s grandson

 L-R: Pura, Luz, Linda, unknown, Ping, Max, Evelyn, Yet and Grace at the Reyes’es

The Golf gang: unknown, unknown, Ed C, Monet, Ping

Mini-reunion, hosted by Ping.

Front row: L-R  Max, Lorna Perez Laurel and her siblings.

in their San Juan Antebellum Manse.

 Monet, Yet, Grace, Luz and Tap at the Peninsula.

Three Duque’s plus one in Laoag

Chris Margallo with Alex Deibold, snowboarding

bronze medalist, at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Paul Matriano during 1969 clerkship. Ceferino Dy is the patient

Phebe, Tim and the Tau group.Is that  Louis Kodumal  lying on the sofa?

Standing: Pura’s husband, Ping, Raffy, Yet
Sitting: Neon Corpuz, Ed Pascual, R Buson (78), Ping’s Apo, Monet, Boy Doble, Res Mejia (covered), Sol Alvarez (Remember him? He’s 82) the Honoree!

Canvassing the Bayleaf Hotel: L-R: Charlie C, Ping, Pura, May C, Linda and Ato

L-R: Max, Pete, Tony C, Tony B, Jun (Boy) B, Jimmy C

Letty Farinas during graduation day.

Gathering in Ping’s home: L-R: Raffy, Linda, Ato, unknown, Luz, Grace, Yet and

Monet, second from R

Pura (3rd from left) being inducted as President of the UST Hospital Medical staff

Grace, Letty and Luz in Pagudpud

Mike and Mila G

L-R: Charlie, Ping, Pura, May, Linda, Ato

At St. Joseph Hospital, Yet,Mike, Nieves, Evelyn G, unknown, Linda Santos

 

 

 

 

 

Brenda and Caloy on Highway 54 towards the Indian Wells

L-R: unknown, Joey L, unknown,

Bobby E, Rose Climaco, unknown,

unknown

 

 

 

See photo below L-R: unknown, unknown, Letty F, Nolorfo Lara, unknown, Robin Hong, Norma Cardinio

Roger L, Bobby E, Tony Catipay

Standing: Ledy, Deng, Joey L, Dr. Borja, Max, unknown,unknown

Margie’s husband, Brenda and Margie

L-R: Linda Santos, Baby Santos (Linda’s sis), Brenda, Linda Navarro, Rose Serrano, Linda M, , Rancie

Evelyn A (third from left) Amy Briones and Melba Abadilla

second and third from right)

Letty Farinas getting pinned by her cousin and Dulce Dungo getting pinned by Lew.

L-R: Angie Miguel, Tessie Joson, Linda Lao, Lee Mariano, Alice D

For the Greater Glory of God by Mini

I work

Not for you, not for me

Not for anybody

But for God

Me sonrio

No es para ti

No es para mi

No para nadie

Sino para Dios

(English Translation)

I smile

Not for you, not for me,

Not for anybody,

But for God

I suffer

Not for you, not for me

Not for anybody,

But for God

I live for God,

I weep for God,

I am happy for God,

It is a great gift to be close to God.