CPH REUNION

Something was afoot when Phoenix-based WinsomeChua contacted his former boss, ex-Front Office Manager Steve Alfafara, early this year. This Scorpio Boy (remember the Scorpio Nights group that many unsuccessfully tried to penetrate, including me?) was determined to come up with a Grand Cebu Plaza Hotel Reunion. After all, the old timers among us have not seen each other for 30 years! I remember Winsome as a tall, gangly, ever-smiling lad from Concierge who delivered the papers to my office first hour each morning.

Steve delegated the task to the ever-dependable ladies he knew in CPH: Memie Diaz , ex-Cost Control (and husband Rene, ex-FO), who is now with Waterfront Accounting – as lead organizer, with ex-Account Executive Tessie Nacional and ex-FO admin assistant Suyen Figuracion as coordinators. Ex- artist Palmy Pe pitched in to look for donors for the raffle prizes.

I was asked by the organizers to post an announcement in The FREEMAN a week before the event, with a “P350.00 kkb” notation. Venue was ex-Bai Disco Manager John Tiongco’s Sinugba Resto at The Gallery, across Pope John XXIII Seminary. We had a lunch reunion on March 20 in Cebu, to coincide with the March 21 Saturday night reunion in the U.S. We set up a webcam connection so we could view and greet each other across the seas. This was a cool and successful tie-up of the concurrent reunions.

With the generous amount raised by former confreres overseas, especially the U.S.-based ones, the Cebu reunion fee was reduced to P150.00/pax, to cover incidental expenses.

One hundred fifty strong showed up on the day of the Cebu-side reunion. The organizers were overwhelmed by the unexpected huge turnout. The CPH family really missed each other over the years. Ex-Banquets waiter Boyet Lim, who has become a well-known performer during the Sinulog noontime show at the Abellana Grandstand, sang non-stop throughout lunch. The raffles took place by mid-afternoon, after the group photo sessions that I missed, as I left a bit after lunch. Everyone was reluctant to break up the party where laughter and stories were the order of the day.

Thank you to the generous donors of the raffle prizes: Edwin Ortiz (ex-FO), Tambuli Beach Resort, Archie Duhaylungsod, Ricric Hernandez, Junnette de los Santos, Anita Blanco (ex- Chinese Account Executive) and Glenda Bernaldez (ex-PR assistant).

Congratulations to the Cebu organizers for a very successful gathering of long-time friends, as well as for the good food and great company. Till next time!