It was not a spur of the moment – Governor Gwendolyn Garcia had a long-standing invitation from Lt. Governor Michael Cruz, M.D. to visit the island state of the U.S. So, when Gov. Gwen learned that Mariquita Yeung, Monette Aliño and Meren Gepilano were planning to fly to Guam to surprise Benjie Diola on his birthday last April 16, the four, without a flurry, left for Guam and was well greeted by Benjie and Emilio Uy, the most accommodating and well-liked person in Guam, known for hosting lunch or dinners, and distributing giveaways. That’s Emilio Uy to the Pinoys in Guam.
Guam is such a small island but beautiful with a lot of beaches and five-star hotels. On the day they arrived, Emilio Uy hosted lunch at the Hilton for the Cebuano visitors. A very close friend of Benjie, Emilio again played host at a dinner for Benjie on his birthday. And before the Cebuanos left for Cebu, The Cebuano Association in Guam led by its president Jun Ganaan, hosted a dinner party to honor Governor Gwen and her entourage at the beautiful Governor’s Mansion.
With the hospitality extended the Cebuano visitors, their four-day sojourn in Guam was indeed an unforgettable one!
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Elvessa Gandionco de Jesus, before she got married, was very active with the White Collar, Inc. in the 70s. After she married Pete de Jesus, an engineer by profession, they settled in Vancouver, Canada. Honestly, I haven’t seen her for the last 35 years. Reason that when she came to Cebu recently to visit sister Manol Hipolito, the WCI girls wasted no time to gather some members who are still in Cebu. We hosted dinner for her before she could say goodbye. Elvessa has four children and they are all doing very well in Vancouver. The de Jesus couple already have grandchildren and are both retired from their jobs, but Pete still continues with his profession.