What’s up for 2013?

There are exciting  events lined up for 2013.  On the 25th of this month will be the last of the series of the monthly memorial lectures of the 75 families of distinction of Cebu City as part of the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of the City Charter (2012-2013). To close the celebration a showcase of Cary Santiago’s collection of 75 creations called “Estilong Sugbuanon” will be modeled by 75 different models mostly Sugbuanans (including some members of the families of distinction) in a grand affair on February 22, 2013 at the Radisson Blue. All the events particularly the memorial lectures of the families of distinction will all be featured in a commemorative book will be distributed during the awarding ceremonies on February 24 which is Cebu City Charter Day. So much information was gathered from the photo exhibits, the memorial lectures, the press conferences and the radio guesting held from March 2012 to December 2012 that a commemorative book is not enough to contain all these information but will have to be disseminated to the public particularly the youth. Social Studies classes should be made animated by making family history writing one of its projects.

The Carcar Literary Series featuring the writers of Carcar  will start off on January 26, at 2:00 p.m. at the ST. Catherine’s College. The project spearheaded by Dr. Hope Yu, Director of the Cebuano Studies Center of the University of San Carlos will run for six months with each month featuring two or three writers of Carcar, I was thrilled to know from DR. Yu that there are four women writers in Carcar (we have always known only one, Maria Kabigon) and the additional names are Florentina Tan Villanueva, Elena Leyson and Remedios del Mar. Anybody from Carcar, relatives or friends, please attend the series and more so please provide more information about the said women writers.

UP Cebu will do a lot of reconstruction now that they have a new dean. This will involve physical, academic, and administrative reconstruction and innovation. It is very hopeful that they can now use the Cebu Cultural Center which stands in the middle of the campus and UP Cebu has been deprived from using it despite the MOA with the provincial government. Space is UP Cebu’s biggest problem since the library building is being renovated, the library has been spread throughout the campus. The Conference Hall was part of the Library Building, they hold their for a and other presentations at the lobby of the Arts and Sciences Building which alternates as the venue for the P.E. classes. Faculty lounge of the Social Sciences Cluster has been used as a classroom since one room is being used temporarily as the library of the Social Science books.

The UP Alumni Association Cebu Chapter will work on the establishment of alumni associations in each academic program to come up with a federation of alumni associations of UP Cebu. This is to address the underrepresentation of UP Cebu Alumni in the UP Alumni Cebu Chapter Board. For Political Science graduates, contact Ms. Claire Jabines, for Mass Comunications, contact Atty. Ian Vincent Manticajon; for Psychology graduates, contact Mr. Jonathan de la Cerna; for B.S. Biology graduates, contact Ms. Geofe Cadiz; for Computer Science, contact Mr. Chito Patiño. Also this year, the board will hold the search for the Tatak UP 2013 Awards (the first batch was held in 2011).

The May 2013 Elections will be a fierce battle as foreshadowed by the ongoing crisis in the capitol. Let’s all hope that the crisis will be resolved before the campaign period. Certainly before the election campaign period, there will be the launching of the 55-volumes of the histories of the municipalities and component cities of Cebu including Cebu City, a project started in 2008 and painstakingly completed edited, revised, and polished until 2012. I’m glad I’m not a voter in the province because both candidates for governor were my former students in UP Cebu High School. I wish both of them the best of luck and whoever wins, I hope he brings with him the essence of governance especially transparency and accountability as we always harped on in UP.

After the calm of the May 2013 elections, my high school class in St. Catherine’s School, Class 1963 will hold its Golden Jubilee on July 13-14, 2013. We would like to celebrate our fifty years after high school as simple as possible.

The rest of the year will be so loaded for me with translation work and book writing and am looking forward to their gradual completion. Wishing everyone a very healthful, enjoyable, productive and peaceful year!