TO OUR BELOVED MAYOR, JUN BARONA, OFFICERS AND ORGANIZERS, FATIMITES, FELLOW ALUMNAE, FRIENDS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN GOOD EVENING.

TODAY, I SEE OLD FAMILIAR FACES THAT REMIND ME OF OLD MEMORIES OF YOUTH THAT HAS NOT BEEN ERASED THROUGH TIME AND SPACE. THE HEART REMEMBERS THE SIMPLE JOYS OF FRIENDSHIP AND ONENESS THAT THE PAST 38 YEARS BROUGHT TO EACH ONE OF US HERE. AND I CAN SAY THAT THIS DAY IS REALLY GRAND AND VERY SIGNIFICANT AS THIS EVENT HAPPENS VERY RARE. IT IS GOOD TO SEE ALL OF YOU AGAIN AND SHARE OUR LIVES ONCE MORE. HUMAHAGALPAK NG TAWA NGAYON.

BEFORE I BEGIN MY MESSAGE, I KNOW THAT A LOT OF YOU DON’T KNOW ME AS I SELDOM COME HOME TO BUCAY. WELL, AM THE NIECE OF THE LATE MAESTRA CION FERNANDEZ. THRU THE PRODDING OF OUR PRESIDENT MR. COSME VALERA TABERDO, PINILIT NYA AKO NA MAGSALITA NGAYON SA INYONG HARAPAN. EH SINCE DI NAMAN AKO NAKAPAG SPEECH NOON HIGH SCHOOL AKO KASI FIRST HONORABLE MENTION LANG AKO SASAMANTALAHIN KO NA. I CONSENTED TO HIS REQUEST. I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A KID NA SUMALI AKO SA AMATEUR SINGING CONTEST THEN AKO NA YONG KAKANTA, BIGLANG MAY NAGPUTUKAN AT LAHAT NG TAO NAGTAKBUHAN NA, PERO AKO AYAW PANG UMALIS SA STAGE UNTIL MY MOTHER TOOK ME BY FORCE.YUNG ANG TIME NA NAPATAY ANG TATAY NG KAKLASE KO NA SI ISING PALCON.  O DI BA? BATA PA LANG AKO MALAKAS NA ANG LOOB KO AT DETERMINADO. GOING BACK, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME PIECE OF INSPIRATION THAT PERHAPS, THE YOUNG ESPECIALLY MAY CONSIDER AND PONDER UPON. 38 YEARS AGO, AFTER GRADUATION EACH OF US BEGUN A NEW CHAPTER IN OUR LIVES. EACH TO ITS OWN IKA NGA. ALL THE EXPERIENCES, THE CHOICES WE MADE IN LIFE CONTRIBUTED TO WHAT WE ARE NOW.

LOOKING BACK NOW, I CAN SAY THAT LIFE HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME. PERHAPS, BECAUSE I DID MY PART IN THIS SO CALLED GAME OF LIFE. AS THE SAYING GOES “LIFE IS WHAT WE MAKE IT”. NASA TIYAN PA LANG AKO NONG MAULILA KAMI SA AMA. SALUDO DIN AKO SA NANAY KO DAHIL HINDI NA SYA NAG ASAWA ULIT DESPITE HER BEING A WIDOW AT AN EARLY AGE.  UMASA LANG KAMI SA TULONG NG MGA KAMAG-ANAK NAMIN. TO MENTION A FEW, ISA NA DOON TI DIOS TI ALWAD NA NGA NI MAESTRA CION. DOON KAMI LUMAKI KASAMA ANG LOLA NAMIN.  EARLY IN LIFE WE CAME TO KNOW OUR LIMITATIONS AND OUR DAILY DOMESTIC RESPONSIBILITIES BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL AND AFTER SCHOOL. KUNG MERON AKONG KINAIINISAN NOON, IYON AY PAG TATAWAGIN AKO NG AUNTIE KO HABANG NAGLALARO. MAY LIMITASYON ANG PAGLALARO. SABI NYA, WHEN IT’S DARK GO HOME. AGAPON KAYON. DATI DI KO TO NAGEGETS, BUT THEN I REALIZED SHE WAS JUST TEACHING US DISCIPLINE AND OBEDIENCE. THERE WERE HOUSE RULES THAT AUNTIE CION SET FOR US TO OBEY AND COMPLY. YOU KNOW TEACHERS ARE KNOWN FOR BEING STRICT AND SHE’S LIKE THAT BUT SHE NEVER FAILED TO INSTILL IN US THE VALUE OF DISCIPLINE AND HARD WORK ALSO.  IF YOU ARE A KID, YOU WILL NOT APPRECIATE THIS BECAUSE KIDS ONLY WANT TO PLAY. AKALA MO INAAPI KA. LATER IN LIFE, WE REALIZED THAT IT WAS FOR OUR GOOD PALA.  TO CUT THE STORY SHORT, I WAS ABLE TO FINISH COLLEGE WITH THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMMERCE MAJOR IN ACCOUNTING IN FEU THRU THE HELP OF MY PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER. MY MOTHER AND SISTER STAYED HERE IN BUCAY WHILE I STAYED IN MANILA. MY MOTHER WOULD SELL ICE CANDY, PALITAW, CORNICK AND BINUELOS AT THE BUCAY NATIONAL GENERAL HIGH SCHOOL. UNTIL NAKAIPON SYA NG PUHUNAN AT NAGPUT UP NG GROCERY STORE SA MANABO THRU THE HELP OF OUR LATE UNCLE ICOY. NOON, PAG SEMESTRAL BREAK SA COLLEGE, UUWI AKO DITO SA BUCAY PARA MAGPART TIME SA ASSESSOR’S OFFICE NA PINAPASUKAN NI UNCLE RUDING O DI KAYA MAGTINDA SA MANABO. YONG SWELDO KO SA ASSESORYA PANDAGDAG DIN SA ALLOWANCE KO PAG MAY KLASE NA.EVEN BEFORE I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE AM ALREADY A WORKING STUDENT AND I REMEMBER BEING A FILING CLERK SA PEPSI COLA SA AURORA BLVD. PA ANG OFFICE NOON. AFTER COLLEGE, I WORKED IMMEDIATELY THEN I DECIDED TO TRY MY LUCK ABROAD SO NAGPUNTA AKO SA SAUDI WHERE I STARTED AS A JANITRESS THEN NAGLEVEL UP TO A MEDICAL RECORDS CLERK AT A BIG HOSPITAL. NANDON DIN SA SAUDI YONG 1 UNCLE KO SO MAY UMAALALAY SA AKIN. YOU KNOW GOD USES PEOPLE. THEN I CAME BACK TO THE PHILS.   WHERE I GOT EMPLOYED WITH EMERY TRANSNATIONAL A CARGO FORWARDING COMPANY WHERE I WAS ABLE TO LEARN THE INS AND OUTS OF A FORWARDING & BROKERAGE BUSINESS. DAHIL LIKAS NA MALAKAS ANG LOOB KO, I DECIDED TO PUT UP MY OWN FORWARDING COMPANY AFTER 3 THREE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. THAT’S WHERE   THE NOW FASTLINK HANDLERS & BROKERAGE CORP. SA AWA NG DIOS, 18 YRS IN BUSINESS NA NGAYON AND GOING STRONG. BECAUSE OF THIS I GOT TO TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD AND ATTEND CONFERENCES AND MEET MY AGENTS AND AFFILIATES ALL OVER THE WORLD.

THE COMPANY COMPRISED OF 87 STAFF NOW, YOU SEE, GOD GIVES US OPPORTUNITIES WE ONLY HAVE TO GRAB IT. AND LOTS OF LAKAS NG LOOB . AS OF NOW, MY ELDEST SON WORKS ALONG WITH ME AS AN OPERATIONS MANAGER. MY 2ND DAUGHTER IS STILL IN COLLEGE AND MY 2 YOUNGEST ARE STILL IN HIGHSCHOOL. I I WANT TO EMPHASIZE SOME IMPORTANT THINGS HERE. LIKE ME, YOU WILL ALSO NEED THESE.

1. DISKARTE TI BIAG. MAKE DO WITH WHAT YOU HAVE.

2. PATIENCE – NEVER GIVE UP

3. COMPASSION

4. FOCUS AND DETERMINATION

5. SHARE YOUR BLESSINGS -

6. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT IS PRAYERS

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE MY LIFE’S

STORY. I WILL FOREVER CHERISH AND LOVE MY ALMA MATER OUR LADY OF FATIMA SCHOOL WHO MOLDED ME TO WHAT I HAVE BECOME NOW.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.