Family reunions the Mauricio way

LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “…`He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; `by his wounds you have been healed’…” (1 Peter 2:24, the Holy Bible).

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THE JOY OF FAMILY REUNIONS: My cousin who is a champion darts player and an equally erudite writer, Renato “Rey” Mauricio from the Bureau of Customs, is hotly pursuing the holding of a reunion among our relatives from the Mauricio-Dizon families, particularly those who descended from our great grandparents, Alfonso Simon Mauricio (of Ramos, Tarlac) and Juana Dizon (of Tarlac City).

In November 2014, Rey wrote a nice snapshot of the Mauricio family and their intended grand reunion on December 12, 2015. May I be permitted to share Rey’s story with our readers here, with just a minimum of additions: “Our roots began in this little and quiet town of Ramos, Tarlac. It is the town where our beloved parents and grandparents were born and raised.

“It used to be a three and half-hour drive from Manila, but because of the NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) and the recently-constructed TPLEX (Tarlac Pangasinan La Union Expressway), the usual long drive is now just one hour and a half (too, because of SCTEX, or the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway, travel is now under one hour from Mindanao Avenue or Balintawak Road---Batas).

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TOWN FIESTAS ARE ALWAYS JOYOUS OCCASSIONS FOR REUNIONS: “Our beloved town celebrates its annual fiesta every second or third weekend of March. It’s still fresh in my mind. My late father, Atty. Walfred P. Mauricio, Sr., would drive us all the way from Caloocan City to Ramos. As we would approach the town plaza, I would see banderitas in every street, above passersby and revelers alike.

“This would be homecoming and welcome to the town fiesta of Ramos which also served as a reunion of sorts for my father and his siblings, cousins, and other relatives. My father and his younger brother, Uncle Mely, and his cousins, Uncle Ely, Uncle Totoy, Uncle Sesing, Uncle Weng, Uncle Fidel, Uncle Romy and others would enjoy the whole day reminiscing the past.

“They would banter while drinking beer and Scotch Whisky, and having their favorite pulutan, like lechon, kalderetang kambing, kilawen and pinapaitan. Then there would be this drum and lyre band marching on the streets parading the local beauty queen and her court; walkathon participants in colorful attire passing by the street.

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MAURICIOS FROM RAMOS AS DANCERS AND DRINKERS: “There would also be a basketball event in the afternoon near the town plaza where the carnival, with sideshows complete with a Ferris Wheel, would come to life at night, including the perya and the movies featuring FPJ, Joseph Estrada and Jess Lapid. Food stalls abound around the plaza, just in front of the municipal hall building, selling barbecue, softdrinks and my favourite, the local bibingka.

“Then the presentation of the local beauty queen and her court at the town plaza would take place on Saturday night (Marisa, daughter of Uncle Mely, and Ellen, daughter of Uncle Ely, were beauty pageant winners during their time), followed by a dinner-dance with two groups of orchestra outdoing one another, playing the music until past midnight.

“Who would ever forget Uncle Mely and Auntie Salvy dancing boogie and cha cha (and tango, too) in the middle of the floor, and Uncle Totoy showing off his awesome body movement by dancing the cha cha steps while Uncle Ely and my Dad kept on watching them from a distance while having a sip of their favourite Scotch Whisky, enjoying every moment of it. Those were the good old days, indeed.

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“ANG SARAP NAMAN”!!!: “Before we would go to bed, Apong Juan (the father of my dad and Uncle Mely) would tell us stories about kapre and other horror tales. In the morning, Apong Juan and Apong Choleng would serve tuyo, fried rice and gatas ng kalabaw for our breakfast. Ang sarap naman!” (If you are a Mauricio, please call me at 0917 984 24 68, 0918 574 0193 or 0922 833 43 96).

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#MauricioClanReunion #MauricioClanGrandReunion2015