Welcome to Bacolod friends network! The Casas, Linco, Jardeleza, Belleza, Logrono, Luzzuriaga, Pena-Montilla and Villaruels we know are all Ilonggos from Bacolod, Negros Occidental.   Since our family came from The City of Smiles, it is but naturally that our earliest friends come from the same city as well. If you want to know more about the City of Bacolod, click here.

Growing up in Punta Mabolo, my earliest recollection of a significant friend was a little girl called Buddha.  They called her such because she was fair and chinky-eyed like the Chinese, and plump like the Buddha. She was a couple of years older than I was.  I was about 2, almost three then.  She lived across our modest home and would often come round calling me to come out and play.  Toys weren't complicated then - a few rocks where we'd place our clay pots filled with freshly picked leaves and fruits from our backyard, which we'd light with sometimes make believe, sometimes real fire.  We also spent considerable time up our favorite fruit trees, happily eating their bounty, talking about our plans for the future.  Last I heard, Buddha had cancer; a tumor in her brain.  She has since passed away but the memories of our happy times together will remain.  I regret, I never got to know her real and complete name, nor became friends with her when we were much older.  It's because I was taken to Manila when I was three, moved back to Bacolod - but to a different place - when I was 4, and went to Cebu when I was six years old.

I was a kindergarten student at St. Rose of Lima in Bacolod when we returned to Bacolod.  We rented a small house owned by the Juertas'.   We lived next door to a Manileno couple who had three four children 3 boys and a girl.  They were the Reyeses.  I can still remember Tita Norie Reyes but could hardly recall how her husband looked like, nor remember his name.  Their kids were Bonnel, Ricky & Louie and the youngest was Maria.  Louie and I were the closest as we were the same age and went to the same school.  We used to play house - he was the daddy and I was the mommy.  Our younger siblings, my brother Alvin and his sister Maria were our kids.  Louie's parents separated and eventually they all moved to the US, in Connecticut.

Then we moved to Yusay Apartments and I was buddies with Cutie Pie.  I can no longer recall her real name.  She and I would play with lego toys and dolls, mostly hers and snack on whatever's the contents of their fridge.  We also accepted female borders at the time, two sisters - Manang Grace and Baya. 

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