A LOVE STORY

One fine summer day, April 3, 1980 to be exact, a beautiful baby girl as born to Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Flores in Iligan City. She was the second among a brood of 4 (2 boys and 2 girls). She was named Jeanette. When baby Jeanette was still 2 yrs old, the Flores family tranfered to Tablon, Cagayan de Oro City. So Jeanette spent her elementary years in a public school in Tablon while her high school days were in Sacred Heart Montesori. She finished her degree in Commerce Major in Business Management at Xavier University.  Soon after college, Jeanette found a contractual job at Del Monte in Bugo, PMD Dept. This was in the year 2002. Pause muna tayo ditto because something very important happened during this time.

From the hot and buzzling industrial city of Iligan, let me now bring you to the cool and serene pineapple country village of Camp Phillips, Bukidnon. (How I missed that place. I was born there but spent only the 1st  8 yrs of my life there). Amidst the cool breeze of November in 1977, on the 25th day, a bouncing baby boy was born to Mr. & Mrs. Romulo Borong. They named them Jesryl but was fondly called Jeje. Just like Jeanette,  Jeje was also the second among a brood of 4 (3 boys & 1 girl) . Jeje spent his elementary days at OLES (Our lady of Lourdes Elem Sch), his high school days at Holy Cross High and finished college at MPSC with a degree of Electronics and Communications Engineering. This has helped him land a job at Del Monte in Bugo, PMD Dept, in the year 2002, 3 months prior to Jeanette’s assignment there.

Ug didto nagsugod ang tanan sa Del Monte, Bugo. The 4 walls of PMD Dept were a witness to their natural friendship that blossomed into LOVE. They met and became friends in Sept 2002, Jeje asked for Jeanette’s cell num in Dec of the same year,… text-text, chika2x until Jan 2003. This was the time when they got to know each other better because they shared different ideas---from light to heavy. And they found each other interesting. Jeje found Jeanette responsible, honest and sincere. While Jeanette found Jeje generous, respectful, and matured husband material.

Busa in Jan 2003, pista sa Tablon, namista si Jeje ug nagdala ug lami kaayo nga chocolate cake for Jeanette’s mother which he himself baked. (Mao ni talent ni Jeje, baking! busa abi ni Jeaneth ug kadugo ni Bebe Gandanghari ni si Jeje). Pero sa tinuod kadugo diay ni Robin Padilla—walang inaatrasan, think positive! Tiaw mo. 5:00 am, taliwala sa kabugnaw sa hangin, gilatas ni Jesryl ang bukid paingon sa dagat sa Tablon aron lang maghatud ug chocolate cake sa mama ni Jeanette? Kinsa bay Jeanette nga di mahibulong ug matingala? Yes, practically Jeje “courted”  first Mrs. Flores because they were very good friends. I think this was a very nice gesture from Jeje. And on the 1st week of Feb 2003 Jeje asked permission from Jeanette’s parents to court her. Ug wala na dayon madugay, lampas lang gamay ang Valentines Day, they formally started a more-than-friends relationship that they shared for 6 yrs now. But like any relationship, they went through challenges that tested their love for each other. The biggest of these challenges came during the last quarter of last year up to the 1st quarter of this year that almost broke their hearts and their relationship. Thank God, they were able to win the challenge with the help of their parents and loved ones.  That’s why today we are so blessed to be a witness to their promise to make their love last forever. To Jeje and Jeanette, may God bless and keep you now, always and forever.