This trip to Manila was triggered by the prospect of meeting with a close buddy whom I have not met or in communication for the last 30 years. After trying
to establish contact which began in 2005 and finally knowing that Ben is some how connected to The Manila Yacht Club, I thought that at least I can pay the club a visit and take it from there. But divine intervention changed all that. Appended below is the sequent of events/communication that prelude the trip to Manila.
It began with this e mail.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 9:40 AM, ben adamwrote:
Dear Ms Gladie A. Patawaran,
I am Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Rahman Adam (Retired) from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I am taking the liberty to communicate with you in a long shot effort to trace my friend Vice Admiral Ruben S. Lista (Retired). We were classmate at SITS, Fort Bonifacio, Manila way back in 1979 where Ben was then a Lieutenant Commander. I have been trying to trace him since 2005.
When going through the Manila Yacht Club website I came across the name Ruben S. Lista (Director and Chairman-House Committee). I wonder if the gentleman is the same Ruben S. Lista that I know whose wife is the lovely Jenet.
So I am seeking your indulgence to extend this message to him. If he is my "Ben Lista" I am looking forward to renewing our link and my e-mail address is:
ar_benadam@yahoo.com
Indeed I am truly indebted by your kind assistance Ms Gladie A. Patawaran
Yours sincerely,
abdulrahmanadam
P.S.
My apology for gate-crashing through this contact e-mail not for the purpose it was made available for.
On Mon, 11/10/08, race mycwrote:
From: race myc
Subject: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: ar_benadam@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, November 10, 2008, 9:49 PM
Hi Sir, I will pass your email to the Committee Office. Apparently Gladie Patawaran is not working anymore at the club. its the same person your looking for. Will priority your email request. Thank you.
Best regards,
Pen Floren - AvilaRace
OfficeTel.526-7868Fax no. 523-7183
On Mon, 11/10/08, ben adamwrote:
From: ben adam
Subject: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: "race myc"
Date: Monday, November 10, 2008, 10:33 PM
Dear Pen Floren – Avila
Thank you! You are indeed a heaven-sent good Samaritan. Wau!! your reply is a cause for double pleasure for me because I was quite optimistic striking it right and my next trip to Manila would be more meaningful. Getting your response is a prayer answered.
Best regards,
ara
On Mon, 2/2/09, ben adamwrote:
From: ben adam
Subject: Fw: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: mycsailors@gmail.com
Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 12:50 AM
Dear Pen Floren – Avila
I hope this mail finds you in good spirit. I am resending this since there is no come back after you have passed my message to the Committee Office. I am sincerely seeking assistance from your good self to pass this to Vice Adm (R) Ruben S. Lista. Alternatively, if you can furnish me with his e-mail address or telephone no, I can then write/contact him directly. I am planning a trip to Manila in the second week of April
Thank you for your assistance.
Best regards,
ara
On 03 11, 09, at 2:12 PM, ben adamwrote:
Dear Vice Admiral Ruben S Lista,
First order on line is for me to execute the time honoured military honorifics by standing at attention and salute you. Well Ben it is not everyday that one can claimed he's got a three star Admiral as a good buddy. Actually I do not know where to begin. I am so damn excited at finally seeing your sms. So I decided to forward to you the recent effort to trace you and share the high hope that I had and then followed by disappointment of sort when the lady that I gloated as a "heaven-sent good Samaritan" cannot deliver. May be its not that easy for her to get in touch with a three star Admiral I suppose. But then divine intervention took its course and another "heaven-sent good Samaritan" came a calling in the form of Lt Col Perfecto M Rimando PA. I met him and his Malaysian course mate at our Armed Forces Defence College, both of whom are under my supervision to complete their thesis as part of the requirement to graduate with a master degree to be awarded by my university. In less than 48 hours he accomplished what a lot of the people I consulted over the last 3 years cannot deliver. See my humble CV attached for an update on what I've been up to for the past 30 years. The good fortune really came at the right moment because Maznah and I shall be in Manila next month from 8 April-11 April. The Airasia flight AK 32 ETA Clark at 1115 hrs. We are booked through Airasia at Best Western Hotel La Corona. I thought as a last ditch effort I would go on the Philippines TV and appealed "for the admiral to come out of hiding" (lol). I hope to see you then Ben. I am going to post this one now and get to you later with more updates. Cheers.
With best wishes to you and Jan.
Ray
On Wed, 3/11/09, Reuben a Listswrote:
From: Reuben a Lists
Subject: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: "ben adam"
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 2:04 AM
That's great! Clark is only an hour and a half from Manila. Give me your itinerary so we will know how and what to do. Do you play golf? What do you want to do? How about Maznah? Jennette is currently in Las Vegas but she will be back by then. Keep in touch. My cell phone is +639175478277.
Regards,
Ben
Sent from my iPhone
On 03 11, 09, at 7:11 PM, ben adamwrote:
Its great too to hear from you. Am making this quick response from my room at the National university. The system at my place of residence in KL was down for the past 3 days and still is. So I came to the univ after getting your first sms so as to get the Internet service. About the trip, we do not have any definite plan of our stay in Manila. I am totally out of touch with the happenings in Metro Manila Ben. We can probably work on it as we go along to include perhaps a foursome dinner afloat somewhere in Manila Bay I suppose!!!. Well I have given up golf for almost a dozen years since my back problem became a bother just after completing the 3rd hole. So I decided to give it up since I can't enjoy the game any more. Anyway I wasn't a golf addict to begin with. Whatever it is, meeting Jan and you is good enough and more like the icing on the cake.
With best wishes,
Ray
On Wed, 3/11/09, Reuben a Listswrote:
From: Reuben a Lists
Subject: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: "Rahman Rey"
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 5:42 AM
Great! I have been looking for you for a long time. I met several of your Naval and military Attaches and gave them my contact numbers. They never tried hard enough probably. Anyway, it is nice to hear from you again. Hope your visit will be memorable particularly so that you are quite far from Manila. Clark is the former US Air force base in the province of Pampanga, north of Manila. It might be hard to commute due to traffics. Do you have anything to do at Clark? Why will you billet there? There is nothing to do there. Check with your travel agent and see the map too. Keep in touch. Regards,
Ben
Sent from my iPhone
Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 10:48 PM
From: "ben adam"
To: "Reuben a Lists" rlista@yahoo.com
Hai Ben,
You must be at the golf course now. Am back in the office again. The system at home is still down. Well we both probably did not get the right candidate to help trace one another. I am surprised that the naval or defence attaché you asked do not know me because until 2005 I conducted/lectured the defence attaché course. They just do not think its very important. I had Anne Juloundo (not sure of the spelling) who was my student at IDFR and 2nd Sec at the Philippines embassy in KL to help out. But no result. Ok everything of that episode is moot now since we are back in communication. Ben I am billeting Best Western Hotel La Corona : 1166 MH del Pillar Corner, Arquiza,St. Ermita, Manila,Philippines. Its not at Clark. I have vague memories about Clark which I believed is closed to Angles City. So the hotel where we will be staying is smack in the heart of Manila I suppose. Have a nice day at the golf course.
Cheers
On Wed, 4/1/09, Reuben a Lists wrote:
From: Reuben a Lists
It began with this e mail.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 9:40 AM, ben adam
Dear Ms Gladie A. Patawaran,
I am Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Rahman Adam (Retired) from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I am taking the liberty to communicate with you in a long shot effort to trace my friend Vice Admiral Ruben S. Lista (Retired). We were classmate at SITS, Fort Bonifacio, Manila way back in 1979 where Ben was then a Lieutenant Commander. I have been trying to trace him since 2005.
When going through the Manila Yacht Club website I came across the name Ruben S. Lista (Director and Chairman-House Committee). I wonder if the gentleman is the same Ruben S. Lista that I know whose wife is the lovely Jenet.
So I am seeking your indulgence to extend this message to him. If he is my "Ben Lista" I am looking forward to renewing our link and my e-mail address is:
ar_benadam@yahoo.com
Indeed I am truly indebted by your kind assistance Ms Gladie A. Patawaran
Yours sincerely,
abdulrahmanadam
P.S.
My apology for gate-crashing through this contact e-mail not for the purpose it was made available for.
On Mon, 11/10/08, race myc
From: race myc
Subject: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: ar_benadam@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, November 10, 2008, 9:49 PM
Hi Sir, I will pass your email to the Committee Office. Apparently Gladie Patawaran is not working anymore at the club. its the same person your looking for. Will priority your email request. Thank you.
Best regards,
Pen Floren - AvilaRace
OfficeTel.526-7868Fax no. 523-7183
On Mon, 11/10/08, ben adam
From: ben adam
Subject: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: "race myc"
Date: Monday, November 10, 2008, 10:33 PM
Dear Pen Floren – Avila
Thank you! You are indeed a heaven-sent good Samaritan. Wau!! your reply is a cause for double pleasure for me because I was quite optimistic striking it right and my next trip to Manila would be more meaningful. Getting your response is a prayer answered.
Best regards,
ara
On Mon, 2/2/09, ben adam
From: ben adam
Subject: Fw: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: mycsailors@gmail.com
Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 12:50 AM
Dear Pen Floren – Avila
I hope this mail finds you in good spirit. I am resending this since there is no come back after you have passed my message to the Committee Office. I am sincerely seeking assistance from your good self to pass this to Vice Adm (R) Ruben S. Lista. Alternatively, if you can furnish me with his e-mail address or telephone no, I can then write/contact him directly. I am planning a trip to Manila in the second week of April
Thank you for your assistance.
Best regards,
ara
On 03 11, 09, at 2:12 PM, ben adam
Dear Vice Admiral Ruben S Lista,
First order on line is for me to execute the time honoured military honorifics by standing at attention and salute you. Well Ben it is not everyday that one can claimed he's got a three star Admiral as a good buddy. Actually I do not know where to begin. I am so damn excited at finally seeing your sms. So I decided to forward to you the recent effort to trace you and share the high hope that I had and then followed by disappointment of sort when the lady that I gloated as a "heaven-sent good Samaritan" cannot deliver. May be its not that easy for her to get in touch with a three star Admiral I suppose. But then divine intervention took its course and another "heaven-sent good Samaritan" came a calling in the form of Lt Col Perfecto M Rimando PA. I met him and his Malaysian course mate at our Armed Forces Defence College, both of whom are under my supervision to complete their thesis as part of the requirement to graduate with a master degree to be awarded by my university. In less than 48 hours he accomplished what a lot of the people I consulted over the last 3 years cannot deliver. See my humble CV attached for an update on what I've been up to for the past 30 years. The good fortune really came at the right moment because Maznah and I shall be in Manila next month from 8 April-11 April. The Airasia flight AK 32 ETA Clark at 1115 hrs. We are booked through Airasia at Best Western Hotel La Corona. I thought as a last ditch effort I would go on the Philippines TV and appealed "for the admiral to come out of hiding" (lol). I hope to see you then Ben. I am going to post this one now and get to you later with more updates. Cheers.
With best wishes to you and Jan.
Ray
On Wed, 3/11/09, Reuben a Lists
From: Reuben a Lists
Subject: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: "ben adam"
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 2:04 AM
That's great! Clark is only an hour and a half from Manila. Give me your itinerary so we will know how and what to do. Do you play golf? What do you want to do? How about Maznah? Jennette is currently in Las Vegas but she will be back by then. Keep in touch. My cell phone is +639175478277.
Regards,
Ben
Sent from my iPhone
On 03 11, 09, at 7:11 PM, ben adam
Its great too to hear from you. Am making this quick response from my room at the National university. The system at my place of residence in KL was down for the past 3 days and still is. So I came to the univ after getting your first sms so as to get the Internet service. About the trip, we do not have any definite plan of our stay in Manila. I am totally out of touch with the happenings in Metro Manila Ben. We can probably work on it as we go along to include perhaps a foursome dinner afloat somewhere in Manila Bay I suppose!!!. Well I have given up golf for almost a dozen years since my back problem became a bother just after completing the 3rd hole. So I decided to give it up since I can't enjoy the game any more. Anyway I wasn't a golf addict to begin with. Whatever it is, meeting Jan and you is good enough and more like the icing on the cake.
With best wishes,
Ray
On Wed, 3/11/09, Reuben a Lists
From: Reuben a Lists
Subject: Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
To: "Rahman Rey"
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 5:42 AM
Great! I have been looking for you for a long time. I met several of your Naval and military Attaches and gave them my contact numbers. They never tried hard enough probably. Anyway, it is nice to hear from you again. Hope your visit will be memorable particularly so that you are quite far from Manila. Clark is the former US Air force base in the province of Pampanga, north of Manila. It might be hard to commute due to traffics. Do you have anything to do at Clark? Why will you billet there? There is nothing to do there. Check with your travel agent and see the map too. Keep in touch. Regards,
Ben
Sent from my iPhone
Re: Need Assistance to Trace a Friend
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 10:48 PM
From: "ben adam"
To: "Reuben a Lists" rlista@yahoo.com
Hai Ben,
You must be at the golf course now. Am back in the office again. The system at home is still down. Well we both probably did not get the right candidate to help trace one another. I am surprised that the naval or defence attaché you asked do not know me because until 2005 I conducted/lectured the defence attaché course. They just do not think its very important. I had Anne Juloundo (not sure of the spelling) who was my student at IDFR and 2nd Sec at the Philippines embassy in KL to help out. But no result. Ok everything of that episode is moot now since we are back in communication. Ben I am billeting Best Western Hotel La Corona : 1166 MH del Pillar Corner, Arquiza,St. Ermita, Manila,Philippines. Its not at Clark. I have vague memories about Clark which I believed is closed to Angles City. So the hotel where we will be staying is smack in the heart of Manila I suppose. Have a nice day at the golf course.
Cheers
On Wed, 4/1/09, Reuben a Lists wrote:
From: Reuben a Lists
Subject: Re: A new Slate
To: "Rahman Rey" ar_benadam@yahoo.com
Dear Rey,
I forgot that it will be our Lent season when you are coming over. Can you move it after the 12th because we will be out of the country too. We will be in Guam for vacation because it's a long vacation starting this Saturday.
I can ask one of my drivers to help you out if you can not move your visit.
Regards.
BenSent from my iPhone
On 04 1, 09, at 4:22 PM, ben adamwrote:
A tiny setback Ben. I'll try for the move. But knowing how these people treat such request I am doubtful that we can get the date changed. What I have in mind planned after the Manila RV is to get you and Jen to come to KL. With the Manila meeting out its all the more incumbent that we do it in KL. Who knows that I can arrange a surprise golf for you too. Cheers
Rey
From: "Reuben a Lists" rlista@yahoo.com
To: "Rahman Rey" ar_benadam@yahoo.com
REY,If you can not move it, I will instruct my driver to bring you around. There's no fun in Manila during Lent. Take care. Ben
Sent from my iPhone
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What appeared above is the climax to the search. But alas the meeting do not take place because Ben had already planned to be in Guam during the Lent holidays. Thus the Manila Saga.We arrived by Air Asia at 1145 hrs and took the shuttle bus to Pasay. Paid 220 pesos for the taxi ride to Ermita where our hotel is. We were thankful that the reception upgraded our room and we were able to enjoy the better facilities. Try to sort out our itinerary since we were told that Manila is a ghost town during Lent holiday. We bought a local sim card at 7 Eleven and contacted Col Alex ex-student of MAF Defence College. Alex promise to meet us at 1000 hrs Thursday. Also manage to at last contact our DA on Thursday morning. BG Khlair ( I didn't know that he's a 1 star general until we were at his house that afternoon). Both Alex and Khlair make our otherwise boring sojourn in Manila into a memorable one. So also the Ambassador and his lovely and caring wife.
Both the DA's staff collected us early Saturday morning and drove to Clark Airport for our trip home. Arrived KL LCCT at about 1520 hrs. Rin drove us home to Ampang
I forgot that it will be our Lent season when you are coming over. Can you move it after the 12th because we will be out of the country too. We will be in Guam for vacation because it's a long vacation starting this Saturday.
I can ask one of my drivers to help you out if you can not move your visit.
Regards.
BenSent from my iPhone
On 04 1, 09, at 4:22 PM, ben adam
A tiny setback Ben. I'll try for the move. But knowing how these people treat such request I am doubtful that we can get the date changed. What I have in mind planned after the Manila RV is to get you and Jen to come to KL. With the Manila meeting out its all the more incumbent that we do it in KL. Who knows that I can arrange a surprise golf for you too. Cheers
Rey
From: "Reuben a Lists" rlista@yahoo.com
To: "Rahman Rey" ar_benadam@yahoo.com
REY,If you can not move it, I will instruct my driver to bring you around. There's no fun in Manila during Lent. Take care. Ben
Sent from my iPhone
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What appeared above is the climax to the search. But alas the meeting do not take place because Ben had already planned to be in Guam during the Lent holidays. Thus the Manila Saga.We arrived by Air Asia at 1145 hrs and took the shuttle bus to Pasay. Paid 220 pesos for the taxi ride to Ermita where our hotel is. We were thankful that the reception upgraded our room and we were able to enjoy the better facilities. Try to sort out our itinerary since we were told that Manila is a ghost town during Lent holiday. We bought a local sim card at 7 Eleven and contacted Col Alex ex-student of MAF Defence College. Alex promise to meet us at 1000 hrs Thursday. Also manage to at last contact our DA on Thursday morning. BG Khlair ( I didn't know that he's a 1 star general until we were at his house that afternoon). Both Alex and Khlair make our otherwise boring sojourn in Manila into a memorable one. So also the Ambassador and his lovely and caring wife.
Both the DA's staff collected us early Saturday morning and drove to Clark Airport for our trip home. Arrived KL LCCT at about 1520 hrs. Rin drove us home to Ampang
No comments:
Post a Comment