Balikabayans sacrifice time, ailments to be with Sto. Niño

Not all sacrifices for the Sto. Niño come in the form of money or material things.

Some balikbayans who come to Cebu for the Sinulog celebrations sacrificed their time to be with their families and loved ones or even endure their ailment just to be with the Child Jesus.

Fr. Tony Gomez, a 58-year-old priest from St. Linus Parish in Los Angeles, California, said he came here despite knowing he would miss his grandchildren (the children of his niece), who live near his apartment in the US.

Gomez said he would stay in Cebu far from them for three weeks for the Sinulog celebrations.

“I miss them (grandchildren),” Gomez told Cebu Daily News.

Gomez was one of the 100 balikbayans who arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) yesterday morning.

The balikabayans were welcomed by Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, Mayor Michael Rama, Rowena Montecillo, Director Rowena Montecillo together with a group of singers from the Cebu City Tourism Council as part of the Pinoy Homecoming Program of the Department of Tourism (DOT) 7.

Gomez said it’s his first time to come to Cebu for the Sinulog celebrations and the 25-hour flight was “not bad.”

“My fellow parishioners encouraged me to come here (in Cebu) for the Sinulog,” Gomez said.

Gomez said his next stop will be Thailand and Cambodia as part of his Asian tour.

In a separate interview, Rolando Santos, a 70-year-old balikbayan from San Diego, California, wore a smile on his face when he arrived at the airport.

Despite his back pains and the delayed flight, Santos remained upbeat as he described his flight when it passed Guam and Manila before reaching Cebu.

“It’s fun. A lot of talk. I am enjoying the conversations. In the plane, they thought that I know how to speak Cebuano, but I don’t know how to speak Cebuano because I am from Bulacan,” Santos said.

As a Sto. Niño devotee, Santos said that it is his fifth time to come to Cebu for the Sinulog.

He said he has been experiencing back pains for around two years and has been taking medication.

“It (back pains) occurred again last month when I was picking up my baggage (in one of my trips),” Santos said.

He, however, looked forward to this trip. He said that Cebu is really a nice place and the people are friendly.

He said that because of the Sto. Niño, he is not afraid of “anything terrible” that may come along.