From celebration to challenges

In the wake of the religious fervor and rejoicing in the Sinulog celebrations in honor of the Holy Child, Cebu’s beloved Senor Santo Niño, we happily realized that the devotion to Him has spread to other cities and towns, like Mandaue and Carmen town in Cebu. It has also rippled from our shores to other places in the Visayas and Mindano, as the out-of-town winning contingents in the Sinulog celebrations attest. Pit Senyor!

Then back to current events in the aftermath, as I recounted last week: a series of unusual main disasters (ships stranded, tilting, grounded and sinking . . . shades of the Titanic!) in our country despite the current respite in stormy weather; fires despite the current rains and even floods; and landslides outdoing the disatrous one in Ormoc some years before.

Then the Corona impeachment proceedings that had us glued to our TV sets most of last week, resuming last Tuesday, and still ongoing as I wrote this yesterday.

While I am not yet in any position to comment on the impeachment proceedings, I find the formal Tagalog (the national language?) spoken and used in text headlines on TV a little difficult to follow (should I go back to Tagalog language classes again?). So I concur with media man Nestor Torre’s remarks in this connection: for broadcast coverage, Tagalog, Taglish and/or English.

I remember during my early hostings on radio of my live noontime “Campus Capers,” a friend and college professor colleague commented that my emceeing English was no longer “pure” (?), interpersed as I then did with Cebuano words. And I had to tell her that in mass media, one now had to be understood by the audience. That when I spoke in Cebuano, I correctly pronounced the proper Cebuano words as they should be, pronounced, not “English-ized,” and when I used words in English, they were also correctly pronounced and enunciated. So that now in national broadcasts, Taglish!

In the Corona impeachment proceedings, involving Latin and technical terms, Tagalog/Taglish was the compromise. But when I tuned in the other day, they had finally decided to conduct proceedings in English, but use Tagalog or Taglish to report proceedings in broadcast and print media.

In connection with the controversies and heated points of view expressed about the Corona impeachment, thank God for the cool and calming voice of our Cardinal Ricardo Vidal advising against rash, heated judgements.

And also for our new Archbishop Jose Palma, 61, a native of Jaro, Iloilo, who, since his designation in Cebu, has been visiting various parishes and getting to know the parishioners. He observed a triple celebration last Friday the 13th last week: his first anniversary as Cebu archbishop, his 13th year after his earlier installation as Bishop of Calbayog, Leyte, and his 14th year since he was ordained titular bishop of Vazari-Diddi. Then capping these, a big surpise with the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI has approved recommendations of cardinals and experts on the authenticity of a miracle attributed to Blessed Pedro Calungsod, opening the way to his eventually being declared Saint, our second Philippine saint!

In the roller-coaster ride of events this week, it seemed like the theft over the weekend of over a million pesos of Sinulog funds from the Sinulog office in the Cebu City Sports Center was to be “forgotten,” in media reports, at least. Then yesterday’s media reports continued to follow it up, some even “doubting” if money was truly lost or stolen. Abangan ang susunod!

This “mystery” brings to mind an interesting “finders-keepers” happening this week, the finding by scavengers in the Mandaue garbage dump of e jewelry and valuable items, apparently mistakenly thrown out during housecleaning actvity in a termite-infested house. While some items had already been sold or pawned by the finders-keeper, news about the sensational discovery got the attention of the apparent owner. A ring bore his name and he could identify the remaining items. This is another mystery still being unravelled for the benefit of who might be the real owner/owners.

And now, this Gemmary Jewelry burglary attempt. No getting into the shop in the dead of night when no one was looking, but a well-planned tunelling from a neigboring building foiled by the setting off a technologic device. It was like a true-to-life TV episode of “CIS” (Criminal Investigation Service) that I have been hooked on. More abangan here!

Then Monday this week was a triple observance of the “Day for Dignity of the Human Person” declared during a “Walk for Life” held in Washington, D.C., the beginning of National Bible Week, and the start of the Chinese New Year, marking the Entrance of the Water Dragon, Kung hei fat choi, an official non-working holiday, particularly in Cebu with our Chinese population, affecting our history and culture.

Tomorrow, the 28th, our Cebu Girl Scout (GSP) chairmen and Council commissioners will be holding the Council Triennial Convention at the White Gold House at the North Reclamation Area. This annual convention was discussed during our Executive Committee Meeting last January 30th.

It will be paticipated in by GSP Cebu Council District Committee chairmen and commissioners, DFAs and SSCs, council board members, schools division superintendents, and nominees for members-at-large, young adult representatives and girl representatives (Senior Planning Board).

Till next week then, may God continue to bless us one and all!