Chapter 24- Rose Mary Digdigan-Divinagracia’s Letter, Nov. 4, 2016

One of our classmates in 3rd and 4th year high school is Rose Mary Digdigan. We often sat close to each other in our classes. Rose Mary, was a lovely girl who remained slender and sweet since our high school days.

Rose Mary is a Baptist. Even in our younger days, we were ecumenical in our faith. We were very closed to our classmates who were Catholics and Aglipayans, who are members Philippine Independent Church. Together with Baptist Church and the Seventh Day Adventists all the churches live harmonous lives.

Rose Mary was 15 years old when her father died. I was about 5 years older than her. Rose Mary stood strong and composed during that hardest time of her life, the death of their father.

She was the first among our classmates whose father died young, Our classmates went to there village in Sapao and joined in the wake of her father. Her mother was there and joined us with her children. We stayed at the wake for more than 2 hours. Her mother was tall and slender and dressed in black when she led her husband’s funeral at the Dumangas municipal cemetery. Hundreds of Dumangasanon came in his burial. Rose Mary's father was one of respected officials of the municipality.

Cecilia Diancin’s father died also a year later. Cecil’s father was a teacher and farmer. Together with her mother, they lived a life of comfort with her two elder brothers, a physician living in Manila and an engineer studying in Iloilo City. Her other sister was a nurse who resided in Manila. They were at their father's wake and conversed with us. When Cecil’s father died, many of our classmates joined. We know that our presence helped comfort Cecil, her mother, brothers and sister.

After our graduation in high school, I did not see Rose Mary for many years. We did not met again. I never met her in Iloilo City. I did not met her in Manila. It was many years later, when during one of our class reunion I met Rose Mary again. By that time, she was married and came to our class reunion with her husband, Pampi Divinagracia and one of their children. Then, we continued to meet in our class reunion, mostly on May 3, during the Dumangas town fiesta.

The same with Limbay Deza. After our graduation, we meet in Iloilo City two times. She was enrolled at UP-Visayas.Then, we never met again. I heard later, she pursued her nursing studies in Cebu City. The world was too big for us during those days. It was many years later, that we met again in our class reunion. The same with most of our classmates. We did not met each other again, after our class graduation in March 1961.

Except for Cecil Diancin. She enrolled Pre-nursing at University of San Agustin. She proceeded to Manila for her nursing studies. There, I visited her some time in the hospital she was working. I was with the Philippines Herald newspaper. We stayed often at the Manila Police Headquarters, under Gen. Manuel Yan at United Nations Avenue. There, we got crime news from the Police Desk officer. On the other side of U.N. Avenue was Cecil’s school where she was finishing her nursing course.

In 2015, after I have partly recovered from weakened memory due to stroke that hit me in 2010. I thought of writing some part of my life in high school. A friend told me that writing will help develop my mind again and strengthen my memory. I started writing, trying to recall some episode of our student's lives in Dumangas. By that time, computer, Internet, goggles, facebook and websites became part of people’s lives, specially the younger generations. These were the most revolutionary developments and discoveries in modern communications. I tried to learn a little of computer, internet, goggle, facebook and websites. I tried again to write.

I started writing a story of my life. A few chapters told the story of our life at Dumangas high school, when we were 3rd and 4thyear high school in 1959 and 1960. I shared it with some of our classmates of long ago over Facebook. Rose Mary who lived and worked in San Fraancisio, United States was able to read it. Her lovely letter came, one that was worth remembering always. It came November 4, 2016. It reads:

“Dear Rud,

“Ang galing naman! I enjoyed reading this!

“Where was I after the graduation ceremony, I don't remember going to a dance party. ..Where was it held, at the town plaza?

“Anyway, I appreciate you for putting this down in writing for us all to re-capture the past. What we've had were simple pleasures of growing up being innocent boys and girls trying to find our little niche in that little society called Dumangas High School!

“What a privilege to be growing up amongst, what you've already described, close-knit group that to this day we all still are! Thank you for the friendships that has lasted long beyond the walls of our classrooms and under the kalamanci/ orchard trees. The pangulabo or pamutong at the kalubihan of Betty Demetillo, where a fallen old brown coconut missed my head by a hairline! It almost hit me! Oh my!

For the love of “butong” (young coconuts) that to this day we still continue to long for each time we came back home! And Rud, thank you sooo much for taking us there this past May 3 during our class mini-reunion into the kalubihan and treated us to another deliz fresh buko treat!! We wish we could've have stayed a little longer there whatever have left of each other. I hope that I, myself can leave you a li'l snippet of myself that will remind you of me if that's all I can ever leave you all with!

We are embarking on our last chapter in each of our lives! I hope that I can leave you with sweet memories. As for me I had fun and enjoyed every li'l time I had ever spent with each of you! Life is precious! Continue to live to the fullest everyone! I thank God for each of you and I'm sorry to have missed those who had gone before us! Specially our friend Delia Tachado!

The time we spent searching for her finally came to an end when we found her! And when we did, not too long after that, in just what seemed to be a blink of an eye, there she was - she was gone again, this time never to be coming back again! But we'll see her again when it's our time to be called to join her up in heaven.

So everyone, stay healthy, take care of your precious health, we cannot afford to take a fall or anything that would slow us down.

“Lim, thank you for all that you did and continue to do. Without your efforts we would not be what we are today. And you too, Clem! You are the anchor that holds us all together. And to all of you, who in one way or the other, have contributed to the continued strength of our Class '61, just by being there each time we get together back home or wherever it is that we can get ourselves together!”

Sincerely,

Rose Mary
(Rose Mary Digdigan- Divinagracia)

2Myrna Bernal and Wilson D Guanzon

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