Mamma and Me

Reminiscing about my childhood days with Mamma and Papa gave me back a lot of inspiration; the fun, the challenges, and the frustrations of those early days were unforgettable experiences. I came from a family of five siblings, my brother, Bob, and my sisters, Nita and Rosie, and an elder brother, Romy, whom the Lord had taken back to Him a few months before I was born. Bob, who had married a medical doctor, Alicia Borja, is a professor in theology and philosophy and has been teaching for quite a while in Guam. Nita and her husband, Edward Cenzon, are now retired employees of the government of Guam, though they are still active with their insurance business, and, my youngest sister, Rosie, is a popular chiropractor in the Philippines.


"MAMMA" Amalia Granados Alvarez (Born July 22, 1914, deceased Feb. 2002), who married Florentino Olazabal Bonifacio (born Oct. 16, 1912, deceased Jan. 1989), was the last survivor of the clan of her grandfather, GENERAL MARIANO ALVAREZ and her grandmother NICOLASA VIRATA ALVAREZ of Noveleta, Cavite, Philippines. General Mariano Alvarez was a revolutionary general of Noveleta, Cavite who was elected municipal captain in 1881. Amalia was one of seven children of SANTIAGO V. ALVAREZ, the only son of General Mariano Alvarez and Nicolasa Virata Alvarez.
Santiago V. Alvarez was married to PAZ GRANADOS, who besides Amalia, had borne the following children: Numeriano, who was married to Inga; Rosendo, who was married to Pacing; Pacita, who was married to Ramon Rono; Virginia, who married Jose Vergara; and Fidel, who married Belen. She had another brother, Egmidio, who passed away during her younger years. Her father, Santiago, passed away at the age of fifty-eight. He was born July 25, 1872 and died on October 30, 1930.
Mamma's grandfather, General Mariano Alvarez, passed away on or about the age of 106. He was born on March 15, 1818 and passed away on August 25, 1924. He left several agric