“Blessed are those who mourn
for they will be comforted.”
The
death of a loved one brings memories of a distant past which we often take for
granted. In the busy-ness of our
lives we don’t take time to talk with friends and acquaintances. We delay the
opportunity, hoping that there is a next time. But most often, the next time never
comes.
My husband and I have been living at the
Congregational Tower for the past thirteen years, but sad to say we don’t
really know much about our neighbors. We only have a "hello, how are you, have a fine day" kind of
conversation, thus missing the richness of a truly good interaction. We don’t have
time to establish
relationships with others or take time to listen to their stories. Then, when
they are gone, we are filled with sadness and regret for not having taken the time to
know them better.
One neighbor in our list is a petite, friendly and unassuming woman whom we fondly call “Chari.” One day I met Chari in the elevator and she said, “I don’t see much of you. You seem to be very busy.”
I smiled with a certain amount of guilt
for truly, I come in and out of the Congregational Tower. I don’t have time to
socialize with my neighbors. I told myself that I was going to take time to talk with
Chari one of these days. But I
never got around to doing what I wanted to do. Chari passed away last Sunday noon (July 1). I was shocked
and I felt guilty all the more.
I
joined Chari’s children in the “novena” with some neighbors, after which we
browsed over some of her albums. What a revelation! I saw a young Chari in a
beautiful evening gown with Paraluman, Gloria Romero, Amalia Fuentes and all those beautiful
actresses during her time.
In
the biographical sketch that her children shared with me, I found out that Rosario
Cabrera Araullo was one of four surviving children of the late Judge Guillermo
Cabrera and Anselma Arquiza of Manila, Philippines. A very diligent student,
she graduated as high school salutatorian from St. Paul College in Manila and
went on to the University of Sto. Tomas where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts
degree, major in Journalism, with the highest honors (summa cum laude).
Chari
got married to Gervasio (Chito) A. Araullo on December 19, 1942, with whom she
had five children, Maitina
married to Richard Falcon of Burlingame, CA; Antonio married to Mary Araullo, Martita married to Dan
Sadol, Rene married to Evelyn
Araullo and Miguel married to Aileen Araullo. She was blessed with 14
grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Chito and Chari celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary in Manila in 1992. Chito passed away in 1994.
Chari
at one time was elected President of the defunct Filipino American
Congregational Tower Residents’ Association (FACTRA).
I discovered
in the write-up that Chari was a very accomplished woman. She was Public
Relations Officer of Sampaguita Pictures, Inc. and Vera Perez Enterprises in
the Philippines for 35 years. She also worked as Public Relations Consultant of
the Folk Arts Theatre and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She was the
first recipient of the Dr. Jose R. Perez Memorial Award in the field of Public
Relations, an award she considered as the most prestigious and therefore her
favorite award. Remember, those
were the days when Sampaguita Pictures was turning out all those box office
hits with beautiful actresses such as Paraluman, Gloria Romero, Amalia Fuentes,
Daisy Romualdez and many others.
When
Chari and Chito migrated to the United States in 1985, Chari continued working
but chose to be in the public service field. She worked with San Diego’s
Project Ayuda and San Diego Job Corps.
Can
you imagine the many interesting experiences Chari could have shared with me if
I took time to visit her? I would have been the richer in our interaction. I
could have learned so much from her, especially in the field of public
relations and journalism. It is indeed with deep regret that I didn't have the
chance to know Chari better than I do now. It took her death to make me admire
the great and talented woman that she was. As Public Relations Officer of
Sampaguita Pictures during her heyday, she really did great things to advance
the motion picture industry in the Philippines.
Chari
is gone. It is our loss not to have heard her stories, the challenges she faced
as a pioneer in the field of public relations, and the lessons she could have
imparted to us. Next time, talk with your neighbor, listen to her story. There
might be a gold mine of significant experiences and lessons that we could learn
from him or her. There might be
another Chari whose story is waiting to be shared.