BER MOS, YULETIDE COUNTDOWN BEGINS
“Here I come… it’s the time for me to control all the speakers around the corner.” Facebook meme, Jose Marichan vibes.
When we hear the song of Mariah Carey “All I Want for Christmas is You and the prominent song of Jose Marichan, “Christmas in Our Hearts” and we know, yeah, it’s officialy the start of BER months.
Alas! We are already on the ber month and this is very legendary in the Philippines for it is something to be excite with yuletide season. When this holiday cheer strikes, the jolly season of the Philippines has arrived. People are excited to to feeel the essence of what’s coming. It’s the time for celebrating the birth of our Jesus Christ.
A cultural act of Filipinos that no matter how small the house is, chances are start-shaped christmas lanterns or parol still hangs on the door or window pane in small streets and villages when “ber” months arrived. This is the Filipino spirit that had never lost over the years. They believe that parol symbolizes the shared faith and hope.
This is also the start of bringing soft rhythm to our houses. People start caroling and embed harmony and peace in our hearts. Christmas songs dominate the airwaves.
Remember the days when we get to gather with friends and caroling our neigbours’ houses. Humoral it is when we can still remember to blend harmoniously and sing like a chorale. That time when we used to bring us casserole to be used as drums. And of course, we can never forget our one of the biggest fear when having caroling, stray dogs. When this one barks, everyone would running to different directions. Pretty, everyone can relate.
Aside from caroling, shopping malls are becoming congested and taffic is more unbearable when people start buying gifts. Of course, we often like to receive something from someone we love. For us, it’s sentimental and forever a treasure. Gift-giving is widely practiced by Christian communities and it becomes our tradition.
This start of ber months, start packing gifts, start buidling more genuine friendship, start giving more, and start enjoying the merriment.
The purest scent of Yuletide season is all around the corner! Amid the merriment, we should always look to remember the truest essence of Chritmas- “Christmas is the reason for ths season, when Jesus Christ was born.” Living with peace and love is not only intended for Christmas, it’s an act that we have to show everyday. As the the clock strikes, From hereon, let’s start the countdown!
via | Hannah Cabibil
Gina Lopez: A Beacon of Light and Hope
A life dedicated to serve the Filipino citizenry was now lost due to brain cancer.
Regina Paz “Gina” Lopez was a Filipino environmentalist and Philanthropist who served as the Chairperson of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and was a former Secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in an ad interim basis under the President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s administration.
Gina Lopez was born on December 27, 1953 and was the second children of seven of Eugenio “Geny” Lopez, Jr. and Conchita La’O. In an essay she wrote to Rogue Magazine, she said that her childhood was pretty much filled with warmth, love and fun.
However, despite of all the achievements she had garned in her younger years, Lopez still felt like there was something missing in her life. Thus, leaving the life of wealth and privilege to find her purpose in the form of service in Portugal and India. Then, later on spent 11 years in Africa.
She was a fighter not only for what is right but for the betterment of the country and for the protection of the environment. Lopez contributes a lot for the country and for humanity. She always have the urge to serve people wholeheartedly ever since, and she believes that is her purpose in life. In fact, She’s very passionate to serve the people and help those in need. Lopez establishes and founded the hotline Bantay Bata 163, which was awarded for excellence by the United Nations. She suspended mining which is very rampant in the Philippines and it is slowly killing every mountain and natural habitat we have. There were 75 mining companies that Lopez cancelled; with that she organized Bantay Kalikasan that later on received the International Public Relations Award of Excellence for the Environment in 1997 and the Outstanding Manilans Award for the Environment in 2009. Months ago Lopez said she was ‘’having health challenges which I have found a blessing.’’ This came from a video posted on facebook. ABS-CBN Foundation releases an announcement for the passing of Gina Lopez in the age of 65 years old. She passed away, August 19, 2019 at exactly 4:15 in the morning. She succumbed to multiple organ failure at Makati Medical Center after battling brain cancer. Life can actually be quite beautiful, it all depends on how we take it and what we make of it. – Gina Lopez
“I was constantly looking for money to survive and take care of the children I was responsible for,” she said to Rogue.
When she came home to Manila after 20 long years of missionary work, Lopez dedicated her time to social causes and later on assumed their family’s flagship business as the head of the ABS-CBN Foundation.
One of her countless pioneering projects and programs she made in the industry of media she was immersed in was Bantay Bata 163 which was a big game-changer. Bantay Bata 163 or what she coined as a “gift of love to Filipino children.”
Gina Lopez was one woman we can truly call a jack-of-all-trade and at the very same time gives such certain power and weight to the word passion.
She advocates for the environment with a burning passion, spent half of her life in missionary and dedicated her time to social causes. Her leaves may have withered and wilted away yet her 65 years of existence has nothing but lighten the burden of humanity. She left this world with distinguishing footprints and traces that the world especially the Filipino citizenry will forever hold on to their hearts.
via | Marionette Schulze Abella and Arcel Macan
Kumagko 