Skip to main content

School homecomings and reunions: Are they still socially-relevant?

THE FIRST four months of any given year in the Philippines can be safely and generally labeled as high school homecoming and reunion season.  For us, overseas residents, it has become common news to hear about family, friends and acquaintances excitedly planning on a trip to the old country to attend and participate in this yearly exercise. There must be something enigmatic about high school, this phase of anyone’s educational journey that makes it better remembered, cherished and celebrated with so much fondness and nostalgia.  But I’d rather not venture into any kind of speculation about this now.
 
Are homecomings, jubilee celebrations and reunions relevant?  Given today’s societal atmosphere, do they still occupy a space in the social value hierarchy?  Or, have they become so securely entrenched in our customs and traditions that being so, their relevance and worth should be better left unchallenged? To partly answer the question, I am privileged to feature in this column two contrasting opinions on the topic, short of quoting these almost verbatim. 

Juliet S. Pascual, a journalist friend, in a guest article featured in our 2015 Dingras High School Alumni Homecoming souvenir program, has this to say: “Class reunions, just like family get-togethers, are inclusive that open the golden opportunity for former classmates to reconnect with one another and who just simply walk down the memory lane sans stories of success, travels and wealth.  The class members’ perspective on many things --- attitudes, values, aspirations, dreams --- will once more come to the fore as they share stories of friends, even enemies, and teachers who modeled the way.  Unfortunately, a good number of friends I know are somewhat reluctant to attend homecomings simply because these rare gatherings are being used as venues  to flaunt stories of “successes, wealth and achievements” instead of using them as opportunities to share in the happiness of seeing old classmates again ….When classmates get together after a long lapse of time, they should look at reunions in a profound way and see these not merely as reconnection but a homecoming in a different light imbued with a sense of purpose.” 

Personal perspectives examined
“Reunions show the classmates’ perspectives if these have leveled up and have attuned to their teachers’ or their role models’ profound ideals of wisdom, compassion and humility.  They show how the class members have faced the challenges that bear witness to their struggles to improve their lives as they waded in a different playing field.  Life-changing experiences can lead to redirected perspectives that allow old classmates to take stock of their accomplishments and share the joy and fulfillment of having done something good that benefited others in their journey. Still, reunions lead class members to see beyond the obvious, and simply give of themselves,” she concludes.

“Common now, who are we kidding?” counters a pragmatic-sounding guy who is hiding under the moniker, Proud Coward of the County. “Most go to gatherings like homecomings and reunions for self-serving and self-gratifying reasons.  They go to these events to, among others, flaunt the result of their many trips to the plastic surgeon or dermatologist: a totally-overhauled face, a magically-firmed up you-know-what, a nicely replanted or camouflaged hair space or a glutathione-Vicky-Belo beaten skin.  Others go to these gatherings to parade jewelry-laden or Christian-Dior/Ralph-Lauren-wrapped bodies.  Those who fall short under the preceding categories simply resort to the most convenient of ways: tell a tall story even the most-hardened skeptics could not resist embracing … a lie!  After all, who would ever go to great lengths to check?  Now, will all of those uneducated, silent trippers, anti-socials and virtual nobodies like me just please move out of the way?  Or, if your stomach is thickly-lined enough to digest any or all of the above scenes, just you watch and listen in prolonged and excruciating agony and pain!”


Need I say more?  What’s your take on the matter, folks?       

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Empanada festival: A celebration of good taste and good life

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd  of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become an annua

PIDS expert says income tax cuts justified; warns gov’t of revenue loss

Proposals to amend the personal income tax schedule appear to be well-justified. However, these proposals should include measures that will allow government to recover the revenue loss from lower income taxes. Dr. Rosario Manasan, senior research fellow of state think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), said at a seminar sponsored by the Philippine Senate, that government should look for new revenue measures to compensate for the projected revenue loss that will arise as a result of the implementation of any of the various proposals to restructure the personal income tax. Currently, there are several income tax reform proposals pending in both houses of Congress. All of them, according to Dr. Manasan, have the same objective of addressing the phenomenon of bracket creep, which results from “non-indexation to inflation of personal income tax brackets”. Simply put, bracket creep occurs when employees’ income increases over time as a result of inflation. Th

PGIN honors Ilocano heroes of past, present through Heroes Walk

SPO1 Allan Lampitoc Franco of Banna, Ilocos Norte and PO2 Jovalyn D. Lozano of Adams, Ilocos Norte receive a resolution of commendation, a certificate of college scholarship grant to their family members and a P20,000 cash incentive each from the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte represented by Governor Imee R. Marcos and Vice Governor Angelo M. Barba in recognition of their bravery and heroic acts in the Mamasapano clash in Maguindanao on January 25. Mr. Franco and Mr. Lozano were recognized on March 10 in time for the unveiling of the second batch of Ilocano heroes at the Heroes Walk located along the Sirib Mile in Laoag City.  (Lei Adriano) By Jennifer T. Pambid PGIN-CMO In honor of the heroes who brought freedom, fame and glory to the province as well as to the country in the past century, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) through the Education Department and Sirib Youth Office launched the second batch of Ilocano Heroes Walk on March 10, 2015.