That STC prep show deserves an encore

I do not know if Sir Dodong Baduel was there last Saturday to witness it. If he was not, then I would say without any hesitation that he missed one half of his life. His granddaughter CJ was in a show that may never happen again in that way in his lifetime. Unless of course...

But that is putting the cart before the horse. Let me talk of the show first. I refer to the culminating activity last Saturday of the Prep Department of Saint Theresa's College, which was largely a musical package wrapped around a little surprise extra.

Allow me to admit right off that the show was special to me because I had a daughter, my youngest, Nina Fatima, in it. Beyond family ties, however, the show was truly a great surprise treat, something you did not expect young preppies could pull off in an amazing way.

There must have been more than a dozen song numbers that the kids sung without skipping a word, beat or note, including Cebuano songs whose lyrics you are pretty sure many of the children did not even fully understand but for which you could not care any less.

You were not there to scrutinize perceptible signs of mental aptitude. That is best left in the classroom, to be determined by academic activities. That day, you went there to see how your children were getting along in life.

The little surprise I mentioned earlier came right off, hitting you like a blast of cool refreshing air. It came in a package of four cute and charming girls who acted as emcees. One of them, Lyssa, was I believe the daughter of high school teacher Lanitesa Gascon.

Not only were the four girls almost flawless reading the rather long script that threaded through the entire program, they were remarkably precise in the spontaneity with which they came in with their lines as well. Their self-confidence was actually better than some professionals.

It was so beautiful to see children not only perform charmingly well but also to see them recover from unavoidable mistakes so flawlessly and effortlessly. They simply laughed miscues away they were actually better at adjusting to situations than adults.

And that was the great revelation that unfolded before everyone. It suddenly hit you that your children were getting one with their lives, enjoying themselves while at it, and all away from your influence. It just hit you that, young as they were, your children were growing up.

The show, through its different acts and numbers, consisted of things you never expected mostly six-year-olds to be able to perform so creditably. And for that you can only congratulate the prep teachers, one of whom is teacher Elsie Cuenco.

In the auditorium that day, a few seats to the right of me and my wife Arlene, sat one mother, Fatima Batucan. She is the mother of Debbie Ann, a classmate of my daughter and Sir Dodong Baduel's granddaughter. Despite the wide smile on her face, Fatima had tears in her eyes.

To those conscious of it, it became a struggle to contain their tears. My wife wept too but I did not. I was surrounded by women. But the tears I kept from falling out of my eyes came out anyway in great beads of persperation.

The performance made all parents assembled love all the children, not just their own. Maybe that is what is meant by seeing God's love manifested in the little ones. There was something at work in that auditorium that made you feel as if all your sins have been forgiven.

I do not presume to know what went on in their hearts, but from the way their heads were nodding, and then swaying to the music, I knew that the three sisters a few rows in front of me - Srs. Sonia Osmeña, Merced Sanchez and Purisima Pe - must have felt mighty pleased and proud.

With that, let me go back to the cart I refused to put before the horse at the outset. If it is not too late, I truly believe that show can be put back again, this time to raise funds that I know the school is trying hard to do for its auditorium project.

For truly professional shows, you hit people in the pocket. But in these hard times, there is not much hope to be derived from there. But with a truly charming show, you hit people in their hearts, and that is where hope springs eternal.