The Sinulog Fluvial Parade

This year's Sinulog Festival Fluvial Parade was a very memorable event. We were so fortunate to be given complimentary tickets to be on board 2 boats owned by a well-known family here in Cebu.

Many thanks to Mrs. Beth Lopez, the director of Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD), the school beside our study center, for making our participation in the fluvial parade possible.

It was last Saturday, January 18, when 3 of us from Banilad had to wake up before 4 a.m. since we will be picked up by a van (courtesy of Mrs. Lopez), that early. From our neighboring training center, there were 8 who joined.

With Marivit and Ressie on board the Roble shipping vessel.

We reached the port at around 4:30 am and were on board the Roble shipping vessel soon after. We waited for more than an hour for the Holy Mass celebration officiated by Franciscan priests. When the Mass started, our ship set off towards Mactan Island in slow motion. We were lucky to have very fine weather that day. A short drizzle while we were in the Mass made the atmosphere so pleasantly cool. Of course, Señor Sto. Niño had his coveted place on the small makeshift altar. The songs of the Mass were mostly in Cebuano, and I learned that the one we sang for the offertory, "Bato Balani sa Gugma," (A Magnet of Love) is a famous song for the Holy Child here in Cebu.

After the Mass, we were treated to a hearty buffet breakfast by the Roble family, our Sinulog fluvial parade sponsors. We were so happy to have met the 2 granddaughters of the Roble patriarch and matriarch while we were waiting for Sto. Niño to pass by our ship. One of the granddaughters is in first year college while the other one is still in high school. We invited them to visit our study center one of these days.

And so the fluvial parade started with the booming music of "The Sinulog, Pit Señor!" with big and small boats following the big vessel where the Holy Child is. From the Mactan Strait where we were, the boats headed towards the Port of Cebu in Lapu-Lapu City and then back to Cebu City's main port. There were helicopters hovering above us. A little more than 25-30 boats joined the fluvial parade. I have never seen so many pilgrims and devotees gathered, waiting for the Holy Child to pass by! The two famous bridges connecting Cebu and Mactan island, plus the city pier were jampacked with people from Cebu and outside Cebu. All the boats had all their passengers dancing while carrying the image of the Señor! It was such a moving sight to behold. I can just be very grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience, having been here in Cebu for only ten months!

From l-r: Tinggay, Girlie, Marivit, Ressie, Mary, Mimi,
Mariafe, Jingjing, Danica, Tet and Mrs. Lopez.

The highlight of the parade was having the ship where Sto. Niño is pass beside our vessel! It had the 'real image' of the Holy Child. The crowd got so ecstatic, the people in front of me grew taller all of a sudden that I didn't get to see his image close enough. The only consolation I thought of is that the Sto. Niño Basilica is very much accessible and I can pay my respects to Him in person on a regular day.

All of Cebu definitely had a festive mood, from all the 'banderitas' and makeshift platforms along the main avenues to the concerts being staged all over the city, to the memorabilia shirts and images of the Señor Sto. Niño available in all the shops and stores you can chance upon.

I missed seeing the Sinulog dances and the Reenactment of the Arrival of the Holy Child's Image performed and organized at the Basilica Minore. But I told myself that I will have something to look forward to as long as I live here in Cebu!

Djoanna: My Friend Since Grade One

Djoanna and husband Omar

Djoanna, or "Dj", and I met last November 10 --- Dj's birthday, after almost 8 years of not having seen each other. She brought a new addition to her life that day, Hadjemir, her two-year old son!

I told her I wasn't used to seeing her look a bit plumper than before, the real proof of her motherhood. We really had a lot of some catching up to do that day as we talked over lunch and the whole afternoon before I headed for the airport at past 5 pm. But with Hadj around, we couldn't enjoy talking as we used to because her two-year old son, being a toddler, needed to be looked after while eating --- we had to distract him with the balloon and hat the food crew gave Dj while we were taking dessert! I was so glad that the manager of the restaurant where we ate agreed to my request to make my friend's birthday extra special. The prize was vanilla ice cream! Plus, around 7 of the food crew sang a happy birthday song for her --- twice! Dj was moved and was so happy, it seemed like we were in elementary again. We capped the day spending a lot of time in Book Sale, where we bought kiddie books for her son. Dj was a bookworm back in elementary. She was the one who introduced me to the world of reading. One thing I observed in her was that motherhood has really changed her. She prioritizes her son's needs now and foregoes what she wants.

Djoanna and I were classmates at Sta. Isabel College from Grades 1-4 , if I remember correctly. She was in a different section from Grades 5-6. She moved to St. Scholastica's College in high school and became a well-known debater. We continued writing each other, and since we both love to write, keeping up regular written correspondence was not a difficulty. I managed to visit her at St. Scholastica's during their foundation day, and she would also pay me a visit at Sta. Isabel occasionally, usually during our Intramurals or some days before Christmas break.

We met again in UP Manila in college, at the university lobby where the list of those who passed the UPCAT was posted. My mother saw her and her mother looking at the postings. We were both ecstatic! She was supposed to study Dentistry but ended up taking Development Studies. We found ourselves in the same college, and in the same youth activist organization, UP Kamalayan, where we would have regular meetings and rallies at Mendiola and in front of the Batasan. I stopped attending Kamalayan's activities when I formed part of the Executive Committee of the UP Organizational Communication Society (ORCOMSOC). I also got involved writing for the Manila Collegian while Dj continued on with Kamalayan and another student political group, plus her own Development Studies organization. Up to now, Dj is affiliated with a non-government organization helping Rural Development workers and farmers in the country.

I am very grateful that we met again after so many years of attempts to meet each time I was in Manila. She lives in Cavite and maintains a house in Mandaluyong where her office is accessible. She got married in 2006. Since my stay in Tanglaw University after college, she makes it a point to visit the centers where I live in, except when I moved here in the Visayas. But who knows, she tells me, if there are no more aftershocks here in Cebu, she might pay me a visit with her entire family!

It takes a lot of hard work to keep up with friendships with those you knew since elementary. I don't know what the real staying power of our friendship is, which has now been tested by time and distance. All I know is that our lives had to cross paths somehow, someway, so we can both be enriched by each other's lives.

Central Visayas Will Rise Again

Going to Bohol over the weekend last October 26th is now one of the most memorable outreach missions I have ever joined. It was far different from the places I had been to lend time and effort with a group of people I still barely know, having been here in Cebu for just seven months. It was different because Cebu City is also in the same sad circumstance of having to get back on its feet again after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Central Visayas almost three weeks ago. But seeing Bohol and the extent of the devastation there is more overwhelming. I would say that the Boholanos really need more help than the Cebuanos.

We were fortunate to coincide with a group of doctors and nurses affiliated with the University of the Philippines-Cebu and with a group of Philippine marines who acted as our heavily-armed guards on our way to Tubigon, the port where we docked.  We took the 11:45 am cargo ship and arrived in Bohol at 3:30 pm. From the port, we had to drop some supplies for the families of some of the members of Opus Dei who were much affected by the quake. Most of these families are now living in tents just outside their concrete houses, spread out in the
farms and other open spaces near their residences. From Tubigon, a van brought us to Danao where we met the mayor, Hon. Naty Gonzaga. We arrived there a little before 6:00 pm . Our driver and his helper brought down more than 30 sacks of goods that contained rice, mineral water, toiletries, canned goods, milk and more. We also brought sheets of thick waterproof tents for those families who are still sleeping outside their homes. It was good to see so many army trucks filled with relief goods on the way to Danao. Amidst the sorry state of the two churches we passed by which have become literally 'hollow' churches since nothing was left inside i.e.  it's just the facade that remained, one will just be grateful to God for the generosity of our people which we have seen for ourselves. Of course, seeing several chocolate hills along the main road was in itself a treat for us!


We left Danao at past 9:00 pm after spending dinner with the mayor. All twelve of us, 3 college students, 7 young professionals and 2 of us from the study center, arrived in Tubigon at around 10:30 pm and boarded the ship back to Cebu. Staying overnight in the boat was another memorable experience since you will not be able to get some sleep. For one, we were just seated the whole time, and the sea air was just too cold, we were shivering. This is because we weren't prepared to leave Bohol at midnight and spend the night traveling.

We were just so relieved to be back here in Cebu at 4:00 am  to get a good day's sleep and rest the whole Sunday of October 27. And really glad to support our fellow Filipinos in times when they needed it the most.

Special thanks to all our friends in Manila and abroad who have sent their donations over to help Bohol. As the new Central Visayas social media movement has said it succinctly, we are bent to rise again, "Bangon Visayas! Bangon SugBohol!"

Note: Cebu's old name is Sugbu, thus the syllable "sug" in the name "SugBohol" of the social media group. For pictures of ongoing relief operations in Cebu and Bohol, please visit  https://www.facebook.com/BangonSugBohol.

There Is No Other Way to Go But Forward

Being new in this esteemed unit of the University of the Philippines System is no joke. For one, I know that challenges are waiting for me to surmount, given that I have long been out of the academic loop for more than ten years now. But what made the difference in pursuing my graduate studies through the Master in Development Communication Program  of the University of the Philippines’ Open University (UPOU) --- and what, I can say, was extremely unique with this online learning academic experience, was to see a very supportive set of faculty and current UPOU students. For this, I will always be grateful.

It would be easy to relate and enumerate here all the things I have learned from my personal Development Communication experience --- from learning the definition of development, understanding the underdevelopment problematique, immersing myself with our societal problems, being familiar with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), knowing what memes are and its inherent power to influence and reach the various audiences we have, reviewing various communication models, concepts and approaches to knowing the definition of development communication, synthesizing development communication and related policies for its advancement, learning the ropes on how to become an effective development communication practitioner, and a lot more. But with all these learnings put together, only one thing struck a chord in me. And this is the definition Samonte had of development communication i.e. it is "communication with a social conscience."

Green Fashion Revolution in Cebu

I can say that  I am now a real fan of Aboitiz Foundation.  On the first Saturday of this month, the company launched another big event here in Cebu. Aptly titled,  "Green Fashion Revolution" staged at  the Cebu Trade Hall of SM City, some of us from Banilad Study Center witnessed a unique showcase of real creative talent from 6 schools and universities from the province: the University of Cebu, University of San Carlos, University of the Philippines-Cebu, Cebu Normal University, University of the Visayas, and our very own Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD).

The event is on its 2nd year which features recycled items turned into fashionable pieces i.e. accessories, basic cloth material for blouses, skirts, pants and even gowns. The rationale behind this project is to feature the sustainable and eco-development programs of barangays in Cebu City  being supported by the schools that joined. In BCPD's case, their 8-minute video featured the mother & daughter tandem of Barrio Luz which worked on eco-projects mainly selling and marketing accessories made of recycled materials.  Around 20 BCPD students modeled clothes made of onion sack and jute sack, accessories made from foil wrappers and tetra packs, and recycled gowns decorated with CDs, etc. Very creative! The winners of the event received a sizeable amount for the barangay being supported and for the participants of the competition.

For more information about this fashion event, please visit www.aboitizfoundation.org.

Bumping Into St. Josemaria Escriva and Opus Dei

Today is the birthday in heaven of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. He died in the room where he worked in Villa Tevere in Bruno Buozzi, Rome, Italy,  a little after praying the Angelus. He was 73 years old when he passed away. I first heard about Opus Dei when I was in second year high school, when an alumna of my school, who happens to have the same name as I do, visited the campus one afternoon. Our guidance counselor told me that Michelle, who is around seven years older, is a member of Opus Dei.

The first prayer card that I received was not that of St. Josemaria, it was Bishop Alvaro del Portillo's, St. Josemaria's first successor who passed away in March 1994. It was my Communication professor at UP Manila who gave it to me while I was taking the final exam for his subject. Now that professor of mine, I learned later on, is also a member of Opus Dei. As in any occurrence, I cultivated the habit of asking why about situations and circumstances I find myself in, trying my best to do so in God's presence. So I asked myself why I often bump into members of Opus Dei every so often. And what is Opus Dei all about? And then one day, when I got home, I saw 3 prayer cards of St. Josemaria on our glass vitrina in the living room. It was my father who brought it home, a taxi passenger of his gave it to him.

Today, as I wish that St. Josemaria's fame of being very close to God i.e. his holiness, reach far and wide, I would like to write about one of the recent favors I received through his intercession. I have already submitted this favor to the Office of the Causes of Saints, hoping that it be included among so many that St. Josemaria has granted to countless individuals, so that God's glory may be seen and felt through this faithful servant of his.

A Charming Exhibit: KOI-Yaw at Ayala Center-Cebu

Walking around UP campus over the weekend, I chanced upon the poster promoting this exhibit which was launched last Saturday, June 15. What caught my attention was the colorful image it had of a Fish, the icon of the Chinese zodiac I am born under, Pisces. Since I still had an errand to do at the Ayala Center, I thought maybe I could swing by Level 3 of Paseo Marina where this fish sculpture exhibit is mounted and see what it's all about.

KOI-Yaw, as the exhibit is called, displays fish sculptures made of rattan, a known local material used for furniture and decor products. Inspired by the fish family 'koi', the sculptures are available for purchase and up for display here at Ayala Center Cebu from June 15 to June 30, 2013. It is a project of the Product Design 3rd year students from the University of the Philippines-Cebu.

I was not familiar with this existing furniture art form until I saw it myself. At the registration desk where the guestbook is, the mobile numbers of those who can be contacted for fish sculpture items up for purchase were made available. I told my work colleague, Venus, who is also Piscean like me, about KOI-Yaw. We hope to go see it together before the month of June ends, as the rainy season here in Cebu gradually sets in.

For more information about KOI-Yaw, you may visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/koiyawcebu.