The 40"x40" acrylic on canvas painting was commissioned by Col. Ronnie Laguda sometime in December 2018 in Iloilo City during SPED 76' class reunion.

This was his desire to commemorate the reunion in his words " to remember the artist in our group".This was a great honor and opportunity I took to celebrate our group beyond the portrait of our beloved teacher Sir Roncesvalles that I undertook earlier.
I wanted to ask for some lead on what artwork would really be close to his heart but he only shrugged and gave me his total confidence resigned to whatever best interpretation I could give him.
Thus,was born, my comprehensive interpretation of the Ronnie Laguda I knew from grade school todate. Undoubtedly he was the classmate and person I know who had a decent , docile , and generous heart , overflowing though reserved in many times I had observed. And with this, I saw my artwork as an overflowing lava cooling the depths of any challenge , resolving the same into promising glitters.
For this, I believe he will be the shining star to follow in whatever galaxy or the heavens which could only have been elated by his presence.
Lord , we could only thank you for giving me this privilege and our collective prayer that he may be blessed more in your glory.

This provenance is issued to authenticate my unforgettable thoughts that Ronnie allowed me to document in this painting he commissioned.

May 27,2021 I hereby sign this provenance.

Nikki G. (artist)

Easter Grace Gigare
(SPED CLASS 76')

My vivid memory with Sir Ronnie's even at a short period. His favorite coffee from SB is cafe latte, grande it never changed.

In one of the meetings, I was prepping for a snack, I had him choose between a pesto bread and ensaymada. I didn't wait for his response anyway and blurted that pesto is good for him as you refrain having sugary food. He looked at me as if to protest and only conceded ( :D) and said thank you to the food.  

Peace and comfort to the survived family of RCL.

Ronnie is a very good friend. We call each other Pogs. I have known him to be a very responsible family man. He worked hard to give the best for his family and loved ones. He was an excellent government employee by giving his best in whatever task assigned to him. I was very happy last year when he shared to me how he encountered the Lord personally before his retirement. I will miss our talks on family and work related matters. See you in heaven someday.

The older brother I never had. You even helped my younger siblings too.
Rest well my beautiful friend. I will check on Liza and the kids often. We love you.

I have known Sir Ronnie for a very short time but I admire him most for his dedication in work; being a brilliant boss, counsellor and as a friend when outside the office.

I really could not imagine the loss of such a good person, especially the sorrow felt by his loved ones.

Please allow me to share this thought relieving promise from the Bible:

Revelations 21: 3-4. 3With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

Fellow worker in PNOC EC
Chin Dalloran

My father wanted a lot of things in life. He often told us about his journey to give his family a better life. They didn't have much and losing his father at a young age didn't help either. Caring for his siblings while balancing his education is an unpleasant situation, but he persevered and achieved certain luxuries in life that any of us would strive for. A good home, a nice car, work that pays well, caring friends, and a loving family.

As any father would want for his children, he only wanted what was best for us even if that was out of our capabilities. He showed us the best things life has to offer while protecting us from the struggles that come along with it. He was also patient and understanding and I'm pretty confident in that. In the past few yrs I've felt stuck and directionless. I didn't have the courage tell my dad directly at the time but he knew and understood anyway that I needed time to sort myself out and he always offered his help. He was also sort of my wingman since he gave me allowance and called them "date money". I've never used it for what it was intended for but if I meet a nice girl, I'll make sure that you meet her.
I have a lot of regrets but the biggest one is feeling like I haven't done much to make him proud as his only son. I wish he'd be there for when I succeed but life is sometimes unkind.

I consider myself lucky still since I got to have 20+ yrs with him and not many are fortunate to have that, but those 20+ yrs worth of memories makes this even harder. Everywhere I go there's always a memory of him and it brings forth a feeling of joy and pain. The ones that hit the hardest are the ones where it was only us two, whether it was travelling, doing physical labor in the house, or us two casually chatting. I know these memories will haunt me forever but that is why I know he will never leave us. Because people only truly leave us when they are physically gone and when they are forgotten.

Everyone knows that life is temporary and that the ultimate goal is to leave a mark in this world and their names be etched in history. Seeing all these people who have showed their love and care for my dad in the past several days, I can say he has accomplished that. Dad, I know you wanted more out of life but God has determined that you have done your mission and it was a job well done as always. So rest well dad, we'll take over from here.

We don’t have a lot of memories, but thank you po Tito for all the times you let me ride with you going to UST. Really appreciate it, rest in peace and hope you are enjoying up there.

My Father was dearly loved by everyone for he was not only dedicated and passionate with his job but he was selfless in everything that he does. Always supportive and telling us to do what makes us happy and says "Ako na ang bahala".

He indeed had a big heart, that kindness and love overflows from it. Even til the very end, you did your best Dad. Thank you for blessing me with one last hug before we parted ways in the hospital. Rest Well and Easy Dad, we got it from here. I love you always and forever