MARCH 1997 The Glow 35 former classmate and now the General Manager of the Cabatuan Golf Club. After a few minutes of exchanging pleasantries, a couple came to greet us. They were Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Senupe presently holding a key position in the Philippine National Bank, Iloilo City. All of a sudden a military jeep arrived and parked. near the entrance of the Golf Club Cafeteria. To our surprise it was Col. Dennis Joseph Pueyo, AFP Commanding Officer, Region VI. Mayor Baldeviso recognized him immediately. Col. Pueyo then invited us to visit Region VI Army Headquarters now based at Barangay Jelicuon. After our breakfast, Mayor Baldeviso invited me to visit a Bamboo Fly Factory in Barangay Tuy-an. It manufactures Bamboo Fly for export to European countries. When we reached the plant site, I found out that the factory is extremely big and in full blast operation. The investor is a British national, and the resident manager is Engr. Rex Aguero. Fi pm Barangay Tuy-an we proceeded to Barangay Bacan to visit another factory which is a Stone Crusher. The factory is located at the bank of Tigum River. It is owned and managed by a Filipino businessman, Engr. Danilo Binueza. At that moment, we decided to g,.) to Barangay Salacay. But before we reached the boundary of the two neighboring barangays, we dropped by a hollow blocks factory. At the entrance of the factory a billboard reads: Cabatuan Hollow Blocks Factory; Owner: Engr. and Mrs. Christian Grana. As we drove our service car to Barangay Salacay, we saw a big building roofed with corrogated sheets. According to Mayor Baldeviso, it is an Ice Plant Factory owned by Ms. Fatima Ordoyo. She is the sole supplier of ice blocks through out the municipality. At this juncture, we drove our service car back to the town's poblacion. We passed by the newly constructed bridge connecting Barangay Salacay and poblacion. On the way, I noticed that the area formerly planted to peanuts by small farmers was already gone. The landowners converted their lands into subdivisions. Many heads of the families took the opportunity of acquiring a housing plan in these subdivisions for their families security and comfort. The three subdivision developers in area the are: Engr. Aldrin Acaba, Engr. Nestor Diaz and Engr. Christine Baja. While we were about to enter the town plaza, I saw the newly constructed three storey public market. It was packed with people and most of them were vendors and vendees trading each other. The sight showed that the life of the people in the community was apparently progressing. Around the town plaza, old residential houses were replaced with modern buildings and commercial establishments: Cabatuan Shopping Center owned by Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert Lorca; Cabatuan City Bank owned by Atty. & Mrs. Jan Alvarino; Cabatuan City Jewelry Store owned by Miss Ma Can Sta Rufina; Cabatuan Hardware owned by Engr. & Mrs. Mark Velarde. It seems, the business is booming in the entire municipality. We parked car in front of the Roman Catholic Church and took a glimpse of the ancient glory of the past. When Rev. Fr. Daniel Caballero saw us, he immediately came to greet us. Rev. Fr. Daniel Caballero is the Parish Priest of Cabatuan. Since the Cabatuan City Hall is only a stone-throw from the Roman Catholic Church, Mayor Stephen Baldeviso and I decided to walk up to his office. Up there, we took a rest for a while and later on, we were served native food delicacies. While looking around and observing everything, I saw the employees inside their offices; the people walking on the streets; and the children playing in the plaza all subdued with joy and happiness for the grand event the following day. I thought of congratulating my fellow Cabatuananons for the preparations. From the city hall, Mayor Stephen Baldeviso and I went to visit our beloved Alma Mater. At the main entrance of the university campus, was a wide hanging streamer welcoming all alumni to the official conversion of Cabatuan College into a Cabatuan State University. The College Administrator is Dr. Leah Tormon. The members of the Board of Regents are: Prof. Girlie Rubio, Prof. Sophia Beba, Prof. Joan Taburno, Prof. Ariel Cuarte, Prof. Jennelyn Tanatan. Some of the instructors of the College were on hand to welcome us. They were all glittering and glowing. In a guided tour, we went around the w' iversity campus. We saw the stream-lined building, the well-kept track oval and an exotic flower garden. In the Science Department, where I spent most of my four-year high school studies, I met Dr. David Cabanal, head of the department. The building has new flashing class,rooms and glistening