Reuben Laurente "AS IF WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE" at the PUPLHS 40th Batch Reunion (Sotogrande Hotel)
(It's) "AS IF WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE"
the PUPLHS Batch 85 Reunion at the Sotogrande Hotel (Katipunan, Quezon City). No copyright infringement intended. For entertainment purposes only.
When I was asked to perform at our high school reunion by our wonderful chairperson, Ruby Cayanan De Guzman, and our talented director, Reiko Sugapong—both former classmates—the song that instantly came to mind was "As If We Never Said Goodbye." This beautiful piece, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, perfectly encapsulated the emotions swirling around me as we celebrated our 40th reunion as alumni of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Laboratory High School.
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Seeing 45 or 46 of us gathered at the cozy Sotogrande Hotel in Katipunan, Quezon City, was a joy beyond measure. With a total of 118 in our batch (from IV Bookkeeping, IV Stenography, and IV Salesmanship), a 40% turnout was well beyond our expectations. Friends traveled from as far as the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia to join us. Huge congratulations to all the prime movers behind this gathering—besides Ruby and Reiko, I want to shout out Grace Nicomedez Bernardino, Ana Liza Capuz Pena, Eileen Bagain Fernandez, Susana Acosta, Marlon Antolin, Rosalie Dominguez, Aurora Pecson Villasanta, and Ederlyn Velez Juliano. Please forgive me if I missed anyone; I promise I’m not trying to be forgetful!
The organized registration set the tone for the day, and the photo booth was a hit as we captured our joyous reunions. The air was thick with nostalgia, laughter, and warm embraces—it felt surreal. A heartfelt thank you to the Sotogrande crew, Reiko's staff, and Ruby and Jun De Guzman's son and daughter-in-law, Jedrik and Marian, for making the event run so smoothly. A special mention goes to Jedrik for his engaging hosting that kept the energy alive.
Our program began with an invocation led by Olai Ramos Espiritu, followed by the national anthem and "Imno Ng PUP," composed by
