The NOHS
Filipiniana gala night

It was an evening of warm camaraderie and wistful reminiscing when the Negros Occidental High School Class 1958 held its grand Filipiniana Gala Night at L’Fisher Hotel. The past few days had been a dizzying whirl of non-stop activities as the NOHS alumni came to celebrate its Golden Jubilee. They came in droves from all over the globe, eager to see their alma mater, teachers and former classmates of their youth.

The moment they landed at the new Bacolod- Silay airport, the balikbayans were amazed at the changes in their hometown. They couldn’t believe that Bacolod had changed so much after all these years. How sweet it was to see the old familiar faces greet them with a welcoming smile and a big hug. And now it was time for the big finale, the highlight of the celebration which was the Filipiniana Gala Night and everyone came in their favorite attire, eager to enjoy the evening once more with their old friends before going back to their new home.

The busiest guy that evening was Edwin Galon, president of NOHS Class 1958 Alumni Association, who was all over the place seeing to it that everything went smoothly. Assisting him was balikbayan from the USA, Mar Doromal, who also emceed the program with Ma Luisa Santos-Sivilia (class salutatorian). Buddai and I joined the table of her sisters from London,  Lily and Virgie Piccio who regaled us with stories of Lily’s former employer, the late Princess Diana. It was a most enjoyable evening as the guests let their hair down and joined the fun with singing, dancing (and, would you believe, poem reading!).

As the evening drew to a close, everyone bade each other a poignant farewell with a promise to come and see each other again. Kudos to the organizers of this gala celebration!*