I THOUGHT I had lost them, and in a way, I had. A pile of photo albums in storage had been attacked by termites, and most of the photos had long been obliterated. Except for some, which, retrieved, find their way into this page.
One is of me when I was 37, on New Year’s Eve 1979-1980. It was taken at the Manguerra house where our gang used to gather and make merry during December 31-January 1.
I look quite well although it is clear I was bursting at the seams of my Oleg Cassini shirt. I had worn it because it had multicolor polka dots.
Another picture is of my niece Ana Maria Escaño, taken at the “sala grande” of the Villa Margarita in Malitbog, Southern Leyte.
Looking on the scene from a portrait in the wall is her great grandfather Don Agustin Escaño. He designed the art work on the wall, as he did for the whole house with different themes for the varied rooms.
A third photo is of the regnant family of the Principality of Monaco. At right are the sovereign Prince Rainier III and his wife Princess Grace, formerly the Hollywood actress Grace Kelly.
With them are their children (at right), according to their ages—Princess Caroline, Princess Stephanie, and Prince
Albert who is the present sovereign.
In October 1980 I passed by the French Riviera and made a stop in Monaco. At a souvenir shop near the Grimaldi palace I bought this postcard and a scarf, light blue with the name Monaco surrounded by a crown.
When I returned to Cebu my niece Ana and nephew Mon-Mon were convinced Grace Kelly had given me the photo and the scarf, which though threadbare as it may be I still use.
Finding the postcard unscathed and clear after all these years and the onset of the termites was like a miracle.
