Friday, April 4, 2008

Sister Bonnie… Angel on Earth


Last November 27, 2006, our school entry to the Regional Science Fair was chosen as the delegate to the ASEP National Science Fair Physical Science Team Category that would be held in the cold, wonderful City of Pines – Baguio. The competition was set on February 9 – 11, 2007.

Together with my three students, I made my first travel to Baguio, with our little budget. What was playing on my mind was “how would I be able to stroll around the place, when it would be my first time to be there.” But I met friends from Dipolog City. We were in one quarter and some of them have had visits to Baguio already. So we roamed around the city on the 11th of February. The breath-taking Mines View Park, the lovely Burnham Park, and the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad were simply adorable. My students were very grateful that they have come to the place. The greater pleasure was mine because I gained some friends from Dipolog.

Earlier, we booked at a ticketing office here in Ipil for a round trip via Cebu Pacific. The return trip would be on February 13. But we had to leave Baguio by the night of the 11th because the competition was already over. Our budget could not suffice for our food expenses. At least we could find a place where to sleep on the 12th. So I called up the Spinola Sisters in Ipil. It was Sister Helen who got my call and she gave me the contact number of the Spinola Sisters in Manila. I called up Sister Myrna and she told me that Sister Bonnie’s brother in Parañaque might accommodate us. Sister Myrna gave me the instruction on how I would get to their place in Diliman, Quezon City. We got in there at 4 am and so we had to wait at the gate till it is opened. (We did not ring the doorbell since it was too early.) We took a bath there and they offered us breakfast. We waited for Sister Bonnie till around 11:00 am. While on the wait, we went to SM City North EDSA and ate at Mc Donald’s. When we got back, Sister Bonnie was there already. We gave the Sisters some strawberries in gratefulness.

Sister Bonnie brought us to Parañaque. She didn’t give us a clue that we’re on our way to a subdivision, and her brother was a big time business man. We were accommodated in an air-conditioned room and offered sumptuous meals for free! Sir Oscar (Sister Bonnie’s brother) was so accommodating. He brought us to Bay View at Roxas Boulevard. We enjoyed the night there with many shows for free. By tomorrow, we were brought to the airport through van for free again. We stopped by Mall of Asia before we went to the airport.

I wouldn’t have enough words to thank Sister Bonnie and her brother. We had a little budget but our humble prayer was heard. When we got to Dipolog, Adrian, a friend I found at Baguio ferried us to the boulevard in Dipolog and we treated him with Chowking halo-halo. Our trip was made easier and more joyful by our dear friends.

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