After what seemed like forever, the eagle has finally landed. It took the Canadian government approximately 16 months (less than the expected 26 months) to process my application for permanent residency. All the paperwork, medical tests, and mailing back and forth, has finally come to an end (actually, no. This isn’t the end because we […]
Your Tilde – A letter to Iñigo
So, I still can’t get over how much effort your preschool has put on your tilde. That all your personal spaces have your name, squiggly and all, labeled nicely. Before we moved back to Canada, we have accepted that in this country, our Ñ is not accepted in legal papers. We knew that our last […]
Raya Entrep Fair 2015 : Bag ng PagbaBAGo
On Saturday, the Raya School Naga will be having an Entrep Fair to raise funds for their Bayanihan Project. The kids worked hard on their services and products so that their earnings can be shared with kids from a day care center in Pacol. (Last year, they shared their blessings with the Sibol kids from […]
Fiestang Kalag
Summers in San Jose would be spent playing tong-its, joy rides on the back of the pick-up and trips to the waterfalls and the beach. It wouldn’t be complete though without the midnight trip to the cemetery. I clearly remember the first time we attempted to brave the resting grounds of the dead. Tim, Shane, […]
Kaya. [I am a Raya Fan]
Most of my close friends know that my ultimate dream is to modify the curriculum of Sibika at Kultura (which I’ve heard has been changed into Makabayan). Something has to be done to tweak it so that our students can relate to it and not just memorize dates and names… Something that can make them […]
Delicadeza
“San Jose Forever!” That is what my Tito Ato would shout out whenever he’d see me. According to him, I’m a die-hard San Jose fan – someone who would give up everything for that little town in Partido, Camarines Sur. Every summer, I would look forward to going to the province and visiting San Jose. […]
The Filipino is Worth Dying For [Ninoy Aquino]
My love affair with the Philippines started quite early on. Lolo Tatay made sure I knew who Rizal was. He made sure I knew my history as a Filipino. He made sure I knew that I am a Filipino. He could see identity issues coming up in the future, I guess. I am Pinoy… and […]
Another Birthday Message
Last week, Mr. Manalo asked me if I wasn’t the slightest bit annoyed that there would be work on June 12 and that the non-working holiday would be June 9 instead. I don’t think I was as ticked off as he thought I would be – in fact, I think he is much more affected […]
WYA Diaries: Collective Memory
I wanted to show Ren the old neighborhood of the World Youth Alliance while we were in New York. WYA was not always conveniently located at 228 East 71st Street. We were not always UpTown kids…we were, in fact, up up up town kids. Sometimes, I still can’t believe we’ve moved to where we are […]
HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF ST. IGNATIUS
Three parts to this feast day homily: first, a word about our present reality; secondly, some light from our Gospel reading; finally, some words about our founder and father, Ignatius of Loyola. First, our reality. Let me begin by sharing with you two sets of somewhat depressing statistics. First, this past year, the four provincial […]