The festive season came early for some 150 members and guests of the Negros Occidental Garden Club when it held its annual Christmas celebration combined with the induction of a new set of officers and directors for 2025, with Nonoy Lope Napao sworn in as the club’s 62nd president.
The event was held recently at the Acacia Hotel, Bacolod City. Honorary club member, Judge Lorna Demonteverde, was the inducting officer.
In accepting the club’s leadership, Napao, who served as president for 2024, thanked members for their support and expressed excitement at what promises to be another successful year of gardening projects in the province.
He also emphasized the importance of caring for the environment and human wellness, adding “they are inseparable and interconnected because healing the environment is ultimately healing ourselves.”
Following the induction, members launched into an exciting evening of fun and festive cheer with each of the seven groups within the club presenting a musical Christmas-themed skit.
Guest speaker was past MassKara Queen and now PAL trainer, Jona Jarder Mangitay. She gave an inspiring talk about global warming and the threat it poses to the environment and human health.
Special guests included former first lady Elsa Leonardia, Rex Ramos, Manapla councilor Sonson Jarder, Judge Lorna Demonteverde, and Msgr. Ronald Quijano, S.T. hD, vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod and rector of San Sebastian Cathedral. And no Christmas party would be complete without the magic of an appearance by Santa Claus.
The evening ended with certificates of appreciation for outgoing officers, directors and outstanding member’s performances and the cutting of a birthday cake to celebrate the December birthdays of seven club members.*
