WOMEN just don’t turn 90 every day!
And so, with justifiable pride and joy, the three heirs of Martina “Beling” Go Ching Hai, Nellie, Edward and Paulette, planned a spectacular, yet meaningful celebration to honor their beloved Mom!
The majestic, well-appointed hall of the Grand Convention Center was the chosen venue for this event. What greeted guests was the floral decked stage, and at center, the more-than-lifesized photo of a serene, and fulfilled silver-haired, smiling Martina!
After the invocation by Rev. Fr. Ernesto Javier, a sumptuous dinner, a well-edited video, chronicling Martina’s nine decades on earth followed.
Truly amazing and admirable were her projects promoting ways and means to protect the planet, all under the umbrella of Forward, an aggrupation of more than 10 civic clubs in Cebu. To date, more than a million seedlings have been planted province-wide by this group. And still counting!
A definite highlight was the launching of her book, a compilation of her lifelong dreams titled “Moving Ahead - Forward.”
And quite appropriately, guess what each guest received as token? A plant to nurture and live forever!
Many more years of harvesting, Beling!
• • •
Another glam lady who marked a milestone was our Theresian classmate, Ramona “Monina” Pacheco-Ouano.
Wearing her classic caftan which she designs and makes herself, she organized a group for lunch, where she sprung a surprise!
Instead of a simple candle on her cake, it was a huge “roman” candle, seven of them that filled the entire room with smoke!
So here’s wishing you every happiness under the sun and more travels in the years to come! From all of us: Jane Young Llaban, Merle Padilla-Cunanan, Sony Velez, Marilu Briones-Chiongbian, Aida Cavan-Ugalde, Terry Escaño-Manguerra and this writer.