Significance in July

This year, we celebrate July as Nutrition  Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month  and Persons with Disabilities Month with the theme “Katungod sa Pagpakabuhi, Katungod sa Kinabuhi.”

Significantly, too, the month opened with two religious holidays: on July 1st, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, and July 2nd, the Feast of the Immaculte Heart of Mary, two holidays honored in the name of our parish church in Banawa, Guadalupe, the Alliance of Two Hearts (of Jesus and Mary) Parish Church.

July 4th we now observe in the country as Fil-American Friendship  Day.  After we were liberated from the Japanese by Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the American troops on July 5, 1945, we used to observe the 4th as our Independence Day together with the United States.  Their Fourth of July commemorates their Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, marking their independence from Great Britain and the beginning of democracy.

Before our Independence Day was reverted by our late president Diosdado Macapagal back to the historic date of June 12th,  which we now observe,  I remember during our flag ceremony in school, singing the American national anthem, “Star-Spangled Banner,” before our own national anthem, which opens with the lyrics “Land of the morning, child of the sun returning …” now sung as “Bayang magiliw …”  Memories, memories.

Back to the present,  a report now on the Grand Finale of my Alma Mater, the Cebu Normal University Centennial Celebration on Monday, June 27th, at their Samuel MacClintock Hall.  After the traditional invocation and singing of the Philippine national anthem, the opening address was delivered by Ched  Commissioner Hadja Luningning Umar, chairperson designate  of the Board of Regents, in traditional beautiful and colorful Muslim garb, which brought back memories of two years I spent  in Muslim Jolo, Sulu, during my last two years  in the then seven-year  intermediate grades.    After Hadja Umar, CNU president Marcelo Lopez delivered his centennial address.

The climax of the evening’s celebration was the conferment of CNU Honor and Service Medallions by the Board of Regents.  I was proud to be one of the recipients of the CNU Honor Medallion.  Quite a number of the awards were posthumous, awarded to relatives of the awardees, a number of whom I remember as co-graduates, instructors, fellow instructors and even students. Two CNU Service Medallion awardees I have had associations with were the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., and the Arcenas Scholarship Foundation.  The latter was represented by Mrs. Rosita Arcenas and industrial engineer Raul Arcenas, widow and son respectively of the late Dr. Ramon Arcenas, well-known physician, surgeon  and obstetrician-gynecologist.

Besides  the Cebu Normal Universdity, another well-known organization, the YMCA, is also  celebrating  this year “100 Years of Community and Youth Service.”   While the renowned Perpetual Succour Hospital in Cebu is celebrating its “75th Anniversary of Excellence and Service as a Leading Health Institution in the Community,” I remember having given birth to one of my children there and   availing of their medical services.  The hospital was first established in 1936 as the Holy Child Hospital.

Tomorrow from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.  on radio dyLA, I will host our monthly “Women’s Kapihan”  on the theme of   breast-feeding in this Month of Nutrition.  Our guest is Ms Letlet Mison, director of the Regional Nutrition Council.

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