14th of a series
Dazzling Dubai: A journey into extravagance and wonder
Time flew so fast. Sometimes, due to hectic schedule at work and at home, Romy and I had to transform from an ordinary mortal to a make-believe super (wo)man – cleaning the house, doing the laundry, cooking, and almost everything related to parenting. Romy was busy as a bee yet despite his loaded timetable, he never failed to write short stories and poems for his columns.
In 2004, we were invited by his children to fly to Dubai with Dindin, all expenses paid. It was a walk in the park trip because we were given a diplomatic exit thru the courtesy of Atty. Benjamin Kalaw, first cousin of Romy’s first wife Nelia. Atty. Kalaw was head of the Bureau of Immigration at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) during that time.At the airport, Roreen, Ronel and Ruth who already migrated to London, England would alternately check on us until we finally boarded the Emirates, reminding us to relax and enjoy the trip.
When we reached Dubai International Airport, we were surprised to see our names being flashed in a large digital screen with a couple of young ladies in uniform greeting us with a smile. They call it ‘Marhaba’. A young man approached us and told us to take a seat because they will be the ones to process all our documents. That was fantastic or so I thought! I learned later that the children paid a good sum of money for Romy, Dindin and I to experience that kind of welcome.
We stayed in a grand Villa at Abu Hail, Dubai, UAE with Roreen and Raquel. Rona was residing in a separate house. After a week, Ruth, her husband Winston Gregorio Dayrit and only child Nicole arrived from London. We had a wonderful family reunion after five long years – visiting Dubai Museum and a battery of malls, swimming at Wild Wadi, shopping for novelty items and eating sumptuous meals at fabulous restaurants. For a while Romy and I enjoyed the lifestyle of the rich and the famous with his kids paying all the bills!
After a couple of weeks, Ruth flew back to London while we flew back to the Philippines to continue our normal daily life. Romy who wanted so much to serve the people of San Pablo met with SPO4 Reynaldo T. Paras and suggested that they organize one dedicated solid group who would conduct seminars in the different barangays of Laguna about many things that would alleviate their way of living. It was during this time that the Community on Peace and Security (COPS) was born with the approval of then Laguna Governor Teresita “Ningning” Lazaro.
The first thing that Romy And Rey Paras did was organized all the barangays of Laguna’s 3rd District into several clusters with the help of Rey’s wife Marina Biglete-Paras and Asst. Provincial Prosecutor Florante D. Gonzales. After a series of brainstorming, the following topics and lecturers were agreed upon: Crime Prevention for Rey Paras; Fiscal Ante Gonzales for Barangay Justice System; Romy M. Evangelista for Leadership Training; Dr. Armand Vallejo for Mental Health; Mel B. Evangelista for Moral Value Formation and Moral Recovery; and Dra. Leah Medina for Dental Health.
To be continued
Melinda Bagsic Evangelista
I was born to write and I believe that’s my calling. I love writing because it brings me to the realm exclusively of mine. It is also my opinion that “immortality” can be achieved not by searching for the Holy Grail and drinking from it but by living your life worth-writing or writing something worth-reading. Since I cannot promise you a life worth-writing, I keep myself busy writing something worth-reading. I am thankful to God for giving me the talent and skill to see life in different perspectives not seen by many and the courage to share it to my readers. This first ever Tutubi Digital News Magazine is a perfect avenue to bring you the many facets of life that you can ponder upon in this time of the pandemic. Enjoy reading all the articles.
