Like untethered balloons, the members of the Cebu Institute of Medicine Class of 1978 went their separate ways after graduation. Most of them went back to their hometowns to serve the people they grew up with, others went to centers of learning to advance their careers, and still others migrated to other countries to pursue challenges unknown while others went there to join their families and others went for greener pastures. This diaspora loosened the bonds of former classmates accustomed to interacting with each other almost every day.

For a while, it did not matter much as each of us became busy with our careers and in raising our children. Then careers stabilized, the children matured, and we see a glimpse of retirement on the road ahead. We noticed that the gnawing feeling that has been obscured by the frenetic lives we led has grown stronger, demanding more attention – the pang that urges us to reach out to our former classmates.

Med school was no picnic, but we had each other to lean on and the few escapades and capers we did obtunded the miseries in med school. The peaks and the valleys of our experience in med school bound us close together and spawned the longing to connect again with our classmates.

In 2003 when we had our silver anniversary as graduates, most of us reconnected with our former classmates and it was an exhilarating feeling. Then there were the mini-reunions hosted by our classmates who are practicing in Cebu City. They were always happy affairs filled with golden memories that never lost their luster. You know who you are and we know who you are and we are thankful that this tight-knit band of classmates in Cebu City are ever ready to welcome any former classmate who happens to come to Cebu.

Our class had a website before and I am reviving it because we need it more than ever to get in touch more often. We may not be able to reunite physically as often as we want, but we can at least do it virtually using modern technology. This website will not attain its goal without your input and cooperation, hence, I am asking for your help.

Let’s do it!

Edwin O. La Rosa. M.D.

President, CIM Class of 1978