🌸 Cabigao Babies: Fifteen Years of Friendship Stories That Never Fade

Still loud, still us. 🌿

Back in 2010, we were just IV-Quezon of FBHS, under Ma’am Cabigao.

She probably had no idea we secretly started calling ourselves Cabigao Babies.

It began as a joke, but somehow the name stayed for 15years.

During the first week, some of us already knew each other by face.

We came from nearby schools, lived in the same neighborhood, or always saw each other walking home.

That’s really how it started. 🌸

No big introductions, just familiar faces turning into daily company.

After class, we’d walk home together.

Even those who lived close to the school didn’t go straight home.

We’d still walk with everyone until the part where others rode the jeepney, then walk back to our own houses.

Nobody planned it, but that short walk became our daily tradition.

We’d joke around, laugh at nonsense, and drop inside jokes that only our class would understand.

“Ayus muka.”

“Anung kulay.”

“Ecslips.”

“Sway.”

Nobody else would get it because there were secret stories behind those words.

Even I didn’t know all of them.

I also remember hearing the boys sing something like “Oy, oy, kahoy,” whatever that meant.

Some things were just funny without explanation.

Then came the “kunwari may project, group work, or practice” moments.

It was our code for food trips, shot sessions, and hanging out in each other’s houses.

We hopped from one house to another since we kept getting banned for being too loud.

There were screams, girl code revenge pushes, asaran, liptolelap moments, and a lot of laugh.

Just the right kind of wild.

Of course, there were small crushes and random “kilig” stories, but all in good fun.

None of us ended up together, but it was part of growing up and figuring out who we were.

And then there was the karinderya outside school.

Budget meals for fifteen pesos, the kindest owner who treated students like her own kids.

It’s gone now, and you can’t find a place like that anymore.

Sometimes, we’d walk all the way to Market Market, even when we had no money.

We’d hang out outside, laugh, and people-watch like it was a free show.

When we got inside, we pretended to shop but had nothing to buy.

Looking back, we didn’t need much.

We just needed each other.

We weren’t the most behaved section.

Our CAT officer even cried once because nobody listened to her.

But when another class tried to mess with her, we all stood up, walked together, and defended her.

There was one time our classmate got attacked by her boyfriend’s ex and the sister, who also studied at our school. We stood up for her, of course. Later, when we got called to the guidance office, we found out the sister was already known there for bullying.

So yes, we were loud, but we were always on the right side.

There was also the time a classmate’s family-owned computer shop became our temporary hangout after early class dismissals. We were just there to pass time, playing and chatting. Then out of nowhere, a barangay mobile stopped outside.

Someone complained about “students skipping class.”

Aray ko.

Everyone panicked.

They brought us to the barangay, and we were shaking.

But now, it’s one of those stories that still makes us laugh every time we remember it.

And yes, we even went to church together sometimes.

The church was just around the neighborhood.

Looking back, maybe it was just another excuse to hang out.

I still don’t know why the boys joined, but maybe because even with our secret reasons, we were still called.

It was fun, and somehow, it still felt right.

There were serious moments too.

Like when one of our classmates would suddenly faint because of hyperventilation from the heat. Ma’am Cabigao would stop the lesson and pray right there in front of everyone.

The room would go quiet.

No jokes, but you could tell some were controlling their laugh.

Still, those moments showed how much our teacher cared.

And our English teacher was the kindest one of all.

Calm and quiet every morning until that one day when he suddenly shouted because everyone was too noisy.

The entire class froze.

We behaved for days after that.

Still, English was my happy subject.

Now it’s been fifteen years.

Some of us became soldier, seaman, managers, business owners, OFWs, government workers, and parents.

Some are thriving.

Some are still figuring things out.

Some are just surviving, but the love stayed the same.

Every reunion feels like nothing changed.

Same laughter.

Same faces.

Same jokes that nobody else will understand.

No one brags. No one competes.

We still share, still care, still laugh like it’s 2010.

We may have grown up, but we never grew apart.

Maybe that’s what makes Cabigao Babies special.

We outgrew the classroom but not the care.

15 years later, we’re still loud, still loving, still learning, and still each other’s safe place.

These are the friendship stories I’ll always carry with me.

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💬 Reflection

Who are the classmates you still keep after all these years?

Do you ever look back and realize how those silly days turned into your favorite friendship stories?

Because some friendships don’t fade.

They just grow funnier, softer, and stronger with time. 🌿

🎧 For the Cabigao Babies who made growing up unforgettable. Kinda cringe listening to it alone, but still hits different. 💛