FRIENDS IN THE BUKID

Its amazing how time fly so fast. How we have grown up. I looked at my High School Friends today and I am quite happy of what we have become.

We are the IV-Faith Batch '93. If you noticed, I just didn't call it Batch '93 of our school (Bukidnon State College), IV-Faith was our section. The other section is IV-Hope and from freshman to senior year in High School, we never get along with the other section. In our senior year, the tension between our section and the other section heightened and I was one of the reason. You see, I ran as President of our Student Council against the one whom everyone thinks as the likely winner. My opponent then was the Mayor of our Student Government in our elementary years, so everybody assurmed she will be the next President of the High School Student Council.

Knowing the odds, my classmates (all of them) campaigned for me with all of their hearts.And it was because of them that I won. The son of an ordinary unknown government employee won against the daughter of our town's affluent businessman.To some, your parents stature in the society won't really matter, unfortunately back in our place, it does. But we made it and I went down to the history of our school as the one who became the President of the Student Council and at the same time the Corps Commander of the Preparatory Military Training (also known as Citizen Army Training or CAT). Yes dear, I WAS A CORPS COMMANDER!

Now looking at them, I can help but smile and recall all the good memories that we shared. Most of us were not really "well-to-do" as opposed to the other section where only two of their male classmates does not bring any "wheels" to the school. But boy! we have all sort of fun! Outings, swimmings, mountain trekking or just strolling at our town's little business center (Malaybalay only became a City in 1998).

This is not the complete IV-Faith. We were 48, but some already resides outside of Bukidnon and even out of the country. So there were only a few us who were able to gather last Decemeber when I went home.

Let me introduce them to you (picture above). Leftmost is Paul now a Marine Biologist, Earl, our baby of the class, works for Landbank, beside Earl is Dearly or Ylizaderlita Rose (unique name right? our student teachers have a hard time pronouncing her name), she is now with the Provincial Government of Bukidnon, at the back of Earl is Marjorie (lady in red)now works for the City Government of Malaybalay, Joy a concert pianist and has toured Europe twice with the UP Concert Chorus, Ellen who teaches sign language, among others, for the differently able kids in Malaybalay, beside Ellen is me of course, Ritchielyn an Interior Designed and Choi, a webpage designer working for PLDT in Makati.

The girl sitting beside me in the picture below is Eisel a registered nurse but now full time mother. The three girls in that picture below (Eisel, Joy and Dearly) and I were the best buddies in High School.