Triumphant joy after tragedy

Last Sunday was the Second Sunday of Advent, the second of four Sundays in preparation of clearing the way for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord on Christmas Day. Then Monday, Dec. 9th, was the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On March 25th earlier this year, we observed the Feast of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin by the Angel Gabriel of Her conceiving of the Lord Jesus, who would be born on Christmas Day, Dec. 25th, the blessed and joyous holiday the year we will celebrate 12 days from today!

Last Tuesday was the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto, and yesterday, that of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of our Cebu barangay Guadalupe. After our trying ordeals of natural disasters in an earthquake, floods and a supertyphoon, what a bounty of blessings to prepare us for Christmas Day!

Even as we rise from the tragic ruins in the aftermath of disasters, we remember the fateful days of Dec. 8th in Asia, particularly in the Philippines, and December 7th in the West, as the onset of World War II in the Pacific Theater on Dec. 8, 1941 with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The invasion of the Philippines followed soon after with the first bombs striking Baguio in the Philippines 72 years ago.

Today, relations of friendliness and enmity have changed, as in the wake of Yolanda, particularly in our Central Visayas, with the tremendous inpouring of aid from innumerable foreign countries (including Japan), civic, charitable and religious organizations, besides that from our own fellow Filipinos, including the Cebu provincial government and the #Bangon Sugbo and Mega Cebu movements extending aid to Leyte and Samar. Thank you and may God bless you all!.

Despite all of these, it is disturbing to hear complaints from an official of one of the stricken areas belatedly, even tearfully, complaining of “favoritism” about aid given out, and in a few other areas, “withheld,” making one fearful that with things settling down, partisan politics is now rearing its head again.

For now, many evacuees (shades of our own evacuation trials during World War II) have been thankfully housed in tents and bunkhouses built for them by government as well as nongovernment bodies, while relocation, rehabilitation and reconstruction is slowly helping them to go on with their respective lives and pursuits, even back in their towns which are slowly being rebuilt.

Companies and government offices, while going for simpler Christmas celebrations, are still able to provide their workers with year-end bonuses. On the other hand, retirees, seniors and PWDs still await their promised benefits, even if in Cebu those expecting their final tranche of P4,000 this year will have to settle, for now, for P2,000.

Now for some anniversary happenings. Last Sunday, Dec. 9th, was The Philipine Daily Inquirer’s 28th, and the Department of Energy’s 41st anniversaries, as well as December being Energy Consciousness month; and the same day, Dec. 9th being International Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Day.

As for outstanding people in the news, journalist and martial Law heroine Boots Anson Roa, widow of the late Pete Roa, is getting married to Francisco “King” Rodrigo, Jr.; and former senator Panfilo Lacson has been designated presidential assistant for rehabilitation. While internationally, iconic anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, who recently passed away, was honored in a national memorial service last Tuesday and will be buried on Dec. 15th .

And now, for some of this Bystander’s personal involvements. Saturday last week, together with the staff of our Cebu Council Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), we drove out to Sibonga in southern Cebu after lunch to attend a wedding. One of our Cebu Council GSP staff drivers, Ray Maglasang of Consolacion was marrying Jasmine Sagayno of Sibonga, who does production work at the Mactan Economic Zone.

The out-of-town trip was a treat for me, a mostly home-bound Bystander. Just a few years ago, I used to join similar trips as a GSP board member with the GSP professional staff to visit our various GSP troops in Cebu province. That was when I got to see almost all of Cebu.

The Sibonga parish church is one of Cebu’s beautiful old stone churches in a town unaffected by supertyphoon Yolanda. After the wedding, we drove further south to Argao for the wedding party at the beautiful seaside Calumpang Beach Resort. With attending GSP officers, board members and the staff we occupied one of the large guest tables in front of the table of the wedding pair at the seaside. The traditional post-wedding local rituals taken cared of, the new bride and groom thanked their guests, after which we city resident motored back home, tired, but fulfilled and happy for Ray and Jasmine.

On tap for next week’s Bystandering: our Zonta Club of Cebu I monthly meeting at the Cebu Country Club in Banilad yesterday, the monthly “Women’s Kapihan” which I host at 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. over radio station dyLA, and our GSP Cebu Council annual “Handog sa Pasko 2013” on Sunday at 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the SM City Center, Cebu City.

Till next week, then, in this holiday month of December, may God continue to bless us, one and all, as we wish you all in advance, a blessed and joyous Christmas!