They come home to experience Sinulog

They left for the United States in 1975 with only two suitcases. Ten  years later they came home spreading their blessing in time for the Sinulog festivities.

Engineer Romeo S. Jurani and his wife, lawyer Nadia Catarata-Jurani were among the 400 balikbayans, and guests  who attended last Thursday’s Balik Cebu welcome dinner held at the Ayala Center Cebu Terraces.

The Juranis have been coming home to Cebu for the past 12 years to honor the Sto. Niño and share their blessings through a foundation they formed  10 years ago.

Engineer Jurani is a consultant for a mining company in Nevada while his wife Nadia handles legal cases in Los Angeles.

most influential

Catarata-Jurani, who was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the United States and Woman of Style  Achievement by the Filipino Women’s Network in 2012 , said they felt blessed and made it a point to become God’s instrument to help others.

scholarship

“We created the Jurani-Catarata Scholarship Foundation 10 years ago and offer full scholarships to 20 college students of CIT (Cebu Institute of Technology) who have good grades and are from financially challenged families,” said the lady lawyer.

“We come home every January for two purposes — one is the scholarship and second is to enjoy the Sinulog festivities,” she said.

Yesterday was their date for the Sinulog grand parade  and a wedding of one of the first scholars of their foundation.

They’ve joined the  Suroy-Suroy Sugbo countryside tour three times before and wanted to join the leg to Camotes Island.

“We always enjoy it but we’ll be going to Palawan this year,” she said.

The couple will be flying back to the US on January 27.

Bianca Santos,26, a hardware engineer in Florida, said she’s here to enjoy the Sinulog and visit  her  98-year-old grandfather.

Santos last visited Cebu six years ago.

“There are so many things new here since I last visited. For one, the  Terraces was  not around back then. I’m so amazed at the progress and  am happy to be here,” she said for a vacation.

Sylvia Abucay, 66, and her husband Aster arrived in Cebu last August. She said this was her first time to experience the Sinulog.

“I’m so happy that finally we will be able to join the Sinulog. Cebu is very rich in cultural heritage. Being married to a Cebuano, I think it’s important to appreciate the things that he grew up with,” said Abucay.

The dinner menu featured popular Filipino dishes  like  lechon,  dinugu-an, bibingka, tinolang manok (chicken soup) and ginataang gabi prepared by Cafe Laguna.

entertained

The balikbayans were entertained by Asia’s Queen of Songs Pilita Corales and cultural dance and song numbers including BYAHE by 10G Troupers, festival dances by San Diego Dance and Co., Abellana National School Dancers, Lumad Basakanon, and Bidlisiw Dance Troupe of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, in his welcome speech, urged the balikbayans to pray for the prosperity of the rest of the country so that the whole Philippines would experience the same economic prosperity as Cebu.

Miss Cebu 2013 Neesha Murjani and her court also made their first official appearance during the dinner. /Aileen Garcia-Yap, Reporter