THE Ewican family of Consolacion town experienced another Jollibee party courtesy of a senior citizen from Mandaue – this time with party hats, balloons, and a cake.
Tessie Vasquez told Cebu Daily News during the lunch at Jollibee Fooda, Consolacion that she responded to the article “Dreaming of Jollibee” that was published on Nov. 2. She said she was touched with the simple dreams of the Ewican siblings.
“Kani ilang pangandoy baya genuine kaayo kay gusto ra jud intawn nila makakaon sa Jollibee unya kita we can have this as a regular meal naman gani,”
(The aspirations of the children is genuine. They simply wanted to eat in Jollibee, and yet, many of us do even have it as our regular meal),” Vasquez said of the wish of the Ewican children who cleaned tombs in the Consolacion public cemetary last month.
The day before the lunch party of the Ewican siblings, Vasquez went to the Jollibee in Fooda branch to make sure that the children will have a party they could never forget. “They seldom go to a party, that is why I wanted it to be unforgettable.”
Vasquez, a retired nurse, said she asked the manager to consider their party despite their limited space. She also bought some goodies for the family to bring home after the party.
Vasquez’s brother, a prominent government official in Mandaue City gave the birthday cake, but she requested not to mention his name.
When the Ewican siblings were introduced to Vasquez, they blessed her by bowing and having her hand touch their foreheads, as a sign of respect.
Inside the Jollibee restaurant, the Ewican siblings were smiling from ear to ear upon seeing balloons all over. Moments later, Jollibee staff gave the children their party hats and opened the box of cake and put it at the end of the table.
Vasquez earlier sent a hand written letter in yellow pad in which she told about her willingness to treat the kids in Jollibee.
“Simple dreams of very simple people,” Vasquez described in her letter about the Ewican children which she wrote around 5:30 a.m on Nov. 2.
Vasquez said it was an early Christmas party for the kids and a belated birthday party of Luella who just turned 11 last, November 2.
She asked the Ewican siblings if it was their first time having their own party with balloons, cakes and party hats and the children nodded.
While Vasquez was talking most of the time, the Ewican children simply responded with a smile while the only words that Bernadette and Richard could tell Vasquez was “salamat (thank you).”
Right after they finished their menu of chicken joy, spaghetti, rice, french fries, and ice cream, Vasquez’s grand children Gabrielle Amanda, 8, and Jamielle Christina, 5, gave the party bags to the Ewican children and their parents which contained goodies such as milk, biscuits, lollipops, noodles and oats.
Jollibee Fooda manager Jaime Carbonilla later gave the Ewican children mugs as a remembrance of their party. /Jucell Marie P. Cuyos, Correspondent