Advent and events
WILL wonders never cease? One of the newest church is the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Muntinlupa. Fr. Lambert Legaspino’s brick wonder was built in 15 months – from a chapel nearby to a church on a hill on Don Jesus Ave., thanks to the indefatigable sipag at tiyaga of his parishioners.
Because they still have to dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s,” the volunteer brigade produced “Fides et Musica” fund-raising concert. The program opened with Conductor Josefino Chino Toledo leading the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra (MMCO) in a stirring martial beat of “Lupang Hinirang.” After Fr. Lambert’s opening prayers and welcome, Cultural Center of the Philippines President Dr. Raul Sunico gave a tour de force of Respighi, Longas, Schubert, Chopin, liszt, and Webber (including his own arrangements of “Hangang sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan,” “Ernani Cuenco Medley,” and “Medley from Phantom of the Opera”). Not surprising for those who know our foremost pianist is that he performed the entire repertoire without notes. The only new element Sunico introduced was sporting a jusi barong with a batik print.
At the second half, a nightingale soprano Gerphil Geraldine Flores accompanied by the MMCO, seduced with “The Impossible Dream,” “Speak Softly Love,” and “Tanging Yaman.” Dr. Sunico capped the evening with George Gershwin’s Concert F. SRO audience wanted more; so conductor Toledo and the MMCO obliged with a medley of Yuletide songs to wish one and all the blessings of Christmas and the happiness of the season approaching.
*** “BELENISSIMO.” Thanks to the vision of mother Isabel Cojuangco Suntay and daughter Isa, Tarlac City earned from Department of Tourism the cachet as the “Belen Capital of the Philippines.” Every year since 2007 the Tarlac Heritage Foundation opens the grand competition in five categories for the most imaginative nativity scenes. The rules are simple: • Executed by locals. • Use of local, organic or recycled material. • Each entry should have a prayer. We were privileged to join the convoy of three envoys -- Igor Khodaev (Russia), Esra Cankorur (Turkey), and Capaya Rodriguez Gonzalez (Venezuela). Jump off-at 3:30 p.m. from Paseo de Roxas with ETA at Tarlac City at 5:45 p.m. A mite ambitious, knowing Metro Manila’s Gordian knot traffic?
UBEDDERBELIBIT — We kicked off at the appointed hour and, incredible but true, with two lead cars opening the path and four daredevil outriders covering our flanks, it was like the parting of waters, and our convoy zigzagged EDSA in between the queue of motorcars and we reached NLEX in 30 minutes. (Not recommended to DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade or to the fainthearted.) A tollgate was even reserved for our convoy to wheeze through.
We arrived at destination ten minutes earlier. After refreshments, we criss-crossed some of the 27 participating barangays – community Belens, church, and parochial school Belens, and several individual home Belens. Notable among entries was a previous winner, a home owner with a Belen by the roadside beside a canal, (whose family has sent two children to higher education with the prize money). And there is a high-end home with the owner’s interpretation of a Belen by the river (makeshift, with running recycled water). Two behemoths competing in the major category are SM City with a moving St. Joseph and angels, and the Belen of the Army Camp with the Holy Family in the bosom of a sarimanok. (We don’t know if it is an unfair advantage for the army camp exhibit to include the Tarlac vocational school dance troupe performing folk dances, including the most difficult tinkling choreography I have seen.)
Like a good movie that one must see himself, I should leave the reader to experience. I am told that each year, it gets bigger, better. But don’t wait for 2017. Judges decide the winners and award the prizes for the best Belens on December 10; but the Belenissimo exhibit runs through the Christmas season.
FOREIGN NEWS. In some places in the Christian world, nativity scenes are discouraged at schools on Christmas and only Santa Claus is visible. Due to pressure from the Muslim community, a Maryland school district renamed Christmas and Easter vacations to “Winter Break” and “Summer Break.” Montgomery Country public school voted to remove references to religious holidays when it could not oblige demand to include Eid-al-Fitr and other Moslem holidays. Sounds like a very Solomonic decision, if by that you mean to cut the baby in half?
ERRATUM. Last Wednesday’s column (on borrowing from the future), left out the following paragraph which didn’t make press deadline: “The late Odette Alcantara, founder and moving spirit of the Earth Day Network Philippines (EDNP), has her disciples (Anita Celdran, Edicio dela Torre, Inday Berroya, Lita Salvador, Met Palaypay, Mimi Sison, Gani Serrano, Toby Tañada, and Voltaire Alferez) carry the faith. Their Clark Green City Forest Restoration Project envisions planting Philippine indigenous and endemic tree species in 500 hectares of Clark’s 9,000 hectares.”
NEWSBREAK. De La Salle vs Ateneo dream match for the 79th UAAP basketball seniors championship. A classmate hoped that Ateneo doesn’t get past FEU (if only to deny La Salle revenge for spoiling their slate). Too late for that now; and Blue Eagles must face up to heavy favorites Black Archers. But it has happened before, with a prayer and adrenalins pumping: they are rested; we are primed. Game 1 of best-of-3 between two storied rivals tomorrow, Saturday afternoon, at the Mall of Asia. FEEDBACK: