40 years of friendship and love

On May 14, 1966, our parents, Martin Verdeprado Gregorio and Lucille Kapunan Custodio were married in Mambusao, Capiz (mom’s hometown). They met at the UP Visayas. Their friendship blossomed even as they transferred to UP Diliman. To celebrate our parents’ 40 years of blissful marriage, my siblings (Patrick, Allan, Ryan and Tintin) and I, along with our partners (Marichele, Ces, Jaimon and Jin), and kids (Juanito, Martin, Yela, Jimbo, Jaggie, Ysabelle, Kela, Andre and RJ) embarked on honoring our parents with a surprise celebration.

Because of hard work and commitment to his job as an academician, my father rose to become vice president for administration at the University of the Philippines System. My mother, on the other hand, became a UNESCO Science Education Specialist based in Bangkok, Thailand. She is currently a consultant at the UNESCO National Commission in the Philippines.

To cap their 40th wedding anniversary, my parents had requested for a simple family dinner. But my siblings and I wanted to honor them the best way we could. Secretly, my youngest sister Tintin requested family friends to officiate the event: Former CBCP president Archbishop Fernando Capalla; Father Raymond Arre, parish priest of the UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice; Father Joel Eslabra (who flew in from Iloilo) and Father Jboy Gonzales.

How we were able to come up with an almost perfect SURPRISE celebration for our parents was not an easy task. We invited 300 people – who are all special to the family. We thought of conspiring with Dr. Agnes D. Mejia, a top-notch nephrologist from the Philippine General Hospital and our parents’ favorite doctor and her architect-husband Jimmy to "invite" our parents to be their godparents on their 25th Wedding Anniversary at the UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice. The Mejias had to make a white lie.

Typhoon Caloy toppled down many acacia trees in UP Diliman but our family went to Studio Pro (Tomas Morato) wearing gowns by Oskar Peralta and Chinese-collared piña-jusi barongs. At about 5 p.m., my father said that we had to go back to UP Diliman (we live inside the UP campus and the Church is just a five-minute walk from home) because they would attend the silver wedding anniversary of Dr. Agnes and Mr. Jimmy Mejia. Little did they know, the celebration was going to be theirs!

At about 6:30 p.m., guests waiting for our parents were served cocktails at the Delaney Hall of the UP Chapel. The officiating priests arrived early. Two former presidents and the current lady president of the University of the Philippines, all close friends, were there to serve as principal sponsors: Sen. Edgardo J. Angara, Dr. Francisco Nemenzo and Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman. Other principal sponsors were Remegio Martinez (dad’s best friend for more than 40 years), and mom’s closest friends: Eleanor Folke-Olsen and Dr. Teresita Macanan Alba (wife of Mambusao, Capiz Mayor Joe Alba and daughter of Dr. Gady Macanan who stood as principal sponsor to the wedding of dad and mom 40 years ago). In awe, our parents could not hide their emotions.

After the ceremony at the UP Chapel, the 300 guests (in spite of the strong winds and rain) joined us at the Village Patio in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City as more surprises await our beloved parents. Max Soliven, publisher of the Philippine Star and his wife, Ambassador Preciosa Soliven, secretary general of the UNESCO National Commission graciously accepted our invitation. Dad’s youngest brother Ronald flew all the way from Union City, California to attend the affair. Tita Millie, dad’s younger sister arrived from Jakarta. Despite the storm, our 92-year-old grandmother – Felicidad "Inday Luz" Kapunan Custodio came all the way from Capiz and our beloved Lola Pilar arrived from Iloilo. Mom’s sisters: Merle, Fely, Amy also came together with their respective families. Many other relatives also graced the celebration, including Former Justice Santiago Kapunan; Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs Edcel Custodio and wife Ditas.

The country’s top medical practitioners from the Philippine General Hospital were there, too: PGH director Dr. Mike Alfiler, renowned neurologist Dr. Martesio Perez and wife Esem, renowned opthalmologist Dr. Manuel Agulto and wife Arline, Dr. Mario Festin, Doctors Mike and Cherica Tee, Dr. Arlene Samaniego and former UP PGH director Dr. Felipe Estrella and wife Dr. Corazon Estrella. Friends from the University of the Philippines like Chancellor Sergio Cao (Diliman), Chancellor Ramon Arcadio (Manila), former UP Diliman Chancellor Ernesto Tabujara, Secretary of the University Dr. Lourdes Abadingo, Dean Erlinda Echanis, Dr. Oscar Alfonso, the members of president Roman’s executive staff and many other friends and relatives took time out of their very busy schedules just to celebrate with the family. It was indeed a very memorable occasion because it was a sharing with real friends and relatives.

To make the celebration complete, we prepared a short program for our parents and for our guests – Joselito Florendo, OIC of the UP System Budget Office and our cousin, Lizza Custodio Leonardo of the T & G Company. As proud children of our parents, my siblings and I spoke about our happy experiences and on how blessed our family is – which made the guests and our parents of course teary-eyed. Artist and singer Bimbo Cerrudo serenaded the guests with songs from Broadway along with his own version of Andrea Boccelli and Celine Dion’s The Prayer. In lieu of gifts, our guests gave generous donations to our family scholars through the UP Visayas Foundation.

Just like what our eldest brother, Manong Pat said to our parents, "There are only two kinds of surprises, first: it will make you cry; and second: it will make you smile!" Indeed, our SURPRISED parents experienced both – because of so much joy and happiness!

(The author is a graduate of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, College of Mass Communications – major in Journalism. She is the third child and older of the two daughters of Prof. Martin and Mrs. Lucille Gregorio. She is now residing in Brunei Darussalam with her husband – Consul Jaime Ramon Torre Ascalon of the Philippine Embassy. They have two sons – Jaime Martin, eight years old and Andre Luis, three years old.)