Pamela Gavina Abrina, our dearest and beloved mother was born in Bangar, La Union to Bonifacio, Sr. and Julita Gavina, a bar topnotcher lawyer and a housewife. She studied at St Scholastica’s College in Manila but had to go back to the province when the war broke out. She and my Dad met when my Dad would go to Bangar to visit relatives during his summer vacations while studying law at the Santo Thomas University.
Mommy was a very courageous young lady. Imagine at a young age she came to Davao alone without any relatives or friends to join and marry our father, Alfredo Abrina, son of Candido and Maria Abrina. She was a very tough and headstrong woman. While our Dad was a practicing lawyer, she was always the business minded oriented one. She was very productive, always thinking of something worthwhile to do. She didn’t want to be idle. It’s as if her mind was always in the mathematical mode. We used to hear her compute verbally in her mind. She opened so many businesses like a beauty parlor (even selling her own brand of hair spray which she named “Angelique”), opened and managed a branch of a drugstore of her sister-in-law, Auntie Fely, managed a fleet of jeepneys, where she learned to decipher what was wrong with the vehicle just by the sound of it (funny - but she was most of the time right!). She opened an ice cream business helping small boys earn by selling ice cream in the streets. This business of hers led to the sisters of the school of Stella Maris to ask her to supply all the canteen needs of the school’s cafeteria. From here she started supplying other schools like ICC, Ateneo and some public schools. I recall her saying that my college tuition was funded from this venture of hers. I remember, whenever I came home to Davao for vacations, I saw her supervising her ice cream making factory, even during brown-outs, checking the endless preparation of bar-b-cues, different kinds of sandwiches, hundreds of pulborons and turons which must all be delivered on time to the different schools’ recesses. This was all in addition to planting fruits, coconuts and bananas in their farm. Mommy was indefatigable, to say the least. She always was always in control of a situation, always insistent on things done her way which, almost all of the time, was correct. She was always on the go even until her 80s. Luckily we have our dear adoptive sister, Susan who always assisted her in all the grinds she wanted to pursue. Thanks dear Nana Susan.
Our parents were hardworking and imparted to us good values and habits which we have tried to pass on to our children. They have influenced us in so many ways. Mommy and our Dad taught us the importance of education. I saw and felt how fulfilled they were when I and my sisters and our brother, Bingbong, finished our education. Another trait they instilled in us is to be frugal and save. Being an Ilocana, Mommy taught us not to be spendthrifts. She and Daddy would always tell us not to buy if we didn’t have the cash to pay for it. I remember, she would sew our Sunday dresses with Leng, which we outgrew anyway, because she didn’t want us to wear them often so as not to ruin them easily. I clearly remember how she sewed my Miss Junior High School Prom dress which made me felt like a princess because of the tulle she sewed over the dress. I remember the day she accompanied me to buy my first high heels which I proudly wore walking along San Pedro Street. Our Dad was a man of few words but Mommy was the vocal and stricter one. Daddy would only say a yes or a no but Mommy would have a string of lectures to say to us. Oh boy would she yell at us. In retrospect, I am now what I am because of my loving Mommy and Daddy.
After our Dad passed away, Mommy traveled to the US and Europe often to visit us and be with her grandchildren. Every year she would spend about 3 months with us and 2 months in Europe and, therefore, her “apos” always felt her presence around them while they were growing up. She loved all her 7 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren so much. Our friends and tax clients in the US also got to meet her regularly. One joke we always had was clients would rather call her instead to make their appointments because she allows them their preferred dates.
Aside from her yearly trips to visit us (her last trip was in 2016 when she stayed for 2 months), we yearly made 2 to 3 trips a year to visit her in Davao (except for the last 2 pandemic years). There are so many happy memories with Mommy I could think of. She can be very funny sometimes. And she is an influencer, mind you. She brought us all together for vacations here in the Philippines and abroad. She gathered all of us together and these vacations became some of the happiest memories of our children. She would also bring one “apo” at a time to Italy to spend quality time with them. I cannot thank Mommy enough, when in 1993 she stayed in New Jersey for more than 7 months to be with Ronnie and the children while I was assigned in Cambodia. I would not have had the peace of mind if I didn’t have her looking after my children while I was away. Mommy is very strong willed. While we would worry about her, she would insist that she could travel on her own until she was about 86. She would tell us she’s not afraid of anything as she can readily communicate with anybody. During her flights, whether it be domestic or international, she would always wear her favorite traveling colored stripes outfit to make sure that we would spot her immediately at the airport. Our Mommy was so courageous.
Mommy, thank you so much for the love, attention, lessons imparted and loving care for us. You’ve done so much and taught us well. I will miss you so much. I now feel so alone having lost you, our matriarch of our family. My only consolation is that you are now happily together with Daddy, Bingbong, Chicoy, Cochi and the rest of our love ones who have gone ahead into the Kingdom of our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, and all Angels and Saints. Please continue to watch and protect over us, Mommy. I will miss you so much. Embrace, embrace, kepkep, kepkep and kiss, kiss Mommy. I love you very very much.

-Tria Magno

To my dearest mother, thank you. Thank you for being a great mother to me, a wonderful grandmother to my children, nieces, and nephew, and an even greater great-grandmother to their children. Ever since I was little, you were always so strong. You did whatever you want even when people doubted you. Thank you for teaching me to be strong most especially in trying times.

I remember you would tell me how I was a lucky charm so you would bring me along to meetings and name businesses after me. My fond memories with you will live on in my mind. I love you so much and miss you already.

- Annabelle Labitoria

Remembering you Ma, Mommy, Mati, Apong…
I do not know where to begin…
It must have been a big shock and a scare for you to arrive in Davao at such a tender age of 24 and make that big decision to leave your family behind to be with Daddy. New place, new culture, new dialect, new family, in laws and new home. But you took the risk for the great love you had for Daddy. Being on your own must have been one of the factors that shaped you to be a very determined woman – to survive and blend into your new surroundings. Daddy’s love was worth it all.
You honed your independence and with daddy’s full support you ventured to all the things you thought you could do and did them – with no hesitation, you plunged into any situations with vigour, energy and stamina. As a driven person and always on the go – you could not stand watching TV, watching movies, playing mahjong, being idle, doing nothing, as you always had to do something no matter what and where you were – especially with your hands… Your hands moved and worked with such strength with no fear… Your feet were always up and walking and sometimes I saw you up on the roof supervising work… Your shoulders always proud and with dignity as we all know you are “isug” who can challenge anyone no matter who… Your lips and your voice with such extreme range to being the sweetest of all or the evilest if ever stoked to a challenge… The yells that could stun anyone and the gaze that was so stupefying. I sometimes wondered what went on in your mind as you were non-stop thinking all the time. Even as you rested during siesta, I saw your fingers doing the sums, calculating. Perhaps if diagnosed nowadays, you are a perfect “hyper” woman, multi-tasking, super intelligent, cunning, astute, business-minded, shrewd and very creative…All these traits were there when you ventured into these businesses (Manang Tria also mentioned them) that I remember – perhaps there are even more:
Pharmacy – at a young age you opened up a branch of a pharmacy without even being a pharmacist.
Beauty Salon – you had a beauty salon in Villa Abrille. One day the maid spilled the shellac on the floor and her hair all got stuck…the idea of a hair spray, you concocted yourself, came about which you launched as “Angelique”.
Ice cream/ice drop/ice candy – “La belles” were painted over these red boxes that young kids brought all over the neighborhood with their bells to sell your ice products. On that first day of launching, at aged 6, I was at awe with the coins we got, so much so that I asked you whether we are now very rich. Your reply was “this will be for your Manang Tria’s college education”.
Fleet of jeepneys – with your brothers, you set up jeepneys for passengers. I guess those jeepneys were not on tiptop shape as they were always broken – I remember the jeeps’ names, Annabelle, Alwyn, etc. I always remember you speaking with engine jargon, check the “fan belt”, the “carburador”, the “tambucho”, etc. as you knew each and every piece of the engine.
Sandwiches – you got concessions to deliver meriendas to private and public schools. When you went to the Principals to get the payments, you brought me with you and asked me to dance, recite a poem, etc. as an entertainer and part of your marketing sway. I remember them asking “is she adopted?” as I very much looked your opposite – am dark – you were fair and so beautiful.
Toron – helpers separated the lumpia wrappers in the evening and early in the morning, they started frying banana toron. The smell of frying etched in my mind. We went with you in Bankerohan to buy sab-a saging and I still remember the way you haggled back and forth to lower down the price. Up to now, I do the same thing here in Italy and they always asked if I am from Naples – where people are absolute hagglers…
Pulvoron – as payment for your meriendas, some schools like Holy Cross paid you with in-kind items i.e., flour; sugar; butter; dried milk which you, in turn, made into pulvoron. I remember those huge cans of butter that said “donated by the United States of America”. Thinking about it now – I was then an indirect beneficiary of school feeding and perhaps with the UN World Food Programme – now where I work? Those linen cloths from the sugar, flour and dried milk were turned into our base blankets made of pure linen. Nothing got wasted!
Real Estate – on the side you ventured into land buy and sell. I remember your marketing techniques where you asked cousins to act as buyers so you can regulate the asking price. Natural marketing instincts.
Banana plantation – who would think that you could be the grower.
While you’ve embodied all these skills, unknowingly they got passed on to your grand and great-grand children and specially to Susan who is now living the examples of your business ventures and acumen.
Cir-ann – worked as a marketing executive in BDO and an aficionada with do-it-yourself projects. You built our house in Buhangin and you were the architect and builder.
Ria – got your love for plants and has so many and countless interests like you. Always thinking of “what can I do next?”
Cristina – exemplified your business strategy at the highest level and even brought you with her to be featured in Forbes magazine at age 95 – with Brad Pitt to boot!
Mark – the most thrifty amongst us just like you. He will wait for an hour-long line to return a $1.65 shirt. Any pennies he saves he puts into his flourishing real estate acquisitions.
Ryan – a very loving father like how mommy gave her undivided attention…very entrepreneurial working with different start-ups including having his own and doing simultaneous jobs.
Co-an – loves doing things with her hands creating beautiful macrames. Also working guess where? In the marketing field – global assessment of marketing data.
Alexis – a bit “furbo” as they say in Italian – meaning wise and cunning like mommy. Despite his civil engineering degree, he opted a masters in marketing. He coined “Mati” for mommy Pame at aged 2 and since then became the affectionate name by the grandchildren for mommy.
Erin – No one wins an argument with Erin – she has mommy’s determination and strength (physical as well). A multi-tasker loving business ventures.
Caila – Simple and yet so intelligent – she is not into frills like mommy but a real doer. A multi-tasker as well with, again, several business ventures.
Chloe – love of drama – mommy liked weaving stories and can go on and on with special effects. Chloe is street smart and can always extricate herself out of difficult situations.
Liam – so hardworking always opting for excellence, very dependable so mature for his age, loving and caring for others.
Nina – mommy’s sensitivity and love for jewelry.
Zoe – is surely manifesting mommy’s trait of being headstrong and has mommy’s strength and lack of fear.
Kira – sweet Kira emotes like mommy and she is not afraid to show her true feelings – she can laugh as loud and cry when she is sad like Mati. She is very logical and practical with very sweet disposition.
Mommy’s business acumen, strategy and approach if brought to another level could equal the likes of Jamie Dimon or Jack Welch – known to be the “jack” of all trades. She has all the skills of a grand CEO – indefatigable, wise, caring and shrewd. She gave answers to any questions I had as far as I can remember while growing up – that led me to be curious and adventurous.
You may see Manang Litcha so sweet with her smiles but deep down is the strong will and determination of mommy. Once lit, she is mommy all the way…
Manang Tria, as the eldest, was mommy’s favorite. Manang’s love and respect for mommy is so great not once did I ever see her defy mommy’s wishes. Who wouldn’t wish for a child like that!!! Mommy’s dreams and aspirations for Manang Tria were fulfilled down to manang’s children.
Mommy was so proud of all her children, grand-children and great-grand-children. She lived for us.
We wouldn’t be where we are now if not for our loving husbands that mommy could not ask for more for.
We also would like to express our sincere thanks to Susan for her unfaltering love for mommy. Susan is the luckiest one to have spent a great deal of time than any of us with mommy. As mommy’s cognitive faculties deteriorated, her recognition of Susan never faded. Susan took good care of mommy all these years specially when we were all away.
Mommy, you are one of a kind, thank you for everything – all these things you accomplished you always said it was for us, your beloved children, grand and great-grand children. We thank you that each and every one of us has a part of you that we hope to pass on to the next, next, next generations.
Dear mommy, you set the beginning and the life you led and gave will see no end.

- Angelica Abrina