
As had Shakespeare put it in his classic novel Romeo and Juliet, “Parting is such sweet sorrow….” Yes, bittersweet it is. It’s bitter on one part due to fact that you’re leaving something/someone special behind causing you utter pain and making it harder and harder to let go. On another part though, the excitement which springs from the thought of having a single glimpse or the slightest of touch of that or those you left behind is rather sweet, melting you to the very core.
On July 15, 2014, the Local government Unit (LGU) of Lal-lo mounted a send-off program for its retirees, Mr. Celestino Bagauiasan and Mrs. Violeta Cardenas, Sir Tinoy and Ma’am Violy, as they are fondly called, who spent forty-five (45) and twenty-one (21) years of their lives in the government service, respectively. Unbelievable. As Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Member Jamaica Indira Israel said, retirement is a privilege that not everyone has the luxury to enjoy, it’s a blessing.
On July 15, 2014, the Local government Unit (LGU) of Lal-lo mounted a send-off program for its retirees, Mr. Celestino Bagauiasan and Mrs. Violeta Cardenas, Sir Tinoy and Ma’am Violy, as they are fondly called, who spent forty-five (45) and twenty-one (21) years of their lives in the government service, respectively. Unbelievable. As Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Member Jamaica Indira Israel said, retirement is a privilege that not everyone has the luxury to enjoy, it’s a blessing.

Both retirees bravely faced the challenge of becoming a public servant – admired by others, shamelessly ditched by some – which is not, in any way, an easy job. It came with a roller coaster ride of emotions and tons and tons of stress. I don’t know if I could last as long as they did. I don’t even know if I can survive another three (3) months but they, they endured decades. Amazing, I know. We don’t get that now very often.
Fits of laughter filled the SB Session Hall as Mr. Tito Bartolome, Sir Tinoy’s best bud in the Treasury Office wore a mask with the latter’s picture mimicking his every action and mannerism. Sir Tinoy wasn’t able to attend the program but this didn’t stop his family in the Treasury Office from going all-out in making him feel treasured. Mrs. Marivic Bungubung, Municipal Treasurer-OIC; Mrs. Lourdes Rosacia, Assistant Treasurer; and Mr. Tito Bartolome, Local Revenue Collection Officer II, gave their own messages sharing the same sentiments of how much of an asset Sir Tinoy was and how much he’ll be truly missed. If the heart-warming production number of the Municipal Treasurer’s Office (MTO) staff wasn’t any indication of such, then I don’t know what else could be.
Meanwhile, it was the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO) Santos B. Sunico who gave his message to Ma’am Violy remembering how she was much of a mother to all the MSWDO family, how she would always be the one to arrive earliest, how she would diligently get rid of any dirt in the office before everyone else arrives and how she would throw in tantrums like a five-year old child in an annoying yet unbelievably hilarious manner. Mam Violy, fighting the tears from falling was left speechless and mustered a quick thank you with a crack in her voice getting everyone else all emotional.
Mr. Rowland Bolando and Miss Lotis Anne Bartolome, MTO personnel graced the event through an intermission number exhibiting their vocal prowess.
Maybe it was a day of goodbyes to that we used to do and to those we used to be with. People often associate the word goodbye with pain and sorrow because it implies an end, a reeling state of closure, which is not necessarily true in most cases. Sometimes it just means ‘till next time.
So to Sir Tinoy and Ma’am Violy, ‘till next time…
By Bec Bautista
Fits of laughter filled the SB Session Hall as Mr. Tito Bartolome, Sir Tinoy’s best bud in the Treasury Office wore a mask with the latter’s picture mimicking his every action and mannerism. Sir Tinoy wasn’t able to attend the program but this didn’t stop his family in the Treasury Office from going all-out in making him feel treasured. Mrs. Marivic Bungubung, Municipal Treasurer-OIC; Mrs. Lourdes Rosacia, Assistant Treasurer; and Mr. Tito Bartolome, Local Revenue Collection Officer II, gave their own messages sharing the same sentiments of how much of an asset Sir Tinoy was and how much he’ll be truly missed. If the heart-warming production number of the Municipal Treasurer’s Office (MTO) staff wasn’t any indication of such, then I don’t know what else could be.
Meanwhile, it was the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO) Santos B. Sunico who gave his message to Ma’am Violy remembering how she was much of a mother to all the MSWDO family, how she would always be the one to arrive earliest, how she would diligently get rid of any dirt in the office before everyone else arrives and how she would throw in tantrums like a five-year old child in an annoying yet unbelievably hilarious manner. Mam Violy, fighting the tears from falling was left speechless and mustered a quick thank you with a crack in her voice getting everyone else all emotional.
Mr. Rowland Bolando and Miss Lotis Anne Bartolome, MTO personnel graced the event through an intermission number exhibiting their vocal prowess.
Maybe it was a day of goodbyes to that we used to do and to those we used to be with. People often associate the word goodbye with pain and sorrow because it implies an end, a reeling state of closure, which is not necessarily true in most cases. Sometimes it just means ‘till next time.
So to Sir Tinoy and Ma’am Violy, ‘till next time…
By Bec Bautista