1st CFC-GK Quezon City Household Christmas Party at Casa Meloto

Two Monday evenings ago (December 12) my community household held its first Christmas party as a CFC-GK, Q.C. household. Sadly, unlike in the previous years my wife Odette couldn’t be there with us because she wasn’t feeling well and had to come home earlier from her office due to her condition. Still, the attendance of those present during this Christmas gathering was a strong testament to the resolve and dedication of those who remained faithful to what we believed as the genuine CFC mission and work with the poor through Gawad Kalinga (GK).

Potluck food abound

Now for the third straight year, the household’s Christmas party had been held at the Meloto residence in New Capitol Estates (NCE) II. As a term of endearment, we came to refer to it as “Casa Meloto”.

Like last year, Odette and I were assigned to bring vegetable salad. Like before, I we tried to bring in a good variety of food “adjuncts” to the leafy salad to give our brethren more variety and richness of choice for their individual salad preparations.

We all had our assignments and “specialties”. For example, Bro. Willy Bagsarsa is known for his specially crafted and all-time favorite “tuna kinilaw” (raw fish immersed in spicy vinegar). Bro. Gerry Santos utilized his cooking skills for a big warm pot of “shabu-shabu” which he mixed on-site bringing along several condiments to also allow the individual to choose how spicy he or she may want her soup to taste.

“Chef” Bro. Gerry Santos prepares the much awaited shabu- shabu

Brethren prepare for the thanksgiving prayer led by host Bro. Tony Meloto

Exchange gifts are properly labeled by Sis. Thelma Grana as Bros. Willy Bagsarsa and Omin del Castillo looked on

A variety of colorful fruits

Eating time!

Green and fruity salad, chicken, spicy shabu-shabu soup and kinilaw na tanigue (raw fish marinated in vinegar) were my favorites that night

Sisters Celes Naguiat and Lyn Meloto are all smiles

Everyone was quite “busy” with their gastronomic choices

The wives prepare for their yearly gift “grabbing”…este…“giving” tradition

While the men engage in a healthy colloquy

The game begins!

After the opening of gifts, what soon followed was a hilarious protracted series of gifts changing hands

Since my wife was absent, I had to play on our behalf. I didn’t exactly know all the game mechanics but enough to know that it was a wacky game that never seems to end! Just when you think you choose a gift you like, someone in the next round of drawing cards gets it again from you.

When the smoke cleared, I got a nice blue long-sleeved dress shirt, a set of salt and pepper shakers and a environmentally friendly plastic storage box (which was one of the gifts Lovey and I actually bought).

Bro. Steve Kruger led the closing prayer

As the gathering drew to a close, we again thanked God for all the blessings we had received individually and as a group. Despite the trials and difficulties we had to endure this year in relation with the establishment of CFC-GK, Q.C., this year was a test of strength of character and commitment to a cause to genuinely serve God by serving the poor.

We move forward to 2012 with renewed hope and resolve to continue the mission and vision of CFC-GK!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Manifesto in Support of CFC-GK (Quezon City)

MANIFESTO IN SUPPORT OF CFC-GK (Quezon City)

To keep our spiritual essentials on a defined path and set the tone in support of CFC-GK, we state hereunder our perspective, beliefs and intentions:

1. We deeply value and acknowledge the pivotal role the Couples for Christ (CFC) has played in influencing our spiritual life: most importantly, as the avenue for personal and family renewal; and as the channel for God's work including Gawad Kalinga (GK) that led us to where we are now in our spiritual journey.

2. We retain our CFC identity. We do not intend to establish another community. We keep our covenant with God and continue to seek heightened spiritual involvement to deepen our faith, nurture hope and fulfill our purpose in CFC.

3. We are consistent with his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's World Peace Message that religious freedom is the path to peace because this allows us to direct our personal and social life to God in whose light the identity, meaning and purpose of the person are fully understood. We aim to achieve authentic and vital human development.

4. We see Christian Faith in the light of the God who has a human face bearing in mind that each person remains unique and unrepeatable. We consistently seek Holy Spirit discernment in building up a social community in the spirit of respect for the common good.

5. We respond with boldness the call to choose a course of action that will restore us back to vibrant service in the CFC community. We choose Gawad Kalinga as our response to God's call to work with and for the poor in our journey of faith in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We embrace the values and ideals of GK. We firmly believe that GK through community and nation building is integral to missionary activities of the Catholic Church. Ultimately, it will fulfill the role of a powerful catalyst for innovative evangelization and world peace.

6. We strive to become “doers of the Word not hearers only” because “by works faith was made perfect”. We remain to shepherd the flock that God has entrusted to us being faithful to the truth and justice of the Gospel. We persevere to serve the least and last of our brethren.

7. We reject deliberate attempts to undermine GK's noble works by the distortion of truth and dissemination of inaccurate information aimed to discredit the prime movers of GK.

8. We trust that if our posture is contrary to the teachings of Jesus, then one should discard this manifesto completely! But if one finds that we are taking our stand upon the Holy Scripture, then let no fear keep him from threading with us the path of faith and obedience to the Word of God, in order that God's people here on earth be of one mind – one heart and that we in faith experience what He Himself has said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom”.

9. We enjoin everyone, mindful of his personal convictions, who subscribes to the preceding statements to make a significant decision and strongly support the CFC-GK movement.

10. Lastly, we the undersigned come together in an expression of solidarity and reiterate to espouse the aspiration of CFC-GK. United in our belief in Jesus Christ our Lord of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church we uphold the unity of faith, love, hope and heroism in the pursuit of peace and holiness. Together, we stand behind this declaration in prayer and promise to combine forces and resources as we commit ourselves to participate in God's mission through CFC-GK.

We in CFC-GK, Q.C. continue to gather signatures and support for the movement with this concise manifesto so that brethren and critics alike would be truly informed of our position, beliefs and intentions.

May God bless us all!

Celebrating Sis. Lyn Meloto’s birthday @ GK Concepcion, Tarlac

Celebrating life at GK Concepcion (Tarlac)

Bro. Omin del Castillo and I attended a post-birthday celebration for Sis. Lyn Meloto held at GK Amalia Village in Concepcion, Tarlac last July 10.

The trip to Tarlac gave me another opportunity to meet new friends across the country, some acquaintances even coming from other countries.

The occasion also introduced me to Gawad Kalinga’s Bayan-anihan (BA). GK’s food sufficiency program, BA is a multi-sectoral partnership between Gawad Kalinga, the Department of Agriculture (DA), various local government units (LGUs), Association of Colleges of Agriculture, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Couple for Christ (CFC).

Globe Telecom, one of the country’s leaders in telecommunications has been a strong partner in the implementation of GK programs including Bayan-anihan. Working together with community residents they have set up one in GK Amalia, putting up since 2008, no less than 35 Bayan-anihan farms nationwide.

When we arrived at GK Amalia, a fairly good sized GK village of around 150 families, we were warmly met by their Kapitbahayan leaders and CFC brethren who were with Bro. Tony Meloto, Sis. Lyn’s husband and GK founder.

GK friends from France introduce themselves

There were several French nationals at the GK site during the festivities. They readily joined the games and danced to the delight of the village residents. Eena Meloto informed me that they were students who came to the Philippines to learn more about Gawad Kalinga.

The GK site was bubbling with children

The site’s plaza ‘fountain’

The celebrant is joined by me, GK Amalia Project Director and CFC Bro. Arnold Capati, Shawn Raydo UCLA – Public Health Grad student and CFC couple Bro. Nonoy and Sis. Malou Zapanta

The French enjoyably danced and played in the parlor games during the program

Sis. Lyn joins the GK partners from Globe Telecom in a dance

PD Bro. Arnold talked about the fruits of GK in their community

Mabuhay ladies perform a traditional dance….

…then asks the French guests to dance as well

Bro. Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Chairman, spoke to the people

French guy does a handstand

Lunch time!

For a seafood and pasta lover like me, the food was divine

GK advocate and former Dept. of Agriculture Secretary Sito Lorenzo and his family arrived

Globe brought the delicious catered food from the famous restaurant Antonio’s

Photo ops with the Meloto and Lorenzo couples

Belated happy birthday, Sis. Lyn! The weather was extremely humid but the equally warm smiles and hospitality of our GK partners made it a lot more bearable. Our trip to Tarlac was definitely well worth it!

The day Typhoon 'Ondoy' rained on my 42nd Birthday

Sept. 26, 2009…for me, it was the date of my 42^nd birthday. Unfortunately, for many Filipinos living in the greater Metropolitan Manila area and neighboring provinces, it will go down in history as the day of the worst flooding disaster in almost half a century.

‘Ondoy’ (International name – Ketsana) was the 15^th tropical cyclone to have hit the country and already the fourth during the month of September.

My family was in Baguio City at the time oblivious to the tragic turn of events that happened in the national capital region except through text messages and television news reports we saw in the evening. I couldn’t visualize or imagine what had transpired until much later when I saw the various pictures and saw some of the affected areas myself.

PAGASA (an acronym for the country’s public weather bureau) forecasted that the storm will not cross Metro Manila but will still experience “moderate to heavy rains” that weekend.

The “moderate to heavy rains” that Saturday dumped unto the metropolis, an estimated 34 centimeters of rain water in only 6 hours. Recent records show that that amount was almost equivalent to the total rainfall we got in a month. The only rainfall higher than that in the same area was recorded a little more than 42 years ago. 39 centimeters of rain fell in the same area (but was accumulated in 24 hours) in June of 1967. Another sad coincidence – but yes, it happened in 1967, the same year I was born.

Approximately half a million people’s homes were inundated. Officials said that about 115,000 of these people were moved to around 200 schools, churches and other evacuation shelters.

More than 300 lives were lost during this tragic event.

The following pictures were forwarded to me by CFC Brod Danny Samia, a few days after the disaster hit the metro. I’m showing them in this post along with some other photos that the world may see what I fear would soon happen again not only here but in many other countries if we do not responsibly address climate change and other related environmental concerns.

Flooded underpass along Ayala Avenue in Makati City

Parts of C 5 Road are inundated

Taft Avenue in front of my college alma mater – De La Salle University (DLSU)

The Mercedes Benz E-class vehicle shown here is but one of many cars
damaged and carried away by the flood waters

Along historic EDSA

The Fort “Global City” in Taguig

Katipunan Ave. in front of Ateneo de Manila University

An overflowing Marikina river

Many people climbed up to their roofs

Pasong Tamo in Makati

Perennially flooded UST grounds became one big lake

Araneta Avenue in Quezon City

Wilson Ave. in Greenhills, San Juan

Flooded street and cars near Xavier School

The next set of pictures was from a resident in a Gawad Kalinga (GK) site where I presently serve - GK Melchor Aquino in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Quezon City. By God’s grace, there were no fatalities in that GK site. Other parts of the same barangay were not as fortunate as several people living in nearby streets died and/or lost their houses in the rushing flood waters.

GK Melchora during the height of the heavy rains and flooding last Sept. 26

Rains have subsided but the flood waters remained high

As the waters receded, the extent of property damage is made very clear

Filipinos as a people are extremely resilient….

…so the process of rebuilding lives starts again and goes on….

Other forwarded pictures to me include:

This photo of an ill fated family fighting for their lives
clinging to their destroyed house floating through the Marikina river

An aerial view of the heavy rains' destructive aftermath

Stranded city dwellers bravely traversed the flood waters as rescue efforts ensued

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was quoted in saying that ‘Ondoy’ (Ketsana) and the flooding were “an extreme event” which “strained our response capabilities to the limit but ultimately did not break us.”

Well I have news for our transactional leader in Malacaňang Palace. This ‘extreme event’ is more likely the norm of things to come considering the unabated logging in the Sierra Madre mountain range to the east of Metro Manila, uncontrolled housing development in ecologically critical or unsafe areas, the over silted and polluted state of Laguna de Bay and Marikina river and the solid waste problem which besets the national capital region.

And what response capabilities was she talking about??? The government barely had any rubber boats to rescue people from the roofs of their homes, much less other hi-tech rescue equipment to ferry people to safety. The truth of the matter was the government was caught flat footed in what could have been the greatest hour of public service by the Arroyo administration.

But she was right about one thing. The Filipinos are a resilient lot. The storm didn’t break our spirit as a nation. It was also during these tragic times that the best of the Filipino citizenry came out.

It is my hope that this unity of the Filipino people especially during times of adversity be properly channeled and sustained not only in rebuilding efforts but in responding responsibly and decisively with regard to the abovementioned concerns which ultimately involved global warming and climate changes.

This hope is my post birthday wish and pressing advocacy.

Another storm is brewing on the horizon….

Let us heed nature’s warnings….before it’s too late.