“Paying It Forward” Part VI. Lolos & Lolas at the Old Age Home

Lolo Carding recited Rizal's “Huling Paalam”, in its entirety to the students. To uphold UP's honor, recite ko rin ang “Ultimo Adios” but could remember only up to “Nuestro perdido Eden”. My Spanish professor mother must have been squirming in her grave. Lolo Peping crooned “You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Frank Sinatra style. This is the ritual of our visits to the Old Age Home, Lualhati ng Maynila, it is officially called.

VISITING AT LUALHATI NG MAYNILA

Preparing the students for these visits to the Boystown Complex and especially to Lualhati, I tell them that the residents and I belong to the same generation, except that my hair, light mahogany chestnut (courtesy of Herbatint color), & Olay make me look decades younger. So, I sternly admonish them, “When the dance music starts, no Lola who can walk or dance should be a wallflower”. We so dreaded being wallflowers at the “Monthly Socials” in our time.

THE LOLOS & LOLAS PERFORM FOR THE STUDENTS.

So these boys and girls bravely boogie and cha-cha and flail wildly to 60's dance music. Me too. This is my opportunity to show them that their professor is not only glamorous & youngish but a good ballroom dancer as well. Ahem.

The interaction pays off. The kids are appalled that the families of these elderly folk have abandoned them. Through the semesters they have been moved to repair the Physical Therapy Center, many comfort rooms, repair rusty broken down beds and replace their palletas gone rotten from the occupants' incontinence. They have also replaced the ancient dining tables' disintegrating formica tops, all with Engr. Bong's unfailing support.

They have also donated sound systems for the residents' entertainment.

Mrs. Leonie Borja very competent Lualhati Officer-in-Charge briefs the students on the heartbreaking case histories of some of the residents. She and Boystown management welcome without much bureaucratic “eck eck” donors & visitors. Many come, especially during Christmas time though the staff wishes more, bringing cheer, song, prayer, food and apparel would visit before and after Christmas.

My sister and I got introduced to the Old Age Home, cause our mother dragooned us into carrying kettles of pancit and whatever to serve the residents. All these while being threatened that since we were disobedient bad daughters, she would not live with us in her old age but move to this Old Age Home. All I can say is we did not enjoy those visits.

So our semestral jam session with the Lolos and Lolas is over. We go home and they settle back to dozing off idly waiting; for nothing but the next meal.

Class '61, UP College of Business Administration

Well, there's no denying it, despite my light mahogany chestnut hair and Olay glow. We're the Golden Jubilarians this year and we're celebrating at the UPCBA Alumni Homecoming in December.

We're meeting every month building up our fund which we hope will build a “ring-a-ding-ding” (Frank Sinatra) MBA classroom complete with state-of the art video equipment and furnishings at the proposed UP graduate school building in The Fort. Congressman Junie Cua, a BA alumnus who loves CBA dearly gave P50M from his allocation but we heard something happened in Quezon Hall and we lost half of it. Sen. Franklin Drilon, ever the supportive UP law alumnus gave his college P100M.

That's some of us at Peking Garden, Greenbelt 5. Of course we also have to dine in style while raising funds. Many of our classmates are flying in from the US to attend the reunion.

Left-right
Sitting: Lani Canullas, Minda Fernandez Caro, Yolanda Veronica Medina Desphy, Rene Peronilla, Vicki Bello Jardiolin Villa, Becky Tuason Kalaw

Left-right
Standing: Lucille Po Deniega, Luisa Sabater, Mike Arguelles, Imelda Cunanan Innocentes, Nora Ordinario Vinluan, Tita Lopez Mendiola, Jo Zara Santiago



To celebrate our jubilee and to welcome our classmates from abroad, here's our plan for the reunion.

Our schedule:

01 December Thursday 5:00 pm Dinner at the residence of Rene Peronilla (host)

02 December Friday 5:00 pm An Evening under the stars – Cruise along Manila Bay (hosts – Lucille P. Denega and Nora O. Vinluan)

03 December Saturday 9:00 am Mass at the UP Chapel

10:00 am Tour of UP Campus

11:00 am College reunion at College of Business with lunch.

Nice to be with classmates from UP. Parang kahapon lamang.