Remembering the child

Long before computers, printers, play stations, MP3's, MP4s, IPods and whatever else dents the parents' pockets nowadays to entertain their young ones, what made children many decades removed laugh and gleeful? What games was child's play made of?

Everything nice, simple, basic and inexpensive, if not cost-free. And we moved on to adolescence without harboring a grudge about a deprived childhood. Remember how the garter from Mom's sewing box easily became the line to jump over? How excited the full moon made us, so we could barricade the streets at both ends, and then we could spill out into the streets to play "tubig-tubig"? Or how we wound strands of abaca to make our skipping rope? What years those were!

So, when the Aboitiz group of companies invited us to the Christmas party for their media friends, "yes" was our only option. Because a Christmas party on the first day of the month would begin the yuletide season for us. Because, through the years, Aboitiz Christmas parties have proved to be creative must-attends. And this particular time around, the theme was "Celebrating Our Childhood Christmas," an invitation to "a night of holiday cheers, nostalgic reminiscing and bringing back the child in all of us."

Cheers were a-plenty and warm all evening long. Top honcho Jon Ramon Aboitiz, CEO and President of the Aboitiz group of companies, thanked the media practitioners for their continued support through the years. There was the cultural ensemble from the Cebu Normal University (CNU) whose songs, dances and other musical presentations regaled guests no end with their wide repertoire, whether in violin or poignant renditions of such Visayan classics as "Dandansoy" or the playful "Si Filemon," to Broadway songs powerfully rendered by soprano Yntel Beltran.

Credibly labeled by emcee Sam Costanilla as "the Charlotte Church of Cebu," 17-year-old Beltran is a CNU high school graduate and now engineering student at the Cebu Aeronautical School. As she reached one high note after another, it was amazing how such a powerful voice could come from such a young and delicate frame. Her opening rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" was but a preview of her creditable performance the rest of the evening, particularly with "The Light of a Million Mornings" and selections from "Phantom of the Opera." The waiting only whetted the anticipation further. Finally, the much-awaited games came, sending both media guests and Aboitiz executives and staff all over the grand ballroom of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. Everyone was in the moment, whether as spectator or participant, playing the games of their childhood to their hearts' content. Such was the sight on such a night!

The shy and quiet Tonee Despojo, Cebu Daily News' photo editor, was surprisingly a "tubig-tubig" enthusiast, watching the opposing team with hawk-like precision. To petite Ehda Dagooc of The Freeman, the garter game was a no-brainer, as she leapt up, up in the air while spectators around ohh-ed and ahh-ed. This lady was undaunted, even when 6 feet and 5 inches tall Aboitiz executive Antonio Moraza and another six footer, RCTV's Manuel "Bunny" Pages, held both ends of the garter.

Elsewhere, the Aboitiz group's COO and EVP Erramon "Montxu" Aboitiz was playing "takyan," remembering how he easily used to hit 100 in a row. Nearby, some ladies played the jackstone game, while others were busy recalling one variation after another.

One can imagine how Alex Badayos, Sun*Star Cebu's chief photographer, must've enjoyed teasing his childhood playmates. He was running all around the grand ballroom, weaving through and behind the crowds as he played the "bato lata." And now we know how DYAB's Vilma Andales stays slim and trim - mastery of the hula hoop. As we watched her and Natnut Pacres of Mom's Radio compete for first place, we also realized how the hula hoop could give the slimming salons a run for their money.

Simple, basic and inexpensive, but utterly challenging and enjoyable, the stuff memories are made of for years to come.