Golden memories

It's been 50 years since we graduated from medical school, the University of the Philippines College of Medicine Class 1975.

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It was a time of upheaval: martial law, resistance from UP students, and the Diliman commune back when we were graduating from Diliman. We had protest rallies and marches to Malacañang wearing our white medical uniforms, and suffered losses of our batch until we were only 93. We persevered through what was said to be an experimental curriculum and came out the better for it.

After graduation, we drifted apart, pursuing residency and fellowship trainings here and abroad, concentrating on honing our craft and/or raising families. There was no internet then, and communicating was not easy. There were several small groups of classmates living in geographically defined areas that managed to have small reunions during our time in the states, and those memories are cherished, captured in now fading color photographs.

But time has a way of circling around and catching us at the right moments, when we managed to set up chat groups to communicate with each other. Thus, the organizing of group dinners, land tours around the Philippines and planning our anniversary events.

We celebrated our Silver Jubilee with gusto, and vowed to reunite every five years. Our Ruby anniversary came and I named a hybrid cattleya orchid I created after the class: Rlc. UPCM1975 Ruby Anniversary. We proudly wore its facsimile as our boutonniere or pin.