An irresistible invite from Loren

I don’t remember Sen. Loren Legarda ever having a birthday party — unless she never invited me to any of them, which is just fine because what I savor more are those one-on-one dinners we have at her home. Usually, we just eat home-cooked meals. The viands do not even match because she sometimes has the leftovers from the day before reheated and we eat these with the food prepared in her kitchen that night. But we still both eat heartily and I try to enjoy the dinner proper because after the meal comes the lecture: About how I should be a better son to my parents and about how I should love and appreciate them more. (She set a good example by being a good daughter to her parents — I saw that for myself.)

I may not have attended any of her birthday parties — that is if she had any (and the office parties at the Senate do not count) — but I did make it to some of their family gatherings: Baptismal of her children Lanz and Le-an and other Legarda parties. But her own birthday celebration? I always just text her to send my birthday greetings. On the eve of her birthday last year, I was in Cebu and we spent the night sending each other text messages.

Two weeks ago, however, I got a text message from the head of her staff Pauline Gamboa (they date back to their Pep Talk days) to invite me to Loren’s birthday celebration at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati. It was only after reading the entire message that I realized why she was celebrating. Loren was also launching a book that night. The book is titled Loren: A Celebration of Life and Nature. It was conceptualized and published by book author Bing Carrion-Buck. The book is a compilation of Loren’s beliefs, principles, thoughts and advocacies on women, children, governance, the environment and nature through the past 30 years of her life as a broadcast journalist and her two terms in the Senate.

Last week, I got a follow-up text message from Loren herself. I told her I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Never mind if it was on a Wednesday — the worst day to brave EDSA traffic since that’s when devotees of the Mother of Perpetual Help flock to Baclaran. True enough it took me an hour to get there because I made the mistake of driving to Makati through its Mandaluyong backdoor where traffic was also bad.

At the Shangri-La Hotel, I tried to retrace the path back to Red restaurant where I’ve dined two years ago with Dr. Vicki Belo. I didn’t have to ask for directions anymore from the hotel staff because all I did was follow the crowd. True enough, that was Loren’s party and book launch.

The invitation sent via text message said that the attire was semi-formal, but before I entered the venue I saw that a lot of the men and women were mostly in formal wear. It was only then that I realized I was just in jeans that I topped with a long-sleeved collarless shirt that I thought would do for the occasion. I nearly turned around — until I figured that maybe I could just get lost in the crowd. I did — especially since the venue was full. Some of the guests, in fact, had spilled out into the lobby. 

The restaurant actually had three chambers: The inner, outer and the one where the buffet tables were set. All three were bursting with people — from politics, showbiz, media and Loren’s environmental group. I had made plans to meet up there with some friends from the press, but I never saw any of them. I ended up having an unplanned reunion with Emmie Velarde of the Inquirer and Ching Alano of this paper. Emmie had to pinch me on the cheek to make sure that was really I because it had been decades since we last saw each other. The fondness and affection is obviously still there. From time to time other friends from media would pass by our table — Deedee Sytangco, Mario Dumaual and Aster Amoyo.

From where I was seated, I immediately got up when I saw somebody who looked like Lily Monteverde. It was Mother Lily, all right, but she looked different — very young and pretty in her new haircut. She was deep in conversation with Pacoy Ortega, who belongs to a political clan from the north. I had missed Mother Lily at the party she threw early this week for Alfie Lorenzo, but here she was — looking radiant. Having cocktails nearby were couples Eddie Gutierrez and Annabelle Rama and Boots Plata and Dolor Guevara. I wish I could enumerate the list of the other guests, but I never got to see the others in the inner section of the restaurant because it was full.

Actually, this gathering was basically simple — no frills really (the dishes were few but well-selected). It only became huge because of the attendance and the happy mix of the crowd.

But that was a swell party, Loren. Happy birthday! Congratulations for your new book — and for finally throwing a birthday party.

By the way, did you ever host a birthday party in the past to which I wasn’t invited? Oh, that’s okay. Let’s just schedule another dinner for two at your house one time. Have the leftovers on standby. We’ll finish them together.