The night before, me and Jerald Kervin agreed to go to church at 9:45 AM for the Enlish Mass service. Although we woke up early, we run short for time. With this shortcoming, we decided to attend the 10:45 AM Cebuano service at our favorite Mabolo Church (St. Joseph Patriarch Parish).
Immediately after the Mass, we went to SM City Cebu to have lunch. At the mall, we passed by several restaurants overflowing with people. Knowing that there won't be any seat available for us, I was resigned to have lunch somewhere else. Jerald pleaded that we go upstairs at the upper level to try the Jollibee branch. Lucky for us, there was just one table available.
After the sumptuous lunch and knowing that it was still too early to head for home, we decided not to hunt for Easter eggs but to go on a book hunt. After more than an hour at different bookstores, I came across a book "The Complete Animation Course (The Principles, Practice, and Techniques of Successful Animation) by Chris Patmore. The 160-page book was so informative and in full color so I decided to buy it together with another book "The Camera Phonebook (How to Shoot Like a Pro)."
Jerald was so excited! As a kid filmmaker, he knows he will be learning a lot of techniques and ideas from this book. The previous months in his spare time, he animates his Lego toys through stop-motion video complete with a storyline and uploaded them in YouTube. He did this without anyone teaching him how to do it.
I see a successful filmmaker when he grows up and this present of a book is his first step in attaining his dream.
Today is a day for rejoicing and thanksgiving! Christ our Savior has triumphed over death by rising to prove that he is the Lord and the Son of God. He has redeemed our sins and made us whole again!
After hearing Mass at the Mabolo Church (St. Joseph Patriarch Parish), me and Jerald Kervin will spend the day at a nearby mall to celebrate this day of a new beginning and a new life.
The stamp I featured here was issued on March 21, 2011 by the Vatican Post to celebrate Easter 2011. With a € 0.75 denomination, the design highlights the central moment of the mission of salvation of our redeemer Jesus Christ. This design can be seen in a detail of a wall mural at the main entrance of the Sistine Chapel.
The fresco is probably one of the least known of the Sistine Chapel and is a work by Flemish painter Hendrick van den Broeck. This is a copy based from an original work by Ghirlandaio which was destroyed in 1522 after the door frame collapsed. The painting is one of the masterpieces of the 1400s together with the frescoed walls and great paintings of Michelangelo.
Happy Easter everyone!
It's Good Friday here in the Philippines and the temperature is really blazing literally speaking. The last time I checked, Cebu is 32° while Manila is 33°.
As all malls are closed in observance of Good Friday, I usually spend this season here at home with my son Jerald Kervin and just watch Walt Disney and Christian movies. It's one of our favorite time of the year to bond in prayer then to relax and enjoy each others company.
Since yesterday, we refrained from eating meat and had fish and veggies instead. Today, I had to make up for him and decided to cook pasta with tuna and mushroom. As a Christian country, we observe the traditional Lenten practice of fasting and abstinence.
This day is also the time for us to reflect on the goodness of God. How Christ died for our sins so we will have salvation. What more can I ask from a very loving Saviour. Thank God for Good Friday!
I included above a se-tenant strip of 5 from an African country featuring the Passion of Christ. How I wish that the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) will issue stamps with a similar theme. If non Christian countries can come out with these stamps why can't the Philippines? I would be one of the happiest Philippine stamp collectors when that day comes.
The Visita Iglesia or the Seven Churches Visitation is an old Catholic tradition observed by the faithful here in the Philippines. I introduced this tradition to my son Jerald Kervin last year when we went and prayed inside eight churches in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue.
This year, we decided to stick to seven and came out with a short list of churches. We prepared food and lots of water anticipating the eventuality in a hot day holy adventure.
The first church we went was the St. Joseph Patriarch Parish in Mabolo, Cebu City which is just a 5-minute ride from our house. This is where we hear Mass every Sunday so it is just fitting to be the first on our list. The church traces its origins in 1600 to a town named Talamban, now a part of Cebu City. There, a chapel was built in honor of San Jose (St. Joseph). In 1850 when Talamban (Mabolo) became an independent parish, a new wooden church on a masonry base was erected. An 1877 typhoon and an earthquake in 1882 badly damaged the church together with the convent built in 1866. The present day church combines Neo-gothic and classical elements. Its titular is St. Joseph and the feast is on the 2nd to the last Sunday of May.
We then proceeded to the Redemptorist Church located at Queen's Road, Cebu City. This church, founded in 1971 is dedicated to the Blessed Mother of Perpetual Help and is run by the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer more known as the Redemptorist Missionaries. Its titular is Our Mother of Perpetual Help and its feast day is celebrated every June 27.
The third church we went was the modern Sto. Rosario Parish along P. del Rosario St., Cebu City. This churchwas founded in 1933 and its titular is Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary with the feast day on October 1.
As it was already lunchtime, we decided to dine at a nearby restaurant. Here we had rice, fish and veggies. Cold sodas for a very hot day completed our meal. Our next stop was the Basilica del Sto. Niño located
at Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City. This is the first and oldest church in the country where the miraculous image of the Sto. Niño (Child Jesus) of Cebu is venerated. Originally known as San Agustin Church, Pope Paul VI elevated it to the rank of a basilica minore in honor of the Santo Niño de Cebu in 1965.
We then proceeded to the Metropolitan Cebu Cathedral located at P. Burgos St. Cebu City. The cathedral is just a block away from the Basilica and is the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Cebu. It was on August 14, 1595 when Cebu was established as a diocese. On April 28, 1934, it was elevated as a metropolitan Archdiocese. Its titular is the Holy Guardian Angels and the Immaculate Conception is its patron with the feast day every December 8.
This ended our Cebu City list. Our next destination are the churches in Mandaue City. San Roque Parish in Hernan Cortes St., Subangdaku Mandaue City was the 6th church we went. This church was founded in 1964 and is just a walking distance from where we live. My mom's wake was held here in 1986. Two of my three children were baptized in this church.
The National Shrine of St. Joseph just right across the Mandaue City Hall is our last pilgrimage. This church is said to have been constructed in 1601 by the Jesuits and houses the oldest statue of St. Joseph in the country. A reconstruction was undertaken in 1848 that included the removal of the four pillars supporting the cupola. The church was damaged by a 1922 earthquake and in 1945, a bomb destroyed its roof. In 1996, a full renovation of the church was initiated. The Señor de Cena, consisting of life-size sculptures of Jesus with his 12 apostles seated for "The Last Supper" is among the church's attraction.
After having completed all seven churches, we dropped by at a well-known fast food restaurant and ordered ice cream before hitting for home. Next year, its going to be another holy and solemn adventure as we visit the following churches - Carmelite Monastery, St. Therese Parish, Sacred Heart (Chinese) Parish, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Archdiocesan Shrine of San Nicolas Parish, Lourdes Parish and Remedios Parish.
After auditioning a few days earlier, I got an SMS message informing me that I got the role not as a dad but as a grandfather for a multivitamins tv commercial to be aired in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
7:30 AM of March 23, 2013 was the call time for me to be at the 2/F of Myra's Pensionne House. I arrived there fifteen minutes earlier where a white van picked me up and brought me to a house in Tisa, Labangon, Cebu City.
There I was met by Donna and Venice and the other people from 8thumbs, the production outfit in charge of the whole TVC. They were in the midst of taping the scene of Mafe, a friend during my Jaycees days. Ming, the make-up artist was instructed to make me look like a 60 year old grandfather. A washable white heena was applied to my hair until the desired effect was accomplished.
Still in my 40's, I am proud that only some streaks of white hair can be found unlike my classmates and contemporaries who have all dyed their hair to hide the whites. Maybe it's because I laugh a lot and never take life's problems too seriously. I always make it a point to take a positive outlook on everything.
While waiting for my turn, I was introduced to ma'am Dulce who plays the role of the grandmother. It was after lunchtime when our segment was taken. A good take it was and everyone loved it. At past 2, my sister Debbie along with hubby Mark and daughter Duchess together with my son Jerald Kervin arrived.
Immediately after their arrival, Duchess was asked to change clothes and be prepared for the next segment. She plays the role of my granddaughter.
There were still a lot of scenes that Gilbert G, the director has to make. Individual shots, a group scene with the multivitamins and a glass of water in our hands and a breakfast scene. In the past, I had the opportunity to work with direk Gilbert in a "Back to School" segment for MagTV Na Cebu together with Jerald Kervin and Blinky de Leon that was taped in our house.
At the end of the day, a wrap up was announced as congratulations and thank yous were exchanged. Although exhausted, the day's taping was another memorable experience for me.
Update: After its first airing on May 12, 2013 at 6:30 PM over ABS-CBN Cebu, I can now reveal that the multivitamins brand is called Multi B..
March 9, 2013, I got a Facebook message from a friend, Venice Morre Polancos asking me if I would be interested to audition for a local commercial promoting a new product. She asked me to bring along my sister Debbie and her daughter Duchess as well as my son Jerald Kervin.
Venice used to work with ABS-CBN Cebu and was the one tasked to contact me for a MagTV Na episode featuring my stamps and Star Wars collections some years back. This was after I was featured in the local newspapers Sun Star Cebu and Cebu Daily News.
The audition was at 2:00 PM of March 10, 2013 at the 2nd floor of Myra's Pensionne House. This was not the first time we went to this place. Last year, we accompanied Debbie as she auditioned and got the role of a teacher for a paracetamol commercial.
A few minutes before 2, the four of us proceeded to meet Donna, the marketing head of the firm handling the audition. It was another exciting experience for the four of us. I was asked to act out again my role as the Cebuano priest in the blockbuster television series Ina, Kapatid, Anak which is still being aired nationwide by ABS-CBN. Click here to watch the YouTube video I uploaded featuring the Ina, Kapatid, Anak Cebu Taping.
A few days later, I was informed that me and Duchess got the part for the commercial. The shoot will be on March 22 and 23.
A few days ago, I got an SMS message from a friend, Erwin dela Cerna that the administration of Fort San Pedro under his leadership would like to have an exhibit at the fort. This will be the first time that Cebu Stamp Club will be holding an exhibit in this historic venue.
Immediately thereafter, I started to compile hundreds of my Philippine stamps that I would be using for the presentation. I also came up with the exhibit title "Selyo Ug Kasaysayan sa Fort (Stamps and History @ the Fort)". The exhibit title happens to be bilingual featuring Cebuano and English owing to the fact that a lot of local and foreign tourists visit the fort everyday.
Fort San Pedro or Fuerza de San Pedro is a military defense structure built by both Spanish and Cebuano laborers under the command of Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the Spanish Government based in Cebu. It was on May 8, 1565 when the first work was started on the fort. From the time it was built, little was known pertaining to the activity. It was only in 1739 when the King of Spain, Philip II came out with an order asking for a detailed information of the island of Cebu. Governor Tanon, who was the island's Spanish ruler during that time came out with this report:
Fuerza San Pedro, the fort is described as built of stone mortar
with a terraplein where guns are mounted. The fort contains the
necessary buildings. The largest of these buildings was the "Cuerpo de
Guardia" where the personnel that manned the fort lived. Adjacent to it
was the "Vivende del Teniente" which was the living quarters of the
lieutenant of the Fort. In between the aforementioned buildings is a
well. At one corner attached to the walls of the bastion San Miguel (NE)
was the "Alamazaros del Rivera" (powder magazine where the fort's
supply or arms and gunpowder from Manila were stored).
"Selyo Ug Kasaysayan sa Fort (Stamps and History @ the Fort)" opens at the Cuerpo de Guardia, Fort San Pedro, Cebu City, Philippines on April 12 - June 12, 2013. This is a Cebu Stamp Club presentation from the collection of Richard Allan Uy.
Various stamps featuring Cebu and Philippine history as well as photos and other accents will be featured in the said exhibit.
Above is the official teaser poster of the exhibit. The second photo features me and Erwin dela Cerna posing at the Cuerpo de Guardia entrance.
