Most of us were in our mid-60s. A great number were already retired from their employment or had turned over their businesses to their successors. No question that all of us who attended our mini-reunion of high school classmates were enthusiastic about meeting and reminiscing about the good all days more than 50 years ago, as well as sharing the good things that happened thereafter.
My high schoolmates of the 1974 High School Batch of De La Salle Lipa gathered a few days ago in a Makati restaurant. We got together to host lunch for two of our United States-based classmates who were visiting. It was also a good opportunity for us to socialize and plan for our forthcoming golden jubilarian event. There were all 20 of us who came and we had a grand time just being there in a gathering of bosom friends and for some of us, long-lost batchmates.
We immediately dispensed with the priority matters. We all agreed to continue our initial efforts of organizing and preparing for our grand golden anniversary celebration scheduled in 2024. These included forming a non-stock non-profit organization that will be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission that will handle the financial aspects of our batch. This will be a good vehicle to perpetuate the “legacy” of our batch that can pursue the advocacy intent of our group. As typical of most social communities, we agreed to further expand our communication networks, such as our Viber group and batch directory. There was unanimity in organizing more frequent meet-ups, including those who are near each other in Metro Manila, Lipa City, or the East or West Coast of the United States, where a number of our batchmates are residing. We do not need to wait for a visit of classmates from abroad to gather together. Time is fast passing by all of us, so we would like to have more occasions to enjoy the company of friends and batchmates. Someone shared the amazing development in De La Salle Lipa and all wanted and planned to visit our alma mater soon even before our jubilarian event. A classmate performed his usual task of distributing giveaways. We all had an early Christmas as we all received customized T-shirts and mugs with prints of our batch event and the names of those who attended.
Then the fun activities started. We all had a grand time enjoying the stories and company over five hours with our lunch extending to taking coffee in a nearby shop. I was not there to participate and witness this, but some said that a number of our batchmates even continued the mini-reunion way past dinner into the wee hours of the following morning with invited “guests.”
There was a sharing of what’s up now with one another. Most mentioned that they are now adjusting to the life of a retiree. Some have taken well-deserved vacations out of the country after their retirement. A number had a wish list of places to travel, such as the Northern Lights in Iceland and a Holy Land pilgrimage in Jerusalem and Israel. There were those who can now give more time to their passion and interests, such as deep sea fishing, underwater diving, big bikes, farming, doing “apostolic” work, and many others. A game of Trivia was organized, with the revelation of who among us had the most children, grandchildren, and even wives and partners. There was sharing of medical and health conditions and the best cure for these. At least five of our batchmates are medical doctors. The classmate doctors in attendance at our mini-reunion were very generous in giving medical advice, including a cheaper and equally effective alternative to the little blue pill, Viagra.
Finally, our mini-reunion had to end. We bidded goodbyes and safe travels to one another and resolved to meet soon…sooner than later.
Joel L. Tan-Torres was the former Dean of the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business. Previously, he was the Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy, and partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co. and the SyCip Gorres and Velayo & Co. He is a Certified Public Accountant who garnered No. 1 in the CPA Board Examination of May 1979. He is now back to his tax practice and can be contacted at joeltantorress@yahoo.com