Pergola E-dyaryo, October 2009

October 2009

OH, ONDOY! Steering Committee Daisy Barawidan Lala David Sherry David Marita Legaspi Cecile Lowlicht Sol Oca Mike Palileo Emma Villa-Real

Communications Committee Rose Constantino Gilda Fule-Prael Sylvia C.Leonard Salve Neelankavil Ronie Nieva Giocky Oca Lulut Valte

Editors Mike Palileo Yvette Jarencio

SSAANA EAST COAST SENDS DONATION TO MANILA TO AID TYPHOON ONDOY VICTIMS SSAANA’s Steering Committee held a meeting on October 4 to discuss ways of assisting Typhoon Ondoy victims in Metro Manila (photo below). The Committee discussed relief work being done by our Benedictine sisters in Metro Manila and agreed to send $400.00 from existing SSAANA East Coast funds to the Community of Benedictine Sisters in Manila. Individual Committee members and alumnae Louella Pena-Rosete (HS ’70) and Dr. Carmen Galvez gave additional donations, bringing the total donation to $1,000.00. Daisy Barawidan handed the check to Sr Pauline Trivino OSB, who happened to be in the United States for a meeting of Novitiate Formators. Sr Pauline currently heads the Formation team in Marikina responsible for preparing aspirant candidates who want to become Benedictine nuns.

ALUMNA PROFILE Daisy Barawidan-Lizaso Daisy Barawidan is a true blue Scholastican. She attended SSC in Grade School and High School (1963), earned her Baccalaureate degree from St. Theresa's College (1967), but returned to SSC when she entered the convent (Order of Missionary Benedictine Sisters). Some time later, she left the OSB novitiate to embark on a career as international civil servant at the UN headquarters in New York. At the UN she went on various assignments around the world including Nairobi, Kenya (UN Environment Program/Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation); Vienna, Austria (UN Conference on Science & Technology for Development); and Manama, Bahrain/Baghdad, Iraq (UN Special Commission). In December 2000 she retired as administrative officer at the International Civil Service Commission of the UN. Prior to working for the UN, she had served in Vientiane, Laos with Operational Brotherhood International (OBI), the mother organization of Junior Operation Brotherhood (JOB), which she co-founded in Manila when she was in college.

Left to right: Sherry David, Marita Legaspi, Daisy, Mike Palileo, Sol Oca. Cecile Lowlicht in front. Lala David and Emma Villareal not in photo. (Lala took the picture).

A luncheon was held for Sr Pauline at a Manhattan restaurant on October 6. Attendees included Teresita Estorque, Lourdes Acuesta-Chlor and Eloisa Roa-Medalla (HS ’61), Teresita BusmenteJackler, Evelinda Caratay-Imparato, and Daisy Barawidan. Alumnae interested in helping Ondoy victims can write their checks out to ―The Community of Benedictine Sisters.‖ These can be mailed to Sr Lumen Dungca at SSC’s address in Leon Guinto but most donors have been entrusting their checks to alumnae returning to Manila.

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After years of caring for her extended family, her aging and ailing parents, and her deceased brother's family, she settled down and married John Lizaso, a Bedan alumnus whom she met in New York through joint projects of the Coalition of Alumni Associations in New York. Daisy and John lived in Germany for six months (2001-2002). They moved back to New York where John worked as an investment banker. They moved to Boston, returned to New York, and are now residents of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As everyone knows, Daisy is the heart and soul of the SSC alumnae community in the United States and the rest of the world. Since 1987 Daisy has been active in encouraging alumnae in various countries to form SSC alumnae associations. These groups are now actively working in tandem with other alumni associations worldwide. As a UN retiree Daisy is gearing up for a career as a gerontologist, having completed the gerontology program at Manhattan Marymount College in New York. She has plans of some day founding assisted living residences for Filipino American retirees in metro Manila.

October 2009

Open Letter from Sr. Lydia Villegas, Superior, SSA Marikina

Dear Scholastican: Since the floods, the outpouring of goods and concern for our brothers and sisters has been overwhelming. This is what I see now: Filipinos can move together as one! We do not read about politics now. Instead, our newspapers are full of reports and commentaries on the relief efforts of our fellow Filipinos—individuals, groups, and organizations. In July when I visited our community areas served by our Social Center, I saw the abject poverty, the hovel homes of the very poor. You can imagine what those disaster areas looked like after the floods. During the storm, our community in Marikina was cut off—no telephones, no text messages could get through, no Internet. It was with great joy that we welcomed Sr. Lumen's five carloads of relief goods on Tuesday. Sr. Angela and Sr. Fides visited the areas for the first time on Monday after the weekend disaster. Sr. Alexis visited our teachers the next two days. Packing and distribution of relief goods continue to be done at the Center. Sisters from Tagaytay and the Priory House have come. Today we expect St. Scho Westgrove. Our Sisters from Bacolod, Tacloban, Tabunok (Cebu), and Formation House have sent in their goods and cheques. The FH has also sent us aspirants to help with the packing and distribution. Friends and personal contacts of our Sisters have likewise sent in their donations in cash and kind. It is amazing how people just walk into our Center and bring anything they can share: bottles of water, canned goods, clothing, rice. Groups have also come with the goods they collected and have gone to the areas to extend their help. In the U.S., alumnae from the West Coast Chapter have pledged their donations and shipment of goods, while alumnae from the East Coast continue to send in their individual contributions. Our Manila alumnae have sounded the call for assistance for us, and Pergola e-Dyaryo and Mila Magno are using the web to reach out to more friends. Our Social Center has gotten in touch with the Red Cross and other groups to present our people’s needs as the work of rehabilitation will be a long one. The Center is preparing mats, blankets, slippers, and toilet articles for distribution by Friday as our people in evacuation centers have returned to their ―non-habitable as yethomes.‖ The schoolrooms converted to evacuation centers had to be vacated as classes resumed Monday and Tuesday. When the first phase of relief work has reached out to the most needy, the Center is considering the rebuilding of the three daycare centers that were completely damaged and washed away so that our preschoolers can return to school. We are sure of the purok-people’s labor. Ours is the task of securing funds and or materials. We are now collecting goods from our own students. It will be a long period of rehabilitation. We are only in Phase 1 of our relief effort. We pray for patience and perseverance, and for generous hearts to help us keep going with goods and funds. We still need a lot of prayers as we continue our relief work. Thanks so much for your concern and help. Lovingly, S. Lydia, OSB ************

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October 2009

OH, ONDOY by Mindy Santiago (daughter of Dada Lorenzana-Santiago, HS ’72)

I don’t know where to start. That’s the way I felt when I first saw the disaster that is now our house. And that’s the way I feel now as I attempt to write about the experience that will forever be the turning point of our lives. I’ll try to do everything chronologically, to indulge my perfectionist tendencies.

we assured her that we were all okay and that we had enough food and water for the night. She was trying very hard to contact people who might be able to rescue us. The rain finally stopped late that night, but it would start drizzling every now and then. Every time it did, I would pray again, Lord make the rain stop, please make it stop, please let the floods recede, please let this all be over.

September 26, Saturday morning. I woke up at 8 AM, which was late, as I had planned to study the whole day for my biochem exam. Already the rain was pouring heavily. I kissed my mom goodbye before she left for a family gathering in the South. As I was eating breakfast, my dad noticed that rainwater was starting to collect on the streets outside. He anticipated the flood (which had twice before occurred, the water entering our house at knee level) and asked me to help him move our three remaining cars (as one was with Mama) to higher ground, which was just at the end of the street.

Sunday morning. We received a call from Mama that she had contacted Papa’s boss, the president of San Miguel Corp, Mr. Ramon Ang, and he told her that he would send a helicopter for us right away. Mrs. Lydia Ragasa, the woman in charge of all of SMC’s aircraft, said that they could do this at 5 am at the earliest. So beginning 5 am, at the sound of an approaching chopper, Papa would climb up to the roof (no easy feat for him) and wave an improvised flag. After a few false alarms, SMC’s chopper finally arrived at around 11 am. Unfortunately they could not land on any of the rooftops or even descend low enough so that we could climb aboard (they had no ladder and it was unsafe for them to land due to the electric cables all around the houses). They resorted to dropping a life raft to us and telling Monch that he would have to row us to a place where there was no water and they could land for us to climb aboard safely.

To prepare for the possibility that the water would enter our house, Papa, Yaya Arlie, Yaya Sonia, Monch, and I started moving our downstairs furniture upstairs (which is a mere four steps higher). We moved the ref, various tables, chairs, even our dog, Mookie. But the water was rising alarmingly fast. Papa said Pag umabot na ‘yung tubig sa third step ng stairs, alis na tayo. This happened in what seemed like minutes. But we could no longer leave, so we decided to go up to the highest point in our house—the tiny attic. We brought everything we could, while the two yayas still scurried to bring up everything they could. They managed to bring up three TVs, paintings, and various appliances, while we upstairs were calling Tama na yan, akyat na kayo, iwanan niyo na yung mga gamit. Only when they were neck deep in the water (on tiptoes) did they finally heed our calls.

While figuring out how to get the life raft to inflate, our savior arrived in the form of Kuya Armand, a school bus driver employed by one of our neighbors and a guy Monch gets to play basketball with sometimes. Since the day before, he had been swimming around (yes in the filthy, muddy water), helping in whatever way he could— bringing the little food or water he could find to those who had not eaten, for example. Kuya Armand helped figure out how to inflate the raft for us and assisted us as we climbed aboard it. But more than that, Kuya Armand pushed and pulled our little raft all the way until the foot of Manggahan bridge where there was no more water. It took him a good two hours! Along the way, other men would help but would drop out because of fatigue or cramps. But Kuya Armand was tireless. He was even cheerful, cracking jokes to lighten up the depressing mood.

So the five of us (six including Mookie) were stuck in the attic all of Saturday night until Sunday afternoon. We had some food to eat, just a few bottles of mineral water, and only a makeshift toilet. You can bet I was feeling sooo Anne Frank. Ha ha. Though I was as worried and scared as the rest of them, I knew I had to be the calm, strong one, especially for Papa, who is hypertensive and diabetic. I led them in praying the rosary, the Memorare, the prayer of Jabez, the novena to the Infant Jesus, over and over and over again as we could do nothing else. We could hardly sleep; we would pass the time by watching the water level rise (over our gate, almost until the ceiling of our garage).

As we made our way slowly through the waters, I was overwhelmed by everything I saw. Riverside Village and Ortigas Extension had become one long river. All houses, establishments, vehicles were submerged; none was spared. People were wading through chest-deep flood. We passed by several of our neighbors in Riverside, those who had not been able to go home. The same questions were asked over and over: Saan kayo galing? Mataas ba ang tubig sa inyo? Nakita niyo

We had five cell phones with us in the attic but the signal was limited and very erratic. We also had to conserve our battery because we didn’t know how long we would be stuck up there. Mama was very worried about us but 3

October 2009 pamilya ko? Naku, kumusta na sila? Some were in tears worrying about their family members, others were attempting to bring food home to their children who had not had anything to eat since the day before. We left the life raft with Kuya Armand, who we heard went back to save more people and did not accept payment when some tried to give it.

Already we have received four different offers for places to stay while we fix our house. Countless have also offered to help clean up. Our relatives have given us clothes, shoes, toiletries, food. I also can’t help but be proud of all of the relief efforts that are ongoing. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are all heroes. My family is still lucky despite everything. Our clothes can be washed, our furniture and appliances replaced, our cars can be repaired. Let us pray for the others who lost their entire homes, and especially for those who lost their loved ones. Let’s also pray that the other storms that are also making their way here do not arrive. I think we can all do without the rain for a while.

We were finally picked up at the Jollibee by Sto. Rosario church by Mama, Tito Popot, and Tito Elmer. It had never felt so good to see them all again. We all headed to Diamond Hotel, where we are staying until now, thanks again to the generosity of Mr. Ramon Ang who told us we could stay as long as we needed. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of so many others.

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Poems by Suzette Joson WITHOUT AMBIVALENCE

Ondoy/Ketsana What is up with your name? When you are local you are Ondoy When you are not in our perimeter Ketsana Who are you? Ikaw siguro ang pinagbasihan ng kasabihang Parang tulisang hagibis, pagkakain ay umaalis!

The breath of air changed As I inhale without fatigue My heart pounding is now down to a murmur I might go, I might go Without ambivalence It is not only a possibility But it is with certainty I will go, I will go, but perhaps Without ambivalence

You are the equalizer, you are democratic From the likes of Magallanes Village To the shanty towns by the river banks Water rose . . . . .

Is this the end, I thought Just when love abounded Is this the end, I felt When my flesh has been sated Shall I go, shall I go? Shall I go . . . Without ambivalence

Umaahon ako, kinakapos ako ng hininga Ano pa ang salantang darating sa akin? Sa aking maralitang pamumuhay? Lunurin mo na ako . . .

I can crystallize and be clinical Of the wrong turns that voided me I can hear the whiff of air When I was left behind and now it’s my turn I will go, I will go Without ambivalence

As I traverse from the west to the east And onwards to another country I gain momentum, I will not falter And I shall win! Ano ang katumbas ng sampung rosaryo? Dalawang palapag na binaha? Nandito ako sa ibubong nanlulumo Pakita ka sa akin dahil si Ondoy lang ang nararamdaman ko!

PINOY QUARTET by Suzette Joson & Jed Joson-Galzote

Nag-iiba ang hangin, Ang paghinga ko ay walang daing. Ang dasal ng aking puso ay dinggin, Nang maging matunog at walang hinaing.

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October 2009

ONDOY ONSLAUGHT By Amanda Manuel Palileo

I first laid eyes on Ketsana when “Kuya Kim” Atienza, the meteorologist of TV Patrol on ABS-CBN, introduced her as a tropical depression on the daily news. Little did anyone know that all hell would break loose in Metropolitan Manila from such a seemingly ordinary and predictably seasonal typhoon, locally named Ondoy. At this writing majority of the people in the Philippines’ National Capital Region (NCR) say Ketsana or Ondoy was the worst typhoon that ever hit our shores in their lifetime. I tend to agree with them, considering my own family’s experience of this natural disaster.

Silently I thanked God for the prescience of my Lolo, who had his house built with a second floor, and wondered how people who lived in bungalows were doing! As night fell our helper went downstairs to retrieve some rice from the kitchen (leftover from lunch). We ate the cold rice (there was no electricity) with pork and beans and Vienna sausages. How lucky that my Tita Chit had sent us a balikbayan box from New Jersey a week before, filled with canned goods!

The deluge brought by Ondoy began early that Saturday morning. I was having breakfast when our helper handed me a note from my old friend, Erina, from elementary. She said she missed me and thought of catching up with me some day. Being that I didn’t have anything else to do, I called her up and we soon met and had coffee at Starbucks. The cozy ambience of the café allowed us to have a fun conversation about college and the future. We were about to end when her sister sent her a text message saying, “Don’t bother coming home for lunch. The flood’s already waist-high outside.” So I decided to take Erina to our house and let the flood recede before taking her to her house. We parked a few blocks away from our street because the flood was too high. We walked through the floodwater back to my house.

Posing beside her half-submerged car on Magallanes street. It looks like the umbrella is to avoid getting wet.

Almost before we knew it, water had started to pour inside the house. Midway through lunch the water in the dining room had risen halfway between our ankles and knees. We shut the power down. We went upstairs to my bedroom and in a matter of minutes, our helpers and our driver had carried my Lolo’s mattress and my Lola’s Lazyboy upstairs. Inside the house the floodwaters were beyond knee-high, and outside it was chin-high. I started to help out by saving some appliances like the DVD player, the plasma TV, and the stereo system. Lolo opened the safe and brought out property titles and its other contents to bring upstairs. Before we knew it, the living room furniture was floating. The dining room furniture, the office furniture, the bedroom furniture, even the fridge—everything was submerged or floating in neck-deep water!

We really did not know how fortunate we were. Hundreds of thousands were displaced in other areas. Some who didn’t have much of a home to begin with escaped with only the clothes they were wearing. Most of the evacuees had nothing to go back home to. More than three hundred lives were taken, a handful of whom were rescuers, a situation which is called “Code Black.” My Mom, an obstetrician, who is always on-call 24/7, had attended to a delivery that day but about two hours after the patient recovered said she needed to return to her family. In the middle of the strong rains and heavy flooding, a relative of hers died in Marikina, one of the worst hit disaster areas. Since his family could not take his body to a funeral parlor, they tied his body to a post so it would not float away. When the storm subsided, they found his body yards away, caught by a bush. Presently hundreds of families are still homeless, taking refuge in public schools, gyms, and town basketball courts. TV images of families in evacuation centers bring back memories of New Orleans and the storm “Katrina.” Meanwhile voices have been raised in protest at the national government’s slow response to the crisis. Thankfully there is now an outpouring of aid from the government. Truckloads of Philippine Army soldiers were sent to Cainta, Rizal to assist in the massive clean-up. Philippine Marines flew in relief goods to isolated areas in Northern Luzon. But more relief assistance seems to have come from volunteers, from the private sector, nongovernment organizations, and the international community.

Above: Amanda sitting on wall The water in garage is waist deep.

fronting

her

Amidst the anguish I do believe we Filipinos are blessed. Our neighbors Indonesia and Samoa are in greater need of aid and help. We all hope and pray for more courage during these trying times.

house.

In the bedroom upstairs our family and helpers sat in stunned disbelief. This was happening in Magallanes Village, which to our knowledge had never experienced a flood of such devastation. Almost certainly floodwaters had never entered the residences there. 5

October 2009

My Dad, Itoy By Erlinda Gonda Raezer

My dad, Aniceto ―Itoy‖ Gonda is alive and well at 92 years of age and living independently by himself in his patio home in Tucson, Arizona. He tells his family that his flight has been delayed. Currently his happiness is very simple – good health, love of family and new found friends, big screen TV with Tagalog programs and sports, and of course sinigang with steak. What more can a man his age ask for?

College for Women, University of San Francisco, New York University, Pace University of NY, Georgia Tech, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, Case Western University, Stonybrook Hospital (medical internship), University of Arizona, Furman University and Loyola University in Chicago. He calls his ―home runs‖ that began by sending his children to Catholic schools for a very solid foundation for a life in the U.S. He grew up as a Protestant but he believed in the importance of a Catholic education. We were raised as Catholics and today although still a Protestant, he goes to Mass every Sunday at St. Pius Church in Tucson, Arizona.

My dad came from very humble beginnings and at his age, is very proud to look back at his accomplishments in his career and the successful lives of his children in the United States. He always brags that he has hit so many ―home runs‖ in his life. Although like any other family he did encounter some disappointments and heartaches, overall he is a very happy man. His only regret is that his wife, Josefina Capistrano Gonda, did not live long enough to witness the weddings of the grandchildren and the birth of the great grandchildren. She died five years ago after 60 years of blissful marriage.

Retirement. My mom and dad moved to Chicago in the mid-seventies with their eldest daughter Zenaida. They enjoyed the grandkids and babysat for them. The cold weather in Chicago prompted them to move to the sun belt, Tucson, Arizona. They were very happy in a small 2-bedroom patio home (with Yolanda, their youngest daughter as neighbor); they loved their independence. In 2004, my mom passed away at the age of 88, eight months after they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

Itoy was born in Inicbulan, a tiny agricultural village in Batangas. He was brought up by his aunt and uncle, who adopted him and provided him with an education in Manila. He graduated from Far Eastern University with a degree in accounting. He worked for an American firm, Atkins Kroll and Company as an accounting clerk and upon his retirement in the seventies, he was the highestranking Filipino officer of the company. He earned everything through loyalty and hard work.

Life after my mom. My family was so concerned that dad would be lonely and not survive. But to our surprise, my dad continued on with his life, never showing the family signs of weakness, although we knew he was hurting. He spent a lot of time playing golf with my brother, his friends and me. He joined a support group and there he found a new life. He met so many friends and they all loved him. I tease him that he goes to the support group to meet women, I know that it is very important to him to maintain communication with the outside world, besides his family.

When Atkins Kroll Co. was bombed on December 24, 1941, my dad survived with only minor burns. He dutifully saved the company books. When the company was in shambles he helped imprisoned American employees by smuggling letters and food to them. At the end of the war, he was instrumental in reconstructing the company. The rest is history.

Volunteering and a new career “back to the future.” One month after my mom died, my dad signed up to be a volunteer in the hospital where my mom died. He ended up working at the gift shop doing inventory and delivering flowers, balloons and Teddy Bears to the patients. He said that he started his career as an inventory clerk and ended up as an inventory clerk. They loved him at the hospital.

His family. My dad met my mom, Pining at the ―Capistrano Pharmacy‖ of her family. My dad had to get rabies shots. My mom, a recent UST pharmacy graduate, gave Itoy his shots. My mom’s father belonged to the first graduating class batch of Pharmacy graduates at UST.

Itoy turns 90. He celebrated his 90th birthday party with fifty guests. Besides the social aspect, he recognized the importance of keeping busy and in touch with the world.

They got married in 1944, during the war. After the war they settled in Taguig Rizal, then moved to Singalong where Itoy opened up a Pharmacy for Pining. In the sixties, they relocated to Barrio Capitolyo in Pasig, Rizal. Their children: Zenaida, Erlinda and Yolanda went to St. Scholastica, and Eduardo and Aniceto to De La Salle College.

Nonagenarian setbacks. After two years of volunteer work, he elected to undergo a risky spine operation. I remember when they were wheeling him to the operating table, he said, ―OK, I am ready to meet your mom, however, pray for me because I still want to come back.‖ And he did. He had a difficult recovery but with the power of prayers and with his friends and family rallying around him, he recovered.

His career. As an Executive VP for Atkins Kroll, Itoy’s business travels during the 50’s/60’s led him to San Francisco, where he determined to send all his children, in each one’s turn, for graduate studies in San Francisco 6

October 2009 His only regret was he could not play golf anymore. He is very proud of his five ―Hole-in-Ones‖ in his lifetime. Today he enjoys living vicariously, listening to my golf adventures. He always looks forward to our lunches at the country club where he can enjoy the golf course, desert and mountain views, and also watch the golfers come in. It reminds him of his younger days when he was a member of Valley Golf Country Club.

music (country, classical and gospel); cooks his favorite sinigang and steak; enjoys watching Filipino programs and all sports on his big screen TV. He is an avid reader, especially now that he just had a cataract operation. He reads everything – Time magazine, daily newspaper, war novels, anything really that is printed in black and white. He looks forward to having dinner at my place, especially the weekend dinner with his family. During the holidays he presides over the entire clan for the traditional festivities with his kids and grandkids. He is very proud of our strong family ties, which grew out of his belief that ―A family that prays and plays together, stays together.‖

Today. He drives his Saturn at daylight almost anywhere within a 10-mile radius – to the grocery store, Filipino market, doctors’ appointments, dates with friends, weekly Support Group meetings, cemetery, Church etc. He walks almost everyday around the park for about 1520 minutes. At times during winter when it is too cold to walk, he will go to the grocery store, push a grocery cart and walk around in circles at the store for his exercise. He also goes to visit my mom at the cemetery and then stops by for coffee at one of his girlfriends who lives near the cemetery. He attends potluck dinners with friends. He finally learned that ―pot luck‖ is not bringing your own sandwich to the party. At home, he loves to listen to

Itoy still lives life to the fullest. He recognizes that not too many people his age have what he has right now – a purpose to live and the love of his family and friends.

Home Runs All: Scholasticans: Eddie, Naida Reyes, Itoy, Linda, Yolly and Jr.

About the Author: Linda Gonda-Raezer was a New York resident in the 1970s. Her family moved to Tucson, Arizona in the 1980s. Now retired, she is a golf aficionado and a very effective fundraiser for various causes. This month Linda is leading the annual Rally for the Cure Golf Tournament at the La Paloma Country Club to benefit the Breast Cancer foundation. The event honors breast cancer survivors, of which there is a growing number each year. Linda’s sister, Naida Reyes, is a cancer survivor herself. This year the rally features souvenirs and gifts of pink Cancer Awareness and Survivor jewelry designed by Yvette Jarencio, whose mother was a breast cancer victim.

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October 2009

Food Section - Recipes for after the Storm by Yvette Jarencio After the worst flood situation in the Philippines in forty

years, we received shared personal experiences and email exchanges of photos of Filipino ingenuity at its best. And we saw the smiles of young boys as they swam and waded amid the crying faces of those still filled with uncertainty.

Recipes - Be Italian-esque Go back to basics. Caprese Salad, which is nothing but sliced tomato, round mozzarella cheese, onion, basil leaves, and a sprinkling of olive oil, salt & pepper, and oregano.

Smiles? Yes. I then remembered the mini-floods during our schooldays. It meant the joy of wading ankle-deep under the rain, wearing a bakya (wooden-soled sandals). My daughter today complains she was never allowed to do that in the 80’s – to which I replied the flood water was muddy and unclean by then. If we attempted to go to school we watched the floor of the car fill up as we crossed Dominga Street from Buendia, only to be sent home as we reached the school! We envied our classmates who lived in Palanan, as there was no way they could come to class. I also recalled my selfish habit of praying to Santo Nino for a deus ex machina event because I had not memorized "Daffodils.‖ I reminded family of those ―fun and innocent‖ days, and informed the children and grandchildren of life in the old country when we experienced monsoons in the central typhoon belt of the world: the Philippines. Sometimes electricity was interrupted for days and fresh fish, meats and vegetables took longer to reach our neighborhood palengke, so we survived on Tome sardines, quick cooking scrambled eggs laced with catsup, canned pork and beans, Spam, carne norte and steaming rice cooked over an improvised wood-fired kalan in our garden. As children we looked forward to those special days, and enjoyed the quick meals consumed in candle light or gas lights. When TV invaded the homes, those darkened days made room for the family piano to be once again heard.

Tuna Salad Sandwich, mashed albacore tuna laced with lemon juice, mayonnaise, relish (seasoned with salt pepper and sugar) on bread. Green Salad (Bibb lettuce, spinach, or any variation thereof) with simple vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil (one to one proportion), salt, pepper, sugar. Chicken Salad Sandwich, Italian style. Mash left over chicken breast, mayonnaise, relish (seasoned with salt pepper and sugar). Slice tomatoes thinly. Slices of hard-boiled egg. Toast 3 slices of bread. Put chicken in one slice, cover, on next slice spread mayonnaise on next layer, put egg and tomatoes, and top with the third toast. Cut diagonally and share half a slice. Large appetites can use the entire ―club sandwich.‖ Green Salad (Bibb lettuce, spinach, or any variation thereof) with simple vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil (one to one proportion), salt, pepper, sugar. Pinoy Paella – Arroz ala Spam In a skillet, cook Spam strips, tablespoon of green onions and 1 minced garlic clove until lightly browned. Add sliced mushrooms, 1 green pepper strips and 1 ½ c water. Bring to a boil. Add 1 c rice; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Garlic Pasta In a skillet, cook minced garlic in low until it turns light golden – watch it. Set aside. Place the steaming hot spaghetti or fettuccini in a bowl and immediately add the golden garlic. Also sprinkle immediately grated parmesan cheese. Voila!

When we left Manila, we brought with us all these experiences. While today we live in an esoteric environment, we still need all these survival tools for our weekend homes, or impromptu out-of-town trips. We have also learned to look at our relative ―disasters‖ as ―camping‖ trips.

Pergola e-Dyaryo is a publication of St. Scholastica’s Alumnae Association – East Coast 8