Felisa Chiongbian at 88

CEBU, Philippines - Life is beautiful and for Mrs. Felisa Yap Chiongbian, despite its many ups and downs, it has obviously been great. Mrs. Chiongbian or Ninang Felisa, as most people fondly call her, celebrated her 88th birthday on April 22 at the Asilo church along Gorordo Avenue, together with the Asilo children.

Her birthday celebration began with a simple Thanksgiving Mass celebrated by Rev. Fr. Victor Baltazar who was assisted by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Non, Rev. Fr. Luigi Kerschbamer and Rev. Fr. Benjamin Sim.

The Mass started at exactly 3 pm. Aside from the Asilo children, female teenagers of the Cebu Hope Center Inc., as well as Mrs. Chiongbian’s family and friends, came wearing red for birthday joy.

During the homily, Fr. Vic Baltazar noted how “Ninang Felisa’s graciousness draws people together. There is much action made by the Holy Spirit in her heart.”

He also acknowledged Mrs. Chiongbian’s keen and genuine interest in others: “When you love and care for God, you love and care for others genuinely.”

Right after the Mass, there was a simple program held at the St. Catherine Hall.

Food and merriment were in abundance on this joyous occasion as the guests poured into the hall. After everyone had settled down, Mrs. Chiongbian delivered a speech thanking everyone for coming and exclaiming “You make me strong every day in my life!”

The food was catered by the Regal Business Park Hotel. It was a delicious spread! They served crispy pork ribs, shrimp balls, fried kwapao, buchi, empanada, turon, pichi2x, Chinese lumpia and puto cheese.

The little angels of the Guadalupe Choir treated everyone to wonderful musical numbers. 12 little girls sang and danced the famous Wonder Girls song “Nobody.” Mrs. Chiongbian got up and danced with the little girls, to the crowd’s delight. Felisa Chiongbian showed everyone how age is not a hindrance to enjoying the vibrancy of life.

There were three short speeches for Mrs. Chiongbian, followed by a medley of songs to which Mrs. Chiongbian danced in rhythm.

As family and friends gathered around her to kiss her, she joked that ”Otso otso is my favorite number. I never thought I would reach this age. But you know why I have? It’s because of the support and the love of my family, my relatives, and my friends, everybody whose lives have touched mine. I’ll always remember from the depth of my heart. All of you make me stronger every minute of my life.” 

Mrs. Felisa Chiongbian is a magnetic, vibrant individual. With her white hair framing her beaming face, she is a person one can never forget. She truly is an amazing person.