1. Imelda Yaw - She is my eldest sister, the eldest among us siblings. She was born on March 13, 1945. She was the most talented among us Ledesma children. Imelda was also popularly known as Theng Theng by her Chinese name. She was fair and petite, one of the most popular girls during her high school years. She was a school cheerleader, dancer, orator and many more. One of her most unforgettable performances had people in Cotabato forever recalling how gracefully she did a solo calypso dance on top of a giant drum on stage. She was a good actress too, winning the school most coveted best actress award, portraying the role of an old matriarchal lady in a Chinese play contest. Academically she was equally competitive, graduated first honorable mentioned, so narrowly inched by her salutatorian best friend, maybe due to some school board political thing perhaps. After finishing high school, she went to Manila, to study at the University of the East for an accounting course. While taking her four year accountancy education, she was at the same time enrolled at the Chinese Cultural Academy (Qiao Zhong) for she just needed two more years to finish her Chinese education. During her stint at Qiao Zhong, she was entered into a nationwide Chinese inter-scholastic oratorical contest. She came out the winner, the champion/the best orator which was such a high accolade for a girl coming from far flung Cotabato City. This achievement in Manila made my parents and us siblings and her alma mater in Cotabato so very proud of her. And to add more feathers to her cap, she graduated her four year course with ease, she took her board exam and passed the rigorous test on first take. She became a certified public accountant, much to her parents and family’s delight. After passing the board, my rich uncle Fernando Go took her in, to work for him. She married at the age of 25 to James Yaw who was from Manila, (Alas!) a complete opposite to her personality and dream. They had three children, two boys and one girl. Unluckily, her husband is at present sick and incapacitated. And Imelda continues to run her own handkerchiefs business very industriously, six times a week including overtime work. I only have the best of prayers for her many projects to succeed.
2. Jeannette Yu - Jeannette, is a beautiful name taken from a Hollywood actress called Jeannette Macdonald. The second child of Francisco and Mary Ledesma was born on November 4, 1946. She was darker and bigger and more brawn. Family members fondly called her Tata, and her peers called her Suan Suan by her Chinese name. From a big fat brawny girl, she soon grew up taller and more statuesque in high school. My sister became quite an attractive girl. During one Philippine Independence Day parade, she was selected to don as Lady Filipina on a float, representing our Chinese School. She had darker skin, oval face and a tall nose. However her long slanting chinky eyes were her most beautiful and attractive facial features ever. When she went to college in Manila, she took Bachelor of Arts major in sociology at the University of Santo Thomas. She was a social butterfly, having the time if her life with beautiful and popular girls as her peer group. She was courted by boys and she was the only girl among us, who had a steady boyfriend during college, which was by no means, a no no to my parents. Hahaha! One summer vacation, she came home to Cotabato, very in and stylish. She visited our alma mater and attended a graduation ceremony at the school. Tony Yu, one of the most eligible bachelors from the scion of the Yu family that ran the Imperial Hotel and Yu Kuan Guan Hardware in Cotabato City, spotted her. He fell heels over head in love with her. An aggressive wooing soon began and the rest was history. They got married few years later, after she had graduated college and had barely worked few months at a bank in Manila. She was 21 when she married Tony in a wedding of the year event in our hometown Cotabato City. Presently, my sister Jeannette is a widow of ten years. Her four children, three boys and one girl, all inherited their mother’s sociability that make them good entrepreneurs and businessmen.
3. Helen Tansuk - was born on October 31, 1949. She was two years my senior. When we were growing up, I used to tagged along with her. She led and mentored me in many ways. She was a responsible and good elder sister to me and my younger brothers Wilson and Willie. She was thin, quiet, slow in motion and tend to be unnoticeable. Academically she was good though. She studied her assignments and lessons fast. She was getting top honors during her elementary years with great ease. During her younger years, she was gifted with some kind of a photographic memory which nobody really noticed, and which she didn’t really even know. Her talent however did not developed into her teens. When we were grown, sometimes out of nowhere, there were few spark instances of photographic memory where she would quote from a book or magazine without much intention. That really amazed me. “ Did you memorize that?!” I would ask. Although her talent wasn’t further developed into adulthood, yet she was still good. She finished BS Chemistry from Adamson University, Manila. Unluckily, my demised mother did not get to be around when she graduated college and when she passed her board exam on first take. Helen worked as a chemist for many years. She was very independent and reliable. She married at the age of 25 to Felipe Tansuk, my husband Lucas’ bachelorhood best friend. Together, they had three boys. She became domesticated during her child bearing years until her husband passed away from a second heart by-passed operation. Alas, Helen had been sickly since childhood. Today she suffered from weak knees and legs. She was a breast cancer survivor and had a big fall last year which even increased her slow mobility. Yet despise her physical difficulties, to this day, I still consider her my most dependable and reliable sibling.
2. Jeannette Yu - Jeannette, is a beautiful name taken from a Hollywood actress called Jeannette Macdonald. The second child of Francisco and Mary Ledesma was born on November 4, 1946. She was darker and bigger and more brawn. Family members fondly called her Tata, and her peers called her Suan Suan by her Chinese name. From a big fat brawny girl, she soon grew up taller and more statuesque in high school. My sister became quite an attractive girl. During one Philippine Independence Day parade, she was selected to don as Lady Filipina on a float, representing our Chinese School. She had darker skin, oval face and a tall nose. However her long slanting chinky eyes were her most beautiful and attractive facial features ever. When she went to college in Manila, she took Bachelor of Arts major in sociology at the University of Santo Thomas. She was a social butterfly, having the time if her life with beautiful and popular girls as her peer group. She was courted by boys and she was the only girl among us, who had a steady boyfriend during college, which was by no means, a no no to my parents. Hahaha! One summer vacation, she came home to Cotabato, very in and stylish. She visited our alma mater and attended a graduation ceremony at the school. Tony Yu, one of the most eligible bachelors from the scion of the Yu family that ran the Imperial Hotel and Yu Kuan Guan Hardware in Cotabato City, spotted her. He fell heels over head in love with her. An aggressive wooing soon began and the rest was history. They got married few years later, after she had graduated college and had barely worked few months at a bank in Manila. She was 21 when she married Tony in a wedding of the year event in our hometown Cotabato City. Presently, my sister Jeannette is a widow of ten years. Her four children, three boys and one girl, all inherited their mother’s sociability that make them good entrepreneurs and businessmen.
3. Helen Tansuk - was born on October 31, 1949. She was two years my senior. When we were growing up, I used to tagged along with her. She led and mentored me in many ways. She was a responsible and good elder sister to me and my younger brothers Wilson and Willie. She was thin, quiet, slow in motion and tend to be unnoticeable. Academically she was good though. She studied her assignments and lessons fast. She was getting top honors during her elementary years with great ease. During her younger years, she was gifted with some kind of a photographic memory which nobody really noticed, and which she didn’t really even know. Her talent however did not developed into her teens. When we were grown, sometimes out of nowhere, there were few spark instances of photographic memory where she would quote from a book or magazine without much intention. That really amazed me. “ Did you memorize that?!” I would ask. Although her talent wasn’t further developed into adulthood, yet she was still good. She finished BS Chemistry from Adamson University, Manila. Unluckily, my demised mother did not get to be around when she graduated college and when she passed her board exam on first take. Helen worked as a chemist for many years. She was very independent and reliable. She married at the age of 25 to Felipe Tansuk, my husband Lucas’ bachelorhood best friend. Together, they had three boys. She became domesticated during her child bearing years until her husband passed away from a second heart by-passed operation. Alas, Helen had been sickly since childhood. Today she suffered from weak knees and legs. She was a breast cancer survivor and had a big fall last year which even increased her slow mobility. Yet despise her physical difficulties, to this day, I still consider her my most dependable and reliable sibling.
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