MEMORIES OF LOLO
It has been barely two months since my Lolo, President Fidel V Ramos, passed away. I still intensely feel the pain of loss, but I cope with the grief by reliving the great memories of time spent with him.
I was born in August 1992, two months after he took office. My mum jokes that she chose the name “Sam” because she spent part of her pregnancy handing out sample ballots on the campaign trail. I only have a vague memory of my toddler years with Lolo as president, how the halls of Malacañang hummed with activity, like something you might see at the movies with a scene in a war operations room.
Most of the vivid memories with Lolo were from when I was already a young man. I was born and raised here, and studied at the International School Manila (ISM), where my Lola Ming was the school registrar for many years. Then I went to Yale for college to earn a degree in political science. After graduation, I moved back home to the Philippines. Just like what my Lolo advised me to do.
I can’t remember exactly when (he said this to me), whether I was already
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