I was sent by the bureau chief to cover what he said was a testimonial night of Moro graduates of Ateneo de Davao University recently. Jumping from one work to another, with basically almost the same function, I did not expect that the event would be something that I would later drool over.

Arrived at the hotel on time although I am notorious for being always late. I did not want to be late because I wanted to leave immediately. I had to be there at 6pm so that I can leave by 7pm. I still had another meeting to catch, aside from the fact that Athan was home, nursing a high fever.

At the hotel lobby, I spotted at least three tigbas journalists/radio blocktimes, one of them tucked a folded fly-by-night newspaper in his underarm. Pretented to have not noticed them but the one with a newspaper followed me.Figured later that the band was not after the organizers of the event which I was asked to cover but the event of Sangguniang Kabataan which was happening at the other hotel ballroom.

Inside, I met the chocolate scholars and the man behind their chocolates, the international banker and philathropist Ed Fajardo--a former Tondo boy who struggled life by selling his mother's champorado, lumpia, and toron.

The man had so much to tell and he loved telling his story and the stories of the chocolate scholars that I forgot about the very important meeting I was supposed to attend to that night.

I went home at 10pm, hungry (because I could not afford to leave the table and get food from the buffet table or I will miss the important details from the man himself) and colored envy green.

I envied the scholars' bags of chocolate. Leaving the hotel, I could only wish for one.

More of the chocolate scholars' story here.