Thursday, January 10, 2008 Utzurrum: Of honors and happy moments By Chinggay V. Utzurrum The scene
OF great interest to the humongous clan of the couple Don Nicasio Ch. Veloso (born Chiong Tuico) and Dona Genoveva Rosales is a coming grandiose event. There will be a family reunion on Friday, Jan. at the Laguna Garden Café, Cebu Business Park. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and reunion ends after merienda at 5 p.m.
From a detailed chronicle handed to us by descendant Marilou Enriquez-Bernardo, who’s also the tireless and dedicated organizer to this task, we learned that Don Nicasio Ch. Veloso migrated from Amoy (now Xiamen), China, Fujian province to Cebu, sometime after 1860. He engaged in trade; became the foremost Chinese moneylender when there were still no banks in Cebu; became a sugar haciendero; and had extensive real estate properties in the city of Cebu. Indeed, as one American historian put it: “The Chiong Veloso family was the most influential family network in the 19th and 20th century in both Cebu City and the province.”
To list down the prominent, political and patriotic members of this revered Clan would take a few pages, so suffice it to say that from the Osmeñas, to the Del Mars, to the Francos, to the Villalons, Leysons, Rodriguezes, Velezes, Torreses and many more in between, the litany goes on!
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On the subject of prominence, the Segura clan also has reasons to rejoice. A patriarch Arch’t. Gregorio “Dodi” Segura, has just been awarded an Achiever Citation from the United Architects of the Philippines College of Fellows,” in recognition of his “long service to the profession and the prestige contributed to the organization through his ethical architectural practice and outstanding achievements.”
Amid his peers, and even two nephews who followed his footsteps, Segura was given the award at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino during the national conference for architects.
For the information of many, after the war, in an effort to rebuild the city, a pool of designers initiated moves to open the first school of architecture in Cebu. At that time, there were only three architectural schools and were all based in Manila.
Segura, with a friend, N. Abella, saw the fruits of their labors when in 1946, the Cebu Institute of Technology established the architecture department, which the former headed as dean. Now retired, Segura’s last post was as dean of the architecture department of Southwestern University.
Congrats to Arch’t. Segura, and more power to nephews who are architects Josemari Canizares and Benjamin Avila, and a third generation grandnephew, Emmanuel Jesus Avila.
Theresians (name for graduates of St. Theresa’s College), like all other nostalgia-hungry personalities, believe that the best time to gather and giggle is Christmas time.
So one chilly day, high school class 1975 took a breather and entertained balikbayan classmates Joy Cusi-Griffith and Suyen Angbetic-Anderson at the cozy Casa Escano along Juana Osmeña St. Let the photos tell the story.
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Fiestas are also cause for celebrations, and to honor their patron, Nuestra Senora del Pilar, the Hermoso y Hermanos y Hermanas de Zamboanga commenced their event with a procession at the shrine of the Virgin in Oppra, Barangay Kalunasan, followed by a healing Holy Mass by Msgr. Cris Garcia, Father Nolito Salandron and Father Luigi Martinez.
The rites over, organization prexy Chat Munoz led the fellowship at Sacred Heart center. Viva Nuestra Senora Del Pilar!
