'A smashing reunion!'

They were the first batch of high school graduates of La Salle Bacolod. Fifty years ago, they were a bunch of gangly, fresh-faced youths, full of mischief and a great sense of adventure. Now they are back - a bit older, heavier, some with thinning hair and a paunch that had become more difficult to conceal.

It was definitely a "night to remember" - the Grand Reunion of La Salle Class '57, held recently at L'Fisher Hotel. Seen among the guests were Bro. Gus Boquer, FSC, and other faculty members , former students of the Cassanova school for girls (who were the muses and inspirations of the young boys then): Cecille Piccio Azcona, Lanibelle Javelosa, Suzzette Infante Manosca, Bing Montelibano, Millette de Leon and so many more. The oldest guest of the night was Cesar Estrebillo (Registrar of La Salle at that time), who gamely joined in the revelry. Donnie Poblador, first president of La Salle Alumni Association and coordinator of the event, was the evening's emcee. He kept the audience in stitches with his recollections of the group's escapades and havoc.

Donnie and their class president Joe Zubiri, were absolutely hilarious as they made some "shocking" revelations about their former classmates. They could even laugh over the memories of the "paddling" they got from Bro. Dominic for some infractions made (at that time "paddling" was allowed). One of the interesting tidbits they shared was their basketball team winning as champion of Western Visayas Intersecondary Schools. At that time, they were considered the "kilabot ng mga kolehiyala (heartthrobs)." Their former classmate Bobby Montelibano wasn't spared from their kidding. But Bobby took it all good-naturedly and had the loudest laugh of all.

There was an audio-visual presentation of the "good old days" amid howls of protest and laughter. It was incredibly funny to see how they were then and how they are now. But through all the ribbing and the ribaldry, you could see how proud they were of their alma mater and their classmates. The grand finale of the program was the playing of the song, "Boom Tara Tarat" (a political theme song of Joe Zubiri's son Migz), which had everyone cheering and shouting. Wotta night!

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Congratulations to the DAILY STAR on its 25th Anniversary today! YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY!*