Borjas of Bohol Grand Family Reunion 2019

The recently- concluded Borja Clan Grand Reunion 2019 was certainly one of the biggest family reunions to be organized in Bohol. With less than six months to organize the family reunion that was to be timed for the Sandugo Festival, it was amazing how the organizing team affectionately called the Dream Team was able to pull it off.

Huge turnout is an understatement

And so I doff my hat to Nong Ondoy Borja and to the team for staging the event with only a few hitches and with only some minor quibbles at that.

The familiar scene during the opening day

From the moment the call was sounded off to all parts of the globe, there was no turning back. Prior to the event launch, there was also the daunting albeit interesting & exhausting task of tracing one’s roots in the Borja Family Tree. There has always been something endearing and melancholic when one talks of family. 

Rekindling relationships. Warm welcome

A bit of nostalgia and lots of surprises

AINT NO GENERATION GAP. The young ones and the young once

Borja descendants from near & far responded to the call

As Ate Rosario “Nang Inday” Borja Corales explained during the opening program of the reunion held at the Bohol Cultural Center, everything was an offshoot from the long & unceasing work of a dear cousin, the late Engr Emilio (Miling) Borja.

In a book, Miling painstakingly created a list of names for seven generations. The book was lost for some time and was recovered only after his untimely passing.  To quote the last paragraph of Miling's Introduction: 

"It is hoped that this tree does not die a natural death.  Families are encouraged to keep this tree alive - adding small branches and letting it grow without limit.  If someday a descendant will have the satisfaction of being able to trace his roots 15, 20 generations down, then I shall have been compensated generously for the efforts spent in building this family tree."

Close to a thousand responded to the call and there were pledges of support. The first day of the reunion was like no other. There was unbridled joy and excitement in the air as attendees started to arrive.  Food and drinks were aplenty. Prizes and surprises were beyond everyone’s expectations.

A momentous occasion to renew, to recall & to reminisce

Prizes & surprises awaited attendees

 Past, present & future Bohol leaders all in one place

 Tracing one’s lineage seemed to be the number one preoccupation that day

Long after the lights had dimmed, after the confetti had been swept away and the laughter & music had faded, memories of that unforgettable evening would be etched in everyone’s collective memory and linger for quite a time. 

Borja relatives will always remember the moment

 Happy faces all captured in photographs

 The spirit of solidarity and the common bond of family

Thanks everyone and here’s to the next reunion! Cheers!
Photo Credits: Monyth Lustre & Raymond Buslon