Josie, my feisty friend
MANILA, Philippines - My friendship with Josie Lichauco goes a long way back to our more innocent and less-stressful single days. Of course, she would reluctantly but smilingly admit that she is older than I am.
It was only in the early ‘80s when we really became close. We socialized together along with the late Mary Prieto, whom we considered an older sister to us.
Josie was always a gracious and gallant host, especially when she would have her close friends together in her condominium for dinner and a sing-a-long. The late Chona Kasten would enjoy the singing performances by Mary who rendered her all-time favorite Ikaw while I did my timeless Saan Ka Man Naroroon and Dahil Sa Iyo. Amado Bagatsing — truly debonair — serenaded us along with his beautiful wife Chari.
As we all know, Josie was not just beauty and brains, having taken up Law at the University of the Philippines and her master’s at Yale University. She was one feisty lady who fought for principles. This did not apply to her personal life alone but to other arenas as well, like politics and government. She truly fought for what was right for the benefit of many and she always earned respect for that. Josie feared nothing as long as she could get her intelligent and logical point across.
As for her feistiness, I recall an affair that Mary, Josie and I attended at the Metropolitan Museum when our car was stuck due to a vehicular obstruction. Josie lost her patience and, before we knew it, had gotten out of the car to handle the traffic situation. To top it off, she was in her formal gown! Mary Prieto, as proper and formal as she was, could only say with a smile, “It’s gotta be Josie.”
A similar incident took place after the concert of Andrea Bocelli at the Araneta Coliseum. After seeing that traffic was at a standstill due to a parked vehicle waiting for its owner, she reprimanded the driver, notwithstanding the fact that the car was owned by a government official. Josie would not give a hoot, even if it belonged to the President or the Queen of England.
She was also a stickler for good service. In every establishment she would go to, a confrontation was bound to take place when the service rendered was mediocre. When we would dine out, we’d tease her that the night was not complete because she had not reprimanded the waiter for poor service. Most of the time, we would agree with her critique. On the other hand, Josie had a heart of gold and cared much for her friends and others in need. Her charisma with individuals from different walks of life was tremendous due to her flexible nature and, most especially, her sense of humor.
Josie was full of surprises. On birthday occasions, she would create unimaginable circumstances that only she could think up. Mary, who was celebrating her birthday one night at the old La Tasca, was so embarrassed when suddenly a man came up to her and started serenading her with passion. That was Josie’s wacky idea, of course. I remember when Josie played a prank on me on my birthday, this time at the newly opened Le Soufflé at the Fort. A waiter handed me a beautifully wrapped Rosenthal vase from a certain Robert Stevens. Josie managed to convince our group that the gift was from “my special someone” from Oxford. He was a complete figment of her imagination — heaven knows I don’t even know anyone from Oxford! It truly got me blushing as everyone started teasing me about this. I tell you, Josie could get away with murder most of the time. This is the lighter side of Josie that we shall all miss terribly. As close as we got, she was gracious enough to serve as principal sponsor to my son Mari’s wedding to Ria Ordonez back in January 1997 as I was to her daughter Michelle’s wedding to Victor Tambunting.
But beyond this profound, compassionate, loving, jolly character was a passionate and devout prayerful soul. Josie possessed a humble heart to pray and serve the Lord and Mama Mary. We spent Easter week twice in Tagaytay with Mary Prieto and one time with Offie Recto whose townhouse was next to Mary and Josie’s. She saw to it that our Easter celebrations would include visitations of several churches, doing the Stations of the Cross and other rituals after which we’d end up watching videos in Mary’s bedroom. She always had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and St. Therese of the Child Jesus. It turns out that, after her recent attack in Hong Kong, Josie ended up in confinement at the St. Therese Hospital. This is absolute proof that St. Therese truly cared for her.
In lighter moments, Josie always found time to schedule movie nights with our group, which now includes Honi Ilusorio. Knowing that I don’t go for thrillers she always insisted that we watched romantic comedies even if she preferred to watch something suspenseful. I would always imagine her hurriedly walking through the glass doors of Greenbelt 3 when she was a bit late after all the unceasing calls to inform me of her location. She was normally prompt.
I shall miss Josie’s thoughtfulness and caring heart. Truly, she was a child of God, with a gracious and generous heart and a sense of humor unmistakably Josie’s.
