My partner's wedding

My partner recently got married to the girl of his dreams and I could not be happier.  I am not talking about a romantic liaison but my rigodon dance partner, Dakila Carlo “Dax” Cua, one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and he is young enough to be my son.

The reason we were paired together was because I am quite tall and with heels and an updo, can go up to 5’10” in height.  I didn’t want a shorter partner to dance the stately rigodon as we would look silly since it would be difficult to do the loops and hoops necessary for a formal, historical dance if I had to duck every time I had to twirl around.     

Dax ended up as my partner since he was the tallest among the gentlemen present, although the youngest among them.  He was always sweet and polite, calling me Tita Frannie and I whispered to him early on, “Please remember the dance steps because I can’t remember them in sequence.”  And, as luck would have it, not only did he remember all the steps, he would also rein me in when I would go the opposite way during the dance.  Luckily, no one noticed as he very gracefully would pull me towards the correct side and we would smile all throughout the 25-minute dance that took numerous rehearsals and many delicious dinners with the group of 20 pairs who bonded. Some of them were diplomats, politicians, business personalities, beauty queens, and a host of people with interesting careers. Despite disparate backgrounds and ages, we all enjoyed the camaraderie with our patient dance master, Bujing Danao.  She was able to put order to our left feet and laboriously taught us the intricate steps that had to be mastered for Malacañang’s Independence Day Ball in 2009.

Dax is the current Congressman of Quirino Province in Northern Luzon and his bride Midy Chua Nacague was a radiant vision on her wedding day. She wore a Cary Santiago gown that was topped with tiers of tulle and laser cutouts, a trademark of the Cebuano designer.  With a friendship that started since their high school days, the courtship lasted six years and culminated in a joyous wedding reception at the Makati Shangri-La Ballroom.  We all cheered when the groom spoke lovingly to his bride during the festivities and announced for the whole world to hear, “Tonight, you have made my dreams come true when you married me. Now, it will be my turn to make your dreams come true for the rest of your life.”

For one evening, politics was set aside to toast a fine young couple who will be an asset in the Philippine political field.  It was a celebration among the congressional representatives of different persuasions and was topped with a surprise dance number that brought the house down.    

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My real life partner, Ramon “RJ” Jacinto, has enjoyed his music for five decades and continues to share it with as many artists as possible.  One of them is Sitti Navarro, a super talented singer who truly warbles like a songbird.  I am one of her numerous fans and was happy when RJ was invited to join in her latest album “Sitti Sessions” by Warner Music and the record launch in Glorietta.   The mini concert featured songs collaborated with Richard Poon, Gary Granada, Ebe Dancel, Iek Manuel, and RJ Jacinto.

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For comments and suggestions, e-mail: jacinto.fa@gmail.com