Unexpected deaths and SMS Class ’79 reunion

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY – Life is indeed short. It seems most people I know, at least within a decade of my age, are dying. Last Thursday, engineer Peter Batnag, a neighbor in Barangay Dagdag in Sagada suddenly went to the great Beyond following a shocking death.
    He reportedly climbed the water tank at their house in Wagner Road here to fix it but slipped and fell. His head hit the ground. The serious injury caused his death. Our condolences to the family.
    The last time I saw him was when I met him along the BPI walk-way at Camp John Hay early this year. He was with his wife Hilaria and was his usual bubbly self.
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Two weeks ago, Alfredo “Joel” C. Apolinar, a relative from our Bontoc side of the Changats also went to the Great Beyond due to heart failure. Our condolences too to the family.  
    Over the past months, some people I know have been dying one after the other. It makes one think about one’s mortality and where to rest one’s weary bones.
    The years have passed away so fast that it seems, it was only then that we were carefree high school students roaming mountains looking for blueberries or swimming in rivers and having frequent bonfires.  
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Anyway, just last week, Peter’s younger brother Thomas and our high school batch mates of Class ’79 of the Anglican Saint Mary’s School in Sagada  had a reunion at the Blu Water Resort in Bauang, La Union.  
    Everybody visibly aged. There was Fr. Dario Palasi who came all the way from New York to attend the reunion prompting Dave Gulian to quip it was good we had a legitimate priest for a batch mate who will pray for our sins.
    Fr. Dario was saying Petra Balageo, another batchmate was also living in the Big Apple but couldn’t come home for the occasion so she sent money to pay for our accommodation.
    There also was Edward Latawan, who graduated as mayor of Sagada. He paid for our lunch at the River Farm Resort in Bacnotan. The lunch was worth around P22-K making Filomena Gayagay quip it was good if Edward’s wife did not know how much he spent. The seafood was good though.
    Another batchmate -- James “Payko” Pooten, who also came after Edward as mayor of Sagada, couldn’t make it but sent word he would host lunch for those who would visit another batchmate – Regie Padeo, former commander of the army engineering brigade in Ifugao who unfortunately suffered a stroke some years ago and became bedridden.
    The visit was scheduled yesterday at Brookside where Regie and Payko are neighbors.
    The group also went to the wake of the wife of Pidong Balanon in Pinget. The father of Pidong was our teacher in social studies at SMS.        
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So back, while we were in Bauang. It was agreed that our batch would form a cooperative. It was cited that another coop, the Treasure Link founded by students of Bangaan of the northern part of Sagada, some years ago, is now worth multi-billion with offices all over Cordillera and outside the region.
    Let this be an inspiration, it was noted. 
    Another reunion was tentatively set for December or early next year to tackle pressing matters. All of us are now aging fast, so I guess, everybody is trying to catch up.      
    Our thanks also to doctors Sigrid Tarnate Aoas and Karen Wasian Bilango among others who cooked up the reunion  attended by Jonathan Salicob, Wilson Omaweng, Julio Manodon, Mark Manogan, Rose Capuyan, Sylvia Malecdan, Clement, Albert Madalang and others my aging brain cells cannot recall at the moment.
    To the others like Ezra Aranduque, Helen Belingon Soliba, Amy Lalwet, Geraldine Dagacan, Rosa Bing-iyan, Naty Nadnaden, Flordeliza Fernandez, Silvestre Mosing, Ben Dangkiw, Carol Yodong, Dick Carias, Richard Domoguen, Joy Dizon, Bridget Afidchao among others who were not able to make it, see you in the next one.