Zamboanga on my mind
THEREwas that familiar stillness in the room. That stillness, which only she can recognize; no sound except that monotonous mutiny of the computer in that poised room, and that muffled sound of traffic which successfully infiltrated the thick walls of that old building. She clicked at the save button and slumped her upper body against the office chair. She started pondering about life: “is this all there is to it?” she sighed. She routinely scrolled down to check her Facebook updates, then her eyes beamed at one post: “Strawberry Festival? Give me my Strawberry shake!”. Lively colors returned to her face again – she will definitely go to La Trinidad’s Strawberry Lane!
One of the highlights of La Trinidad’s Strawberry Festival is the “Strawberry Lane” which features the town’s strawberries and strawberry products. It specifically intends to showcase what La Trinidad is celebrating this March. Aside from Strawberries, there will be Strawberry Cakes and Pastries, Strawberry Jams and Wines, Strawberry Shakes and delicacies, and other Strawberry-themed goods. There will also be various activities in the Strawberry Lane which further promotes La Trinidad’s Strawberry: the biggest and sweetest strawberries contests on March 13, and the Strawberry wine fair on March 20, 2018.
As per the executive committee, we will not have the Strawberry giant cake this year (unfortunately) as it will be implemented every two years to upsurge anticipation of the internationally recognized feat. Some of our local bakers, however, will be at the Strawberry Lane to offer the strawberry cakes you miss. Aside from the sweets, a group also offers strawberry + meat + strawberry chili sauce. Don’t believe me? Then you should definitely go to La Trinidad’s Strawberry Lane near the town’s municipal building!
Ihave been to Mindanao in the mid-90s as part of the contingent sent by the governing body of the Cordillera to study and observe the administrative and political setup of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao or ARMM. It was my first visit to the country’s southern islands and a learning experience not only to the region’s socio-political climate but also on the culture and arts of our Muslim counterparts. I can still vividly recall the amused face of the late Cordillera People’s Liberation Army Chairman Conrado Balweg when we were treated to a dinner party at the Mindanao State University where Muslim students garbed in their hijabs performed for us. The sight of MSU students dancing the Singkil and Pangalay ha Pattong to the beat of Agong and Kulintang was indeed a sight to behold and the food served truly made us feel like members of the royal family.
It was a family affair that led me and my wife to catch a plane to Zamboanga over the weekend as my niece Sofia Loren Pang-ot Deliu formally embraced Islam and tied the knot with her long-time boyfriend Abdul-Bassar Aburajak, a Tausog from Sulu. “I was born for you”, this is the wedding message flashed on screen that came strong in my mental notes. The officiating Imam further discussed its meaning during the wedding reception of my niece who wedded a Tausog police officer. To be a Muslim is not to be an Arab the Imam stressed as the new couple prepares to bond together and leave their respective families to raise a family of their own.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte attended the wedding of Sofia, a Police Senior Inspector Sofia Loren Deliu assigned to the Presidential Security Group and Police Inspector AbdulBassar Abdurajak at the Palacio del Sur in Zamboanga City as the primary sponsor on March 10, 2018. President Duterte, congratulated my niece and her husband during the wedding saying that he now has a connection with the Tausogs of Mindanao. In his message to the couple, Duterte emphasized the lifetime commitment that comes with marriage. He advised Deliu and her husband to respect and understand each other’s differences, and show the same kind of passion at work in their relationship. “Marriage is not only exchanging vows. It’s also committing a life with eternal love and happiness despite all hardships and difficulties,” he said. For Sofia, the President said “My advice to you, maybe it’s time for you to leave PSG and look for an assignment na magkita kayo araw-araw, importante ‘yan” adding in jest “para naman you start your marriage with a companionship that is constant. Para mabuntis rin kaagad. Para makita ko ‘yung… tingnan ko ‘yung mukha nito.”
We were seated among the PNPA classmates of the couple at table seven and we relied mostly on the giant LED screens for a closer view on the wedding event. Since the customary Islam wedding already happened at AbdulBassar’s hometown in Sulu, the rites with the President in Zamboanga was meant for a bigger occasion with friends, relatives, officemates and well-wishers formally gather just like in Christian wedding.
Before the wedding, Helen performed her official task by meeting with members of the Philippine Information Agency Zamboanga Peninsula and partner agency representatives where she discusses a possible formation of multi-platform approach in expanding communication reach of government agencies through a proposed Regional Information Centers.
While checking my smartphone for social media updates, an FB friend locator advisory marked one of my foster sons to be nearby and I immediately sent a message to Army Captain Mikko Castro that we are in Zamboanga. Upon reading my message, Mikko and one of his company mate met us at the barter trade district and they toured us to places that we haven’t been to like the Fortaleza del Pilar, a 17th cen-