Christmas cometh

Christmas is only nine days away, and this morning, the first nine-day or novena “Simba sa Kaadlawon” (dawn Mass) was celebrated in Catholic churches all over the country. And on the third Sunday in Advent Mass last Sunday, the third and only pink Advent candle of four (three others being violet) candles was lighted.

The Monday following, Dec. 12th, was the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who appeared to the peasant St. Juan Diego in Mexico. We here in barangay Banawa used to belong to the Guadalupe parish, until our Banawa parish was established as the Alliance of Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary, whose feast day we celebrated last month.

The devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe was brought to us by Spain, and Her traditional sacred icon was reported to have been found in that langob (cave) in Guadalupe and is venerated in the parish church. With the information about Her appearing to St. Juan Diego, and Her imprinting of Her image on Juan’s tilma (Mexican cloak or apron), the Philippines was gifted with two duly signed digital copies of it, one now at the Manila Cathedral, the other in our Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral in Her chapel there.

These religious observances are truly a light for us in the country and in our own city. Speaking of light, St. Lucy, whose feast day was last Tuesday, the 13th, her name literally means “light.” And light is what these religious observances bring to our “dark,” actually confused, state of political affairs with the scheduled impeachment hearing at the Senate of Chief Justice Renato Corona, who is getting back at President Benigno Aquino III who had earlier “lambasted” him. Thanks, too, to the relative quieting down, for now, of the tension between the Cebu provincial and city top officials.

Literally, there was illumination last Wednesday night in the fireworks display during the the annual Christmas lighting ceremony at the Provincial Capitol; and the street lamps from there all the way to Fuente Osmeña under the beautification program, a joint effort of province and city governments and private donors. Incidentally, our Zonta Club of Cebu 1, which also helped in a modest way the private donors, held our Christmas party last night at the Cebu Country Club.

This leads me to report on the other Christmas parties and gatherings I promised you last week. One of the earliest this month, which I reported on last week, was the Aboitiz party for media, in which I actually won a raffle prize of gift checks for groceries at SM, not the second major raffle prize I mentioned, which I won at the San Miguel party party for media held the following day, the 3rd, at Café Laguna. There, I won the second major raffle prize of groceries and products of San Miguel. This succession of Christmas parties and to-do’s has got me mixed up as to date! My apologies and thanks to San Miguel for their gifts. At the San Miguel party hosted by San Miguel’s press relations officer Girlie Garces, there were also creative and humorous program contributions from talented media colleagues, to everyone’s entertainment and amusement.

More details on and a picture of the participants in the on-the-spot painting contest for children at Montebello, which I reported on last week, appeared yesterday in co-Cebu Daily News columnist Jaime Picornell’s Cult Cuts.

Then last Saturday, the 10th, I hosted my usual second-week-of-the-month radio program “Women’s Kapihan” over radio dyLA at 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. This time it was held at the Legal Alternatives for Women (Law) central headquarters at the old Celdran residence at Sikatuna Street. Law Inc. and the Cebu Women’s Network sponsor my program. This time, it was broadcast through phone patch with dyLA, since we were also celebrating our Christmas party there after the program.

Theme of the Kapihan was “Women’s rights are human rights,” based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ratified and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The panelists, CWN officers, board members and regular members, contributed their opinions regarding the decided shift to concern with women’s rights, as the provincial and city governments of Cebu continue with their efforts in the barangays to further uplift the condition of rights for disadvantaged women. This also includes NGOs and other like-minded organizations. Also that most importantly, includes men, while partly to blame, are now increasingly involved in the move. For one, CDN columnist, media man and broadcaster colleague Ricky Poca is heavily involved in women’s rights.

Other activities that day, the 10th, included the blessing of the attorney Arbet Sta. Ana Yongco Training Hall there followed by the Christmas party.

Then the Sunday after that, on the 11th, our Cebu United Radio and TV Artists (Curta) held our Christmas party at the Rizada residence in Tisa. Sadly, I was unable to attend since earlier activities took up my time and attention before that. However, CURTA Honorary Chairman Rose Rizada thoughtfully provided me with a program of what happened. She delivered the opening and closing remarks.

After the Mass celebrated there by Msgr. Joselito Tajanlangit (still “Father Joe” to us) and his blessing of birthday celebrants for the month, dinner was served. The Christmas program and party included words of welcome from president Edgar Gutierrez, Cebuano vocal renditions, a balak, a balagtasan, a mini-drama on the Nativity, and a contest on “Pinaka-karaang Cebuano Songs” and proclamation of winners. Honorary Curta Chairman Mayor Adelino Sitoy of Cordova town, also Curta lead consultant, was unable to come because he was admitted at Chong Hua Hospital for a medical checkup. However he sent a P700 check as a donation for the Christmas party.

Next week, I have more Christmas doings to report on: Wednesday’s Cebu Girl Scouts Executive Committee Meeting, and yesterday’s Zonta 1 and today’s Cebu Daily News Christmas parties. Until then, may God continue to bless us, one and all, with advanced prayers and wishes for a joyous and blessed Christmas!