Couple gives substance to gold wedding anniversary

By Ramon Dacawi

NAGUILLAN, La Union -- The theme was gold but Pete and Velma Ferrer found no need to have the precious, yellow metal molded into anniversary rings to mark their wedding 50 years ago to the day last March 14 here in the town church.

Instead, the couple found themselves at home in a two-classroom school building in Magungunay, a remote barangay in Naguilian that was celebrating its fiesta.

Pete and Velma grew up in Baguio and in the mining camps of Benguet. For years now, they have been residents of Northern California where Pete served as a U.S. military serviceman. For years now, they have been tracing their roots to Naguilian through community outreach work that, aside from kin, gives substance to their homecomings.

That’s why last March 12, the couple traveled from Baguio by bus, to be in Magungunay in time for the barangay fiesta. Barangay residents led by village chief Tony Quinones deemed it only fitting to have the community celebration coincide with the couple’s golden anniversary – and the blessing of a two-classroom school building.

Instead of a cake with golden icing, the couple came home with bags of goodies and school supplies. These were for Magungunay’s toddlers who go to class in the school building the couple donated three years ago.
“This school building is the second funded by Pete and Velma,” recalled Steve Mallari, a resident and volunteer who helped supervise the construction. “The first was a classroom for kids of Bariquir, another barangay here in Naguilian.”

No strangers to community work, Pete and Velma have been supporting humanitarian and service causes, be it in their personal or formal capacity. They are involved as donors in the “GawadKalinga” housing program. For years, they’ve opened their home to visitors from Naguilian, Baguio and the Cordillera and from wherever, long before Pete served as president of the Baguio Californians, the organization of expatriates who trace their roots to Baguio.

Late in 2008, the couple sent out invitation cards for Velma’s birthday in their home in California. Instead of cakes and personal gifts, Velma asked guests to contribute love notes and donations so that together, they could build the school in Magungunay.

Asked to speak their piece at the fiesta, the couple pointed out that the school building stands as a monument to the cooperation of expatriates, the political leadership of Naguilian and the town’s residents.

That’s why the tandem of former town vice-mayor and now mayor Reynaldo Flores and former mayor and now vice-mayor Abraham Rimando led town officials in gracing Magungunay’s fiesta.

Breaking protocol, mayor Flores served as master of ceremonies in the program that also saw him leading the town’s civil servants to a “hataw” mass exercise.

That’s why Baguio city councilor Nicasio Aliping Jr. motored down for the school blessing and inauguration. He has been witness to how Pete and Velma, his own brother Joel and other members of the Baguio Californians and the BIBAK of Northern California would open their homes and drive for visiting Filipinos, be they from Baguio, Naguilian, the Cordillera or wherever.

In a way, he was expecting to witness Pete and Velma renew their marriage vows in church. Instead, the couple felt it equally fulfilling to witness with the rest of the community the blessing of the two –classroom building by Fr. Benjie Manzano. The structure stands on a 2,000-square meter lot that VillamorEstilong, son-in-law of village chief Quinones, had donated. For the moment, the two classrooms serve as an annex of the Ambaracao Sur Elementary School under principal Gina Dacayanan.

With the steady growth of the school population, the two-classroom affair will eventually grow into a full elementary school. Kapitan Quinones apparently envisions this eventuality. At his turn to speak, he assured the community of his son-in-law’s intention to donate more of his property for the expansion. That means the partnership for Magungunay’s future triggered by a couple’s sense of community will go far beyond the Ferrers’ golden wedding anniversary.