Her story is the story of all of us

A visibly skinny middle-aged lady frequents the Krispy Kreme area in Ketkai. She walks from her home in Kauswagan to Ketktai around 5 pm everyday hoping to tap the generous hearts of people. In other words, she begs.

Before, her life was decent. She used to sell bananaq near her place providing a steady income. But when her husband died, life went downhill. She now takes care of her aging mother and 5 children of whom one just finished high school and the other one is in elementary. The rest, she could not afford to send to school.

Her eldest who already earned a high school diploma could not get any job. She reasons that her son has difficulty looking for one because "pangag cya". The eldest is eager to get a TESDA certification but the cost of transportation going to school is simply a huge burden.

She made it clear that she wants to stop begging. What she is looking for is a job however small or enough capital to start-up her bananaq business. And that is it. That is her goal. That is all she wants.

Her story is the story of all of us.

Pope Francis

He wore the same yellow raincoat like everyone else. In the face of a brewing pacific storm, he came. He came and he smiled. He hugged and he kissed.

He came to shepherd us and to remind us of the core of our humanity. He reminded the multitude of our inherent divinity that never fades - it forever shines even if clouded by layers of our own sinfulness and doubt.

He reminded us that there is God who is present and active in each one of us; walking with us, laughing with us, toiling with us, crying with us, suffering with us even more in the midst of unimaginable catastrophe. He never lets us down. He keeps on inviting us and never gets tired even if we do.

Our love affair with the Pope should not just end with that - an affair defined by constant hashtags and shares on the latest of the papal visit. It should and ought to transcend the feeling of jubilation that would last even when he has already returned to Rome. This affair grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ should galvanise the faithful towards collective action of love not just within our family and friends but a love that is expressed in all areas of our civic life - to strangers and enemies - and especially to the periphery, to the marginalized and forgotten. A love that is expressed more in deeds than in words.

Much more so that our Pope came at the beginning of the most important year of our story. The nation is preparing for a critical election, a promising peace process in Mindanao is rolling in and the nation is recovering from Yolanda. We are at a critical juncture in our national story and we should shun any force that may deviate us from the light. In this time the Filipinos are called - regardless of faith - to simply do good , be good and be hopeful.

‪#‎PopeFrancisPH‬

My 2014

This 2014, much of my personal time and energy were poured into what I would like to label as our attempt to build a social innovation project right here in our beloved Cagayan de Oro. It seems to me by far, the greatest education I am receiving. The immense educational value of engaging with people in power and building relationships in the grassroots has opened a new world for me. It has given faces and life stories to theories on power and structure. And more importantly, the whole journey is life-nourishing which enables me to give more back to the community, which gave me so much.

This 2014, my teeth just got rail tracked. It got my braces and it will be on for another year or so. I figure that if my work in the future deals more on talking to public, then better at least invest in the physical arrangement of my mouth.

This 2014, I visited the beautiful country of Peru. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine going to Machu Picchu. Thanks to my brother, I went there for free – touched the walls, talked a little bit of Spanish and walked where the great Incas walked. It was a breathtaking experience. I also experienced my longest plane trip with a total travel time of 36 hours. I also encountered my first trip “nightmare” where our flight got super delayed due to some airplane computer problem. My luggage also got delayed.

This 2014, I happen to become the Association of Law Student President. It was a continuation of my campus leadership track. I would personally like to thank the whole ALS team for their dedication and work ethic. Though the law community is small, the team managed to execute all traditional projects with focus and energy. Innovations were also introduced such as an expanded law freshies program with a mentorship system and the vibrant organizational life in law school with the growth of BALAOD ATENISTA, a new legal advocacy and alternative lawyering group.

This 2014, I also had my first ever-modeling stint endorsing the Pag-bago Project, a social enterprise selling up-cycled bags made by the mothers of Xavier Ecoville. We even got our own billboard outside of MUST! It was the most awkward thing in the world but I had fun doing it. It is something so new but it is so awesome to help out spread the brand in our networks.

This 2014, we are once again complete as a Family for Christmas. I could not ask for more.

Thank You Lord for all blessings and challenges this year. I pray you give me the courage to face 2015 with hope, joy and love. 




2013: http://republikaneri.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-year-end.html
2012: http://republikaneri.blogspot.com/2013/01/2012-year-end-review.html
2011: http://republikaneri.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-year-end-review.html

2010: http://www.republikaneri.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html

2009: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=230581705895

2008: http://republikaneri.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=50

2007: http://republikaneri.blogspot.com/2007/12/bias-year-end-review-2007-my-life-year.html

2006: http://republikaneri.blogspot.com/2006/12/happy-new-year.html