Phil-Japan Friendship Day celebration set this July

SIGNIFICANTLY, the Philippines-Japan Friendship Day nationwide celebration like the Fil-American Friendship Day special are highlight program features of the month of July.

On Tuesday, July 4, our city government officials will celebrate with our populace the Fil-Am Friendship Day with commemorative activities. A wreath laying will start at 7:30 a.m. at the Col. Lyman Kennon Monument along Zig Zag Road will usher the day's offering.

The flower rites will also be held at the Architect Daniel Monument at the main park, site of the First Philippine Commission along Gov. Pack Road and finally at the Justice George Malcolm Monument at Malcolm Square led by City Mayor Mauricio Domogan. A set of program follows.

At 10 a.m., a "Kultura-O-Rama" of songs and folk dances will be staged at the Baguio Convention Center. The special event, for the first time, will march and crown the Fil-Am Friendship Day Gng. Lakambini, Gng. Peace and Gng. Unity with their respective escorts.

The City Social Welfare and Development Office, Office for Senior Citizens Affairs, the Baguio Elderly Assembly, BARP Foundation, Federation of Baguio Senior Citizens Associations and the Philippine Government Retirees Association Baguio Chapter is coordinating the special offering in partnership with the city's Fil-Am Friendship Day committee.

Last Thursday, Arnel Cabanisas, Executive Director of the Filipino-Japanese Foundation Inc., Northern Luzon and yours truly met at his office at ABONG.

Primarily, we talked about the revival of the Fil-Japanese Friendship Day celebration in the city.

The celebration was initiated by the BEACSWDO-OSCA and the FPF Inc. and the National Correspondents Club of Baguio in 2009 as a part of the Baguio Centennial Charter Day Celebration. The affair was temporarily out of the pro- both at the end of her sophomore year in high school. She decided to come up to Baguio , again to work as a domestic.

In the wake of the July 16, 1990 earthquake that hit Baguio , Rhoda found refuge in an evacuation center near the city slaughterhouse. There, she met Benjamin, a miner who was sidelined due to work-related injuries, but still volunteered in the rescue operations for victims trapped in the collapsed Nevada Hotel days afer the quake.

Yars after the quake, Rhoda unwrapped Benjamin’s bronze plaque credential in volunteerism.

“In recognition of service above and beyond the call of duty in rescue of victims of the July 16, 1990 earthquake,” the inscription read.

It was presented by Benguet Corp, on September 28 that year, signed by Alfonso Yuchengco, chairman of the board, and Dennis Bemonte, president.

Rhoda remembers Benjamin was among those who rescued Sonia Roco, wife of then Senator Raul Roco. The temblor struck while Sonia was attending a conference sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development at the Nevada Hotel.

Benjamin Sr. was on-and-off at odd jobs, as his old injuries prevent full-time work. If he could find some materials, he could improve their shanty, which they built with support from a nun. It bears no number, and stands on a lot owned by somebody else. Two years ago, he succumbed to illness, leaving behind Rhoda to raise the kids.

The patchwork of GI sheets, canvas and scrap without electricity or plumbing is home to their gram lanes after the death of Engr. Leopoldo Escano, former executive director of the Foundation.

Personally, I am deeply elated to assist in the revival of the 2009 Fil-Japanese Friendship in the city. Thank you to Mr. Cabanisas for his trust and confidence for my modest leadership and services.

The city celebration is scheduled on July 23 with a set of commemorative endeavors with original members of the committee at the front line. The day kicks off at nine in the morning with floral, and candle ceremonies to be held at the Fil-Japanese Memorial Park along Gov. Pack Road. Participants for the special occasion will be led by ranking city government officials, representatives from the Japanese Embassy in Metro Manila, civic leaders and officers and members of FJ foundation.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the program will continue at the Baguio City National High School Auditorium. The afternoon show will feature a Filipino-Japanese photo exhibit through the years at the entrance of the auditorium.

The program will include invocation, the Flag Rites, singing of the Pambansang Awit and the National Anthem of Japan, the Baguio Hymn and the welcome remarks of Mr. Cabanisas.

Mayor Domogan will head visitors to the affair together with invited guests from the Japanese Embassy. A representative from the Embassy will be the guest of honor and speaker. five children – Rejie, 20 and out of school; Sharmaine, 19, Sunshine, 17, Benzon 15, and Benjamin Jr. On rainless nights, the kids sometimes go to a neighbor’s house to watch TV.

The couple had tried opening a mico-mini store with a P5,000 livelihood loan from the city social welfare and development office. It was promising at first, until customers became familiar to be refused credit. Rhoda’s consolation was having repaid the loan.

Six years back, an Ibaloi woman raising her own daughter in Kentucky got wind of Rhoda’s plight. She included Rhoda in several anonymous fund support to the needy here. Part of it went to the family’s daily sustenance, the bulk for Rhoda to work on in a door-to-door vending of fish and vegetables.

The family’s needs, however, were still too much to bear, including her and the children’s medications against weather induced illness. The would-be livelihood capital was re-channeled to addressing these.

Each time the weather permits, Rhoda is back along Session Road, spotting bags of trash to rummage. Or at city hall where employees hand her their empty plastic bottles. Passersby can identify her through Benjamin Jr., who sits on the pavement and wails at times when he’s had enough of walking. -o0o(P.S. – Thanks to a fund support raised by siblings Sunshine and Paulo Paclayan-Balanza, from fellow church-goers in Michigan, Rhoda and Benjamin eventually improved the family abode. Thanks to support from Shoshin Kinderhilfe, the humanitarian foundation former world karate champion Julian Chees established in southern Germany, Sharmaine, now a student at the King’s College in La Trinidad, Benguet, was able to take her class examinations.

The presentation, march and coronation ceremonies honoring the celebration's muses and escorts will also be on center stage. The honorees are Miss Hope, Miss Solidarity and Miss FilJapanese Friendship 2017. A FBASECA singer will render a "harana" dedicated to the Royal Court. A cultural presentation of folk dances and songs from the Senior Citizens Associations from the BEA, BCNHS Performing Arts, NIIT, the Kiddies International School and from the ABONG FL Foundation, among others will surely exude joy and entertainment for everyone.

The presentation of awards and recognition to tri-media publications and a television station in Northern Luzon will be in the core. A raffle is added for the "palabas".

A solo concert of songs by an opera singer from the Land of the Rising Sun, courtesy of the Japanese Embassy, will climax the celebration in the city.

Here are the series of activities marking the Phil-Japan Friendship Month. Submission of entries is in the middle of July. Baguio Heritage Sites Painting Workshop and Contest by JANL at BCNHS or at the Baguio Museum. July 15 - Tanabata Decoration / Fukinagashi

Workshop at ABONG. Open to the public. August 5 - Tanabata decoration/exhibit at

the Baguio Museum. August 8 - PM, opening ceremony of the PhilJapan Friendship Baguio Tanabata Festival 8 at the Baguio Museum hosted by the City Mayor, Congressman Go, Japanese Embassy, JICA and Japan Foundation. August 10-13 - Japanese film festival at the SM Cinema, sponsored by Japan Foundation. August 12-13 - Cosplay Tanabata Festival 6

by the Baguio Cosplay Community. August 31 - End of all the exhibit at the Baguio Museum. At this juncture, we are inviting all our friends and the city's cosmopolitan resident to the two international July special friendship events celebration to be held on our Magandang Baguio doorsteps. belief that there is nothing good to tie me in, in Italy. We have tried our hardest to dig deep and find reason, we have failed. Juan is now tied up. My hands are tied. I have tried to find that thing, anything in fact to make me change my mind about a place, Italy that is.

I end up going to places off the beaten path, supposedly where no Juan goes. I find beauty in everywhere we go. I forget about the heat, the long walks, finding parking space or even scoundrels or those with unruly behavior.

We are met with passionate people. Those that love their place. Love what they have and love what they do. They seem blessed with everything they were given. Don't get me wrong here, not every one has a villa to live on or a big car to go from one place to another.

It is fact that they all have small, well tiny cars here. The Wigo and Mirage will be considered big here. They live simple lives. They have cappuccino in their local cafe, eat what is served by the restaurant. Buy what the market has to offer. They love their life.

Oh and the food is fabulous, the freshest of ingredients all found in the area. Everything is so authentic, away from what I am used to. Not to mention all the wine. Every region has something to be proud of. I will surely up my ante with the way I cook back home.

Oh I highly doubt that the French will do better. If they do it will be another first. Another, threes a charm? It's unlikely though. I do have some memories to share to about this place where we are now. But this is my take for here, now.

I am just tied for now with Italy. There's nothing more that I can say. My hands are tied. I am hostaged. So tie me up.