Hi there! It’s nice to be back! Sorry to miss you the past six weeks.

So it’s back to school. Together with the usual and not unexpected problems on the lack of classrooms, chairs and teachers were the images of kids displaying their separation anxiety with their parents during their first day in school. On the local front, meaning in our beloved city, I still have to hear about lack of school buildings and/or rooms. On the other hand, the expected traffic brought about by the pd-cabs, motorbikes and cars in the various school gates are familiar sights again. And looking a little bit further, in some schools, it’s time (again) for some students to meet various kinds of teachers. Count among them those who opined that the EDSA revolution was nothing but a “costume party” wherein men and women were made to wear costumes so as to appear as nuns and priests and to make the revolution appear just like that, a revolution supported by the church. Well, that story blew me away the first time I heard it. And let me also count in someone who gave a brand of sparkling juice as an example of wine in their wine app (?) class. Now, do I have to recall that classic line like “what is your think?” and such exotic pronunciations like “sinet” for senate, “kungris” for congress and “kuurdinet” for coordinate? Oops, don’t take that seriously, just wanna make you smile this week.
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As with the rest of the nation, Calbayog celebrated the 113th Philippine Independence Day last Sunday. Events for the day included a Thanksgiving Mass at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Flag-raising Ceremony at the Calbayog City Hall and a Wreath-laying Ceremony at the Rizal monument at Nijaga Park .

After last Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, Mayor Ronald Aquino delivered his Independence Day message in front of the LGU employees. I’ll give you some highlights from the message in my next column.
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A tale of two celebrations. Pentecost and Independence Day fell on the same day this year. I think there is a common denominator between the two. It’s the word “birth”. The former being the birth of the Church and the latter, which we usually connote as the birth of a nation, the Filipino nation.

With all due respect to my faith, I understand we’ve been asking the Lord to send forth his spirit to renew the face of the earth. Well, if it’s the literal renewal that we have in mind, there is so (or was) much renewal – nakakalbong kagubatan, soil erosion, flooding, and what have you. Otherwise, don’t ask me if men have heeded the call for renewal called for by the Almighty. It’s been years since the Church was born. Is it time to give up? Definitely not. But I do love that fictional character called Cardinal Lamberto in the movie Godfather III. And If I may rephrase one his lines, “Men (in Europe ) have been surrounded by the Church for the past so many centuries. But Christ has not penetrated their hearts.” I guess the same thing can be said about of a good number of the faithful in many parts of the globe, us in the land of Juan De La Cruz included.

RP or PH or PHL is 113 years old. Where are we now? I could still remember some old folks whining, albeit with a smile, that our former leaders should not have called for independence (from the Americans) but opted for American statehood. Now that would be a very interesting story. Suddenly I remember that guy who ran against Marcos during the 1981 election. That guy ran on a platform which called for the statehood of the Philippines . If it was a serious election, do you think that guy could have won?

Back to my topic. For the past few years, I’ve had “In Dependence” as the title for my column each time Independence day comes. Today it’s no longer freedom from the foreign invaders, China ’s bullying notwithstanding, but it’s freedom from economic difficulties.
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It has been 48 days since Mayor Reynaldo Uy was assassinated. So far, no update as of yet as to the perpetrators of the crime.
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Congratulations to Rev. Fr. Marcelo Tubac, ofm. He will be formally installed today as the third President of Christ the King College .
Bishop Isabelo Abarquez will preside over the Mass which will be held at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral at 8:00 am. After the installation ceremonies, a Fraternal Agape will follow at the Frs. David and Leopold Auditorium. The day’s event will be capped by a Solidarity Night at the Julio Cardinal Rosales Technical Grounds at the CKC campus.
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This is it for now. Have a nice weekend everyone! Ciao!

By: Ronald Ladrero-Ricafort