“She is never demanding,” her mom narrates. “If she wants something, she’d save up for it.” Dionne’s mom tells us how down-to-earth her daughter is. She’d shop at ukay-ukay stalls in Carbon. “She’s never brand conscious and feels guilty if she buys anything expensive,” mommy Dulce says.
We’ve learned, too, that Dionne would save up her school allowance and at the end of the week, would give it to her mom “for gasoline.” Her sister Azenith says of their youngest sister: “she’s very generous. She’d save and buy us little gifts for Christmas and special occasions. ”
“She’s not only generous with material things. She’s also very generous with her time,” her sister Abbie narrates. Instead of going to the mall or go out with friends when she doesn’t have class, Dionne would choose to stay home and take care of her nephews and nieces.
And since they do not have any househelp, Dionne, despite her busy schedule at school and hosting commitments, always finds time to help with household chores. “She washes her own clothes, “ shares her Mom.
Dionne’s generosity of spirit extends outside her home. She always looks forward to visiting her adopted community (where she used to teach Catechism) and celebrates her birthdays there.
Her friends are recipients of such generous spirit, too. In a newspaper article, her friend Nerissa said: “si Dionne and matang nga tawo nga dili magpanuko sa pagsulti sa tinuod bahala na ug masakitan siya, tungod kay ang tumong mao man ang pagtabang kaniya nga molambo siya isip tawo.” (Dionne is the kind of person who doesn’t have any qualms about telling you the truth, especially if she knows it will help you grow as a person.) “Like in my choice of clothes in ordinary and special days, she’ll criticize me if i deserve it, but she will also praise me to the highest level too if needed,” Nerissa added.
In the same newspaper article, her friends were asked about Dionne’s seeming sweetness towards Zeke. “Ing-ana man gyud na si Dionne,” (She’s really like that) her friends said in unison. Another friend of hers, Chris, said: “Sweet kaayo na siya, kusog kaayo mo-hug, unya sige ug pa-maak basta mag-joke session na mi. Pero wala ra, magkatawa ra mi.” (She’s very sweet, she loves to hug, and she always bites us when we have joke sessions. But that’s ok, we’d all laugh).
Dionne’s friend Anthony explains (in that same newpaper article): “It is reasonable for Dionne to act like that knowing she has not experienced fatherly or brotherly love and care. That’s why she is called lovable sweetheart because by nature she is lovable and sweet. Just as PBB is a reality show, Dionne is being real.”
Her sister Aileen says of her baby sister’s sweetness, “She texts me almost everyday to thank me and to tell me she loves me. She loves to hug, too. And her sweetness goes beyond just hugging. She is thoughtful and is always concerned about others. I hate to admit it, but I think she has unseated me as the Favorite Tita. All my nephews and nieces are crazy about her.”
Ate Aileen further shares: “Her emotions are very raw. She reacts to situations the way her heart tells her. Some people may find that tad too ‘over’. But that’s just her. She’s transparent that way. You’ll know if she likes you or not. You’ll know if she’s happy or sad or mad. When a schoolmate passed away early this year, she cried her heart out like one of us died.”
As a student, Dionne always excelled. And she excelled in whatever she puts her heart into. She did not only strut on stage as a beauty titlist, she also walked on the streets of cebu to support the things she believed in.
And for all the things she was, she is and will be, we will always love her.
