The country's only regional fiesta, the Feast of the Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, has kicked off Friday, September 13, with unique religiosity founded on homegrown beliefs and tradition evolved through 282 years of devotion to the Bicol patroness or Ina.
The feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is celebrated on the third Saturday of September in Naga City, Bicol. The feast day is preceded by a novena, nine days of prayer, in honor of the Virgin. On the first day, the image of the Virgin, a copy of the Madonna in Peñafrancia, Spain, is brought from its shrine to the Naga Cathedral where the novena is held. On the last day, the image is returned to her shrine following the Naga River route. The colorful evening procession is lit by thousands of candles from devotees in boats escorting the image. When the barge reaches its destination, the devotees shout "Viva la Virgen" (Long live the Virgin!) and the image is brought back in a procession to the cathedral.
According to locals, a Spanish government official from Peñafrancia, Spain, settled with his family in Cavite in 1712. One day, his daughter fell ill and the family prayed for her recovery to the famous Madonna of Peñafrancia, a picture of whom was in their possession. When the daughter recovered, the father vowed to build a chapel in honor of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Manila. However, since he was being detained in Nueva Caceras, he built the chapel in that city, now known as Naga, instead.
The famous Madonna is believed to have miraculous powers. On her feast day, pilgrims gather at her shrine to pay her homage for favors received. • (Texts from the Naga City website and www.penafrancia.net)
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"I think we have a lot of problems, and to solve those problems our political process, our thinking and our structure have to be change. Unfortunately, I started this practice long before you were born, and I saw then that we were ahead of the other countries in Asia. My question is, why did we gradually fall behind? I think we used the wrong model, which has always been the US. The economic setting is completely different, and on the stage of its economic development. If you have so much freedom from the beginning, it's hard to get unity in terms of economic drive," SyCip said.
According to the survey conducted by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), there are 171 languages in the Philippines-164 belong to the Austronesian family; five are foreign languages (Chinese Mandarin, Chinese Min Nan, Chinese Yue which all belong to the Sino-Tibetan family, and English and Spanish which belong to Indo-European language; one language is a "creole"-Chavacano; and the Philippine Sign Language which is used by over 100,000 mutes. (The latest update on this survey was done on February 1998, according to the Internet information.
"All Filipinos from all walks of life yearn to have a house they could proudly call their own. Not all Filipinos have houses because they are expensive to build and the few that managed to save enough money had to make do with inferior structures," Vazquez said.
He said he designed the Vazbuilt houses to meet the Filipinos' "3M criteria."
"They want a house that is mura (affordable), maganda (beautiful), and mura. We feel the Vazbuilt system satisfies all of their demands," he stresses.
Vazquez adds that the key to keeping down building costs was to use prefabricated materials to enjoy economies of scale by producing materials in bulk. Not only are the materials cheaper, building them requires fewer manpower and shorter schedule. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Everyday, there comes the sunrise,
And then the sunset breaks;
Eventually the new day arrives,
So little time, it takes.
It seems just like yesterday,
I knew a guy who brightens up my day;
It's really weird, I must say,
He kinda takes my breath away.
And he's pretty special to me,
I really don't know why;
There's something in him, that I see,
And sometimes makes me sigh-(haaay!)
Each day brings different moments,
Which brings different emotions,
Different thoughts, different sentiments,
Different experiences, new realizations;
Changes do really happen,
Oftentimes we just don't know how;
We have no clue just why or when,
They come tomorrow, if not now;
So when all of these end,
What shall I do?
Do I have to pretend,
That it's not true?
When the feeling is gone, What comes after?
Would I live in misery and pain?
When it is gone, would you be there?
To bring the feeling back again?
Long before the Centro Rojo Information Hub has been conceived, The Receptive Journal was already there to "share" information. It has been active in the "First Floor Boys' Logbook" in Kalayaan Residence Hall, UP Diliman, in giving campus and dormitory news, opinion, and the celebrated trivia corner, "Totoo Ini". It had been a witness to the floor conflicts especially the infamous "SILK-Anonymous Logbook War" and a tool for peace. From the very start, The RJournal has been a hub for "a thousand and one ideas."
One of the best things that happened in The RJournal's history is the positive reaction it has received from the First Floor Boys and Third Floor Ladies in Kalayaan. It was really unexpected for by the time The RJournal was created it only wanted to "share" ideas and not to be praised for. Thus, it is very thankful to all its fans and readers for without them, the Journal could not be in your PC monitor right now.
And to show The RJournal's gratitude, it has prepared a variety of information such as international, national, local, business, and sports news. Aside from these information, it has links to Open Up, CRIH's mini-"Youngblood", Sagax's Box and to the other areas of the Centro Rojo. It has also opened its door for suggestions, comments and contributions for it believes that public participation is a very significant thing that can happen to a journal like this.
These facts clearly prove that The Receptive Journal is the "center of Centro Rojo" and, above all, is committed to provide and accept ideas. It is at this point that this journal becomes receptive.
·LONG-DISTANCE WRITER
·STRETCHING IT
BENEFITS" OF SMOKING
·WORD ALERT!
A single No. 2 pencil can draw a 35-mile line before running out of lead.
The skin of an average person measures about 20 square feet, and it accounts for about 20 percent of a person's total body weight.-American Health
Did you know that people who smoke actually save the world money? In one study in the US, it was found that each pack smoked saved that country $1.19 in pension and social security payments and another 22 cents in nursing home expenses. Why? Because the average smoker dies younger than everyone else.-Newsweek
*Between the ages of one and 18 we learn new words at the rate of one word every 90 minutes.
*The average high school graduate has a vocabulary of 60,000 words, but the number of words in Shakespeare's writings is only about 15,000.-Psychology Today
Science & Technology Journal
Please comment on one or more of the following issues.
a. Why do you think a lot of people hate America?
b. Is it a right move for the Philuppines to support the United States in its war against Iraq?
c. What do you think is the lesson of 9/11?
Send your comments and opinion on one or more of these newsmakers at [email protected]. You may state your reasons in choosing them.
Bulletin
The CRIH invites you to be a donor of beautiful pictures. All photos that may excite, fascinate, and strike people are welcome.
You may personally give Rojo diskette-saved photos or send them to [email protected]
Kaya ano pa'ng hinihintay n'yo? Ibigay mo na!
Kaya magpadala ng inyong sariling mga artikulo na naglalahad ng inyong kuro-kuro, suhestiyon, o pagmumunimuni sa [email protected].. Maaring ito ay nasa wikang Ingles o Filipino. If you want to send an article in your own mother tongue, please include an English translation. You have to speak your mind NOW!
The RJournal is also in need of some staff writers. Please send your name, address, contact numbers, and desired field of journalism to the e-mail address given above.
Examples: Katrina Riverbanks/ Real Street, Tacloban City/ 0916-2009999/ Business; LifestyleThe RJournal welcomes essays, poems, stories, photos and human interest stories from you. You may send them to Rojo personally or via e-mail: [email protected].. Articles in Filipino medium are also accepted. This call is just another way of recognizing your skill(s) in writing and journalism.
Juan dela Cruz/ Peñafrancia Ave., Naga City/ (054)4730011; 0920-3001122/ Editorial; Sports
Movie Guide [this September]
Movies to watch this September
Here's a sneak peek at the back-to-school best films, especially
if you've got kids. Not everything on our list is for the whole
family, and some ratings weren't available at press time. But you're
sure to find one that will thrill you, chill you, or make you laugh
out loud.
You'll notice under the following movie titles, we
offer you links to check out the films' official movie sites. There
you will find plenty of additional information, photos and other fun
fan features, as well as exciting trailers for these upcoming
flicks. Now, let's go to the movies!
Spy Kids 2: The Island
of Lost Dreams
Check out the official site.
How many times do
two smart kids have to remind their ex-secret-agent parents (Antonio
Banderas, Carla Gugino) to stay out of trouble? In this sequel, the
wee gumshoes team up with some rival spy kids in order to save the
planet from fiery annihilation. Who it's for: families
sleuthing for laughs and suspense.
By Tom O'Neil, the New York-based author of Movie
Awards (Perigee Books) and host of the showbiz-awards Web site
GoldDerby.com.
Road to Perdition
Starring Tom Hanks. Opens September 18!
Reign of Fire
K19
