Welcome and Goodbye

Bonita Suson Lim was out of the country for 30 years, and yes, 30 years is too long for us not to welcome her and hubby Henry back with exhilaration and warm embrace.

Before they arrived, Bonita’s sister Angie and husband Loloy Unchuan informed us (the diehard White Collar girls of which Bonita was a member) that she was coming to Cebu to have R&R. Because June 4 was her birthday, so we thought we had an excuse to see her. Her younger sis however gave us stern instructions not to do so.

Our organizer, Betty Young, gathered the girls and, with Angie’s cooperation, planned a surprise birthday lunch for Bonita. Bonita stayed at the Unchuan’s sprawling three-hectare property in Mactan, which was surrounded with fishponds filled with bangus and prawns. On the day of the surprise party, Bonita was at the back patio of the Unchuan abode, unmindful of what was happening in the house.

When lunchtime came, Angie called her big sis, and out of nowhere, Betty emerged and presented her with a bouquet of orchids, Pilar Puno brought a chocolate birthday cake, and the rest – Rory Sabarre, Manol Hipolito and Lydia Vitanzos – gave her all the hugs and kisses. Was she surprised? You bet she was! Everyone was rollicking with laughter, seeing Bonita’s reaction upon seeing her former White Collar colleagues. For her, it was the most memorable visit she ever had in Cebu.

Actually, this idyllic and serene place of Loloy and Angie Unchuan was the ideal place for the couple to spend their one week respite from the madding crowd in Honolulu, Hawaii. The couple used to live in Guam for 20 years before they moved to Hawaii to settle there for the rest of their lives.

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A series of despedida parties were thrown by friends and relatives of Dodong and Fides Senining before they left for Toronto, Canada. The young Seninings uprooted themselves from Cebu to migrate to Canada. Fides’ friends from CIC, headed by Lilibeth Suico, hosted a dinner at the Marco Polo; her good friend and boss Elvira Luym and Marissa Fernan hosted lunch, but the biggest farewell party was hosted by the Jesu Christi Community. In his prayers, our spiritual adviser Fr. Soc Saldua asked the Lord to bless Dodong, Fides and their family with good health, success and protection especially in their new undertakings. We’re sure gonna miss my alter ego, but without a shadow of a doubt, God will be with them throughout their stay there and will never abandon them!