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The Asawa, in what can only be described as a moment of either great generosity or a brief lapse in judgement, decided it was finally time to present her somewhat weathered husband to polite society. And not just quietly, mind you. Oh no. If you’re going to unveil the foreign spouse, you may as well do it properly—during not one but two major local events. First, her high school alumni celebration, and then the fiesta of her original barangay the following day. Clearly, she believes in easing a man into things gently… by throwing him into the deep end.
This particular chapter covers the first of those adventures: the alumni homecoming. The festivities began with a cheerful march kicking off from a church on the eastern side of town (a location that will become relevant later, so do keep it in mind). From there the parade wound its way through the streets, past the port, around a few strategic corners, and then—because the organisers clearly believed no road should go un-walked—headed all the way back east again to the high school.
The weather, naturally, was the sort of tropical warmth that locals barely notice. Everyone else seemed perfectly comfortable. Meanwhile, yours truly—the pale foreigner who considers anything above 25°C to be suspiciously close to volcanic activity—was quietly reconsidering life choices while trying to look cheerful. Thankfully, the general mood of the crowd was high enough to carry everyone along, including the overheated visitor at the back of the parade.
And what a crowd it was. Alumni had returned from various corners of the Philippines and beyond, each proudly representing their graduating batch. In the Philippines, these things are taken quite seriously. Some batches celebrate milestone anniversaries, others simply show up because any excuse for a gathering with food, music, and a mild amount of competitive bragging is perfectly acceptable.
Standing among the rolling green hills of Masbate is the school at the centre of all this nostalgia: what most people still call Mandaon National High School. Over the years it has acquired a slightly more distinguished title—Federico A. Estipona Memorial High School, or FAEMHS for short. The renaming was even recorded in official government paperwork, which confirms it wasn’t simply a rumour that grew legs after one too many glasses of Tanduay at the local sari-sari store.
Despite the new and impressively formal name, locals still happily refer to it by the old one, because habits—especially Filipino ones—tend to stick around. The school remains one of the main educational institutions in the municipality and, like most organisations these days, much of its public life now happens on Facebook. There you’ll find updates on school events, flag ceremonies, student achievements, alumni reunions, and the occasional nostalgic comment from former students remembering canteen snacks that were somehow both questionable and unforgettable.
The campus itself occasionally appears in drone videos proudly circulating online, showing the school nestled near Barangay Laguinbanwa—or at least that’s what the internet claims. I personally haven’t managed to confirm the exact barangay reference anywhere official, so treat that detail with the traditional Filipino pinch of salt.
In the Philippines, alumni homecomings are not merely polite gatherings with tea and polite conversation. That would be far too restrained. Instead, they are lively mini-festivals where former students return to celebrate their school days, reminisce about teachers who somehow survived teaching them, and compare notes on who has aged gracefully and who has embraced a more… comfortable relationship with rice.
Parades or motorcades are common, often involving banners, marching alumni, and the occasional vehicle decorated like it’s auditioning for a festival float. Once everyone eventually arrives back at the school, the official program begins—speeches, performances, music, and the occasional batch competition thrown in for good measure.
And of course, there is food. Magnificent food.
By the time we reached the high school grounds, preparations had clearly been underway for some time. Long tables groaned heroically under the weight of dishes prepared for the occasion, creating a feast that could easily rival a small wedding reception. There was more than enough to ensure nobody would leave hungry—an outcome that, in the Philippines, would be considered a grave organisational failure.
Entertainment was equally impressive. Music and performances kept the crowd lively, batches cheered for one another, and laughter echoed around the grounds as old classmates reunited and swapped stories about school days that were almost certainly exaggerated with every retelling.
It was, in short, a wonderful beginning to the festivities—full of warmth, nostalgia, music, and enough food to feed a moderately sized army.
And this, dear reader, was only day one.
The next instalment will cover the even bigger celebrations that followed the very next day—when the fiesta of the Asawa’s original barangay took things to an entirely new level. 🎉
Above and below.
Marchers from the parade earlier in the day.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above.
A band was part of the afternoon entertainment at the high school.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above.
Some religious guff was partaken in prior to the parade around Mandaon Town.
Photo: Brad Peadon
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Nhing, Tins & The Trike Driver.
Gerry & Betty
Batch 86
Federico A. Estipona Memorial High School (FAEMHS)
Sunset Villa - Lantangan
'Artocillo Family & (Known) Friends' Group.
Group only for friends and family - random weirdos please stop applying.
The questions need to be answered when applying so the aforementioned weirdos can be found.
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