taken from the water

SUGA: Making a Difference!

2009-10-09T00:29:00.002-06:00

"I would be nothing without knowing what God really wants for me. . .," IRESSE PATRICIA O. BULOS tearfully declared, in the Silliman University Goodwill Ambassador (SUGA) Search final challenge on September 25 in Café Antonio: a sermonette on the theme “Thy Will Be Done” -- one of the winning moments of this humble young talent who, along with the other Aspiring Ambassadors (AA) and their production team, (pressured with little preparation time, faith stories uncovered, ability to present a quality stage production) discovered with touches of elegance over a week-long run. All these made the event that capped the Youth Week celebration of Silliman Church a decision that is (or will prove to be) equally formative and, it being an avenue of working faith testimonies, far more determined, unyielding.

SUGA: Silliman University Goodwill Ambassador, a talent search inspired by popular reality TV programs, was an achievement of brave young workers led by Parish News Editor Gus Ganir, the Christian Youth Fellowship president Daniel Kho and Campus Ambassadors chairman Marky Cielo with the full-of-talent-energy hosting by Anna Espino and Carlo Regalado . Its entire expanse had been mostly an achievement of willingness to make a difference -- not for the self but in celebration of God-given talents. Although set within the spirit of a friendly competition, every solo presentation of an AA espoused the most passionate faith testimony of the youth; an ideal seriousness which, in a rare moment, was found in a generation usually lost in trivial peer-pressured frolic. Iresse, the winner, expressed that so far in all her life as a young achiever, her being SUGA was the most meaningful - simply splendid with subtle building-up of joy within a Christian youth fellowship composed of: Boyd Milan, the classical guitarist; Matthew Torres, the hip-hop dancer using praise songs; Fredilyn Fabillar, the Christian pop singer; Anton Sanchez, the Christian rock band lead singer; Raiza Majam, the inspirational motivator; Retz Pol Pacalioga, the composer and Olive Rubillos, the praise and worship leader. The SUGA experience im all its simplicity became the most authentic and complete of all of Iresse’s involvements, beside her other wins in other school contests which were not as fulfilling, she said.

Among the reasons for its mounting, the SUGA was committed to defining real youth challenges amidst inherent tendencies to just go-with-the-flow and that result in any work concerning the youth a mediocre undertaking without discernment of the beauty of God-given gift of creativity. It proves that Church youth work today requires a strong plan involving excellence in visual communication, a service that answers to the short-attention span of young people. Creative path is the nerve of today’s youth work, so that the young mind dwells within a meaningful journey which, to the majority of the chosen circle of friends, could still be regarded as “too churchy” and finds it absolutely boring compared to the challenge in a computer game or to the appeal of television primetime. While our Church youth are obliged to package themselves according to the concrete pleasant pressure of their contemporaries, youth ministry as a whole has to have an encompassing avenue to cover even the most unknown addressee. It should send vivid signals beyond boundaries and take courage that stems from the omnipotence of GOD, the Great-Giver-of-All-Talents.

Hari ng Negros 2009: “Arise the Phoenix”

2009-07-02T05:59:00.005-06:00

The Hari ng Negros pageant is considered to be the most popular male pageant in the country. The annual parade of princes is part of the celebration of the charter anniversary of the island of Negros’ city-in-the-sky: CANLAON.

It was on May 16 when I was invited to be in Canlaon City to conduct personality enhancement, speech improvement and handling Q & A workshops for the candidates of the 2009 Hari ng Negros pageant. The session gave me the opportunity to experience the daytime presence of the princes from the different towns and cities of the island of Negros. They were in their casual and comfortable weekend fashion and no one was wearing make-up. The workshop taught them how to achieve a strong manly presence while on a ramp walk, a review on the non-verbal and verbal considerations when in a panel interview and finally, a long session on common beauty pageant questions.

The session was an opportunity to make my own secret judging of the possible winners. My top 10 after the exposure were: the prince with the classic look and sizzling shirtless flaunting Prince of Talisay FERDINAND SAN FELIX, the prince with the over-all star presence Prince of Pamplona RAMI GALLEGO, the prince with the-perfect-gentleman bearing Prince of San Carlos RHAMRIC SIMPRON, the prince with the top model allure Prince of Bacolod CHARLES ANITO, the prince with the exotic appeal and perfectly-chiseled body Prince of Tayasan PHILIP MANUBAG, the prince with the sweetest smile Prince of Canlaon ALJUNREY TAUBAN, the prince with the rugged, muscular and raw magnetism Prince of La Libertad MARK GARGOLES, the prince confident of his boy-next-door appeal Prince of Dumaguete JAY-AR GANDOLA, the prince with the Oriental pretty boy charisma Prince of Bais CONAN AYUDA and the prince with endearing innocent aura Prince of Bindoy MELRICK CALIJAN. Others whom I forecasted to make a surprise cut were: the prince with the subtle handsome charm Prince of Calatrava VINCENT CALAPTI, the prince with the fighting spirit and face value to bank on Prince of Amlan LORD CHESTER TAN, the prince with the serious-business-in-a-contest zeal and the one with the most expressive eyes Prince of Vallehermoso JESSE CENIZA.

The final pageant night on May 27 in Canlaon City had my favorite Prince of Tayasan walking like a hip-hop kid in the Barong Tagalog portion and for this, he failed to make it to the Top 10 cut. Prince of Bacolod was in trouble with the new braces he had after a dental cosmetology, he was without the expected winsome smile. He also did not make it. The remaining semi-finalists were the princes from Talisay, La Libertad, San Carlos, Canlaon, Calatrava, Dumaguete, Pamplona, Bais, Bindoy and Vallehermoso. With almost all of my bets making it to this level in the competition, I did so well in my facebook forecast.

Body-painting champ Prince of Vallehermoso gave the best answer in the semi-final round but his facial make-up made him look arrogant and a bit less masculine. Mister Photogenic awardee Prince of Pamplona missed the second point in his answer to a question on the two roles of a Hari ng Negros. Prince of Calatrava also failed to share a complete thought. The screams of the young ladies in the audience did not save their favorite Prince of Bais when he failed to expound on his answer. And hometown favorite and the one with the best smile Prince of Canlaon also failed to give a confident answer.

The Final 5 round had The Prince of La Libertad in the lead with outstanding over-all performance especially in the swimwear portion, Prince of Talisay who harvested a good number of special awards with his high energy street-dance glory as the clincher, Prince of San Carlos who gave an impressive answer on the question about Philippine tourism, Prince of Dumaguete whose aura of confidence was beaming all-night long, and the one with the humble presence Prince of Bindoy who started to impress the judges when the Guest of Honor Miss Earth 2008 Karla Paula G. Henry asked him, "What is the common weakness among men?” The Prince of Bindoy, a sophomore Accountancy student from Silliman University, answered "it's pride that leads men to a common weakness: not being able to handle rejection specially when they try their very best to get a girl's approval and only to be rejected....”

In the Top 5 round, Prince of Talisay struggled to answer the question from Prince of Bindoy, “If you will be become a rock, how hard would you want yourself to be?” After a long dead air, Prince of Talisay managed to express, “I want a diamond.” With this delay in answer, the crowd’s favorite to win the crown failed to be among the Top 3 princes. Prince of Dumaguete also failed when asked by Prince of San Carlos to describe Canlaon to a blind person, he sounded like a politician talking about Canlaon being a paradise, a land of progress and a place of friendly people.

In the Top 3 were Best in Swimwear and Best Ramp Model awardee Prince of La Libertad MARK GARGOLES, the youngest and the tallest bet Prince of Bindoy MELRICK CALIJAN and the Best Personality for Commercial modeling awardee Prince of San Carlos RHAMRIC SIMPRON. Both Mark and Rhamric considered knowing God as the point of rebirth in their own life stories when asked to reflect on the pageant’s theme “Arise the Phoenix.” Melrick pointed-out a simple Phoenix-like experience in his life and that was being on stage as a Hari ng Negros aspirant. He explained, “This is a totally new experience for me and being here feels like being reborn to a new challenge.” With all three tackling well the final question, the pageant ended with a triple-tie in the final tally of points. The Chairman of the Board of Judges, acclaimed film director Mario J. de los Reyes, had to break the tie and the youngest phoenix was chosen. With his humble presence and gift of innocence, Melrick Calijan arose to be king so unexpectedly.

pride and joy: Lalimar Resort of La Libertad

2009-05-19T18:53:00.002-06:00

Many are talking about a mango orchard that has been transformed into a tourist destination.

Truly worthy of the threee-hour drive from Dumaguete is Lalimar Resort in the town of La Libertad!

Going there today, however, will temporarily give you an unpleasant interruption of the current election showcase: road construction all over the country. But the long drive will certainly be rewarded by this seaside gem.

The new resort is a work of art facing Tañon Strait. Cebu island serves as its sculptural line at the other end of the expanse of the familiar blue calm. All elements of the landscape architecture are made to blend with the existing dominant texture: the graceful waves of the ocean.

There is elegance in the strength of every shelter. The evident energy of the restless creative mind gives new ideas in the use of indigenous materials. A survey of the details is a refreshing experience.

The infinity edge pool as centerpiece defines tranquility. Its endless blue reflection is the coolness we badly need in this very humid season.

On special events, the music of the children rondalla will be part of the welcome.

Another source of joy are the products of the Lali women: native bags, baskets, hats, mats and a lot more. A digicam will certainly be busy capturing the endless display of colors.

The mango trees with yellow blooms are beginning to dance in the seabreeze with clusters of little fruits. A bit of Guimaras grandeur in Negros!

This new inspiration is part of the spirit of progress made possible by the generous heart of Congresswoman Josy Limkaichong.

Lalimar can only be our pride and joy. Not just because of its world-class impact. We take pride in Lalimar for it is the kind of progress that should be cascaded everywhere – a touch of high quality in its totality.

This local government project is an inspiration, for it speaks of the many possibilities when a public servant decides to be sincere and honest.

The Best Season in American Idol

2009-05-12T04:41:00.004-06:00

American Idol, the no. 1 TV show, is now on its 8th season. I have been an avid follower of this very influential reality TV. I have to agree with Simon Cowell when he said that the current batch is the best in the show’s history. Another judge Randy Jackson of the Jackson 5, also expressed that this batch is the best, with all in the Top 5 “who can really sing.” New judge Kara DioGuardi, a prolific songwriter, has pointed-out that she is looking for the artist in a singer and she was awed by the discovery that all five have the artistic ability in building his/her own character.
A Filipino-American singer, Jasmine Trias, got the third place on the third season, overshadowing Jennifer Hudson with the popularity voting scheme that had Hawaii and other Filipino communities united behind the sweet Pinay. But Hudson, who was ranked 7th, turned out to be the biggest star with a talent that gave her an Oscar win and a Grammy for an R&B album. On this 8th season, Indian singer Anoop Desai have his own community support but a wiser America agreed with DioGuardi, and voted for the ones with strong artistic potentials.`
I had a Top 5 forecast with consideration to “popularity base”. I included the inspiring blind singer Scott MacIntyre as I was banking on the sympathy vote but he did not make it with his lack of originality. My heart’s final 5 did make it: Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen and Matthew Giraud.
Matt Giraud may have a University degree in Music and gave the true spirit of a musician with every creative interpretation but he missed to give America a charming presence. He had this constantly-disturbed expression – making him look sad at some points. He failed to give the welcoming identity of an entertainer. I guessed it right when he had to be the first to go home in Top 5 elimination. The judges loved his own version of Stevie Wonder’s “Part Time Lover” and the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” but his being a dedicated musician did not save him. Passion was not in the common ground between him and the audience.
With the final four in a rock ‘n roll theme, there was a sure winner for he is naturally born with a rock star musicality: Adam Lambert. His version of English rock band Led Zeppelin’s "Whole Lotta Love " got the longest standing ovation and the nods of the judges with Paula Abdul screaming, “perfect! perfect!” But will America love the metrosexual fashion icon in Adam? Or will fans of mainstream rock will consider his tendency to be theatrical on stage? Can all of America take an Elvis-like handsome presence - always manicured? He was in the bottom 3 twice and these results were after he received excellent comments from the judges. Adam, an experienced stage performer, is my choice but am not sure if America will agree when the current star trend is the raw and all-natural Miley Cyrus and Jason Mraz.
Ladies’ choice is definitely Kris Allen with a flood of “Kiss me Kris” placards in the audience. His humble presence is in sharp contrast to Adam’s star packaging. He is charming and very handsome even with just a T-shirt on. His voice is that of a cool pop star and every performance looks effortless with his sunshine smile. Girls were screaming when he performed “The Way You Look Tonight” and they danced with him in “She Works Hard for the Money.” But the judges specially Simon made it known that he doesn’t have what it takes to be in the Top 3 after a too mild version of the Beatles’ “Come Together.” They were wrong for America’s heart was for pretty boy Kris who is now considered a dark horse in Top 3.
The general public will go for the wholesome Danny Gokey even if the judges considered his singing of Aerosmith’s "Dream On” as “out of his element.” Indeed it was a desperation-soaked rock ‘n roll. But America will remember his heartwarming versions of Diana Ross and Lionel Richie’s “Endless Love” and Ben E. King “Stand By Me”, Mariah Carey’s "Hero,” and Carrie Underwood’s "Jesus, Take the Wheel.” His presence is that of a gentleman with the mature Harry Potter coolness and having the hairstyle of last year’s winner David Cook gave him that idol stature on stage. This Church music teacher is predicted to get one of the final two slots.

If only voters were all from the High School Musical generation, 17-year-old Allison Iraheta - the youngest remaining contestant and the only female left in the race - would have been given a Top 3 slot. They have loved her spunky personality, and she stood-out with Adam in the rock ‘n roll theme. But she was voted-off in the final 4 performance. The Salvadoran beauty will still become a recording star for she is an awesome rock princess. Her version of “Total Eclipse Of The Hear” was enduring.

Chris Daughtry who also came in fourth place on the 2006 season turned out to be a huge rock star who was named one of Nielsen’s top ten selling artists of 2007.

Allison can definitely be Daughtry but with her versatility, there is a promise of a more bankable career for this new teen idol.

More than 47 million votes led Adam, Danny, Allison and Kris to Top 4. And 64 million votes led to the Top 3 battle next week and a greater audience share is expected. Be part of the best season! Take an American Idol moment and be serenaded by the remaining three princes: KRIS, ADAM & DANNY. Take the Simon power and declare your own new king of songs!

5 Moments with Mom Edith

2009-05-07T09:10:00.002-06:00

I was there…

…one summer afternoon when I went up to the Montemar home of NATIONAL ARTIST EDITH LOPEZ TIEMPO to accompany an editor of Good Housekeeping magazine and a noted photographer who were scheduled to do an interview and photo session. It was their first time to meet the National Artist and they were starstruck. The editor, who was ready with a notebook of questions failed to make a good start. I had to do the initial interview. The photographer was like a trigger-happy soldier, taking shots non-stop. It was my first time to witness a presence up-close that really overwhelmed her audience. The two visitors loved every moment of it, and they never stopped talking about how welcoming Mom Edith was, or how happy they were to capture her effortless regal bearing and how they were entertained by her way of sharing stories from a life loaded with romantic angles, the sepia of local scenes, and the wisdom of the pen.

…somewhere in the 1980’s when a student talked about the walk-out of one his panelists during a defense of his dissertation on Creative Writing. He criticized the need for cultural honesty with the writer’s use of local color. He cited a work of Dr. Edilberto K. Tiempo whom the student acknowledged as a major influence in his writing. The walk-out queen was the Dean of the Graduate School then, our beloved Dr. Edith Lopez Tiempo. She defended the work of the mentor as it was within the freedom of artistic expression. I loved the display of anger – I understood that it was not for the connection but of her pure passion. It was from a nurturing heart of an artist protecting the work of a fellow artist. Mom Edith is always a “mother hen” to any artist disturbed by confusion, and in this case, a criticism in full public view that had forgotten the element of respect.

… one morning in Montemar, she ushered me to sit down and ask, “Moses, would you care to listen to this… a poem, I wrote last night.” Being the first listener to The Writer’s Parentheses was a privilege I would forever cherish. When we mounted the event fir the renaming of the university library to Robert and Metta Silliman Library, in honor of the mentors that paved the way for her and her husband King to be Iowa scholars - I asked her to have the first public reading of “The Writer’s Parentheses” but the engagement was too early for her. So son Danny did it for Mom. and he successfully enlightened everyone of the Sillimans’ generosity to his parents, and the poem that was read became a testimony of the enduring legacy.

… a Christmas Eve at Silliman Church which had Dr. Edith Tiempo’s reading of a poem as the main expression of praise. The uniqueness of the moment made the worship elegant. The National Artist in a red dress was portrait of “the beauty of Jesus” seen through her glee while at the pulpit. She captured the true spirit of the season with Christmas Light, Christmas Dark.

…this birth is a time, yes, for festivity,
But even more, a time for humility,
A time for laying by
The feverish praise and loud celebration,
A time for quiet introspection.
A time to grasp in the darkness of our being
The wonder of this birth and the balm of its meaning.

This fact is even true in the fiesta month of May where “loud celebration” can bring people away from the “…time for quiet introspection.”

… when the Quizo Family Quintet serenaded the National Artist Edith Lopez Tiempo on her 90th birthday. The afternoon harana as suggested by the Silliman University president Dr. Ben S. Malayang was a surprise for her but I was more surprised at the energy she had that day listening and dancing with the music of James, Meriam, Jon, Onna and Yeshua. She stood-up to join them dancing and singing, “Rock-a My Soul... in the bosom of Abraham..." When she heard them with the prayer song “Lead Me Lord.” She expressed, “…there is only one word to describe their singing: terrific!” The fun went on, and I was amazed at the warmth exchanges of Mom Edith and the beloved children, the who’s who in the Philippine literary world: SUSAN LARA, MARGE EVASCO, DM REYES, MYRNA PEÑA-REYES, JIM ABAD, KRIP YUSON, ANTHONY TAN, SAWI AQUINO, ERNIE YEE, IAN CASOCOT.... Her majesty at 90 was a big story to share – truly an enduring moment with love overflowing!

TAKE 5

2009-04-15T01:22:00.004-06:00

My favorite number 5 led me to my favorite color. It was a billiard game that had 5 as the luckiest ball and its orange color was like a rolling sunshine. From then on, …T-shirt, slippers, toothbrush, a keyholder… everything orange invaded my room.

And SUMMER is the time to have them out with me as I go on island hop.

Here is more of my Take 5…

5 on-my-backpack Holy Week journey:

· Get to where Magellan had the first mass in Magallanes, Agusan del Norte to the Easter Sunday celebration in Cebu.

· Visit the oldest churches in the Visayas and the nearby beaches: Boljoon in Cebu, Baclayon in Bohol, Bacong in Negros, Lazi in Siquijor and Miag-ao in Iloilo.

· Away from the un-Holy Boracay is the country’s Holy Week Island: Guimaras

· Discover the tranquility islands near Sugar Beach in Sipalay

and back to the magic of Siquijor!

5 best listeners for PEACE-OF-MIND sessions :

· Keiko Shimada of L’Arche Punla, situated some 3000 km further South in the city of Cainta, Philippines (118 Camia Street, Bayanihan Village) was founded in 1988. This Japanese heroine, a nurse, will lead to a sense of purpose: becoming a volunteer to take care of the special children abandoned in Philippine hospitals

· Marvin Flores, Class of 2009 Valedictorian of Silliman University. The summa cum laude in Physics will inspire you with his success out of poverty.

· Gentle and kind Sanda Fuentes of Orientwind will inspire you to go an adventure underwater or over mountains or on a lake.

· Fashionista spirit with budget care! This is what you will discover when you go on “ukay-ukay” shopping with Rona Valente of Veronica’s Closet.

· Beyond the academia, Dr. Marge Udarbe Alvarez of Silliman University is available for sessions with those having troubled minds.

5 places to have the best Lenten season diet:

· Sonya’s Garden in Tagaytay

· Green Haven in Cagayan de Oro

· Eden in Davao

· Mountain View in Bukidnon

· And if you can only afford a pedicab ride from home, try the vegetable kebab of Boston Café in Dumaguete – an echo of Palawan

5 secrets to uncover:

· The stories of the last of the Pastor sisters in Dumaguete’s Casa Blanca

· The angel-witch power orientation by Kitty Taniguchi of Mariyah Gallery

· The history behind every part of the house of Karl Aguila in Andulay overlooking Tambobo Bay

· The old house without stairways somewhere up-there in Siquijor

· And a bit of the “Taj Mahal” parallelism in the story of Sariland in Valencia

5 moments of nostalgia within Oriental Negros:

· Experience the sunset in Basay

· Go inside Silliman Church and you will have the drama of colors in gemlike glory when the sun is right behind the Resurrection stained-glass window.

· It’s simply spiritual when on a blue boat around the Twin Lakes

· With a friend at Café Binfico at Silliman Hall

· And a wish of truth at the mountain slope of Canlaon after chasing all the five waterfalls…

Or simply take 5 minutes every morning of your life and define it with the way of your heart.

Their Eyes have it....

2009-04-03T04:18:00.007-06:00

“After 30 years of training, I am increasingly convinced that hiring

is more important than training”
Stephen R. Covey, Author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Talent managers are like fairy godmothers, they will do magic for their wards to shine in every limelight dance. I love watching them as they quietly work behind the stars.

In October, three giant sensations of Philippine entertainment were in Dumaguete for a film shoot. Film Director Seymour Sanchez has chosen Dumaguete, the hometown of his father, as location for “Handumanan” – a story of an accidental rendezvous of its three characters. Playing the role of Soledad, a writer from Dumaguete who takes a journey home is the multi-awarded actress and Time Asian heroine Chin-chin Gutierrez. The 2008 Urian Best Actor Jason Abalos is Efren, a government auditor assigned in Dumaguete and the 2008 Cosmopolitan Magazine’s “man of the year:” Akihiro Sato is Peru, the top model who had a location shoot in Pura Vida and Antulang. All three were busy building their characters and getting inspired by the natural wonders of Oriental Negros. I had the opportunity as production manager, to have many moments of up-close interactions with the actors, but having them as subjects for this article will not give new dimensions to what is already publicly known about them. I decided to put the spotlight on the “magicians” behind them, their talent managers: JONAS ANTONIO GAFFUD for Akihiro Sato, ANJIE BLARDONY-URETA for Chin-chin Gutierrez and DANILYN NUNGA for Jason Abalos.

The Brazilian-Italian-Japanese male icon Akihiro Sato is under the management of Mercator’s Jonas Gaffud. The name of Jonas’ model management agency came from a word he had seen from an old map while taking up Geography at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. Mercator is the word for merchant, he explained. He said it’s a perfect name as selling an image today requires consideration of the global projections. What’s a social scientist doing in the world of model management? Jonas sensed his eye for discovering beauty during his college days. At UP, he met this campus beauty named Zorayda Andam. He told her she was beautiful and encouraged her to join Bb. Pilipinas beauty pageant. He successfully convinced the brilliant Business Economics student to be in the pageant. Jonas gathered all the resources to help his bet win and this included meetings with the UP circle of Binibining Pilipinas beauty scouts led by the country’s walking beauty pageant almanac Wendell Capili and film director Jeffrey Jeturian. Zorayda was crowned Bb. Pilipinas – Universe in 2001 and became Miss Tourism Asia. Jonas got so inspired by the thrill of discovering his first beauty queen. He became unstoppable – he has given our country our bets to the Miss Universe pageant from 2005 to 2008. His new found love meant “goodbye” to geography which had courses like anthropology, volcanology and other studies covering the contours and features of the earth. Now, he is still looking at contours – actually the possibilities of the required features within the physical make-up of a would-be talent. He worked full time in a talent agency and after two years, decided to establish Mercator. Mercator is the agency behind today’s top male models like Rocky Salumbides, Victor Basa, Bruce Quebral and Akihiro Sato, to name a few. A good number of the Binibining Pilipinas beauties are also under Jonas’ Mercator. (.http://www.mercatormodels.com/home.html).

"Television plays a very important role in shaping our consciousness. For instance, even if we were far away from where the 9-11 tragedy took place, we were still affected by it because we saw what happened on television. The feeling would be different if we just read about it in the newspapers. The same with the EDSA Revolution, we felt the drama because we saw how it unfolded on screen," explained the former Executive Producer Anjie Blardony-Ureta of ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs. It is for this previous job as a network producer of a news program that Anjie is easily recognized by those in the mainstream of the entertainment industry. When she became the talent manager of Chin-chin, their tandem would easily get the respect from those in the business.

The track records of both the manager and her talent are very strong, they mean serious business and they command professionalism in all aspects of the production. Anjie’s mere presence would add credibility to a program. She won’t hesitate to express a comment on something that should be corrected. Her professional life started as an educator in a basic education institution and this background gave her the strength in all aspects of management. It’s a moment of good education when one is with Anjie. She is inviting everyone to become part of their environmental advocacy through the One Planet, One Cradle Production Garden (ilog_uyayi@yahoo.com). The program is greatly inspired by Chinchin’s selection as one of the 2003 Asian Heroes for her dedication to the environmental preservation programs in our country. Chin-chin’s Uyayi (Lullaby) concert is aimed at promoting awareness to the need to save mother earth. Anjie is part of all these not just as a talent manager but because “It is not a choice to make, I have to be an environmentalist and everyone should because it a commitment to make as citizens of this planet.”

Danilyn Nunga wanted to become the next Korina Sanchez. This inspiration was the primary reason why she took up Mass Communication in college. But as she was facing the real world after obtaining the degree, she realized that the arena for broadcast journalists is too loaded with wannabes. In fact, when she applied as a reporter at ABS-CBN, she was told that they would need her at the network’s talent center. Left with no choice, she accepted the job. Her career literally blossomed in ABS-CBN as talent handler of Star Magic, then called Talent Center. She tried other jobs like being a store a manager but she wasn’t as happy as playing the “big sister” for the talents assigned to her. Her job with Jason is made easy for the actor is “very mabait talaga” and she added, “very professional and is really committed to his job.” Days of rejoicing are days of achievements of her “alaga.” “I was the happiest when we received the call that Jason was nominated for Urian.” She was literally jumping when Jason was proclaimed as the Urian Best Actor for “Endo,” the opening film during Dumaguete’s Cinemalaya. A hard day would be with an assignment that’s all face value with no talent to bank on. Danilyn’s dedication to her job was evident during the entire location shoot for Handumanan. We invited her several times to a tour around Metro Dumaguete while her talent was busy working but she, too, was busy making sure that her talent would get to the set on time and that every need would be provided immediately. She really loves where she is right now, and she is willing to stay for as long as she is needed.

All three know what it takes to be a star in Philippine showbiz. With just one look, they can right away spot a talent who is worthy of their touch and packaging.

ROBERT HASS capturing human nature....

2008-11-23T08:14:00.002-05:00

...from his 2008 Pulitzer prize winning collection, Time and Materials....

Though mostly when I think of myself
at that age,
I am standing at my older brother's closet,
studying the shirts,
convinced that I could be absolutely transformed
by something I could borrow.
And the days churned by,
navigable sorrow.

Manila’s new discovery: VERONICA’S CLOSET

2008-10-06T21:22:00.004-06:00

What happened to me in the Sixties was so major and so worldwide and so huge, there's no way I can repeat it. But in a way, I had nothing to do with it, it just took me over. It was bizarre, it was weird, and I had no control over it. I don't think anyone could have planned what happened to me. – Twiggy

Twiggy, the 60s fashion icon, overshadowed the creators of the mini-skirt Mary Quant and André Courréges – among the top fashion designers of the 1960s. Andre made “colorblock” style dresses a definitive feature of the era.
Mary made London among the world’s fashion capitals. Twiggy as the fashion model has become part of the popular culture while the designers’ fame has faded and many of them totally forgotten.

In the Philippines, we have the tendency to care for the image only and not the creator. We remember the singer of the song but not the composer, we remember the actor in a good film but not the director. We remember Twiggy but not the designers who created her image.

After decades of fashion evolution, only the image of Twiggy and the style she carried survives. All the image creators have long been forgotten. The image is so powerful that its influence is still very much visible in today’s fashion choices. In fact, it’s Twiggy’s enduring elegance that became the inspiration of the lady behind Veronica’s Closet, our very own Rona Valente. This young fashion engineer based in Dumaguete City is starting to make waves with the three lines available through Rona’s online boutique, the Veronica’s Closet (http://vintageprincess.multiply.com/).The most popular line is the VERONICA collection of dresses that are pre-owned, vintage finds and altered; this is the high-end version of the “ukay-ukay” but with a surprisingly low price range. Manila corporate women are starting to keep Rona’s text messaging (cp # 09165811421) loaded with orders. They love the easy way to shop through order forms available on the Veronica’s closet website. Another line which is still high-end ukay-ukay under the VENTAJA collection carries pre-owned items, in good condition, unaltered. Rona’s touch makes an item fresh and fully-sanitized the moment it gets to the new owner’s closet. Missing buttons or broken zipper tooth are an opportunity for Rona to give the dress a better look with more fashionable replacements. She even provide belts to give the needed accent. Free fashion consultation includes the right shoes to go with the outfit, the hairstyle, the jewel and more. Rona’s generosity is that of a fashion angel.

The Rona sense of style has total freedom as she gathers items under VESTIDAS. One can shop for brand new, not pre-owned items. Rona who is a civil engineer by profession has always been a fashion genius. She can transform an unremarkable piece of textile into a cosmopolitan statement. She feels frustrated when she is on field work for this is the time in her life when she can’t go beyond the usual. Wearing a scarf with a shirt would be out of place the moment she is surrounded by carpenters. This is why she loves Sundays, going to church for her is sincerely “giving the best look to the Master.”

Under VESTIDAS she can dream, have endless dreaming – her imagination going as fast as she mouths each possibility. She wants to revive the vintage classic Audrey Hepburn elegance and break the too formal fashion flow with the Farrah Faucet hippy chic combination.

Rona wants to put an end to the tendency to do matching with one dominant color. She would love to teach women the other brilliant options. To inspire them to carry themselves with confidence. She loves to share her Heidi Klum magic of giving one’s self a “not-too-thin and not-too-fat” packaging. She also believes that the cool aura of Drew Barrymore – charming and free-spirited – would be perfect for a University Town look.

Rona’s greatest dream is to be able to create a Filipino fashion zen for all the world to discover.

A “new life” is her gift to every woman. Her friends in Dumaguete love their finds at Veronica’s Closet, like Atty. Myrish Cadapan-and the Dejaresco twin sisters Mayen and Ellen. Ellen introduces Rona to the world via the internet with this,”... Veronica—creator and owner who we fondly call Rona—has the gift of transforming simple, mundane, sometimes even ugly stuff into something beautiful, useful and trendy. Fortified with passion and sense of style, Rona painstakingly roams around the ukayans and delves into clusters and clusters of clothes. I had the chance to see her at work once, and it amazed me that she didn’t seem to get tired of all the rummaging she did....”

Veronica’s Closet is all about “putting a piece of the past in your present” and it’s becoming the most rewarding discovery for the busy corporate ladies of Manila who have no time to shop. Beyond Rona’s expectations, a lady visual merchandizer from Fashion 21 Manila was her first actual visitor here in Dumaguete. The moment she opened her closet, the visitor was like in panic buying. The following week, the lady came back with her mother.

Top 5 Events on Silliman’s Founders Day

2008-09-14T05:23:00.005-06:00

"You don't have to have special effects or a naked woman or violence to make a good movie." - Emmanuel Priou, producer of March of the Penguins

I have noticed that big-budgeted events in Dumaguete usually become disturbingly heavy with their fiesta tendencies – gentle elegance totally gone. It’s ‘too much’ when you see a stage that overpowers the performer, it’s “too much” when two “politicians” outdo each other with Dolphy-inspired wit, its “too much” when the introduction is longer than the main part, it’s “too much” when the emcee will try so hard to cover every dead air and mouthing like a jologs Wowowee host….
The celebration of the 107th Founders Day of Silliman University banked more on human talent than on the financial source to define excellence. In fact, the events which were visibly commercial suffered from lack of the creative force to mute or tame their “ visual noise.”
The perpetually-Oscar-inspired creative mind of Ian Rosales Casocot actually works as a one-man team. He can produce a good event in just a night or two: a good idea, a workable script, a well-chosen creative team, a vigilant and secure (not suffering from attention-deficiency) director and a realistic time-table. I hope every event organizer was there to watch the mounting of the 2008 Outstanding Sillimanian Awards – it was an event that almost flowed smoothly from the working force backstage to the actual performers. I salute the awardees who , except for one, were sensitive to time and showed subtle humor in their acceptance speech. A slight interruption caused by a technical glitch was within the span of patience of our dignified audience. The MTV-inspired profiles of the awardees on power-point, the music of Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista Suarez and the Campus Choristers and the intelligent intermission number - Marge Evasco’s “Sagada Stills in a Floating World” set in music by Reginald Bernaldez - it was a Seurat with the movement of Dali. All these made the 2008 Outstanding Sillimanian Awards easily the best event last August.
For sheer entertainment, all you need is a good performer, good choice of music based on audience appeal and a production design that blends with the performer. Ryan Villanueva, son of this year’s Outstanding Sillimanian awardee in the field of Community Health Service Dr. Romy Villanueva, was the sunshine at night last Founders Day. This Filipino-American artist was so popular, he was hopping from one stage to another and from one top bar to another. But his best performance was in Payag sa Likod – when the intimacy between the good-looking and talented performer and his audience was picture perfect. He started on common ground: the music from The Legend Bob Marley. The easy flow of his own compositions - Chillin’ Right Here, The Kite, Many Things to Learn and his own arrangement of Usahay - endeared him to Dumaguete audience.
Bayanihan was a good welcome for many of our campus balikbayans when they watched the homecoming performance of the Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company dubbed as “Surging to the Crest”. Our Goodwill Ambassadors to the world won championships in the many dance festivals in Europe, and their magic was seen in their program mounted at the Luce Auditorium. The grace and energy of arnis - the Filipino martial arts were incorporated in their choreography for maglalatik, the sayaw sa bangko, and singkil. Campus visitor Nenita Ponce de Léon Elphick of Harvard University Department of Art and Architecture expressed pride in her Filipino heritage while watching the Bayanihan’s soaring at the Luce.
An intellectual exercise was among the best events last Founders Day: the International Symposium on Nursing which echoed the Founders Day theme: “Silliman Education and its Global Reach and Relevance.” The keynote speech of the Chief Scientist for Nursing and Midwifery of the World Health Organization Dr. Jean Yan (2003 Outstanding Sillimanian awardee) and the presence of the robot Stan were among the highlights. The delegates from Iloilo City whom I had the opportunity to send-off thanked me for their Silliman experience which to them defined the meaning of excellence in the nursing profession.
Four landmarks were named to honor leaders in Silliman’s history but the ceremonies naming the Silliman library in honor of Drs. Robert and Metta Silliman had the cutting edge: the presence of the honoree’s foster daughters and former students. It was a simple but a meaningful gathering. It started with poetry reading of the works of the students of Dr. Metta Jacobs Silliman which included that of country’s literary icons Edith Lopez Tiempo, Myrna Peña-Reyes and Aida Rivera Ford. The anecdotes and responses from Eleanor Funda Sardual and Emma Cole Teves, foster children of Bob and Metta Silliman, were inspiring and entertaining testimonies of the couple’s missionary care.
Special Mention: The best time to watch the Miss Silliman Beauty Pageant is always during the pre-pageant segment. It was a good idea this year to bring back the pre-pageant as a morning event. In the 1980s they had them also in the morning at SC IIO which had media people as panelists. The 2008 pre-pageant was held at the Luce Auditorium and it was a showcase of a quality student production. The speeches and the Q & A’s with the candidates this year were very impressive – it greatly overshadowed the Q & A of the Binibining Pilipinas which had the Janina San Miguel disaster. The talent presentations were not more-than-usual but the show’s entertainment value was saved with the medley of songs from the College of Performing Arts talents during the intermission: Jon Quizo, Krista Beatingo , Flintzel Diao and Abby Yap. Many of our visitors from Manila and abroad were saying, pageant organizers can actually get good ideas from the pre-pageant. The hosts Noel and Treana did so well.
Please don’t ask which events were in my worst list for they don’t deserve even a mention. As they say, the worst criticism is the total absence of a feedback.

I had my moment of silence as we mounted the 107th Founders Day of Silliman U....

2008-09-07T16:29:00.002-06:00

While doing a research on Professor Emeritus DR. METTA JACOBS ARMSTRONG SILLIMAN, I was drowning into a Silliman river of poetry and lit critique by her former students: Edith Lopez Tiempo, Eleonor Funda Sardual, Aida Rivera Ford... And MYRNA Peña-Reyes, my new icon in poetry. I love her river poems. I will have my own river poem soon. My name Moses leads me to a lot of rivers but I have this dream of a drama along the River Nile: my own ashes flowing as history should... and if no one will be there with the chosen clay jar, please bring the jar home where the river of my childhood dreams runs as great....

San Miguel Picnic

Sprawled on the rocks where water thrashed
I felt the river tug at my back,
jerk at my feet and drop
into a pool splashing with children.
The river sang stone
while children filled their hands with light.
Framing the sky
birds balanced on bamboo spires.
Snug in my stone and water pew
I held the foaming bottle high
and turned the sun
like amber in my hand.

The 107th Founders Day Theme

2008-08-14T06:39:00.000-06:00

The true test of the… ideal is whether we’re able to recognize our failings and then rise together to meet the challenges of our time. Whether we allow ourselves to be shaped by events and history, or whether we act to shape them. Whether chance of birth or circumstance decides life’s big winners and losers, or whether we build a community where, at the very least, everyone has a chance to work hard, get ahead, and reach their dreams.

BARACK OBAMA

Many of today’s speeches are inspired by the call of the new icon from America, presidentiable Barack Obama. In fact, when the initial meeting was called for Silliman’s 107^th Founders Day theme, I reviewed some of the lines that he has uttered that truly made an impact. Hope on the possibility of a major societal change is rekindled with Obama’s “yes, we can!” call. Even the “In Christ, I Can!” theme of our University Christian Life Emphasis week is inspired by this call. And so were the discussions on this year’s Founders Day theme. With President Ben S. Malayang III’s final touch, the 2008 FD Committee headed by Prof. Carlos Plaridel M. Magtolis has chosen , “Silliman Education: Its Global Reach And Relevance” as theme of the 107^th Founders Day.

It’s a theme that calls for a global direction. It is actually not something new to Silliman University for on its first year of operation as Silliman Institute in 1901, the classroom already had an international flavor. Aside from the Filipino students, the teachers were the American missionary Laura Cooks Hibbard and her husband David who was the Founding President. Later, there were two Chinese pupils from Jolo and a female classmate, Ethel Peed, from the home of an American local official. By 1910, a student from mainland China enrolled and two others from Bangkok in addition to students from the Chinese families of Cebu, Manila and Zamboanga. The Sultan of Jolo and all the other prominent families from Mindanao sent their sons here. Then, more American children joined as Dumaguete became a central Missionary station. There was no time in Silliman’s history when the international flavor was not present. Silliman University was and will always be an institution with global reach.

The school year 2008-2009 opened with 8,456 students enrolled, a slight increase in enrollment over last year’s figure and the result of more students enrolled in the Basic Education program this year. We have students from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The international population include students from Australia, Canada, Mainland China, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Singapore, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, the USA and Vietnam.

Our alumni have entered through the Gate of Opportunity and many of them went beyond the Gate of Service. And beyond, they have maintained “global reach and relevance.”

Our alumni are our best advertisement, not just for Silliman but also for Dumaguete. Wherever they have come from, all of them think of Dumaguete as home. We are all proud of the following alumni who have made a global impact: Silliman University’s Peace Resource Center founder Dr. Al Fuertes who is the recipient of the 2008 George Mason University Teaching Excellence Award; Vice President and Senior Agency Director of Manulife Philippines Bellaflor Ledesma de los Reyes who is recognized for her outstanding performance in the corporate field and who received a 2007 Star of Excellence award at a recognition Dinner in Toronto; Macarthur "Mac" F. Corsino who took his oath as Philippine Ambassador to Cuba on June 19; and 1989 Outstanding Sillimanian awardee in the field of Medicine Dr. Eusebio C. Kho, who received the 2007 PEACE Humanitarian of the Year award from the Philippine Economic and Cultural Endowment, based in Oklahoma City. Dr. Kho has traveled far and wide giving medical assistance to the depressed areas in El Salvador, Jordan, Kuwait and the Philippines.

We are also as proud of the 2008 Outstanding Sillimanian awardees: Northern California’s Rev. Francisco “Frank” J. Beltran in the field of Specialized Ministry, Southern California’s Efren A. Cordura for inventions in package engineering (he will give a lecture on Package Design on August 14-10 AM at the Silliman University Audio-Visual Theater 1- the event will welcome the local manufacturers. Please contact the College of Engineering and Design for details.); New England’s Ester P. Timbancaya-Elphick in the field of Education; our very own Dr. Marjorie Evasco in the field of Creative Writing; our country’s Father of the Alternative Dispute Resolution and of the Katarungang Pambarangay Atty. Alfredo Flores Tadiar; and in the Community Health Service, we will honor Dr. Romulo G. Villanueva of National Capital Region of the USA.

O’er in high place or in lowly,

Fortune sends us joy or pain.

To our love for dear old Silliman,

Loyal shall we e’er remain.

BEAUTIES from my Hometown: The City of Cabadbaran

2008-08-01T02:04:00.012-06:00

I want to be a person who makes a quiet difference.
- Ali MacGraw

For this week’s piece, I beg the reader’s indulgence as I write about the beauties of my hometown, many of them my close kin, of whom I am understandably proud. Silliman’s 107^th Founders Day had seven beauties vying for the Miss Silliman crown on August 25 and one of top 3 winners is from my hometown.

The City of Cabadbaran in Agusan del Norte had its charter celebration last July 28. In the many gatherings that I have attended, I loved that moment when I was with my own sisters, Joan Mita and Prosperity May. They were talking about their freshman year in Silliman University and how they were lured to join the Miss Silliman pageant which they had never done with their lack of self-confidence.

Joan came to Dumaguete in 1970, the year when the film Love Story introduced a new movie icon Ali MacGraw. Joan could not believe that a beauty from Mindanao could actually be noticed in this University Town where people were calling her as the “Ali MacGraw of Silliman.” As a Social Work student, she was chosen to represent the College of Arts and Sciences in the Miss Silliman pageant. The high school beauty queen of my hometown thought she would never find the courage to be in Dumaguete’s most prestigious pageant.

Prosperity May grew up being called by our father as “Miss Philippines.” Our late father would always introduce her as the most beautiful among his daughters. In our town, May also became Miss High School, like Joan. When she came to Dumaguete in 1973 as a college freshman, she was right away exposed to public attention when she was chosen to be the muse for the June 12 Independence Day city parade. The Dean of Students had chosen her to grace the parade and be the muse on the Silliman University float in the absence of the reigning Miss Silliman. Two months later, the dusky beauty from Mindanao was chosen to represent the College of Business Administration in the Miss Silliman pageant, but she felt that she wasn’t talented enough to do justice to the honor.

May’s daughter, Kara Atega Delgado, who was crowned Miss Cabadbaran in 2006 was recently crowned as Miss Silliman Headline Girl. She represented the College of Education in the 2008 Miss Silliman pageant. May was happy to hear the news on Kara’s selection. The proud mother and her sister, Joan came to Dumaguete on August 23 to witness the one who became something like a “blast-in-the-past-which-they-never-had.”

In 2001, it would have been my niece Annaliz Atega who could have realized the old possibility when she was crowned as the Miss Centennial of the College of Education. But her busy schedule as a senior student teacher never gave her time to be in the search for Miss Silliman Centennial. Annaliz joined the Miss Cabadbaran and Miss Agusan Tourism pageants after her college graduation and won the two beauty titles in 2002.

In 1946, my father’s cousin, Patria Obsequio was crowned the first Miss Silliman. In Patria’s 2001 speech during the search for the Miss Silliman Centennial, she shared a vivid recollection of her selection: “'My story begins in June of school year 1939-1940, when I arrived here, a trifle shy but anxious to start my college education. For my parents, there could be no other school but Silliman. They sent five of us to this institution.
I was registered as a resident of Oriental Hall. It being my first time away from home, I thought I was going to be homesick, but I didn't because everyone was friendly, going out of their way to make life pleasant... In 1946, the Student Government sponsored a beauty contest which was actually more of a popularity contest. Important consideration was focused on academic grades which were scrutinized at the Registrar's Office. The selection committee inquired about our extra-curricular activities. There were no interviews, no measurment of vital statistics, no parading around in swimwear. Had there been specific contest rules followed to the letter, I would not have made it to first base. Students cast their votes at the Silliman Bookstore. After the votes were counted, results revealed that I garnered the most votes so I was then declared winner.... Our roommates were jubilant over the results. They were excited hunting gowns for us to wear during the proclamation at the Assembly Hall. A kind friend, Mercedes Mijares, loaned me her evening gown with a three-tiered skirt. During a simple program that evening, I remember vividly Henry Nicolas presented me as Miss Silliman 1946 after which he gingerly pinned the sash on me. There was no crown or coronet, no scepter, no cape not even a bouquet of roses. Yes, only a sash but it made history!'

Beyond Patria’s glory as the first Miss Silliman, our family is always associated with beauty pageants. The most popular family member who won national beauty titles was our first cousin, Veronica Atega, a pioneer in the Bayanihan Dance Company. Veth was crowned Miss Fil-Am Queen of the former Subic Naval Base on the fourth of July in 1961. Her crowning made headlines for with the honor came, as she expressed in a Philippine Daily Inquirer feature last year, “… a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet—and hold hands—with famous Hollywood actor Paul Newman who was my escort.” Veth became a favorite cover girl of magazines like the Philippine Free Press and she was also the cover girl for many of the Bayanihan albums. She was also crowned as Miss Philippine Air Force.

The 1996 Binibining Pilipinas-International Yedda Marie Mendoza Kittilstvedt is the granddaughter of my father’s sister, another Miss Cabadbaran, Basilisa Atega-Kittilstvedt. Yedda was a Camay Girl at the age of 15 and was 1st Runner-up in the Philippine Supermodel search. Yedda is now happily married to Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the present1st District Congressman of Leyte.

Basilisa's sister Prosperidad was also a Miss Cabadbaran title holder including their sister-in-law Adela, mother of Veth Atega.

In 1981, Miss Cabadbaran 1980 Jocelyn Sanchez was crowned Miss College of Business Administration and was first runner-up in the Miss Silliman beauty pageant. Joy married Nilo Bobon of Pamplona, Negros Oriental and is now a very successful entrepreneur.

Two Miss Cabadbaran beauties married two prominent members of the Amante family in Agusan: Congressman Edelmiro Atega Amante married Rosario Malbas, a Miss Cabadbaran who became Mayor of the town just like the first woman mayor of Cabadbaran Basilisa. Edelmiro's nephew Dr. Ferdinand M. Amante married Ivy Oga, a Miss Cabadbaran who belongs the prominent Calo family.

1973 Miss Journalism Marian Lim who was second runner-up in the Miss Silliman pageant is also from Agusan del Norte. Her sister, Nilda Grande was a Miss High School in Cabadbaran and was crowned Miss Agusan Tourism in 1976. Marian’s two daughters, Tonette who was Miss Engineering in 1996 and Ana who was Miss Arts and Sciences in 1996, followed their mother’s footsteps; both won the second runner-up title in the Miss Silliman pageant in their respective years.

Beyond my hometown, we take pride in the Miss Silliman title holders who are from Mindanao. A beauty from Basilan, Carlisle Dans was the first Miss High School to win the Miss Silliman crown in 1973. We have four from Davao: Leah “Jingle” Sibala in 1978, Jean Escaño in 1980, Pia Francisco in 1986 and Celynne Grace Echevarria in 2000. Dapitan City produced two queens, Jean Ramoga in 1988 and Yvonne Forster in 1995. Cherokee Dawn Esguerra of 1996 is from General Santos City and Jenny Ortega of 1999 is from Pagadian City.

The City of Cabadbaran and the province of Agusan del Norte are also home to the following who have become part of Oriental Negros’ line of beauties: Estrella Cabrera, the mother of Governor Emilio C. Macias II and wife of the late Congressman Lamberto L. Macias; Margie M. Calo who married the Hon. Doroteo Teves; Evansuenda Oga who married today’s Chamber of Commerce leader Ernie Quiamco; Agnes Cecilia Gogo-Carballo of AGC Lending Investor…. With or without a beauty title, there is one definite source of pride: many of our women have made their own valuable “…quiet difference.”

A Culture of Giving

2008-07-10T17:18:00.003-06:00

What I know for sure is that what you give

comes back to you.

Oprah Winfrey

When Silliman University President Ben S. Malayang III made an appeal last June 26 for the Silliman and Dumaguete communities to extend help to the calamity victims in Iloilo, the picture that would motivate people to help the storm Frank-battered province was not that clear yet. Then, Former President Agustin A. Pulido called and described the sad state of the campus of Central Philippine University, Silliman’s sister school.

The entire campus is flooded as Iloilo’s two major rivers overflowed. The water came so strong that it broke into the groundfloor of the Henry Luce Library and other buildings including the University Church. Also badly damaged are dormitories where most of the students were left with nothing but their bedroom attire that night. Followed by fluctuating electricity, the internet connection was down and then, panic buying by households led to lack of food for the dormitory residents. There was no water supply. (Days later, Dr. Doris Pulido had to go to the SM Traveller’s lounge for a 30-peso shower)

President Ben’s call which was also carried through text messages and by the radio stations in Dumaguete received immediate response. On that same day, the Alumni and External Office was kept busy receiving donations until 10’o’clock in the evening. The Silliman dormitories were the first to respond. More and more angels from the Silliman and Dumaguete communities responded with food and water supply, clothing and cash donations.

Silliman University teams have made two trips since then to deliver the needed help. The first team consisting of a cargo truck and the Silliman firetruck was led by Prof. Roy Olsen de Leon who is from Iloilo, this was a heart-wrenching return home for him. Driven to tears, he felt that everyone was a victim including his own family. With the shadow of depression all over, there was no welcome awaiting the Silliman angels except the thankful Drs. Gus and Doris Pulido who were there to coordinate. Silliman firetruck driver Virgilio Valencia described the layers of mud that covered the surface of the entire campus. His team which included two SU College of Engineering faculty, was the only working force that did the needed major clean-up for three days. Some work students of CPU were asked to report to assist the team but they could only handle the minor sweeping of floors. The Silliman team, on their own initiative, decided to ease the burden by cleaning out the thick layers of muddy silt on groundfloors of buildings, with water from the CPU swimming pool which the Silliman firetruck had transported. Another problem arose, however, when Iloilo’s primary water source threatened to overflow, and attempts were made to divert the water through a man-made hole. This led, however to another major flow which crested at a record flood level, engulfing every part of Jaro district where Central Philippine University is located. The flood that came from the watershed put an end to the Silliman team’s heroic attempts, they had to leave before the water would trap them.

Mrs. Carmen Larot Rio, a Dumagueteña based in Iloilo,waited patiently for the day when the water would recede this flood-ravaged city. With no potable water available, boxes of bottled water from relatives and friends in Cebu, Manila and Dumaguete helped her survive the long days. She texted me a message of joy when at 2AM on July 5 clean water was finally distributed at intervals by the city government. But the stressful week-long ordeal had her hospitalized.

The flooding that has inundated much of the Jaro district these last few weeks is not over, as the swollen tributaries continue to threaten dozens of communities. After the initial clean-up, the evacuations, the last-minute rescues and the days of anxious waiting for the water to go down comes the long road toward recovery.

A second trip was made last July 8 with 137 boxes of food and clothing which were received by former Bacolod mayor Hon. Joy Santos-Valdez who is the current president of the Silliman alumni group in Bacolod City. The Bacolod Sillimanians have taken the responsibility of bringing these boxes to Iloilo. More boxes of food and clothing are being delivered by individual donors, families and student organizations to the Silliman Alumni and External Affairs Office.

Dumaguete’s distinctive culture of giving is very much alive. We would like to thank all those who were a part of the very successful Silliman Sagip Iloilo Drive – a manifestation of the Christian love we all share.

Hari ng Negros 2008: At The Homestretch

2008-07-03T14:52:00.019-06:00

You don’t need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are! –John Lennon

Many are still talking about the outcome of this year’s Hari ng Negros pageant—especially since the expected winners did not make it to the Final 3. Disappointed fans of this very popular male beauty pageant in Southern Philippines are asking so many questions, with some even expressing very vocal complaints. Still, all these have to be taken as signs that this year’s batch of princes is really good. Many of these handsome and very talented young men did make major splashes on stage, and no member of the board of judges could be wrong in their choices for it was too easy to find good points to believe in in any one of the prince’s winning potential.

But then again, the organizers could have given the audience a set of formidable winners if this year’s pageant had, in the first, a well-defined set of criteria and rules. The last two portions, which were selections of the top 7 and the top 3, had interview results as bases for screening—and yet the announced finalists did not reflect the quality of the actual performance of the candidates during the question-and-answer segments. Could it be that some members of the board of judges insisted on only considering stage presence and visual impact? The audience’s judgment was on the quality of the answers since the last portions were about ‘intelligence,’ as effectively stressed by the host of the pageant, Hari ng Negros 2006 Mark Xander Fabillar. But in all actuality there is no use for all these insistent queries, for in every contest one steadfast rule prevails: the decision of the judges is final and irrevocable!

One of the strong bets who failed to make to it to the final 7 later on asked me for my own evaluation of his performance. He begged for it, telling me that my judgment will give him much-needed “peace of mind.” Thus, I’m encouraged to announce my own FINAL 7 (using my own criteria of criteria of 50% visual impact, 20% talent, and 30% communication skills). Here’s my take on the potentials of the seven noteworthy princes, arranged in an order of a royal march, with the one deserving of the title Hari ng Negros presented last:

Joseph Hornido, Prince of Guihulngan. This nurse from the City of Cabadbaran, was an early favorite because his communication skills in English truly reflects his potential as our country’s export to America. (I actually questioned why a pageant involving Filipino men in the Visayas would have to be in English). His Chinese-white complexion made him look like a Korean telemovie star. Somebody whispered that he resembles Rustom Padilla during the actor’s “straight” era. A lady insisted that he is more like AJ Dee of Philippine TV. He was struggling to shine in the portions that required skills of a dancer but he managed to call attention for he was always wearing the right combination of bright and dark colors to compliment his milky-white presence. His best moment in the pageant was when he asked Mr. Silay this question during the Top 7 portion: “How will you react if you are the father of a daughter who is involved in a sex scandal?” (Mr. Guilhulngan was awarded the First Runner-up title.)

Jay Cainglet, Prince of Sagay. Jay is the youngest candidate at 17 but he had the strongest stage presence. He is the one with the body of a Prince in an Asian fantasy film. He exuded grace and strength in the dance segments. He towers over most of the candidates, yet his innocent charm makes him “the cute boy” of the pageant. He needs to work on his voice quality for a more mature impact is needed in portions that require talent in speech. He was the bet who had much passion in every part of the show. His Best in Professionalism award was a perfect citation for it’s a wonder to see a young man who is a good listener and who has the heart of a good follower

Michael Angelo Cristobal, Prince of Dumaguete. This senior business student from Silliman University is definitely a Top 3 winner when it comes to face value. He has the appeal of a boy-next-door Latino. He is also one of the best dancers in the pageant. In fact, he won the rave dance grand prize. Although he has the tendency to give very long answers to simple questions, a good listener would know that this gentleman is actually very sensible. (Many were mad when his name was not called in the Top 7 honors, since he was actually expected to be in Top 3.)

Orville Cordova, Prince of Talisay. His facial appeal brings us a unique cross between American presidentiable Barack Obama and Asian filmstar Aniki—and yes, Obama is my new definition of enduring sex appeal, and Aniki is really among the most handsome Asian actors. Hollywood-oriented pundits will say Orville is too exotic. But Orville takes center stage with one of the best sculpted bodies of the pageant. His best moment was the all-out presence in the rave dance portion. His Oriental-inspired street fashion made him a star that night. Then, he captured all of us with one touching moment: Hollywood actress Emily Trempe, one of the judges, asked him the classic question on one’s fear and Orville confessed, “I’m afraid of my father. My fear is when I get to finally see him and he will not accept me as his son.” He made the audience cry. (Mr. Talisay was indeed worthy to be chosen in the Top 7.)

Carlos Ruiz, Prince of Silay. He may not equal the handsome presence of the former kings, but he has his own qualities that would have made him the effective upset contender for the major title— excellent communication skills, best smile, and a surprisingly handsome runway style. He deserved to win the Best in Barong (which went to Mr. Dumaguete) and he deserved to win the over-all Best Speaker glory (but that went to Mr. Mabinay). Listen to his answer to Mr. Guihulngan’s question with the sex scandal angle: “A father should not over-react. The daughter needs all the support with the psychological impact of the issue. I should lead my daughter to a spiritual retreat, for with God’s intervention, nothing is impossible.” Clearly, he was the man of wisdom in the pageant, and so, when he was not given the Top 3 honor, the crowd reacted. His manager actually made a violent protest (he had the plaque of recognition thrown at the over-all chairman of the event.)

Stalin Lescano Jr. , Prince of Bacolod. I was not surprised why some judges had to fight for him to be in the Top 3. This Best in Swimwear and Best in Tribal Attire winner is the most charming candidate – truly a rugged handsome prince. He projected a James Dean appeal. Stalin’s wisdom could have been heard better if only he was allowed to express it in his own language. As he struggled with English, his answers which were right sounded wrong. When he was asked to choose between fame and fortune, he started right with “Fame is forever,” but as he tried to expound, some of his points were lost. (Again, I have to stress that it’s culturally unfair to insist on having them express wisdom using a foreign language). The Prince of Bacolod was the most comfortable on stage – his pleasant projection was a gift of joy. (He got the controversial Second Runner-up title.)

Ralph Jansen Jadraque, Prince of Mabinay. On our way to Canlaon to watch the pageant last June 28, my friends had asked me to forecast the winner. With confidence, I told them it’s Mr. Mabinay. My basis was his performance during the speech improvement session I conducted for the candidates. Ralph has the down-to-earth subtle presence and what is endearing is his sense of humility. He was also the one with the consistently sincere smile. His appeal is that of a cute guy in a typical Pinoy neighborhood. He gave direct-to-the-point answers that led him to clinch the Best Speaker award which was based on the pre-pageant portion. In every segment, he always had the spirit of a winner. He may not have a strong physical feature of a typical title-holder but he is definitely handsome with boyish charm. His shining moment was when he walked down the ramp with his barong – the coolest guy of the evening, with an effortlessness that made him shine. His was also the truest voice of the pageant with his answer to the final question, “What is the legacy of the Hari ng Negros pageant?” Ralph’s cutting edge was this answer: “The legacy of the Hari ng Negros is tourism. This pageant is primarily an avenue to promote the tourism potential of Negros Island. This pageant also aims to bridge the gap between the two provinces, Negros Occidental and Oriental Negros. With this pageant, there is no Ilongo on one side and the Bisaya on the other. We are ONE ISLAND and we are all proud to be A NEGRENSE!” (Mr. Mabinay was crowned Hari ng Negros 2008.)

nostalgia 2

2008-06-24T04:07:00.010-06:00

If you don't have enemies, you don't have character.

PAUL NEWMAN (Won Oscar. Another 36 wins & 47 nominations )

Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.

MICHAEL CAINE (Won 2 Oscars. Another 25 wins & 36 nominations )

introducing…. THE FRESHMEN

2008-06-20T01:06:00.006-06:00

Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option.
-Peter Parker (Spiderman)

We all love this time of the school year when new faces tirelessly flash their youthful smiles. In our University Town where everybody seems to know everyone, people-watch is a favorite pastime. The school opening is always the perfect time for this slow-paced city’s no. 1 entertainment which has an added venue, the Portal West corner. We hear ourselves or overhear someone ask, “Who is that pretty face?” or “Oh another hunk, from Manila? Fil-Am?” Up-close one gets to hear a foreign student whine. “It’s humid here… “ or “The pedicabs are noisy!” Then, an LTCFTC (looking Tirso Cruz, feeling Tom Cruise) with a British accent exclaims, “People here are always looking at me,… makes me feel paranoid.”

But beyond the face value – our everyday entertainment, we want you to know that some of the new members of our beloved community are bound to make a difference with their potentialities:

MARIA ELVIE ANN BARTE graduated valedictorian from Basay National High School. With this honor, she is presently enjoying two scholarships while pursuing a degree in Business Administration at Negros Oriental State University. She is confident that her being a Class Math wizard will help her achieve more in college.
She hopes to work in a famous bank someday somewhere in Taiwan or in Japan. The film "The Passion of the Christ" has been her inspiration. She shared, “The movie is really touching and it reminds me of who I really am! It's taught me to share unconditional love. It also helped me realize that I am very worthy because someone died for me to be saved. And with that, I must live my life by touching other lives for me to be very worthy in the eyes of God.”

Her big crush is the actor Wu Chun of Brunei who became a huge film star in Taiwan. “I love his sense of humility…,” Elvie was almost non-stop in introducing her film icon.

Lynn Francine Batalan is very proud to have spent “my high school years in the bosom of Foundation University.” It is the school where “I learned to experience life to the fullest and discovered a lot of myself.” She was president of the Ushers and Usherettes Club, an exposure that made her realize that at FU, they “open their arms as wide as they can for all the students to have fun and experience new things….”
The organizations like the Buglasayaw Dance Troupe, the Science Club, the Debating Club and Peer Counselors Club were important exposures that led her to achieve two honors: the Valedictorian of Class 2008 dubbed as the “The Visionaries” and a beauty title Miss Teen Dumaguete 2007. These two “are also my memorable moments and treasured experiences in my high school life.” The Accountancy student, still at FU, wants “to see myself as a banker working in offices either private or public firms.” But first, she knows that she will have to work hard to have excellent academic records to ensure a good performance in the CPA Board Examination.

Negros Oriental State University’s GLYSA JADUCANA graduated valedictorian from Santander National High School. This Education student who is majoring in Mathematics complained,” My generation is more complicated and is harder to understand.” She read and seriously followed the teachings of Jose Rizal and she wants all the other young people to know that “Life is sometimes cruel therefore we must be strong enough. We must choose wisely because it is our choices that tell us who we really are….”

When this Dallas-born chinito expressed he doesn’t like walking around the wide expanse of Silliman campus, I quoted Barack Obama to cheer him up, “If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress.” BRYCE KING, a science quiz bee champ from Xavier School, is taking up Marine Biology. He said there’s just “…too much lawyers, too many businessmen, too many nurses….” The young environmentalist is hoping to make an Al Gore-kind of impact in his own humble way. The grandson of philanthropist Angelo King had sent college applications around the globe and was accepted by universities in the US, the UK… and in Manila but chose to study at Silliman, “I really think this is the best environment for Marine Biology.”

ELLEN MAE ELTANAL graduated from Sta. Catalina Community School as the Class Valedictorian. “The honor made my family happy and proud… because of it I was given the chance to study in this very wonderful university town.” A Bachelor in Secondary Education major at St. Paul University, Ellen wishes to help the less fortunate acquire a good education by becoming a teacher who is well-respected as a master of her field. She observed that “Living in a modernized world, our generation now is somehow a bit lazy. Doing things are done instantly, we are very much influenced by the westerns to the point that we don’t focus on our own values and culture.” But she believes that with “dreams to help the family and be able to help others,” the young generation can still make a difference. She loves Oprah Winfrey who as world icon, “influences us to learn living each day with hope and leaving the past behind.” She notes that Oprah has “really proven that there is always hope no matter how difficult the situation is.”

A talent search winner, an editorial writing finalist, a Christian Youth Fellowship president…. A long line of achievements for this Mass Communication freshman at Silliman University. ANTON EMILIO SANCHEZ belongs to the third generation of Sillimanians from the Sanchez family of the City of Cabadbaran in Agusan del Norte. His father Marvin, a fraternity Grand Chancellor during his students days is the brother of 1980’s campus beauty Joy Sanchez-Bobon ( Miss Biz-Ad who won the Miss Silliman first runner-up title in 1981) and who is among Dumaguete’s most successful entrepreneurs with her Sta. Theresa fastfood and other enterprises. Anton, a son of Dumagueteña Anne Marie Arnaiz, recalled his first week here, “My first week was probably the worst.... I became very shy and so insecure. I have never been this far from my parents, and being deeply attached to my family I was really really homesick...” His Tita Joy came to the rescue and gave him survival tips that ended with: gain back your confidence!

JELA MAE TANILON is the Salutatorian of Foundation University High School Class of 2008. This Accountancy student who is loyal to her Alma Mater found her first week in college as “Bad! Everything is new to me. I’m having a hard time adjusting…. I’m not used to have different classmates in different subjects. But I hope I’ll be able to surmount these as soon as possible.” She shares an observation that “Our generation is into modern technologies that are perceptibly, making us lazy. From brooms to vacuum cleaners, from hand washing to washing machines, and from books to surfing the net. It’s not always bad doing research in the internet, but we also have to comprehend that computer information is revisable and can be changed from time to time. Sometimes, computer facts are even mocked by some experts.” She is worried about the tendency to simply “copy-paste” things in life for it takes people away from the value of reading and understanding the truth. The film “The Freedom Writers” has inspired her for “aside from being a true story, the movie depicts new generation teenagers who made an enormous change in their lives.” Jela would like to remind her fellow students that the opportunity to be in college is valuable: “never quit. Love what you are doing. Work with full dedication. Never be afraid of failures.” She shares wisdom from Charles Lamb, “Pain is life—the sharper, the more evidence of life” to stress the value of perseverance.

THE RETURN

2008-06-01T08:02:00.003-06:00

A VIEW OF WATER IN A LAKE
by Edith L. Tiempo

How strange to hang suspended―
Our boat sitting on the water
Is a point in space;
Up, down, and around:
A deepness and a vastness of blue.
The soul flees its suspension
In upward tropism to the light;
Divinity in the heavens
Required no less: Lift,
Fly, elevate; the sky is ever
The hovering home.
Still, we transcend in nostalgia and in loss,
Foreswearing the earth,
Its mud, trees, color, its unyielding mass
And all that the body knows of heat and life;
So arch down and around, us, sky,
Blue sphere that is infinite height,
Infinite depth.
Wrap all of earth around:
Here, where water is heaven, fallen,
Water, no more a reference for earth.
Blue in the deep is permeable,
A membrane we can fall into;
Who needs the upper regions now?
Curved world of heaven under water,
Keeper of ultimate promises,
Vessel of the ceaseless mortal
Dreaming of foreverness,

Below the frail suspended hull,
Far below the swaying outriggers,
And the caulked and barnacled bottom―
Hoarding now man’s peace and his salvation,
The sky―deep, and inverted―waits.

May 10 marked the first weekend for the fellows of the 47th National Writers Workshop and that day, I led them to conquer the Twin Lakes: Balinsasayao and Danao. I know that this secret wonder of our island will always inspire artists for it is a spiritual journey to go on a boat ride around the lake or take a trek around Balinsasayao towards Lake Danao.

At the Twin Lakes, nature’s poetry runs with lines of peace and healing. Arlene Yandug of Xavier University wrote a poem after the trek:

Along the edge between you and the forest
I tread the silence-worn path of stones.
Stones precariously linked like my verses….

I have been here so many times but each visit is amply rewarded by gifts of inspiration. My artist friend, the late Kennedy Rubias, lived here for many months but he never got to any point of boredom. In fact, it was here that he created on canvass a kubo on an endless expanse of green – an image of joy, and a rare piece. We all know that Rubias’ brushstrokes were always dark and bloody.

From the same journey with the fellows, I made some lines of introspection and asked one of the fellows, Lawrence Bernabe of UP Visayas, to finish what I begun. My poem Coming Home now has a sense of completeness when Lawrence worked to give it a second stanza:

COMING HOME

Navigate the self for the second time:
Let the painted carapace melt like a mirror
Rafting into its river of faces and stories.
Relieve the humbled feet in still water.
On an unnamed rock, the green is blue
When the drowned end
senses the mossy comfort
The innocence of beginnings becomes
A new point of departure.

On an unnamed rock, the blue and the green
Becomes the mossy ground I stand on.
When I stepped into the river
(My feet never more sure of the cold)
The water carried me home.


The journey to the Twin Lakes and other wonders like the walk under lines of acacia trees, the wisdom from the Bleeding Heart dove in CENTROP, poetry and music at The Catacombs, the blue dream in Antulang, the frolic in Bacongham, the pan de sal siesta in Bravo Golf, nostalgia in Café Antonio, Hayahay reggae, high life in Atelier Aguila, stories on canvass in Mariyah Gallery, The
Forest Camp’s coolness, the green wall in Sariland, the mild rafting in Amlan’s Alma
Riverside and the crossovers to Apo Island, Siquijor, and many more – all these help define the uniqueness of Dumaguete’s National Writers Workshop, the nurturing institution of Philippine Literature with founder National Artist Edith Lopez Tiempo and daughter Rowena Tiempo Torrevillas as anchors. I consider the workshop’s return to the English and Literature Department of Silliman University as destiny as it moves towards its 50th year.

Bayanihan dancer recalls night with Paul Newman

2008-06-01T07:51:00.002-06:00

By Tina Santos
Inquirer
First Posted 01:19am (Mla time) 07/04/2007

MANILA, Philippines – “I felt like I was floating on a cloud the entire evening,” said Veronica “Veth” Elizabeth Atega-Nable [my first cousin - mojo ]of Paco, Manila, describing how she felt on the night she was crowned Miss Fil-Am Queen of the former Subic Naval Base on the fourth of July, 46 years ago.

With the honor came a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet—and hold hands—with famous Hollywood actor Paul Newman who was her escort.

“I was tongue-tied for a moment,” Nable said, recalling the first time she came face-to-face with Newman whom she described as “very warm and friendly” and “has the lightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. I felt like I was the luckiest girl on earth,” she added.

Nable, who won the title at the age of 23, said the chance in a lifetime came as a complete surprise to her.

She recalled that she was enjoying her summer vacation in Agusan del Norte when she got a call from Manila informing her that Rear Adm. Charles Duncan, then Subic base commander, and members of the 1962 Fil-Am Fiesta Committee had chosen her to be the queen of the Fil-Am fiesta to be held inside the American base.

“It was completely unexpected because I had not made any effort nor dreamt of succeeding popular movie star Gloria Romero, the title holder in the previous year,” said Nable, who is now 68.

“I was very excited and flattered they chose me, especially when I was told that Mr. Newman would be my escort.”

She later learned that the Agusan governor had submitted her name to the committee. Before that, she represented Region 10 in a nationwide search for Miss Philippines.

“And in Bayanihan perfomances, I didn’t know that they were observing me,” she added. Nable was a member of the original batch of the Bayanihan Dance Group, the country’s national folk dance company.

Perfect

“It was a perfect evening,” she said, adding that she was wearing a white beaded terno with a long cape and elbow-length gloves made by Pitoy Moreno. “There was Paul Newman beside me, a crown on my head, my colleagues at Bayanihan and famous local and Hollywood celebrities like Shirley MacLaine entertaining my court.”

Her court included movie stars Amalia Fuentes, Lourdes Medel and Adorable Liwanag.

But the parade that preceded the coronation night was equally thrilling, Nable said.

“A handsome Navy officer, who ‘won’ his escort duties in a raffle, stood beside me in the Queen’s float, holding an umbrella over me. It rained but it did not dampen the gaiety of the kilometer-long parade,” she recalled.

She said her stint as Miss Fil-Am Queen paved the way for other opportunities for her, including modeling stints and being on the cover of several magazines.

After her reign, Nable again focused on one of the things she loved doing most: Dancing.

She joined the Bayanihan at 19, while taking up nutrition at the Philippine Women’s University on Taft Avenue, Manila, which organized the dance troupe.

“I was recruited to form the first Bayanihan Dance Group,” she said. Nable added that being a member of the Bayanihan “fulfilled my love for dancing and allowed us to show our countrymen and the world the beauty of our dances.”

The Bayanihan, whose members have been touring the world as cultural emissaries for the Philippines, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this October.

“Life after Bayanihan revolved around marriage and family, another beautiful and fulfilling experience,” said the girl who gave it all up to marry Horacio Nable. “I stopped being active in the Bayanihan when I got married. But I have not stopped dancing yet.”

...and the winners are....

2008-05-06T07:08:00.031-06:00

Beauty is only truly irresistible when it shows us something less transitory than itself; when it makes us dream of that which charms life beyond the fugitive moment which sees us. It is necessary for the soul to feel it when the senses have perceived it. The soul never wearies; the more it admires, the more it is exalted.
- Baroness Barbara Juliane de Krüdener

Along Langheim Road afterward, an Art Appreciation student who was in the audience confided that the evening had made her smile, since she could still feel a bit of excitement after watching the Grand Night of the Search for the Silliman University Adventure Envoy 2008 held on May 2 at the Shaw Memorial Pool —that is, excitement from the new ideas in a summer beauty pageant. That was an echo of LINWEL’s brilliant choreography in the opening number inspired by the music of the hit production High School Musical. But ultimately a bit too colorful and too vibrant that it overshadowed the other succeeding numbers. Even the entrée of the show which had the danceable “Good Morning Baltimore” from the musical Hairspray came too slow with the high energy that was in the “We’re All In This Together” entrance of the aspiring envoys. It was the perfect salvo for a poolside event for it captured the spirit of summer. The explosive opening movements had every detail in place, with a surprise splash here and there from the varsity swimmers who made the pool dance with the music. As the candidates made their entrance, vibrant colors from light blooms were constantly on display.
The main portion of the pageant adopted the American Idol format with three judges in interaction after every talent presentation. Stage actress MARIA LUZ COLE HAVRANEK playing Paula Abdul made the expression “fabulous!” the favorite summer punchline for she was so generous in showering every contestant with “Fabulous! fabulous!.” Even the audience chorused to join her in the “fabulous” exclamation. But when it was PATRO APURA’s turn to share a sexy dance number, Maria had to add “you’re awesome! And girls, what a great body!” The audience responded with “fabulous!” Apura was awarded the best in talent. Havranek also liked RICKY DE LA CRUZ when he heartbreakingly delivered Kieth Urban’s “Tonight I Wanna Cry”, and aside from ‘fabulous,’ she pointed out Ricky’s potential in acting. But singer QUDDUS RONNIE PADILLA who was playing Simon Cowell expressed being “bored” by the performance. Quddus dared to be the evening’s most hated man when he told the popular handsome aspiring envoy MICHAEL CRISTOBAL, “Singing is not your talent.” Maria came to the rescue, told Michael that “you are a good performer. That was fabulous!” The audience had their best moment when it was GERALD HONGAYO’s turn. His moderate style of singing an OPM lovesong did not get an overall star rating from the judges but the swirling along of his intense interpretation made him a heartthrob that night. Quddus had to go with the screaming crowd after an initial critical remark, he ended his comment with “… but the audience loved it, and that’s the most important, an entertainment value….”
The judges were gentler with the lady aspiring envoys. Youth organizer and leader builder DAVE SACEDA who was the Randy Jackson of the night told JESSICA DE LOS SANTOS who gave a sing & dance number that she has grown into “a beautiful woman.” Maria stood up to lead the audience into another “fabulous’ moment making the talent portion really full of fun. As expected, Quddus gave the praises a descending scale when he told Jessica, “your dancing is just OK.” But Quddus was generous with positive lines after the elegant performance of DAISY SARIO. Dave noticed the beautiful costume in the ballroom dance of CANDICE JAYARI, Maria agreed with “fabulous” but told the young lady to work on her confidence level. LUZ CATAN’s lustrous voice came into view, with a slow-moving performance that got the nod of the two judges but to Quddus, “…you failed to capture your audience….”
There was never a dull moment from the sports to swimwear portions to the music of Moulin Rouge and Lady Marmalade. The goodlooking bets were all in shine! shine! glory. More gorgeous work in the direction as the gown portion came to the music of Enchanted. Like gems shining even with the when the audience’s attention span dwindled towards midnight, the end part was still one of the highlights of the evening.

At the finale, I realized that what was appropriately apocalyptic in this summer event was the venue-the poolside gave the night the needed glimmer with the ramp that was like floating across the blue waters - courtesy of the SU Buildings and Grounds’ creative-hardworking hands. And there were more: MATTI HESCOCK, MARK FERNANDEZ, ERI KAJIKAWA and JUN VILLAMERO - four hosts of the pageant who did so well in making sure there was adrenaline flowing in every climax, they have successfully ushered the audience to work overtime in the 3-hour run, but the lasting image was one of great refinement of a supermodel in two costume changes: Miss Hescock – simply elegant and beautiful. Jun was always effective without a little unbridled chaos in creating laughter. Nevertheless, when lovely-like-summer Eri joined animated Jun, the two sounded like the aural equivalent of two striking contrasting colors. And the discovery of the evening was Mr. Fernandez with his handsome hush to Matti’s mouthful. As hosts, they were all winners! The show was to become another CLAUDE RAMOS’ direction masterpiece: lovely textures alternating with moments of great smooth flows and the compelling use of music and dance twists from contemporary musicals. Another winner was the leadership of NADI ORILLANA in the production; under her are ranks filled with new players who can seemingly do anything. The heavenly moments could still be placed in higher quality ranges but as a new event in this university town, the Adventure Envoy search truly made history! The grand winners are: Patro as Silliman’s first Adventure Envoy and Jessica with the Miss Silliman Summer crown. And with their wins is the sense of satisfaction from the people behind and the audience that loved the show.
The Winners are:
Best in Sportswear PATROCINIO B. APURA III
Best in Swimwear JESSICA FRANCE M. DE LOS SANTOS
Cuttin' Loose Best Evening Presence RICKY LOUIE A. DE LA CRUZ
Cuttin' Loose Best Evening Elegance CANDICE CECILE ARBON JAYARI
Best Stage Performance PATROCINIO B. APURA III
Best in Talent PATROCINIO B. APURA III
Infinity Portrait’s Vibrance of Summer 2008 PATROCINIO B. APURA III
Infinity Portrait's Summer Smile 2008 JESSICA FRANCE M. DE LOS SANTOS
Infinity Portrait's Face of Summer 2008 MICHAEL ANGELO D. CRISTOBAL
@ Random Talkshow Best Male Guest MICHAEL ANGELO D. CRISTOBAL
@ Random Talkshow Best Female Guest JESSICA FRANCE M. DE LOS SANTOS
Miracle Mile's Wisdom of Summer 2008 RICKY LOUIE A. DE LA CRUZ
Aoda’s Mr. Summer Fitness 2008 GERALD A. HONGAYO
Living Café Best Fitness Advocacy 2008 DAISY JANE A. SARIO
Miracle Mile’s Wisdom of Summer 2008 RICKY LOUIE A. DE LA CRUZ
Expressions’ Summer Sweetheart 2008 CANDICE CECILE ARBON JAYARI
Pinkaholic’s Miss Portal West Fashion 2008 MARIA LUZ V. CATAN
Mister Dunut’s Pure Energy 2008 PATROCINIO B. APURA III
FilProducts' Best Speaker JESSICA FRANCE M. DE LOS SANTOS

Miss Silliman Summer 2008
JESSICA FRANCE M. DE LOS SANTOS

Silliman University Adventure Envoy 2008
PATROCINIO "Poodie" B. APURA III

MULTI-RACIAL IMPACT

2008-04-24T20:13:00.006-06:00

wherever i go in this country even in my hometown, the local people will always think of me as a foreigner. taxi drivers struggle with their english language to get me to a destination.
in america, i always get the question or the airport check on my being 'arabic.'
one time in a hotel in subic, i got a vip welcome for being mistaken as among their visitors from morocco.
i was a mexican during a guitar festival in San Antonio, Texas.
two students from jordan approached me for they were hoping i come from the same origin.
one lady from new york stopped while having her morning jog to check if am jewish.
while being a ninong in a baptism in batangas, the old folks were asking if i belong to Senator Recto's family.
in palawan, a lady doctor mistook me as a son of her spanish family friend.
in davao, an indian store owner asked me about my father's business in bombay.
a doctor in an optical clinic informed me that i got blue pigments in my eyeballs but i insisted they are all grayish dark brown.

so, what's the real score?
it's all because of my great grandfather: Rev. Father Pedro Garcia, a mooric-looking Spanish priest from Barcelona plus the tribal Manobo lineage of my grandmother Juana Beray Noja.
And my mother's father Gabriel Rañua Badajos from Camiguin Island had spanish and chinese lineage on both sides.
Thanks to all of them, I seem to naturally belong to an international arena, at least visually.

ANGELS OF ADVENTURE

2008-04-24T11:40:00.008-06:00

People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.
--Anton Chekhov
Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year. It brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul.
--Billy Graham

Summer in slow-paced Dumaguete can lead our young people to boredom and perhaps to ‘unhealthy’ ways of entertainment if no avenues are opened to keep them busy. Summer is a time for them to release the energies which have been long-stored up for many of them are usually just glued to TV and computer games. To be mobile or physically active is the only way for them to have a healthier young life. Through the years, I have mounted channels for fun and fruitfulness so that the youth will have their own harvest of summer memories.

If one goes beyond the usual, Dumaguete could be a discovery for it’s a perfect place to celebrate the joys of the summer season. When I am just around here during summer, my restlessness leads me to mount the following: special tours and night events for the fellows of the National Writers Workshop at Silliman, the other summer I had a culture and art tour around Dumaguete for public school teachers, my Fine Arts Appreciation class had a taste of organizing an event by producing a show for a local artist, had ushered kids to a multi-media workshop, brought teens on a trek around the twin lakes, we had speech improvement sessions with out-of-school-youth, guided foreign photographers to cover historic churches around the Visayas, led families from Manila and abroad to discover the ‘secrets’ of Negros island and a lot more.

This summer, all my ‘natural’ resources are poured towards the mounting of the Search for the Summer Adventure Envoy, a youth-oriented event produced by the Silliman University Physical Education and Athletics Department. I find it exciting to be working with the two dynamic ladies: Athletics Director Meriam Merced Ramacho and P.E. Chairperson Audrey Claire Cabio-Tuballa, and the different varsity teams. We actually have a two-fold purpose for mounting this reality-TV inspired event: to give young people a new avenue for expression and to raise funds for the SU-UP Dual Meet.

Launched in a very successful dinner-for-cause last February, the aspirants are left with two more challenges to tackle: the Amlan Adventure Race on Sunday, April 27 and the talent showcase during the Grand Night on Friday, May 2 at the Shaw Memorial Pool. The challenges in this contest are inspired by two hit TV shows, the Amazing Race and the American Idol. The local contestants were featured guests in the @ Random talkshow of FilProducts and models in a fashion show that featured the collections of Portal West popular shops Il Primo, Mixed Berry and Ajar’s.
The eight finalists will be in Amlan today for a race in this budding adventure tourism capital of Oriental Negros. Hon. Bentham P. de la Cruz, the cool mayor of Amlan, himself a mountain biker, facilitated the planning of the activity for the Sillimanian young envoys. The race will include boating from the parola to the sand castle shore where they will have two options, skim boarding and sandcastle building. The Sillimanians will then hop to a habal-habal ride. The long day will be capped by rafting at the cleanest river of Central Visayas, the Amlan River.

The final 8 in the Adventure Envoy Search could be crowd-drawers with their looks, talents and vitality. Table tennis varsity team player 15-year old CANDICE CECILE ARBON JAYARI, fresh from her high school graduation, takes a break from her summer gardening to take part in this cause-oriented event. The 5’6” tall Candice is the sweetheart of her new college friends in the competition for she is simply adorable.
College of Education governor DAISY JANE A. SARIO who loves the latest craze in sports, frisbee, tries hard to keep a balance between her participation in the search and her summer job responsibilities. The dusky beauty hopes to make use of the exposure to encourage young people to “quit smoking, save money and lives.” This call is echoed by another bet, student nurse PATROCINIO B. APURA III or Poodie to friends, who is an active member of the SU volleyball varsity. The hunky prince of sports who also shines in basketball and soccer considers the event as a channel to promote a healthier lifestyle for young people.
Tall, dark and handsome GERALD A. HONGAYO of the Silliman Stallions
takes time to be part of the event to improve on his human relations skills. The 6’1” tall engineering student thinks of basketball as a way to be cool, but the event will bring out a different side of him the moment he goes on stage – it’s a way for him to gain more confidence.
Being among the Top 3 in the recently-concluded Miss Teen Philippines Dumaguete search, 17 year old student nurse JESSICA FRANCE M. DE LOS SANTOS is facing much pressure being compared to Gretel, her sister who was crowned Miss Silliman in 2006. The friendly France is charting her own set of glories, and being part of the Adventure Search is her way of relaxing from academic pressures. This graduate from the PETA Theater workshop really loves performing on stage, and sharing her talent for a good cause has her dedicated 100% to the search. The adventure side of the event is a new twist in her life in sports which so far has been devoted to badminton.

Student leader RICKY LOUIE A. DE LA CRUZ loves adventure. This Information Technology student has covered it all from swimming to fire dancing but he wants more. The event will also be an opportunity for him to explore possibilities as a performing artist. Being an officer of the Student Government, the program will provide a rewarding experience to him of extending help to his fellow students.

Another bet from the College of Education is MARIA LUZ V. CATAN. Luz stands 5’6” tall and considers basketball as her favorite. The event for her is a way to see a world beyond the realm of a student teacher. It will be an exploration to bring more colors to the modern classroom – a challenge in today’s educational field. The pressure of the adventure is actually pushing her to watch with much care the twin dimensions of her youth: health and fitness.
Dancing is a good exercise but it’s not enough to keep a fully-toned physique. One who can attest to this is dancesport artist MICHAEL ANGELO D. CRISTOBAL. This Business Management student regularly goes to the gym, in between dance sessions, just for body toning. He has badminton and swimming as variations for the mobility to have total impact on his ‘machine.’ Joining the Adventure Envoy search will be a showcase of Mykx’s harvest being a fearless fitness enthusiast.

These 8 angels of adventure will inspire many of us to go into a major investment in health and fitness. “Start ‘em young!” – this is what the Search for the Silliman University Summer Adventure Envoy is all about. Two more angels are behind them, Chairperson Naddie Orillana and Creative Director Claudio Ramos, to ensure a total entertainment that captures the vivid colors of summer on the Grand Night, May 2 at the Shaw Memorial Pool. We will all be there!
(Solos courtesy of INFINITY PORTRAIT studio in Dumaguete.)

Thank you very much for all your support. More power and may GOD bless you!

nostalgia 1

2008-04-21T16:54:00.006-06:00

“If you haven't cried, your eyes can't be beautiful.”
Sophia Loren (Italian film Actress, 1934)

"A person has to keep something to herself or your life is just a layout in a magazine."
Grace Kelly (Countess Grimaldi, the wife of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, 1954)

SELF-PORTRAIT... beyond narcissism!

2008-04-17T02:49:00.008-06:00

ageless and ever evergreen
Among the entries in the Life's Little Instruction Book that I have followed year after year was that of taking pictures of the self as part of the celebration of one's birthday. And I have pledged to do this more often before any facial line will grow deep as I age. This year, I decided not to wait for the 31st of May to have the annual pictorial. I had to take the shots before I said goodbye to my hair with tri-color rugged glam. I have to decided to have a military flat-top cut to welcome the heat of summer.
It could be narcissism but it's more than just self-love: it's a celebration of LIFE lived with much colors and fun fun fun twists....

PERSIAN FASHION INVASION

2008-04-16T20:24:00.003-06:00

“There is so much talk about Lily as a seasoned and articulate model, I thought that would be a good switch for me as the past 10 years of fashion week it's been about a different kind of hype.”
Charlie Brown (Fictional character from the comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts.)

It was in the 1970s when we had the first Persian “invasion” here in our University Town. Then, a political crisis in their country stopped them from coming to study in our city’s pride, Silliman University. In 2003 the Iranians started to grow in number again, becoming the second largest group among the 22 nationalities presently represented at Silliman (the welcoming colors near the Gate of Service are to celebrate the international presence in the campus by the sea).

Looking through the old yearbooks, the students from Iran then were not as fashionista as the present generation. The Iranians today go around town with statements from GQ and their simplest fashion expression would be the glamrock of today’s Hollywood icons. One or two of them present a glimmer of metrosexuality every Friday or Saturday night in El Camino or Why Not.

It was not really surprising news for me when I heard that an Iranian student from Silliman University won a national fashion contest advertised in Metro fashion magazine. I have actually worked with some of them in fashion shows mounted by Maria Havranek of Cuttin’ Loose. I feel proud that Pooyan Hasan Poor, one of the models we had at the Café Antonio fashion launch last year, is now one of the new faces of
Ray-Ban Philippines after having won the Ray-Ban Rockstar Model Search 2008. Happy to be chosen in the finals at Warehouse 135 Makati, a popular gimmick place, last April 5, Mechanical Engineering junior student Pooyan is thankful to the force behind
the glory: his girlfriend Ann Margarette Viente, a senior Mass Communication student of Silliman who was the photographer of the fashion profile they submitted through e-mail. Ann’s lovely self-portrait also had her in the Top Ten finalists. But it was her shot of her handsome boyfriend in a soaring animation that got the nod of the judges. The portrait that captured the win means a lot to Ann for it could be her launchpad to a possible career in fashion photography.
So proud of their achievement, I took time to have the goodlooking couple in an interview:
Mojo: Back home in Iran , did you have experience in modeling?
Pooyan: No, because situation in Iran is much different compared here in the Philippines.
Mojo: Beauty concepts vary from culture to culture; what is your concept of a male beauty?
Pooyan: For men, it’s not enough to just have good physical looks; what makes the package complete is the power of mind and good personality.
Mojo: Were you popular with girls back in high school?
Pooyan: Yes, I guess.
Mojo: How was the Ray-Ban experience?
Pooyan: I’m happy that I was able to represent Silliman University and Dumaguete City in the awarding night because some of the people there were not familiar with our place.
Mojo: Ann, do you consider yourself an experienced photographer?
Ann: I’m not that experienced. I started delving into photography in 2005 –it was purely experimental. I never had formal lessons in photography. I greatly rely on my own artistic instincts. It’s a combination of a skillful hand and an imaginative mind.
Mojo: What's your preference, being the subject of the photo or being the one behind the camera?
Ann: Both. However, it’s often hard for me to just plainly follow what the photographer would instruct me to do. Once I’m into it, I just can’t help but inject my own ideas. On the other hand, I also love photography and I totally enjoy doing it especially if the subject can portray my desired concept well. I may be a perfectionist at times, but I’m easy to work with.
Mojo: Do you have plans of becoming a professional photographer?
Ann: Yes. Hearing people’s appreciation of my works is actually the main aspect that convinces me to push through with this.
Mojo: You are a beautiful Filipina, but does one have to be as beautiful as you to be a good subject in a shoot?
Ann: We are all beautiful. Picking a model for a photo shoot would basically depend on the theme. Anyhow, I always work on making my subject feel comfortable during each shoot.
We say thank you to Pooyan and his friends from home for the added handsome presence in our University Town. But our Iranian friends could actually be the ones who are more thankful that Dumaguete’s welcoming public has an eye for culture and fashion – and in this Ray-Ban glory, we also thank Ann for such an excellent representation.