Easter Sunday 2013 is the 492nd anniversary of the first Mass in the Philippines!

DID YOU KNOW? Today, Easter Sunday, is the 492nd anniversary of the first Mass in our country that was celebrated in Isla Mazaua! It happened on 21 March 1521 which was also an Easter Sunday!

The traditional “salubong” between our Lord Jesus Christ (left) and His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary (right). Photo taken early this morning by Yeyette Perey de Alas at our town plaza.

It was Fernando de Magallanes, otherwise known as Ferdinand Magellan, who ordered the celebration of the Holy Mass in Mazaua. It was officiated by Fray Pedro de Valderrama (O.S.A.). It is sad to note that Magallanes, a devout Roman Catholic and a kind-hearted gentleman, is one of the most vilified and hated characters in Philippine History today when, ironically, he was the catalyst for the birth of Christianity in our country.

Something is just not right. Something is obviously twisted. We are a Christian —a Catholic— nation. Yet we hate the medium that brought our beloved faith to our shores.

It is the bitterness that was taught to us in US-centric schools that inhibits us from discovering the truth about ourselves. Indeed, “those years cry for a fresher appraisal“. I pray that Easter Sunday 2013 will be the commencement of the “resurrection” of our buried but glorious past.

Happy Easter everyone!

Strange Friday

Something strange happened this afternoon.

After lunch, me and my family watched Mel Gibson’s controversial film The Passion of the Christ on VCD. At exactly 3:00 PM, the crucifixion scene was shown.

The hour of great mercy. What a coincidence.

I am sure it was a sign. But what does it mean?

The Passion of the Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Happy 2013 to all of us!

May we all have a very happy, healthy, prosperous, meaningful, and BLESSED 2013!

Christmas 2012!

Merry Christmas to everyone who reads this!

By the way… please say at least a little prayer for our fellow Filipinos in Mindanáo, send donations, whatever. Just remember that while you are comfortably enjoying the Holiday Season with your loved ones, the victims of Typhoon Pablo aren’t that fortunate. We’re all in this together. Please remember them.

Happy Birthday to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Let us all save the Alberto House of Biñán

PRES. BENIGNO AQUINO III: Save the historic Alberto Mansion in Biñán, La Laguna.
Dr. Bimbo Santa María

The house is almost 200 years old. It was built by Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, father of Teodora Alonso and grandfather of Dr. José Rizal. The house was in almost perfect shape until the current owner, a descendant of Alberto Alonso, sold it to a resort owner in Bagac, Bataán. The local government opposed it and did not grant the dismantling permit. However, in May of 2010, the house was dismantled from the inside.

A campaign to save the house was launched spearheaded by local heritage advocates called the United Artists for Cultural Conservation and Development (UACCD). With the help of the print and broadcast media together with netizens, the issue gained public interest.

A new law on heritage conservation was approved by then President Gloria Arroyo on March 2010 stating that structures 50 years and above have to be conserved if it has cultural importance. The National Historical Institute (now National Historical Commission of the Philippines or NHCP) was ready to put a marker in the house recognizing it as historical since the 90s but was refused by the owner. Since then, and in spite of the public clamor to save the house, the NHCP till the present has reiterated it was never declared as an important cultural property, at the same time saying that they do not have the funds to save the house.

The house is the only remaining original structure on site in relation to Dr. Rizal. The Rizal Shrine in Calambâ is only a replica built from its foundation and floor initiated by then Pres. Elpidio Quirino through funds coming from donations of schoolchildren in the 1950s.

Many would say that it is not that important since it is “just” the house of Rizal’s mother. Not realizing that without Teodora Alonso, there would be no Pepe Rizal. Teodora was Rizal’s first teacher and was the one who moulded his character of love of country. The house is the living soul that reminds us of the memory of this great woman and her contribution to Philippine history.

The destruction of this house is man-made. They took away the ceiling, the floor, and even dug the foundations, leaving only the shell of the house. A part of the roof caved in last week. A call for help ran in the internet for the government to immediately intervene before the whole house collapses, but it fell into deaf ears. On 22 October 2012, 75% of the roof went down along with a big part of the façade.

But the house can still be saved. It took one president in the past to rebuild the Rizal Shrine in Calamba. Now, we call on our president to step in and help save and reconstruct this irreplaceable part of our history in Biñán. A fitting honor for a mother of a national hero.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION BY CLICKING HERE!

Around 80% of Metro Manila and surrounding provinces are submerged in floodwaters!

Quick report

No, there is no typhoon taking place. But nonstop monsoon rains left 80 percent of Metro Manila flooded on Tuesday (7^th of August) forced hundreds of thousands to escape out of their inundated homes, sparking traumatic recollections of the calamitous tropical storm “Ondoy” three years ago. Last night, Malacañang Palace suspended classes in Metro Manila and the nine provinces surrounding it.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa issued Memorandum Circular No. 34, ordering the suspension of classes Thursday at all levels, including postgraduate courses, in Metro Manila, Zambales, Bataán, Pampanga, Pangasinán, Tárlac, Bulacán, La Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal.

Actually, it has been raining for more than a week, even before typhoon Gener struck. The flash floods began gradually on Monday and severely swelled last Tuesday. Many places are in a state of calamity, especially communities along the Mariquina River and Laguna de Bay. Before last night’s memorandum, Malacañang Palace also issued a directive canceling work in both government and private offices. Even call centers/BPOs were not excluded from this, prompting the Business Processing Association of the Philippines to appeal; this is because this industry caters to international clients.

Now the sun is finally up, but barely. And the floods don’t mitigate that fast. And think of the countless families who were rendered homeless. Please, let us not allow ourselves to be mere spectators of this tragedy. We are all part of this…

How to help? Please click HERE and HERE.

We can all get through this together. That is the FILIPINO spirit. Dapat sama-sama sa hirap at guinhawa.

*******

Special thanks to my cousin, DJ Jam Alas of Magic 89.9, for the info on how to help the flood victims.

Congratulations, Senator Angara!

A hearty congratulations to Hispanista/Filipinista Senator Edgardo Angara for being inducted to the Hispano-American Royal Academy of Science, Arts and Letters! He is the only Asian and non-Spanish speaker in the ranks of the exclusive academy.

Senator Angara is the only lawmaker today who is carrying on the fight to preserve the Filipino Identity through the promotion of our Hispanic ties. And right now, he is clamoring for the return of the Spanish language into K+12 program. He is reminiscent of past great senators such as Claro M. Recto, Enrique Magalona, Cipriano Primicias, and Vicente Sotto, among many others. The truth is that Senator Angara is struggling for an unpopular cause, especially since history has bedeviled our Spanish past. But he does not care about this. He is after nothing but the historical truth.

¡Viva Señor Angara, el héroe moderno del cosmos filipino!

It started in Baler: Angara’s ‘highest honor’ as 1st Asian, non-Spanish speaker royal academy member

The century-old Real Academia Hispano Americana de Ciencias, Artes Y Letras in Cádiz, one of Europe’s oldest cities and the Iberian Peninsula’s center of culture and the arts, last month inducted Sen. Edgardo Angara into its elite roster of intellectuals, recognizing the lawmaker for furthering Philippine-Spanish relations within and outside the government.

Click here for more!

Easter Sunday 2012

Happy Easter!!!

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This year, 2012, we will bring back our true literature: Literatura Filipina. More about this in future posts!

Happy 2012 everyone!

Have a blessed and prosperous new year, everyone! May the Lord God Almighty bless and guide us all! And to the few faithful readers of this blog (as well as ALAS FILIPINAS which is now on its fifth year), critics and believers alike, thank you very much for reading!