How do I know Mrs. Pearl Doromal? I knew her from a distance. I stand here, speaking for a lot of people who are like me.
I was a teenager when I first came to know of Mrs. Pearl Doromal. Characteristic of being a teen, I was awestruck by the arrival of Dumaguete City’s version to what United States came to be…a Camelot with John F. Kennedy and his first Lady Jacqueline.
In Dumaguete, particularly in Silliman University, we had our own Camelot in the making under the new leadership of the handsome and debonaire President Dr. Quintin Doromal and his beautiful First Lady Pearl.
If the word “stalker” were a popular term then, I imagine I would have been one…but thankfully, typical of any teenager of any day and age, my attention was sidetracked and then carefully rationed out to the many crushes I had assumed. So to Bert, my number one crush then, and my husband now, I give him thanks. Bert was my saving grace from a possible life as a shameless deviant…a devout fan out of control…I exaggerate, of course.
Such was Ma’am Pearl’s aura of beauty and elegance. She would have caused any head to turn. She could have been a Hollywood actress alongside the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn…such was her presence and charisma.
From a distance, I became an admirer of Ma’am Pearl. With her riveting classic elegance and porcelain beauty, she became an icon of unsurpassed beauty for many — someone whom I wanted to be like someday. And I know I was and am not alone.
My parents were both SU faculty then. And my brushes with Silliman University “royalty” was by way of stories my Mother and my Father would bring home. Wonderful gifts that we received during Christmas. I remember telling myself one Christmas how rich the Doromals must be to afford giving everyone in Silliman a Christmas gift! I did not bother to confirm whether or not these gifts were only given to heads of departments — of which my mom was, back then.
Christmas time upped the couple’s pedestal even higher for me that equated Dr.King and Ma’am Pearl’s magical status to that of Santa Claus. And to think I was at the wise age of 16 then…I still believed in Santa Claus? naaahhh…
My mother Riorita went through a major operation. She had the first mastectomy ever in Dumaguete City. The surgery was done by Dr. Adriano and Dr. Jandoc, assisted by then new doctors, Dr. Jun Salatandre and Dr.Elizabeth Heceta-Moleta.
During my mother’s confinement in the Medical Center, she received a get well card and a gift from Dr. King and Ma’am Pearl. I can’t recall the exact words on the card or the gift, but I remember their thoughtfulness because imprinted in my mind upon seeing the gift was the adjective ‘exquisite’.
Such was Ma’am Pearl, she was exquisite…not only a beauty outwardly, but a beauty within. A person in all essence a woman, and a person in all ways of gracious substance.
I recall that during her reign as First Lady of Silliman, she made good use of her time to pursue her Masters in Creative Writing under the renowned authors, the Tiempos.
Ma’am Pearl was also very active in the Speech and Theater Department, taking part in some of its plays at the Luce Auditorium.
Every year, according to my mother, Ma’am Pearl would gather the church Bibles of the SU Church that needed repair, and sponsor their restoration, without fanfare. What a great lady indeed!
In this day of popular social media by way of Twitter and Facebook, Ma’am Pearl would have garnered a lot of followers and friends. She would have been a popular writer/blogger.
Ma’am Pearl, after all, was a poet and a book author.
For sure, Sillimanians who knew her or have heard of her would have been a captured audience waiting with bated breath her every blog post and Facebook wall status.
And surely, HS Batch 77 would have been in the frontline, catching all her posts about her daughter and our classmate Meg of whom she was very close…
Finally, this tidbit I would like to share with you all. My husband, Roberto Montebon, was close to Dr. Doromal, who was Bert’s first boss after he was fresh out from university.
While taking up law, Bert would work during the day under Dr. Doromal who was then director-general of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
It was during this time that Bert and I got married first a civil marriage, with hopes of having a church wedding as soon as we could afford it.
With this plan in place, we asked Dr. Doromal and Ma’am Pearl to be our sponsors for our church wedding.
To make a long story short, our church wedding is yet to be.
But every time our paths crossed especially on their yearly visits to Silliman during Founder’s day, Dr. Doromal would call me over and say, “My hijada, have you set a church wedding date yet?’ and I would just laugh sheepishly….
The last time I heard Dr. Doromal say this was on his last visit two or three years ago…He never forgot…
The thought that Bert’s and my church wedding would finally take place brings tears to my eyes… the only ninong and ninang we ever invited to be our wedding sponsors will not be there…
But to make a sad thought happy, I will close by saying, Sir King and and especially Ma’am Pearl, when that day comes when we will all be together in heaven for that final time with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and with God our Father, may Bert and I be able to finally say to you personally, “Hello, Ninong and Hello, Ninang!”as each of you extend your hand to both Bert and I so you can finally give your blessing to Bert and me as husband and wife…
That thought is something to hope for and look forward to…as the title of my most favorite song…I can only imagine. (Ana Patrice Ceniza-Montebon. Photo files: Ruben Bokingo)
