Pinay Heroes on Everest

Philippine Flag has been raised again at the top of Mt. Everest for the second time. The first is when three Filipino mountainers (Leo Oracion, Pastour Emata and Romi Garduce) successfully reached the summit last year during the 1st Philippine Mt. Everest Expediton and now, three Filipinas made their historic feat as the first ASEAN women to reach the highest mountain on Earth.

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Pahiyas: Feast of San Isidro Labrador

May is a month of fiesta in the Philippines and mostly devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Countless Flores de Mayo are being held in various barrios throughout the country where flowers are being offered by children and Santacruzan are for young ladies who vie for the Reyna Elena status.

But the month of May is also about celebrating the feast of their patron saints. To all of us, May 15 is just an ordinary summer fiesta but to many religious believers, its more than a celebration for it comemmorates the feast of San Isidro Labrador, the saint of the farmers.

Today, He is considered as the number one choice as Patron Saint of Churches in the Philippines not because of any religious congregation established in his honor but he was chosen based on the number of terms the churches honoring him as patron saint.

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My Wife's Day

I was at home reading a Sunday paper and I throw a glance at my wife with my2 year old kid watching the photos during our last year's vacation in baguio. My son was so happy enumerating names of those what he sees on the photo slides on the computer monitor. He giggles and he was very smart calling his mother's attention to turn the photos in portrait mode. He already able to identify what is correct in his vision.

As i watch them, there's a spot in my heart that says, "You must be fortunate to have a family like that." I can also tell that that my son was contented, enjoying his life as a kid and was raised with the loving hands of his parents. Two years had passed and I can't really imagine that my son is growing fast and smart. He can already recite his ABCs and other nursery rhymes that his mom had taught every night. He can already mimic some TV commercials and dance some of its tunes.

I seldom recognized my wife's effort for all these years and I want to commend her for being so patient with me and being understanding. Aside from that, I want to be thankful for her nurturing love to our beloved son, for her caring and affection, guidance and for teaching him to be smart.

I turned the pages and I see a half-page ad. Its Mother's Day and I almost forgot. The election fever is making its headlines and I almost missed the importance of this day. I have kissed my wife and whisper ...."That's a kiss for being the best mom for Chad" Let us all greet all mother's with a KISS! Happy Mother's Day!

Photos Led to Boracay's Discovery

We are surprised by its awesome beauty. We enjoyed the powder-like white sands and breathtaking sunset. But do you have any idea how this beautiful island called Boracay was discovered?

It was my second time in Boracay and I was not here for any ordinary outing experience. I was here in search of Boracay's history, art and culture. But the truth of the matter is, this island does not have much of a history and it's quite challenging to find out its past.

I began my work early morning strolling down the 4- kilometer stretch of the beach shore, even if I was a bit tired from the party the night before with my officemates. I went to the southern part and found myself in the unexplored haven of Brgy. Manoc-manoc. Though the place has a few sprouts of establishments already, it is not overcrowded. The sand is also refined but not as first-class white that you can found in Stations I and II. The harbor is quite a scenery and
fresh air can be felt for it has a bountiful of forest reserves which are still unspoiled.

I had the privilege to talk with a certain Manong Ruben while he was busy unrooting wild grasses around his mango tree. He told me that there's a lot of stories about Boracay but he only gave me a few. He said that there were early settlers who inhabited the island and fishing was their primary source of income.

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Uncovering the Beauty of Miag-ao

I really don't know much about Miag-ao but I often heard it from my colleagues about its historical importance. So, when the opportunity came, I took the time to make the most out of the place.

I have been to Iloilo City when I was in college but I had never been to Miag-ao. I just came here now to visit our branch office. I added as part of my itinerary the Spanish-old church of Miag-ao. Though some of my officemates decided to cancel our Miag-ao trip because of the intense heat this summer, I pushed with my plan and went along with my 6 other officemates.

We travelled about 40 kms south-west of Iloilo City by a hired jeepney and we reached this famous religious gem of the south about 45 minutes. The Santo Tomas de Villanueva church which was listed in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the oldest baroque churches in the country built more than 200 years ago.

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