Beguiling Bea

She’s charming and good-natured, feisty yet caring, sentimental and unselfish, idealistic yet open-minded, affectionate and inquisitive. That’s Bea Soliven Reyes to us. And yes, she’s a beauty, inside and out.

An only child, Bea enjoyed her debut party on Feb. 11, thrown by her proud and loving parents Pete and Ginette Soliven-Reyes at Jill’s at the Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City.

Aside from the Reyes and Soliven families, those who came to celebrate with Bea her 18th birthday were her classmates from Poveda and her numerous friends from other schools, social and religious circles like Ateneo, Xavier, La Salle, Assumption and Antioch.

All the female guests (whatever their age) were in white, while all the boys (whatever their age, too) sported dark shirts and ties. Against this backdrop, the beautiful debutante sparkled in a glittery golden mini-skirt dress, later complemented by a pleated white long-gown skirt.

Her maternal grandfather and my father-in-law Willie Soliven led the prayer, invoking God’s blessings on the debutante and her guests. Groups of friends and schoolmates then serenaded the debutante with choral and instrumental numbers.

Bea dances with her father Pete Reyes.

After the sumptuous dinner came a touching ceremony dubbed “18 candles.” At this juncture, Bea was seated on a throne in the middle of the hall. A line of 18 relatives and close friends formed before her. Each in turn approached to offer the debutante a lighted candle, while expressing his or her personal message of advice, love and good wishes.

In gist, Bea’s family and friends simply asked her to continue to be herself. Grandpa Willie said, “We assured her that while older now, inside she was still the same sweet and smart girl who brought us so much joy from the day she was born. We encouraged her to believe in herself, to trust in her instincts, and open herself to inspiration. We urged her to dream her dreams.

In Grandpa Willie’s dedication for his lovely apo, he quoted Vincent Van Gogh’s famous lines: “First I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.” The lesson here, he advised Bea, is that the best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.

Bea with her mom Ginette Reyes.

Bea is an honor student on the verge of graduation from high school at Poveda. She aspires to pursue Medicine, in the footsteps of her maternal great-grandfather, Dr. Alejandro Gaerlan (who had chaired the Board of Medical Examiners) as well as her paternal grandmother Dr. Tita Reyes and a number of uncles and aunts.

Grandpa Willie urged Bea to be steadfast in her convictions, though flexible in her approach. “We told her that her great-grandfather, star assemblyman Benito Tagorda Soliven had passed on to us a simple code which we were now passing on to her: ‘Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching. Sing as if no one is listening. Live life like it’s heaven on earth’!”

To our dear Bea, happy, happy 18th birthday!

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