Nelia G. Neri, Chinggay Utzurrum and Cookie Newman
IT WAS a proud and happy day for the Magsaysay siblings, Myra, Maureen, Mia and Glen and their families when the book Jo was launched at the Marcelo Fernan Press Center.
Not around but surely just as proud was their brother Guy Ramon. Jo was their beloved Mom, the late Jo Gaboya Magsaysay who wrote a column in Sun.Star entitled Whatever.
The book is a compilation of selected articles from those columns. Jo's gift for words and exuberance of spirit continue to leap out from the pages of the book.
The launching was a gathering of family and close friends. Particularly pleased with the turnout was daughter Myra Sun who must be credited for her perseverance in her dream of producing her mommy's book. She emceed the short program, which started with an opening prayer led by her sister Mia Cuenco. Meanwhile, the other sister, Dr. Maureen Santos, was here, there and everywhere attending to the guests.
Guest speaker and guest pianist was Dr. Ingrid Sala Santamaria who spoke of Jo's love for goodness, truth and beauty. Then she played Beethoven's Spring Sonata with Rey Abellana on the violin (Rey, a "graduate" of the Salvador and Pilar Sala Foundation's 10-year CYSO program, is now the conductor of the Cebu Philharmonic Orchestra).
Excerpts from the book were then read, the first of which was not Jo's work but that of her granddaughter, Felicia Magsaysay Sun, who wrote a poem as a granddaughter's response to her lola's all-encompassing love and care, shortly after Jo died. It closes the book and is entitled "Letting Her Go With Angel's Wings," which Felicia herself read. Then Milagros Teleron Dumdum (past president of Women in Literary Arts) read Jo's "The Joy of Being Old," followed by Monette Aliño with "A Whiff of Riches, A Wealth of Love." A video clip of Jo's pictures prepared and presented by her granddaughter Samantha Zoe Santos ended the short program, after which cocktails were served.
The summer afternoon sun, scorching and sizzling, was no deterrent to the intimate crowd of family, friends, and fans who gathered for the iconic writer, widely-read and colorful columnist.
Indeed we, her colleagues in the last 10 years (with book editor Jenara R. Newman, Flor Suico Ynclino), were there to celebrate with her family, friends and fans—April 24 as "Jo Gaboya-Magsaysay Day!" The book launch was sponsored by the Cebu Newspaper Workers Foundation (Cenewof) and the Arts Council of Cebu.