Chile earthquake?

Another high magnitude earthquake just struck Chile, with a 8.8 magnitude. As of this time, reports have it that there is at least 6 casualties and will be rising, we hope not. Last time it was Haiti, now Chile! I don't know but is this really natural or there is something hidden in here which we are not aware of.These two countries are located just within the central and south america region just like Cuba and Venezuela and some other countries of course. We just hope that this earthquake stop devastating these countries.

Our Lady of Fatima Church Binakayan

One could easily gauge a persons character by just going to his house and see if it is clean or dirty. If everything is in order and not in a complete disarray,these are just but simple observations which truly reflects the character of the owner.

Truly, the community as represented by the parish pastoral council and headed by the parish priest are both working hand in hand in keeping their house of worship,the church, clean,beautiful and serene and very conducive in prayers and some other spiritual activities.

Once you enter the front yard you can notice the cleanliness of the place and also the beautiful plants and trees in the surroundings.There are lots of flowering plants in bloom and the trees are there to give shades to everybody.

Entering the church, one could see that the pews are always tidy and the floors are also very clean and shiny. The newly landscaped main altar with its water falls are a sight to behold,adding so much freshness and serenity to the place.

The back yard of the church which is in itself a mini-park with trimmed trees and plants,a mini aviary,a small fishpond,a gazebo and a station of the cross for prayers and private meditations.

These are just some beautiful things that one could see in this house and we can say that the rightful owner of the house is good in character and that he truly loves his house.

Our Lady of Fatima Binakayan,Cavite,Philippines

This is the ongoing beautification and make over of Our Lady of Fatima Church.After being neglected for quite sometime which made it lost its former beauty and especially its cleanliness, the pastoral council headed by the parish priest decided to concentrate on the beautification and cleanliness drive of the church.The different organizations and some individuals have already began in cleaning the church surroundings and also inside the church itself.One other main concern was the public comfort rooms, four male and four female, which had become unusable due to complete neglect that renders them very dirty and completely unsanitary to use.Now, after being completely cleaned and renovated, parishioners are now using this facility with much content.

The church surroundings both in front and at the back are now well maintained unlike before wherein there were so much dirt. These are just some concerns being taken cared of now and hoping that at the very near future the church will again be enjoying its previous grandeur.

Some more beautiful developments are coming and will be posted soon.

Bethzy going to Dubai!

Finally, at the airport,8:00 am,must be there 4 hours before the flight which will be at 12:20pm.The carrier will be Gulf Air, so hard to say goodbye! This is the first time that she will be away from home! Happy trip,good luck and God Bless!

Before going to the airport!

7:00 am, February 21, 2010.

A little despedida last night with the family and in-laws to be,together with some close friends.

MEA VALENTINES PARTY 2010

MEA VALENTINES PARTY 2010

It was held, February 14,2010 at Primera Luz Filipina Lodge No.69, Binakayan,Cavite,Philippines.

The second activity of the group for the year, the Sto. Nino Caracol last January being the first.Both having a big number of attendance and showing a relatively good sign of interest in the members.It started at 7:00pm and ended happily at 12:00mn.Sis. Cely Pabalan led the prayer before meal while Sis. Lolit Handog led the opening prayer of the program.The new chairman,Bro. Raz Plotado gave his opening remarks and thanked everybody for their support in the Caracol and for coming in the party.It was hosted by Sis. Vicky Santero and Bro. Juhn Arnan, who have to leave early for an earlier appointment.The foods were prepared by the different groups including the drinks and surely there was more than enough for everybody.The chaircouple donated the mignight snack which was so delicious, consisting of "pospas and tokwa".Some raffles were held and prizes were donated also by some members. A portion of the program was dedicated in remembering all the members by their respective units starting from Unit One to Unit Fifteen. There was a big laughter here when Bro. Jhun being the host, told the group that it was 1975 that the first unit was formed,yet inspite of the fact that it was already 35 years that had passed he was still feeling young, yet he had a hard time remembering the last number of unit he had called. It was Unit Fourteen who had the most number present.Music was provided by a mobile disco rented by the group. All expenditures with regards to rental of the venue and the mobile disco was easily taken cared of by means of the usual pass the hat system.Before the party ends, the Vice-Chairman gave his closing remarks by giving thanks to all present and hope to meet again on the next activities to come and reminded all about the planned activities for summer.All thoughout the night, it was fun, dancing and enjoyment.All in all it was a very successful get-together valentines party.

The group is now planning to have a "Pabasa" for the Lenten season and a "Summer Outing" for the month of April and will be finalized in the next meeting to be called by the Chairman.

The new sets of officers:

Chaircouple: Bro. Raz and Sis. Lou Plotado

Vice-Chaircouple: Bro. Rodel and Sis. Lolit Cavas

Treasurer/Acting Secretary: Sis. Lolit Handog

Talisay,Batangas Town Fiesta 2010

My wife Lolit and I were invited last Fevruary 10, 2010 by VW Vic Degrano and wife Lalaine, to celebrate with them their town fiesta in Talisay, Batangas. It was in honor of the towns' patron saint Sn. Guillermo.Hl Mercy Viajedor with her sister HL Jovit with husband Norving who was driving the car also came and we rode with them. Bethzy and Bevs with husband Mhike together with their kids Mikay and Mikoy also went in their cars. We all took the road to Tagaytay and passed thru a zigzag road leading to Talisay.It was a very exciting trip especially when we were already passing thru the zigzag road going down from Tagaytay to Talisay. It was very,very steep and the road is a little narrow.It's about more than an hour from our place to VW Vics' house. We arrived at around 11:30 am, but we had a little difficulty in parking our cars because there were a lot of cars already and the street was full, and it was only with the help of VW Vic and a kind neighbor who showed us a place to park.When we reached the house we were immediately treated with some merrienda and cold drinks. A little bit later PGRM Lyn Altares arrived with his driver. She also found a hard time parking her car and it took them some minutes before they could find a spot. They were also served with some refreshments.

After I had finished my drinks I proceeded to the town plaza and to the church to pay homage to Sn. Guillermo and at the same time took some photos and video recordings of the place. The church is very beautiful and relatively clean in spite of the fact that it was fiesta time.An image of Sn. Guillermo stood at the center of the main altar and a monument also stood in front of the church.The retablos are very prominent with gold lift designs.People goes in and out of the church to pray and give thanks to the Lord and also to pay homage to the Saint.The old traditions of wiping ones handkerchief to the statues of the different Saints and then wiping it to some parts of the body that requires some healing, were still very much alive.Outside just infront of the church were stalls of different merchandise being sold ranging from candles ,foods, birds, clothes,flowers,fruits,drinks and even bolos,knives and some garden and farm implements.

There was one street just across the church,about maybe less than a kilometer long that leads to the public market,and this was filled with so many stalls and vendors that you could hardly walk with ease due to so many people buying and some were just looking around. There were also some stalls with games of chance and here lots of people young and old were gathered.

After quite sometime I went back to the house and lunch was served. It was a very sumptuous and delicious meal. It consisted of fried tilapia and ayungin, chicken in pineapple, beef caldereta, pork and chicken adobo and mixed vegetables and of course some rice.Desserts and sodas were also served.After this we were served coffee and enjoyed every drop of it.

After a few minutes of talking and relaxing, the ladies wanted to go to the market and so we went there and I again took some photos and videos. They bought some fruits, sweets and suman. The market is very near the lake and I took this opportunity to take picture and video of the lake.

It was already 3:00pm when we went back to the house and there was already a prepared merienda of suman and cold drinks. The suman(rice cake wrapped in coconut leaves) is very delicious and as we were told, it was cooked by the niece of VW Vic. After a little while we bid goodbye and thanked them for a very wonderful experience that we had. The food was excellent and the place is very beautiful,it was the mountain on the other side and then just a little further on the other side was the lake. The warm hospitality of the hosts, VW Vic and wife HL Lalaine was extraordinary.

We will surely cherish this very special occassion and hoping to go back there again.

Talisay,Batangas Town Fiesta February 10,2010 Part 1

Taal Lake and Taal Volcano as viewed from Talisay Public Market during the town fiesta.