When it rains

Remember the song that went, “Don’t rain on my parade?” As we start a new month today, having just crossed the midyear time line, we look back at the month just past, when it not just rained, it poured in torrents! Perhaps not on our Independence Day parade in our city and some other places in the country, but in critical areas in Luzon and in Mindanao, the rain caused disastrous floods, resulting in tragic deaths and destruction. True, these were brought on by a confluence of unusual weather conditions, in recent successive typhoons “Egay” and “Falcon” and even a rare twister or buhawi, giving the country an inkling of what tornados inflicted on the States.

Coincidentally, we observed Environmental Month in June to appreciate the need for environmental awareness, concern and care to both learn and plan what we can do to overcome and survive. The second Environmental Congress held Tuesday and Wednesday this week here in Cebu City revolved on the timely theme, that in an “Ecological Emergency: Man and Nature” strive together for survival. The congress was one of the features of the 2011 Philippine Environmental Month with the theme “Forests: Nature at Your Service.”

Hopefully, this will be kept in mind as both government and citizens work together to cope with and mitigate, if not resolve, the ecological and environmental problems brought on by the newly inaugurated Kepco coal-fired plant in Naga City that will boost power supply. Happily, Naga City has now been confirmed with finality by the Supreme Court as one of Cebu’s three new cities together with 13 others in the country.

The year 2011 is also the International Year of Forests. As we know, forests are vital in water conservation and serve as well as Nature’s vanguard against soil erosion, flooding and air pollution, among other ecological concerns. So kudos to various youth groups as well as nongovernment, civic and professional commercial organizations, for their tree planting and regreening activities, especially in our eroded and forest-deficient Cebu highlands.

On the other hand, this season of disaster and tragedy in our part of the world , as well as discontent, conflict and war, has also brought on blessings.

Cebuano engineer Virgilio Fernandez recently escaped from his Abu Sayyaf captors, in a truly heroic feat, and on June 19th yet, we celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of our National Hero Jose Rizal!.

Personally, I have also been happily blessed. My son-in-law Jing Villalon, husband of my late daughter Raquel, and their three children, my grandchildren, flew in from the States to visit. The week before last, we drove to Moalboal, hometown of Jing and my late husband, to bond with relatives there and to see that well-known tourist town. Unfortunately, the sea was rough that day so the children could not go swimming and scuba diving as they had hoped. They left shortly after to do some sightseeing in Boracay and Manila during their brief visit to the country.

Then this week, another son, Antonio, with his wife and family, also flew in from the States to visit his mother-in-law, my comadre Alicia Trinidad, in Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental, to greet her on her birthday today. Happy birthday, Mare! I hope to see them, even if only briefly, before they fly back to the States from their short vacation. With time so fleeting, one must certainly appreciate one’s blessings, even if only “on the fly.”

Tops on my blessings this month was attending the closing ceremonies of the centennial celebration of my alma mater, the Cebu Normal University, where I was one of the Centennial Honor Awardees. My report next week will include that, as well as our Cebu Girl Scout Council Executive Committee meeting last Wednesday, and a special blessing for Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma from Pope Benedict XVI, on that same day, Wednesday, on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Till then, as we look forward to more blessings to come, as always, May God continue to bless us one and all!