personal but honestly real. Open for comments, questions, suggestions on what you want to know, clarify or for me to dwell more deeply.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

More photos at Tita Bel's place

Here are some of the pictures taken during the gathering at Tita Bel's place last July 26.   Topmost  are Ate Coring's eldest, anna,  accompanied by El's only son CJ.







Tita Aning had to helped to her room by tiyo Rodrigo, Erick (Ermie' son who is nurse), Ate Coring.  Boss Didi (Mayet's hubby) looks on and ready to help, if needed.


















Sino raw ang paboritong  manugang ng Inay?  Sino daw???  
Obvious ba?
 


Tita receiving the Body and Blood of Christ.  Earlier,  she made a tearful confession.  she was very very happy and peaceful after the Eucharist.  Always smiling and has stopped complaining of pain.  That's the fruit of the Eucharist,  the greatest medicine!



     

The six ladies of Noel,  the second boy of Tita Aning!  Being half-Pangasinenses,  look at the "thumbs up" sign!


                                                                       


Ermie and "Pirit",  daughter of our Tiyo  Efren (Tatay's youngest brother).  "Pirit" is the god-daughter of Tita Aning by baptism.  Typical Dolor,  she is a-look-a-like of Camille and some other cousins on the Dolor side.




Ate Edu (of the Tatlonghari side of the Castillos) is very animated in her stories.  It was she who provides the comic relief to the occasion.  Her audience:  Cena (El's wife), one of Carmelo's boys,  and another niece whom I cannot recognize from that angle.






George,  Ermie's second boy,  joins Anna and CJ in this picture taken just before the Mass started.  Incidentally,  the singing in the Mass was so alive, even if I got a very hoarse voice during that night.  








The couple:  Mr. and Mrs. Rodrigo & Isabel Castillo




At Tita Bel's place






Last July 26, Saturday evening, we all gathered at Tita Bel's palatial place.  Tita Bel is Tita aning to most of us and Lola Bel to the young 'uns.  She is the youngest of Inay's 5 siblings.  And she is sickly -- her spinal column is damaged.  She could no longer go to church and she has been confined to that house with only her husband, Tiyo Rodrigo, taking care of her.  

Ate Coring was the one who thought and planned all this.  She convinced Tita Bel that we wanted to see her but she harbor all sorts of grudges -- all figments of imagination -- against us who really care for her.  

Ate Behing represented the Tatlonghari family, as Ate Bensing who was set to go got suddenly ill.  Arthur and Pinky were the other Castillo  (Pablo) family representatives. The Dolors were practically all present, except for Fr. Lou who was still tied up with his parish at that time, and El,  who was of course abroad.

Unfortunately,  none of Tita Aning's three boys were there.  Carmelo's wife and kids,  and Noel's wife and six girls were there.  

After her confession,  we had the Mass.  I spoke of how beautiful it was to see relatives gathered around the altar and celebrating life,  forgiving and understanding each other as the Lord Jesus commands.  Of course,  we partook of the the banquet that Ate Coring supervised to prepare. 


Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Things that kept me busy these days!

My last post was about two months ago.  That's because . . .  the Archbishop kept me busy attending meetings for the putting up of the Bishops-Businessmen Conference-Lipa Chapter.  We had a series of meetings with lay people who have heart for helping the poor, without any vested interest.  I was included in the ad-hoc committee that drew up the Constitution and By-Laws.  Last June 3,  the BBC-Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lipa Chapter was finally admitted by the BBC-National.

Then last July 4th,  I was again with the Bishop attending the General Assembly and Annual Meeting of BBC at Asian Institute of Management.  Our Executive Director, Mr. Willie Bleza,  and I,  were asked by the BBC National Co-chair, HOn. Vicente Paterno, to be there to attend the facilitators meeting.  We were there the night before and we were billeted at the AIM Center.  The following morning,  we attended the General Assembly.  There were archbishops and bishops in attendance and of course, prominent business and sectoral leaders.  Archbishop Arguelles chaired the South Luzon workshop which we facilitated.  It turned out that I was on-the-spot-unofficial photographer of this event.

Before that,  June 26-27, saw me attend the anti-corruption workshop --- again at the instance of the Archbishop.  Ms. Emy Castillo and Rev. Bubot Hernandez, newly designated assistant director of Lipa Archdiocesan Social Action Center, joined the Archbishop at the Communications Foundation for Asia.  There I met up with old friends from media and the academe, and made new ones, e.g. Atty. Simeon Marcelo,  the former Ombusman,  Mrs. Heidi Mendoza,  a former COA auditor that made headlines as she was the one who audited Gen. Garcia,  General Samuel Tucay of the PNP Training Academy,  Pampanga Governor Eddie Panlilio (who remember me as we have previously met at the UST Central seminary Homecoming,  when I was ALPA president).  Again,  this in view of our BBC in the Archdiocese as Good Governance is one of our concerns.

Have just finished our Catholic Media Network General Assembly at the National Office of Mass Media.  Fr. Jim Reuter was so happy to see his old protege.  In fact,  he asked me to take the minutes of the meeting during the last day -- something he rarely does,  and he does it only with me (that's what his staff also affirmed, saying that Fr. Jim knows I have mastered his style of minute taking).  Fr. Ilde Dimaano was with me and that July 10 was his birthday.  I treated him to dinner at Rockwell.  Joining us were Ogie Fabie and DJ Raynuts and my driver Jun.  I was briefed by Fr. Ilde and Ogie regarding the development in our project -- a new FM radio and we were already in the process of putting up the Tower at Sto. Domingo, Batangas City (a high place in the mountains,  which I have visited already).

Yesterday, July 15,  I was at UST to attend to the Alumni Board meeting.  The meeting was so longgggg!

That's it, folks!  And I still have to attend to the daily nitty-gritty of Pater Putativus Publishing House.  Oh yeah,  I have started to meet the homeowners officers at Villa San Jose for our community building.  

These are all God's work not mine!  I am only his instrument,  truly unworthy servant who is trying hard to come up to the Master's expectation!  This alone keeps me on my feet,  alive and kicking!

If the Lord does not build the house . . . .

  

   

About Me

a priest who's passion is social communications (broadcast, press et al), youth formation. Adaptable and tolerant. Want to please everybody; work-addicted and adventurous; easy to please and eager to learn.