The beauty a visit brings

Twenty-one years ago, I graduated from Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, California. Thanks to Facebook, I have kept in touch with my best friend, Irma Ramirez.  In one of her status profiles, she mentioned her regular yearly trips as a visiting professor of architecture to a Beijing university so I took the opportunity of inviting her to swing by the Philippines. I thought for a while that was just wishful thinking but hey, dreams do come true and my whole family and I had the privilege of having Irma stay with us for a week.

Irma’s scheduled visit had fallen right after typhoon Ondoy and just before we were hit by Pepeng. She was just overwhelmed by all the negative news she heard and saw on TV that she almost wanted to postpone her trip.  So many people advised her against pursuing her visit to the Philippines. But she remained faithful to her promise when I assured her it was the right time to visit our country and see for herself the real deal.  I assured her it was the opportune time to find out how she could help others as well. Whereas people only see online photos or footages of Ondoy’s aftermath, she had the chance to capture the scenes as she came in contact with the people and their newly devastated surroundings. 

Immediately after her arrival, we had the chance to visit and give relief at an evacuation center in Pasig with Manny Pangilinan (MVP), the Talk ’n’ Text team, and my children through the efforts of the Pldt/Smart Foundation where my husband Anthony is executive director.  As with any other foreigner who have seen how people have coped with the Ondoy tragedy, Irma observed how people in the evacuation center and the flooded streets manage to make the most of their surroundings and situation that they seemed to be optimistic about the future. She was so thankful for the chance to be here at this perfect time, not to mention the chance to eat halo-halo for the first time after our relief efforts.

When I asked Irma what exactly she wanted to see or do in the Philippines, she simply shrugged and said, “just a chance to be with my Cc”(that’s her shortcut version of my name, Cecilia).  So I let her have exactly that — a taste of our life.  We spent a lot of time eating together at the dining table where my children loved sharing stories about their day as Irma and I told them about our colorful teen-life in high school. Anthony and I made sure she got to meet most of our family and church members. After one gathering, she shared that she had an inkling she was talking to somebody famous.  This was after she talked about her advocacy of building houses for the indigent community of Tijuana, Mexico, where she comes from, to my Kuya Gary Valenciano.  Apparently, he gave her permission to use his name if she decides to expand her advocacy to the Philippines. Her jaw dropped when I told her how huge a superstar Gary is here. 

I let Irma take the MRT to meet up with my mom in Makati, where they had a sumptuous lunch and lots of pampering in the parlor.  The next day, my mom, grandmother, and I took her to our lot in Laguna where our future home will be built. She gave her professional advice about the kind of house we should build while keeping in mind the need to respect the nature of the land. We then drove to Tagaytay for a glimpse of Taal Volcano. 

With just her camera and a Lonely Planet book about the Philippines, Irma took off via the MRT to see Old Manila.  She marveled at the architectural designs of the CCP, Film Center, San Agustin church, Intramuros, and Casa Manila where she met a guard who could sing the Mexican national anthem. Irma couldn’t stop laughing after finding out he had learned it by watching boxing matches where the anthems were sung.

Before she left, we made sure she brought home with her some toyo-kalamansi sauce, Lucky Me pancit canton noodles and fresh siling labuyo (this she ate as if she were munching on a carrot!). 

We wanted to fill her up with as much of us that she could bring home, but she left our hearts overflowing with the joy of her visit. What a great blessing a visit brings!