Balikbayan season is the longest season

By Al S. Mendoza

WHO SAID the longest season of festivity for the Filipino is the Christmas holidays?

Think again, fellers.

The longest season is the balikbayan season.

Since early December, our balikbayans have continuously come almost in droves.  That had been the case since the word “balikbayan” was coined.

Was it in the Seventies?

The undying Three Kings feast has come and gone (Jan. 6) but still, the balikbayan season has yet to end.

They are still flying in.  And many intend to celebrate the day of hearts here-that’s on Valentine’s Day of course on Feb. 14.  You know how incurably romantic Filipinos are.

The town fiestas in our province have become magnets to our balikbayans, many of whom are either our relatives or friends. 

With the fiestas come the reunions. From December to May, Pangasinan is famous for its lavish fiestas. 

There is not a life of want for the Pangasinense; come fiesta, every table is a feast of food.  The best of clothes are worn, the shoes are new, the pieces of jewelry are plucked out from the baul  (chest).

Most often, our balikbayans time their visits with the fiestas to coincide with their class reunions.

Thus, many of my own batch mates from Mangatarem High School are in town to join the reunion of The Spirit of ’67. 

For my batch mates, the celebration has been going on since early December.  For example, Amante Caronongan, David Vela, Romeo Alamillo and I played golf at Alabang before Christmas.  After the round, we mapped out strategies on how to spice up the Grand Day of the reunion, which is today (Jan. 21). 

We actually had the Big Day yesterday, held at the mansion of Dolly Gurion, who is based in San Francisco for nearly a quarter of a century now. Cherry Mislang, Dang de Vera, Romy Artatez and Freddie Baloto played key roles to ensure yesterday’s success.

But yesterday’s affair was sort of half-baked. You know why?

I had to leave at 2:30 p.m. to play principal sponsor to the wedding of my buloy, Al  Cuaresma, in the company of Fiscal Boni Sison and Bella Austria-De Vera, among others.

While our reunion was on, I had to sneak out and rush to the Catholic Church in Mangatarem clad in Barong Tagalog and all.

I simply couldn’t refuse attending the wedding simply because Al Cuaresma is a dear buddy of mine. 

Not only that, his Dad, Kuya Gil Cuaresma, has been a “glassmate” of mine for years.

And then, of course, the final reason I couldn’t say no is, Kuya Gil’s wife, Lydia, was my chemistry teacher.  My, how can I say no to the son of one of my favorite teachers in high school?

Time flies, really.

Today a Sunday (Jan. 21), we are set to have the Grand Day of our reunion at Manleluag Hot Springs in Mangatarem.  Besides Madame Lydia, also expected to attend are our teachers Anita Valdez, Teresita Tuzon-Austria, Filomena Mendoza and Salvador  Apostol.  More food, more stories, more trips down memory lane.

Catch you later, fellers.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/general-admission/)

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