The yearly Shell Day for its retirees was marked on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8, a holiday of obligation for Catholics) with a “Showtime” theme borrowed from a popular noonday TV program. Compared with past celebrations, it actually featured more singing and dancing, so it lived up to its theme. Even before the 7:00 a.m. start of registration, the Secretariat was already swamped with eager retirees who arrived early. The coffee was already brewing, and there was toasted siopao too, so nobody missed breakfast.

The 8:00 a.m. Mass was concelebrated by Fr. Paolo Pirlo, Shell Club 15’s suki priest, and Fr. Richard Babao, a former Shell employee. Fr. Pirlo did not disappoint the retirees with his humorous homily. He never fails to elicit laughter from the crowd. In between, he explained thoroughly the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. He said that the country survived all persecutions because of its devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This year’s Shell Day had 348 attendees, which included the spouses, and Meralco’s Multi-Purpose Hall was filled to the rafters. After morning snacks of pancit and bico, the camaraderie escalated. Regular emcees Vic Pascual and Rubin Cura seemed kinder this year, and their jokes directed at some aging persons were toned down. Thanks to the people in-charge of the audio system, they were not too loud this time either. They gave a brief run of the safety precautions within the Hall after singing a couple of songs in a duet.

Baste Quinones, the able current Shell Club 15 President, thanked Meralco and the organizers. Meralco President Oscar Reyes and Menchu Agustin had made the Multi-Purpose Hall available for our use for a number of years. Baste acknowledged the contributions of Meralco and Unilab to the raffle prizes plus cash donations from Abet Papa, Ping Sotto, and Mario Cruz. He advised the retirees of the Annual General Meeting scheduled on January 10, 2019 at Shell House. He revealed that the Shell offices will eventually transfer to Bonifacio Global City sometime next year. He explained the modification of the article of incorporation and bylaws. The meeting will also discuss Shell Club 15’s three-year plan, plus its financial status and investments. A new Ways and Means Committee was formed to look into funding. Then he called the members of the Board and the Secretariat to join him on stage and introduced them to the retirees. They later serenaded the retirees with the song “You’ve Got a Friend”.

Photos of 2018 activities were flashed on screen covering the Summer Outing and the Medical Mission. There was a video of former Shell employees now residing in other countries, and another one on the visit to ailing members like Lita Tuazon, Boy Lindo, and Cening Laput. Those who have passed away received a special tribute. Mr. Cesar Buenaventura delivered a personal tribute for the late Rey Marquez, extolling his contributions to Shell.

Raffy Capinpin was a noticeable new face. He was a first-time attendee after his recent retirement. Fred and Delia of Davao City are a familiar sight in every Shell Day. They haven’t missed attending one for the past years. Joel Mendoza, a balikbayan retiree based in the US, also attended the event for the first time. Deo de Luna was also seen among the crowd.

Cesar Romero welcomed the retirees and gave a brief report on Shell’s business progress. He said that Shell’s growth in 2018 is eight percent higher than last year, and surpassed two other competitors. The likeable Country Manager and President of Shell went around the tables and posed for photos with the retirees. Aside from Cesar Buenaventura and Oscar Reyes, Eli Santiago was another past Shell President who attended the event.

Vic Sonsing delivered the invocation and opened the Teresing-catered lunch, which served several dishes, including the ubiquitous lechon. After a filling lunch, local talents from different departments rendered their songs. The band of Michael Cuneta played, and the retirees danced to the music on stage. Two sexy ladies performed pole dancing and belly dancing. The belly dancer guided on stage retirees eager to learn on gyrating effectively.

Mila Azanza introduced the special guest performer – popular singer Pinky Marquez, who happens to be the daughter of Bert Marquez, a former Shell executive. Pinky admitted having fond memories of Shell when visiting her dad as a child at his office. She was a big hit with the crowd with her forceful voice and showmanship. She even helped Vic and Ruben in emceeing during a break. Her repertoire included a medley of old favorites, songs popularized by Karen Carpenter, and selected songs from “Sound of Music”. She ended her smashing performance with “Somewhere” from “West Side Story”.

The eating was not over yet, and there was ginataan halo-halo for merienda. Mila delivered the closing remarks on behalf of Terry Valladores. This year’s Shell Day was visibly more organized. The raffles were pre-drawn, so there was less confusion. With the untiring efforts of the ladies of the Secretariat, namely Mila Azanza, Flor Soriano, Annie Padlan, Ruby Ferniz and Nits Pastrana, everything ran smoothly. The curtain fell on a successful Shell Day, and retirees can only anticipate next year’s event, aching knees and other ailments permitting.