"A double 80th birthday celebration"
Sun.Star Davao, July 5, 2008

How does one celebrate 80 years of meaningful existence?

For Rosita Alvarez-Bangayan’s family, the original plan was to celebrate their beloved matriarch's precious milestone through a well-planned family vacation/reunion in Boracay, instead of a grand party.

So, for a few days last May, the whole Bangayan family flew to their favorite beach destination to commemorate, in advance, Amah (Grandma) Rosita’s 80th birthday. A spectacular beach luau capped off the special affair.

However, when the date of Rosita's actual natal day came near, her loving children and grandchildren could not resist celebrating it again. After all, it was still their treasured mother/grandmother’s birthday and the family wanted her to enjoy every second of it.

Thus, with very last minute preparations, the Bangayans organized Rosita’s 80th birthday celebration last June 18, 2008 at Marco Polo’s Lotus Court. The intimate affair was attended by immediate family members and close friends from the Filipino-Chinese Women’s Association (FCWA), where Rosita is an active member and supporter.

Mother of the year

Rosita was born in a brood of 16 siblings. She married Lorenzo on December 6, 1947 at the age of 18 years old in Zamboanga City.

During these times, arranged marriages were the norm. Rosita and Lorenzo only met once before the wedding. She had to give up her studies to get married because of her parents’ wishes.

After getting married, they had two children, Flora and Eddie. The couple moved to Davao to look for greener pastures in 1956 where the three other kids followed, namely: Ruben, Wilson and Becky.

At that time, Davao's economy was booming so their relatives all came one by one and settled in Davao. They opened Lino's Commercial in Uyanguren located beside Magsaysay Park.

Lorenzo had a big heart and opened their home to friends and relatives needing a place to stay. They even supported the studies and livelihood of their employees, including their children.

In 2001, Rosita was awarded "Mother of the Year" by the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce. There was only one awardee each for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. That same year, Rosita’s fellow awardee was tycoon Lucio Tan’s mother.

In order to be considered for this prestigious award, the nominee should be involved in significant socio-civic activities which benefit the community, and her children must be successful in their respective fields.

Chinese chic

The motif of Rosita’s 80th birthday was ‘Chinese chic’ which meant, the family members were dressed in the auspicious red color. Vibrant Chinese lanterns decorated the venue and a sumptuous 10-course Chinese lauriat was served.

Instead of giving out the usual souvenirs, Rosita’s family wanted to make it extra memorable for the party guests so they had top notch photographer Ben Young III set up an onsite photo booth. The guests were delighted to bring home their personal commemorative pictures.

Manila-based professional emcee Eva Marie Poon (who happens to be my college classmate in DLSU) kept the guests entertained as she posed interesting questions regarding the birthday celebrant. Lucky guests who could answer the trivia correctly got to pick a prize.

Eva, who is also a former band vocalist and much sought-after wedding host in the Chinese community nationwide, likewise performed Rosita’s well-loved Spanish songs such as “Besame Mucho” and “Que Sera Sera”.

Other highlights of the affair were the touching audio-visual presentation featuring photos of Rosita’s life as well as interviews from different guests and family members; the captivating song numbers of the FCWA; and heart-warming speeches delivered by the eldest of the Alvarez siblings, Luis as well as Vicky King, in behalf of the FCWA.

Rosita’s celebration was even made more significant with the presence of her sisters and brothers who surprised her by flying home to Davao in secret. In fact, her siblings were planning to visit Rosita even months before her birthday, regardless if there will be a party or not. Frank Alvarez came from the U.S.; Benita Yap and Luis Alvarez from Zamboanga; and Tranquilina Torres from Manila.

For Rosita, this most anticipated reunion with her dearest siblings became the greatest gift of all on her 80th birthday.

E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit www.mom-about-town.blogspot.com.