The photo, taken in 1993 was found a few days before Koya's Birthday.  It brought back memories of love and laughter the four of us had together.  Still miss both of you

Following is an email and photo Koya sent the family on October 2011 which turned out to be our last time together:

"Here is a photo of Pepot when we met up at LAX Oct. 12 during my 12 hour layover. He is looking good. But I am sexier!

From an email from Chito Razon and forwarded by Tita Tessie: 

Dear Tita Tessie, my story and recollection.   As a frail kid regularly visiting Ugar Sur, a then remote barangay West of the Tuguegarao town center in the late 60’s, I’ve been exposed to two generations of cousins, the young elementary students and the high schoolers.  There was a wide age and lifestyle gap between us and the next generation.  We, grouped with K. Guy, K. Pong, K. Tony were in shorts, sando and slippers playing touch games at Gonzaga st. while they in shirts, listening to music and riding bicycles.  The elderly ones which I considered as “untouchables” were Kuya Bing, Ate Lorni, sometimes Kuya Lito or in rare moments Kuya Pet and Kuya Ditos.  I would remember they ran the show and controlled almost all activities in the street.  (It was different in the Ugac household as it was Tata Paul who prevailed at all times.)  They played games (basketball), gambled (mahjong and card games), fired guns (long and short arms).  They’ve been to places we were not allowed to go-farm, riverside, old churches and the ultimate, travel to Manila. Their group led by Kuya Ditos imprinted in my memory as my 1st adult role models, next to parents and dear Uncles and Aunties.  Kuya Ditos was a natural leader because he had influence and narrated stories and anecdotes well.  He was closest to his parents, Tata Paul and Tita Aming, the tallest and maybe the biggest (K. Enteng was not in the circle) and the eldest (as K. Lito was always not around). He had savvy.  He operated an Akai open reel tape recorder which repeatedly played Supremes Hit with Diana Ross as lead singer.  During Christmas Holidays, “Baby Love, I Hear a Symphony, Where did our Love Go, Stop in the Name of Love would be in the loop non-stop while they played mahjong or poker.  His player would only stop when there was a brownout which was frequent those days or the power voltage was too low, Tata Paul’s step up transformer could not handle the load. He liked to boogie.  Public dances were events in the small town.  K. Ditos would take the center stage to show off his graceful dancing prowess when Boogie is played with his stiff and bended elbow clutching the most popular girls in town.  He was a cousin who could upstage his Uncles as he would be allowed to share the dance floor with Tata Nono and Tata Sal who were equally magnificent dancers. He bluffed well commanding authority in the poker table.  Betting against hard core gamblers as K. Lito, K. Bing, Tata Sal, Tata Noy, he was no push over.  He was mischievous, perhaps an impact of his high school Jesuit education and the influence of his cousins.  Articulate, he would express what he meant.  Whenever the Supremes plays “You keep me hanging on” he would make a point about it. When most of the families moved to Metro Manila, our encounters were less frequent limited only to the annual New Year’s Eve party hosted by his parents in BF Homes in Las Pinas.  As in Ugac, our coalition roamed around the village watching basketball, firing lantacas, watching performances at the open courts while his age groups were enclosed in a room playing cards, eating and enjoying the gathering.  As priorities changed, encounters were less often.  Like everybody else going through the cycle of life, he worked, raised a family and eventually migrated to Indonesia.  I eventually lost track of the music he likes, the games that he played and the company that he kept.  What I know of is he continued to lead an enjoyable lifestyle combining travel, sports, photography events and lately social networking. All of these are perceptions of a junior lad, looking up to a senior. But beneath the lifestyle, love for life, the savvy, trail blazing and financial successes, I remember K. Ditos as a loving son, devoted to his family, respectful to Uncles and Aunties and a dear cousin to the 52 of us.  These values plus my Ugac Sur experiences are what I cherish most about him.  “I hear a symphony,” a song of the Supremes perhaps describes his influence to us, the then younger ones. “For a feeling that's so new So inviting, so exciting Whenever you're near, I hear a symphony.”  Thank you Koya.

I attended Ate Leni's one year death anniversary on February 2013 in Indonesia.  I stayed at Koya Ditos for a week.  We bonded together, had golf lessons with a professional golf instructor.  He was always there, watching and giving me guidance on how to hit the golf ball at the driving range.  He asked me what fruits i would like to eat.    I requested Atis (i don' know english version).   Everyday I had Atis which I really loved to eat.     On the day of the celebration of the death anniversay of Ate Leni,  Koya Bing, Ate Nini and Kots (alias Peteng) arrived from the Philippines.   Kots was craving for atis and wanted to eat as soon as he sat on the table.   The night before,  I woke up  in the middle of the night and saw a basket of of "Atis" sitting on the dining table.   Being hungry,  I ate and finish all of them.  I was not aware that those fruits were for Kots for he requesed Koya Ditos to ask Narsum (housekeeper) to buy them.   When kots arrived that day,  he was looking for them and not to embarass me and not let Kots go on  "reverse" meaning getting upset,   Koya Ditos told Kots that Narsum left early morning to the market to buy and choose the best Atis.  What Koya did was he run to Kitcen and ask driver and Narsum to go the market and buy the atis without the knowledge of Kots.  The atis arrived on time and everybody was happy and I also conitnued eating atis with Kots.   Here it shows Koya concern and  trying to make you  comfortable.

Koya has a real kind heart like Papa and wants to please all his siblings.  I alway remember his famous passage "  Please give it to them and make them happy!!!"

luv and Prayers   Pong (only retired sibling) 


Disclaimer:  I have not written an essay for almost  a year since I retired from the UN.   Please bear with me on my english composition for my high school english teacher in  Tuguegarao taught me "Ybanag english" but survived UN for 30 yrs and was able to communicate with diffrent nationalities.