Tubod: The Philippines' Ultimate Domestic Furniture Trade Show

Right after our Saturday afternoon activities last June 8th, I was invited by Tesa, an Interior Designer and one of those living with me here in Banilad Study Center, to accompany her in checking how her staff is managing the 'packing-up' activity i.e. egress, of their domestic furniture items at Waterfront Hotel's Atlantic Hall where “TUBOD”, The Ultimate Furniture and Furnishings Show for the Domestic Market, was being held since June 6th. This domestic furniture trade exhibition is part of the 4th PhilConstruct Visayas 2013 Expo, Cebu's biggest construction show to date. 

The Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation, Inc. (CFIF) conceptualized and spearheaded this event. Aptly called “TUBOD” (or in English, “Source”), the word is used as a noun to refer to spring and water fountain. TUBOD as an event takes on this objective: to set an industry in motion to serve a dynamic and booming domestic furniture and furnishings market. It is envisioned to be the source and the wellspring of the flow of ideas, talents and resources between and among designers, contractors, manufacturers and other players of the interior design and construction industry with the furniture and furnishing manufacturing industry in Cebu.

Gabi-i sa Kabilin: Cebu Cultural Heritage At Its Best

If there is one event that other cities in the country should copy, this annual event in Cebu is definitely IT!

Last May 31st, I had the wonderful opportunity to see for myself how alive and kicking our love for our cultural heritage is here in Cebu City. Several of us from the study center and from our office trooped to the pegged heritage sites all over Cebu to witness the richness of the Filipino's cultural past here at the heart of Central Visayas.

Now on its 7^th year, “Gabi-i sa Kabilin: A Night of Heritage,” is a yearly cultural event sponsored by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), in celebration of the Philippine National Heritage Month and International Museum Day. This provincial-wide event was made possible by the active cooperation of those from the national and local government i.e. Department of Tourism and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and from the different museums and heritage sites found here in the province. Aside from Cebu City, other participating cities included Mandaue, Talisay, and Lapu-Lapu.

The rain right before we left our office didn’t dampen our excitement and enthusiasm to go and participate actively in this unique activity. It was so good to sense palpably how Cebu’s families supported this event.

We got to visit the Sto. Nino Shrine, Magellan’s Cross, The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral’s Museum, Plaza Independencia, and Fort San Pedro. The last venue was where we took the Tartanilla i.e. calesa ride, much to our enjoyment. The last time I took the calesa was around seven years ago, in Vigan, Ilocos Sur where we had one of our excursions in our annual seminar held in Baguio City's South Drive.

Of course pictures had to be taken --- from anywhere, and everywhere! This had to be documented because we don’t have the likes of this activity every month. For only Php 150, we could go to ALL the participating heritage sites i.e. Casa Gorordo, Museo Sugbo, Cebu City Museum, Cebu Cultural Center, Museo Parian sa Sugbo, etc. the list goes on! What really mattered to me most was the value we were getting in this enriching cultural fete.

Last Friday night was definitely Cebu’s Cultural Night of Heritage at its best!

For more information about this annual event, please visit. www.rafi.org. 

From U.P. and Back Again

I have always wanted to give back to my Alma Mater, the University of the Philippines Manila, the institution that imbibed in me academic excellence, freedom coupled with responsibility, and spirit of service. My batch mates and I actually made a pact to go back to U.P. after some years of practicing the professions we want to have in the corporate world, in order to pursue the noble path of teaching.

Our professors surely played a big role in this dream of ours to become professors in any U.P. unit in the future. I remember several teachers of ours relate how grateful they were with the education they were receiving while they were still young students. And how much they also aspired to return the favor to the state university by re-entering it for a Teaching Post.

Now that I am freer, schedule-wise, I am set to study again as I take the master's program in Development Communication this academic year here at U.P. Cebu through the U.P. Open University (UPOU). Much as I wanted to get a scholarship, the limited number of slots available posed as a big hurdle for me not to be granted one. Now I know I must work doubly hard to make sure that I have enough monetary support to pursue graduate studies. Special thanks to my godmother, Lyn, and to my uncle, Al, who both agreed to send over some student loan just so I could go ahead with the enrollment this first semester. I am hopeful that this master's program I will be taking will pave the way to re-enter the university as a future educator.

It felt good visiting the U.P. Cebu campus the other day and meeting the local coordinator of UPOU at the College of Arts and Sciences building. It felt good being in familiar terrain once again --- seeing the Oblation, the U.P. seal, the org nooks and 'tambayans', the 'traditional' classrooms, and comfort rooms --- all with that familiar U.P. trademark i.e. vintage.

Cebu Pilgrim Site: Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

Since the month of May is dedicated to Our Blessed Mother, we have been going out for pilgrimages to her shrines to pray for the Church, the Pope, Bishop Javier Echevarria, our Prelate, and for all our personal intentions. I had the chance to visit a nearby shrine  recently, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, a 15 to 20-minute walk from our study center. The chapel is part of Asilo de la Milagrosa, a charitable institution run by the Daughters of Charity (DC) of St. Vincent de Paul here in Lahug, Cebu.

I must say I am fortunate to find this shrine so near because I am an alumna of a school run by the DCs in Manila, Sta. Isabel College (SIC). Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal has been an important part of my childhood since our big quadrangle at SIC, which has a towering statue of her, is named after this title of Our Lady. I remember playing 'piko' and 'patintero' with my classmates in the quadrangle under her gaze till late afternoon when our parents come to fetch us. I'd like to mention here, too, that last year, in our annual seminar at Latag Study Camp in Batangas, the same title of Our Lady was the one our group reported for our Mariology class. I still keep a copy of our powerpoint presentation, thanks to my group mates Tina A. and Tita O.

When I visited Asilo, I was glad to meet Sr. Teresa, a nun who knows our former music teacher and children's choir moderator at SIC, Sr. Martha who obviously became a DC herself. I was happy to get the contact details of Sr. Martha, or Ms. Gamolo as we used to call her. We are hoping to see each other in my next trip to Manila. 'Ms. Gamolo' was the one who discovered that I have an ear for music, and an aptitude to learn one of the lower voices in our children's choir i.e. the so-called 'alto' or soprano 2. I am grateful to Sr. Martha, one of my mentors who taught me to aspire for the higher and nobler things in life.

It is my wish that there be more people, lay and religious alike, whose 'struggles' to live a life of virtue, pave the way for many people to discover the path God has designed for them to tread in this life, always with the help of Our Lady.

Mountain View Nature's Park: Try the Rope Course That Will Change You!

It was another excursion day for us last May 5, Sunday, and this time we went to a nearby tourist spot here in Cebu, Mountain View Nature's Park, located in Busay town, just 25 minutes away from Cebu City proper. That day, some of us planned to try the Rope Course being offered in the Holiday Fun adventure site which is near the Christmas Park.

We arrived there at around 10 am and headed straight to the counter of the Rope Course. There were seven of us in this excursion, but only four of us signed up for the adventure course. We paid a minimum of P150 for this attraction, signed a waiver form and geared up! We were given a helmet each and were strapped safely to the cable that will lead us through all the different ropes in the adventure course. Of course we had a photo op before we said GO! There was no turning back!

On the Feast of Our Lady of Montserrat: Summer Outreach in Carbon, Cebu

This coming first Saturday of May, we will be on our third weekend of mural painting and outreach work in Brgy. Ermita's daycare center and its Sangguniang Kabataan office, here in Cebu City's Carbon district. According to the locals, Carbon, where Cebu's biggest wet market is situated, is known as a notorious place where brigands i.e. snatchers, slashers, etc. are said to reside. All of us from Banilad Study Center's group of student and young professional volunteers have always been reminded to keep careful watch over our belongings and to make sure that we do not wear any jewelry when we walk further inside the narrow and winding streets and alleys, heading towards the seacoast, literally under an area of the long bridge of the South Road Properties (SRP) owned by SM Prime Holdings, which is where our beneficiaries live. But so far, all we are receiving from the barangay residents here are nothing but kind attention and gratitude for our presence.

Mary Anne and Family at the Marriott Hotel-Cebu: A Meeting Not to be Missed

I am so glad to have met Mary Anne again this April here in Cebu after quite a long time. I was her Wedding Mass Commentator when she got married in 2004 at the Our Lady of Remedies Church. Afterwards, we just met sporadically, only twice, if I am not mistaken.

Mary Anne Sy-Gocheco is a long-time friend, a classmate since grade school (Grade 1 or 2) as far as I can remember (Note: We were among those who received a Loyalty Award in our high school graduation for studying in Sta. Isabel College for 10 years and more!) Our last names both end in 'S,' that is why we're oftentimes seated close to each other, together with Ivy Regina 'Queenie,' another long-time friend, whose last name is 'Sagudo' (now married and based in UAE.) Me-Anne , as we fondly call her, is now wife to Max, a businessman, and a loving mother to two boys (Aidan and Mikko) and one girl (Maxinne), and to a future baby boy come July this year.

I am writing this to simply chronicle how grateful I am for the generous amount this good friend of mine gave for the oratory/chapel needs of our center in Bacolod. Actually, I only had to mention the matter to Me-Anne once through Facebook. And even if the request was made when I was still in Bacolod, she did not fail me one bit, though it took time. Her family was on their way to Plantation Bay that Saturday morning, and I am really grateful that we found time to be together over breakfast.

With Me-Anne Sy-Gocheco, good friend and SIC Batchmate of 1994

With friends like Me-Anne, I realized I don't have to hesitate to ask her for anything. She helped with the trademark simplicity expected of a true Isabelan.

Thank you, Mary Anne, and may God bless you and your family more abundantly!

May you always give open-handedly, because God can never be outdone in generosity.