Nation Celebrates the EDSA People Power Revolution

 

The spirit of EDSA lives on as the Filipino nation celebrates the 26th Anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution.

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III leads the nation in today's celebration. After the flag raising ceremony and the Salubungan, the monument of Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin will be unveiled at the Rizal Park. This year's theme is "Ano Ang Iyong Taya Para sa Pilipinas Natin."

The stamps, souvenir sheet and first day covers I featured here comprise the EDSA People Power Revolution set released by Philpost on August 1, 2011.  

A Treasure Find: Obsessed With Star Wars (Book)

Me and my sons Julian Kael and Jerald Kervin went to a mall last night for dinner at a famous fast food restaurant to celebrate Kervin's latest achievement as one of the top honor students in his class at the Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion Mandaue.

It is always our habit to make it a point to drop by at the various book shops in a mall to check out their books. After Kervin found what he liked, a book on "How to Draw The Best of Nickelodeon" from Walter Foster Publishing Inc. and me carting my favorite hobby magazine the "Model Railroader", I decided to search for more specifically Star Wars books to add to my SW collection. I wasted no time in buying some older issues such as the "Star Wars Episode 1: Watch Out, Jar Jar! from Random House", "Star Wars: The Story of Darth Vader" from DK Readers, "Star Wars Jedi Apprentice: The Mark of the Crown" and Star Wars: Last of the Jedi" both from Scholastic Inc.

As I pursued further among the shelves, what caught my fancy was this hardbound book "Obsessed with Star Wars" by Benjamin Harper from Chronicle Books. Immediately I fell in love with it and bought it to add to my Star Wars Collection. I only knew later that what I just bought was a treasure!

What's so special about this book is that it is a must have for all serious Star Wars collectors. I checked out the different reviews online and indeed, it got a perfect 5-star rating from everyone.

To quote Google books "..even the most die-hard Star Wars fans will find themselves challenged by this entertaining new approach to the details of the saga. This fourth volume in the popular, addictive Obsessed With series again includes an innovative scoring module right in the book, so a player can select questions by number or at random and keep score. With 2,500 original questions covering little known facts, entertaining quotes, and tough trivia from all six episodes, Obsessed With Star Wars will have readers dominating the galaxy in no time".

Cebu's First Saint.. San Pedro de Cebu

Cebu rejoices today, February 19, 2012 with the Vatican announcement that Blessed Pedro Calungsod will be officially canonized as a saint on October 21, 2012. He will be known as San Pedro de Cebu.

The story of Pedro Calungsod began sometime in 1654 or 1655. He was born somewhere in the Visayas and was christened Pedro Calungsod. Curiously, at least three towns lay claim as his birthplace – Ginatilan and Tuburan, Cebu and Loboc in Bohol.

When he was a thirteen year old catechist, he met Blessed Padre Diego Luis de San Vitores somewhere in Manila or Cavite in 1668. (Blessed Padre Diego was a martyr beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 6, 1985 as proto-martyr of the Marianas Islands). They became friends and he accompanied the priest in his missionary duties.

On the fateful morning of April 2, 1672 – a day before Passion Sunday, Pedro traveled with Blessed Padre Diego to the village of Tumhon in the island of Guam to recover a runaway servant and perform baptismal rites. “In hatred of the Faith,”, two natives maimed and killed them for being Christians who catechized the Chamorros and for administering the Sacrament of Baptism. Pedro could have fought back and saved themselves from their assailants had he been armed but he dutifully obeyed Padre Diego who prohibited that they be armed. He could have also fled for his life if he wanted to but he chose to stay and stand for his faith to die with Padre Diego. He was only seventeen or eighteen years old when he died a martyr.

Fellow missionaries remembered him as a good and valiant lad who served the Marianas Mission as a zealous, faithful and virtuous catechist and helper. They admired his perseverance in the Christian Faith and Apostolate despite the difficult and dangerous life in the Mission up to the day he was martyred.

He was a buen catolico – a good Catholic; a buen soldado de Cristo – a good soldier of Christ; a buen hijo – a good son; and a vertueux catechiste – a virtuous catechist. He was thus proclaimed a beatus – a saint for the Third Christian Millennium – who can serve as an inspiration to the youth of today, not only for the Philippines, Guam or Marianas Islands where he proclaimed and practiced his faith but also for the whole world.

Recognizing his martyrdom, His Holiness John Paul II beatified him at the St. Peter’s Square on March 5, 2000. That time, he was just a step away from sainthood that many Filipinos want to happen as soon as possible because his life served as a very good example on how to live according to established Christian virtues. Filipinos of today pray for his spirit to come alive to inspire young people to “fill out their lives with faith” and guide them in bearing witness to his faith as the Patron of the Filipino youth.

Now after years of waiting, he will soon be elevated as the first saint of Cebu and the second Filipino Saint next to San Lorenzo de Manila (Lorenzo Ruiz).

The images I included here are from my personal collection that included the stamps, souvenir sheet, official first day covers (the cachets are those shown here) and a signed souvenir program by Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu Ricardo Cardinal Vidal during the launching of the Pedro Calungsod stamp by the Archdiocese of Cebu and Philpost at Ayala Center Cebu on April 2, 2002. Cebu Stamp Club's John Paul II Celebration Exhibit that will again be shown soon in selected venues also includes these items.

Happy Hearts Day..

Wishing one and all who take time to read my blogs a very Happy Valentines Day..

The photo I included here are the stamp issues featuring Valentines Day released by the Philippine Postal Corporation on January 25, 2010 and January 14, 2011

Farewell Whitney Houston

"I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be.."

The lines above are part of the lyrics from Whitney Houston's song titled "The Greatest Love of All" which is one my favorites. 

To a great lady who has touched millions of people worldwide through her songs, I offer you my heartfelt prayers and admiration. May you rest in peace Whitney Houston.

Above photo features Whitney in a Good Morning America performance in 2009 at Central Park.

Puerto Princesa Underground River Is Among The New7Wonders of Nature

Filipinos have something to be proud again after the official announcement that the Philippine's Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) is among the World's New7Wonders of Nature. Earlier, the PPUR was also included as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

Bernard Weber, the president of the New7Wonders based in Zurich (Switzerland) made the announcement in a press conference last Saturday.

The PPUR and South Korea's Jeju Island have been validated and proclaimed while the Amazon (South America), Halong Bay (Vietnam), Iguazu Falls (Argentina), Komodo (Indonesia), and Table Mountain (South Africa) are still being tabulated and verified.

The quest for the New7Wonders of Nature began in 2007 with 220 countries sending in around 440 entries. Initially, the votes were for the top 77 and was narrowed down to the shortlist of the top 28 then to the provisional 7.

One person who played an important role for the success of this extraordinary endeavor is President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. His issuance of Presidential Proclamation No. 182 in 2011 that calls for a promotional campaign for the PPUR was a tremendous success. Filipinos heeded his call! One tv news I watched mentioned that there were more than 20 million Filipinos who voted for the inclusion of the PPUR.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River is the longest navigable underground river in the World and is located some 50km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It consists of a limestone karst mountain landscape, several large chambers containing significant formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and an 8.2 km. navigable underground river that winds through a cave before flowing directly into the West Philippine Sea. At the exit, a flawless lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge.

The photo above is borrowed from the New7Wonders of Nature website. Click here to see the site.

It's Cory's Birthday Today!

If former president Corazon "Cory" Aquino is alive today, she would have been celebrating her 79th birthday and it would have been a wonderful scene to see two presidents in the family celebrating a special occasion.

I wouldn't have remembered Cory's birthday today if I had missed for a minute the short video clip honoring her that was aired this morning in Kris TV, an ABS CBN morning show hosted by her daughter Kris Aquino.

The late president was born on January 25, 1933 and passed away on August 1, 2009. She became the first woman leader of the country after the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986 ousted President Ferdinand Marcos.

She is the wife of former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and the mother of the country's incumbent president, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

In 2009, I came up for Cebu Stamp Club the unique exhibit, A Tribute To Cory Aquino that honored this great lady using stamps and photos of her. I have long considered her as God's greatest gift to the Filipino nation.

The photo above features the September 18, 2009 se -tenant pair stamps, the cachet of the January 25, 2010 Cory Aquino 77th Birth Anniversary limited edition commemorative cover and the August 1, 2011 EDSA People Power Revolution souvenir sheet.

Happy Birthday Cory Aquino! My prayers are with you..