SPCM HS'70…
the news so far
Getting on
with life & still looking good!
By Louie
Reyes-Pabalan, HS’70
(Source: Paulinian Alumnae
Newsletter, Aug 2002. Italicized annotations, hyperlinks and captions are www.paulinians.com webnotes; photos
courtesy of Chito
Collins ‘70 / Rowe McGee ’81
unless otherwise indicated. Thanks!
Article on Maritess Revilla is also posted in Pita’s Page. SPCM HS’70
contact persons: Emilie Simon - emilie_simon@yahoo.com
/ Corina Santos-Unson - unsoncms@pworld.net.ph; Lizette Esquillo-Javier - e_esquillojavier@yahoo.com; Louie Reyes-Pabalan - oneoffour70@hotmail.com; Pilar Almira - pilaralmira@yahoo.com. Most Wanted!)
Silicon
Valley IT exec Chito
Lapiña-Collins (seated, 2nd from left) got together with batchmates during
her most recent Manila visit, as always.
The members of High School Class 1970
have actively been keeping in touch with each other through quarterly get-togethers,
and through the wonders of telecommunications, such as the Internet and mobile
phone texting. Through the years, we have managed to compile a class directory
listing all but 12 members of the class. We have also touched base with our
classmates from elementary grades, such as recent visitors from the States (Bb
Pilipinas ’70 first runner up) Imelda Pagaspas, Amy Cruz and Christina
Alonso as well as Cecilia Lao and Julia Nievas.
We recently suffered the loss of a
well-liked member, Peachy Mercado-Herrera, who succumbed from a sudden
illness late last year; (she was a beloved tita of Mai-Perez-Santos ’83).
Other members who have gone ahead of us are: Emma Laforteza, Iraida
Arambulo-Nolasco, Socorro Capati and Agnes Lim-Yao.
We take pride in the accomplishments
of the class as a whole, as career women, mothers, grandmothers, professionals,
businesswomen, lay leaders and just plain citizens. Here is an update on some
of the members of our exceptional class:
Ms Simon and
the reunited SPCM-Ateneo
High School Glee Club of the ‘70s wowed the crowd at the Fleur-de-lis
during SPCM’s Coming
Home 2000. (Source: http://www.geocities.com/spcm_hs_1976)
Emilie Simon and Lizette
Esquillo-Javier, the glue that keeps our class together. Emilie is our
indefatigable Internet Communications hub and Lizette is our de facto prexy.
Ricki Arches was
recently appointed the CEO of McCann-Erickson Ad Agency while Elena
Gamboa-Francisco, events specialist, held the successful Fete de Musique
at the Fort last June. Joining them in the advertising, marketing and
multimedia field are Zeny Millado-Pambuan, formerly of Channel 2, now a
design specialist, and Yvonne de Paula-Camahort, a professional
videographer.
Arts Council
of Cebu President Petite M. Garcia hosted distinguished guests during Cine
Europa 2002 opening… (Source: http://www.inq7.net
)
Pinky Marquez & Sisters –
on floor l-r: Marita, (Pinky HS’75), Cindy HS’74, Patricia SPCQC BS’74; on sofa
l-r: Susan, Petite HS’70, Cecille SPC Pasig, Bea SPC Pasig. (Source: SPCM HS’75 Silver Jubilee Yearbook.)
We have members who are active with
the Laity, such as Bernie Formoso-Cuevas, a leading member of Couples for Christ, reaching out to the
poor of our society by empowering them through community development and
cooperatives. Active parishioners of the Malate Catholic Church are Annie
Tobias, Chairman of the Worship Committee and Dolly Santos, a
regular Lector.
We have civic conscious members like (Cebu Arts Council
President / Cebu City Tourism Commissioner) Petite Marquez-Garcia,
a community leader in Cebu, Melissa Cabanero-Cayco, head of the NGO
Program Secretariat of the City
of Manila. Marilou del Rosario-Tinsay, Emilie Simon
and Violy Gunabe-Roa are active members of Quota International of Manila South, an
organization that serves the needs of the hearing-impaired and disadvantaged
women and children. Corina Santos-Unson,
the class salutatorian, is a systems consultant for several government offices.
Corina was awarded a scholarship at Harvard
University and spent a rewarding year in Boston with her children.
SF Bay
Area’s Lapiña Sisters – (r-l) Chito Collins HS’70, Rocky Troyer HS’71 and Rowie
McGee HS’81 - with Chito’s daughter
Chatsie. Chito has over 25 years of hardware
and software application sales experience in the Bay Area; she’s currently a
consultant in wireless, ecommerce/ebusiness and niche marketplaces with Cybersource in Mountain View….. Rocky spent almost 20 years with United Airlines; she’s now retired and loves
being a full-time mom and wife in Blackhawk….. Rowie is Assistant to the
President and CEO of SeeCommerce in Palo Alto. She’s also a professional fitness instructor: she and her fiancé, Bay Area's favorite
personal trainer / Swedish national track champ Miche Hoffer, conduct fitness
bootcamps at Stanford's Cobb
Track & Angell Field. Open to all levels, they also offer 1:1 physical
training. Additionally, Rowie is a popular style/image consultant: she works with clients wanting to polish their
personal image, or add needed look-feel to social events. For info, contact
Rowe at (650) 248-9814 / go_rowe@yahoo.com or visit Rowe and Miche’s website at http://www.MichRoFit.com.
Classmates involved in Arts and
Culture are Dr. Nina Capistrano-Baker, the head of the Ayala Museum and Emma
Kasilag-Ongchangco of the AFP Museum at Fort Bonifacio. Atty. Pilar Almira
(Ateneo CORD
consultant) is the current administrator of UST Hospital and recent
visitor (Silicon
Valley IT professional) Chito Lapiña-Collins, formerly connected
with IBM in the States, is a computer specialist now doing consultancy.
We have educators like (Clinton IA Community
School Board Vice President) Alma Abanilla-Mariano, a professor
in Iowa, pre-school mentor Maribeth Ortiz, (AC San Lo Entrepreneurship Dept chair)
Vikki Garalde-Orjalo who teaches at the Assumption College and Anita Tobias
who teaches part-time at the International
School.
Revilla
Sisters Maritess, Pita HS’75 and Rossi HS’76, and friends Bettina Aboitiz,
Marisette Recto, Neny Eduque, Lorna Lopez and Claudia Tambunting all visited Palo Alto CA in 2002. (Source: http://www.inq7.net )
We have physicians like Drs. Corazon
Cosico-de Jesus in Canada; (Charter Hosp San
Diego internist / UP Med ‘79) Corazon Bautista and class
valedictorian (Harvard –trained, Boston-based physician / UP Med ’78)
Vicky Lou Herrera-Ruiz in the States. We also have nurses – all
graduates of SPCM College of Nursing, Corazon Guieb-Newton and O’Fe
Obias-Glazier in Iowa; Bernie Formoso-Cuevas and Lou
Reyes-Pabalan in the Philippines. And we have businesswomen like Julie
Umale-Siapno (textiles); Belen Baes-Reyes and Emma
Trinidad-Alfonso (import/export & rural banking); Benita Ting-Co
(garments), Elizabeth Uy-Tiu (construction – check out the EDSA
overpass); Cita Garcia-Abella (real estate); Maritess Revilla-Araneta
(investments); Nora Sison-Garcia (games & amusements); Lilian
Mamawal-Quiros (electronics); Marot Santisteban-Fernandez
(lumber/realty/stocks); Estela Fineza-Canizares (financing &
clothing) and Meg Labordo-Tan (sporting goods & imported children’s
clothes); Edith Narciso (property management); Carol Topacio-Caparas
(travel agency) Lulu Caguioa (business consultancy in Honolulu); Emma
Barretto-Dizon, Carol Calma-Cabrido and Ver Venturanza-Verga (real
estate) and Lou Reyes-Pabalan (food services). Coney Abano-Perfecto
is a management trainor and HRD specialist. Though not a classmate but our
homeroom teacher, Sr. Gerrie (now Miss; Ateneo CORD consultant
/ HR Approaches
President) Baricaua, is a management trainor for big
corporations, such as the Ayala Group.
A few of our classmates are ailing – Peachy
Young who is undergoing treatment in the States for a debilitating ailment,
Julia Francisco-Diaz is recuperating from a stroke, and Estela
Fineza-Canizares who is undergoing chemotherapy.
2002: Chito
at lunch with batchmates in Manila.
We follow a motto – “keep in touch”.
Thus, if a classmate is troubled, we activate a prayer-text brigade. We
exchange jokes, stories and news via the Internet. We celebrate each other’s
birthdays through potluck get-together every quarter – and for the past six
years, we have held a class Christmas party. Visiting expatriates are heartily
welcomed and invited for coffee and conversation. Our class ties have always
been close and they have remained so. The friendships forged in our formative
years have grown stronger and constantly nurtured by technological advances in
communications!
By Cathy Babao Guballa, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Aug. 29,
2002, (http://www.inq7.net/lif/2002/aug/30/lif_1-1.htm). Also posted
in Pita Revilla’s Page.
One-of-a-kind
MARITES Revilla's love affair with beads began
when she was a young girl waiting for her mom to come out of a beading session
with an old Spanish lady, who would teach her the art and craft of beading
bags.
"After school, my sister and I would pick up my mom and she
would show us all these beautiful bags that she had lovingly beaded by hand," Marites recalls.
Three years ago, Marites picked up the passion for beading when
Swarovski crystals first came in vogue and she found herself making bracelets
and necklaces. "I set them aside when they became so common, knowing that
they would one day be uso again," she says.
A little over a month ago, only daughter Bianca Araneta, a model and VJ for MTV, came
up to her with a photograph of a necklace she had seen in a magazine. "She
said 'Mom, look how pretty!' It was also so simple pero a hundred dollars! I
told her, I can make something like that," Marites says. "So she
challenged me, sige nga, do it. So I looked for the materials and after a
couple of days came up with her necklace for a fraction of the price!" she
laughs.
From then on, Bianca would ask Marites to create necklaces and
lariats for her with matching earrings. "Creating keeps my mind off things
and I really derive great satisfaction from being able to make these pieces,
and seeing my daughter and my sisters wear them," she smiles.
The pieces, which Marites fashions by herself with a little help
from her girl Friday Cedes, are indeed lovely, fashionable and
one-of-a-kind-each with its own unique story.
"I never make identical pieces; they may look similar from
afar but up close, there is always a distinct feature to it," she
explains.
The jewelry has grown in popularity solely by word-of-mouth.
"It's not a business, at least that's not the intention," Marites
says. "I made pieces for Bianca, then I made some for my sisters, who in
turn, showed them to their friends, who would then call and ask about
them."
Friends would come to the house looking for pieces for sale, but
Marites would have none to show. "These are all from my personal
collection, but people have already been placing orders through my sister Pita
(tel. 724-0773), who has been helping me cost this whole thing," she
laughs.
Marites would rather concentrate on the creative process and leave
the business side to Pita. "I'm very critical about the pieces I create,
so it really gives me great pleasure when the people who buy these pieces are
appreciative and admire them, I'm happy na."
All over
Marites sources her materials from all over - the malls, tiangge,
stuff from her own personal collection that date back to the '70s and '80s.
"I like taking things apart - a belt buckle, a striking piece from an
otherwise baduy necklace, things like that," she explains.
She also doesn't stick to just
one texture or color. For example, she mixes wood with crystal and silver, or
semi-precious stones with coral in varying hues. She also admits that she takes
a liking to ethnic-looking pieces but is the first to say that they don't seem
to fit her mestiza features. "When I wear them, parang hindi ko talaga
ma-feel," she says. (Left: Bianca wears dark onyx and old silver, while
Marites wears a soft stone.)
What started out as a hobby and mother-daughter bonding activity
is now on the threshold of a flourishing business. Marites is reluctant but as
the popularity of the attractive accessories continues to grow, the calls have
kept on coming.
"I don't want to stress myself," she says. Yet, this
month, while on a vacation with her sisters, she intends to take private
lessons in San Francisco from a beads and accessories shop. She also intends to
source materials for her pieces, especially clasps, while in the US.
"Now Bianca is complaining that I no longer have time to make
pieces for her!" Marites says.
But Bianca's dogs -Wrinky, a pug; Berry, a shnauzer; Truffles, a
cocker spaniel; and Chewy, a Westhighland terrier - have benefited from
Marites' craft. "They all have necklaces, too!" Bianca shrieks as she
lovingly cuddles her wards.
"Initially, I used magnets for their clasps, but the poor
things would get stuck on the refrigerator, so I had to change them to metal
clasps instead," Marites says. Now, that's what one would call a dog's
life with style.
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