THANK YOU… REGINA “GINA” BONCAN FRANCISCO…ORGANIZER EXTRAORDINAIRE!
by Ana de Villa – Singson
Gina is the Class Rep of the truly close-knit and solid HS 1970. Consistently, Gina’s batch comes forward in very big ways for Assumption Mission School nationwide, most notably their pandemic initiative to enable the Community Kitchen that Sr Lourdes of San Juan de Nepomuceno School in Malibay spearheaded. The kitchen would not have stayed open for so long, dispensing fresh produce during the pandemic, had it not been for the unflagging support of HS 1970. As their class rep, Gina plays a large role in many wonderful and altruistic initiatives her class sustainedly undertakes.
Zoom meetings usually see Gina seated in front her office table, flanked by organized piles of papers and documents. Visibly very busy, she nonetheless multi-tasks and gets everything done. Her measured baritone is a voice of reason and brisk managerial aplomb in our meetings. Sometimes, when she is too busy to join, she will message committee heads afterwards to ask what she has missed and how she can help. We have worked together in the Website Committee and when I am frantically in need of a quick article to stopgap a late submission, I invariably call on Gina. She is never fazed by the tight deadlines. She will just respond by saying that she will do her best. And she does! She has backed me out of tight corners when articles didn’t come in and saved the day by finding other articles to publish. Many tight deadlines of Assumpta online magazine articles were sourced with Gina’s help.
Gina isn’t one to advertise what she does. Once, in a Batch Representatives Committee meeting, she worriedly shared that she had not yet prepared her report as Chapters Committee Head. I had no doubts that she would get it done. True enough, the very next morning, she presented a full-fledged and ambitious plan to open up global chapters. And she made that plan happen too. For the first time, The Assumption alumnae prayed as an entire global community when she spearheaded online rosary prayer sessions hosted by international chapters for an entire month. She harnessed the strength and power of the Assumption world unified in moments of prayer! That was pioneering in its implementation and breathtaking in its scope. Hats off to you, Gina!
As she leaves the AAA, I won’t be wishing her good luck. Women like Gina dream big, seize the moment and make things happen through sheer hard work and determination. She doesn’t rely on luck; she works for the many good things that happen through her and because of her.
Thank you, Gina! Stay in touch…and more power to you always!
