Couples for Christ (CFC) North B Sector

my side of the tapestry: The Choice We Make

2011-04-21T17:02:00.000+08:00

my side of the tapestry: The Choice We Make: "Bolting out of Couples for Christ (CFC Global) and moving to Gawad Kalinga (CFC-GK) is undeniably a tough choice to make. In July 1991, we..."

The Glory That is Rome

2011-02-27T16:05:00.000+08:00

By Tony Meloto

It always feels good to visit the Vatican when I am in Rome. I need to be constantly reminded that the causes that are precious in my life come from God especially at times when the waves get rough. The sacrifice I put into Gawad Kalinga is meaningless if it is not anchored on a firm belief that it is not God's plan for my country to be poor and I have a sacred responsibility to help make it un-poor.

The Vatican is holy ground where sacred oaths are made by serious Catholics like me who mean to keep them.

I am here in Europe again after barely four months since my last visit in October in my relentless pursuit of a better life for our people as my highest aspiration, my greatest legacy to my heirs and the best exit strategy of a grace filled life.

I try to remain focused by not allowing myself to be distracted by enticing global events around me like the people power struggle in Egypt or the local drama ushering the painful birth of honor and courage in our country as we purge corruption out of our complex system of patronage politics and misplaced loyalties. I pray for Heidi Mendoza and those with guts and balls like her. I feel a deep spiritual connection with people who just want things to be better for their country whatever path they take.

Mine is clear: Gawad Kalinga - building sustainable intentional communities, protecting the environment, educating and raising healthy children and creating wealth at the bottom of the pyramid.

Nation-building is my brand of kingdom-building; being my brother's keeper is my peaceful strategy of bridging social inequity and creating heaven on earth. The thriving GK communities, with all their struggles and challenges, are my proof of concept of effective Christian stewardship, the visible and massive evidence of the power of 'loving neighbor' when practiced against all odds.

At this stage of my life, all I want is to be faithful to my vows, to do what is good for my people and to follow what is right for my country. No equivocation, with passion bordering on insanity when what is considered sane works against the best interest of the least and the oppressed.

Standing at St Peter's square without a soul in sight on this cold starry night somehow it felt right to seize this solemn moment of grace. I reiterated my vow not to accept the crime of poverty in my resource blessed country and not tolerate the sin of hypocrisy that justifies it. There is a scent of hope in our country with an honest President and many concerned citizens who are finally sick and tired of our stupidity and are determined to end our spiritual and material poverty.

Corruption, dirty politics and injustice that cause poverty are a scandal to my religion and a shame to my citizenship. They simply must end ...or at least I should die trying to end it... otherwise it is a shame to call myself a Christian or a Filipino.

I must show to the world that by following the path of Jesus who did not seek power for himself that I can gain the trust and work with the most powerful leaders to do the most good to the weak and the powerless.

The square was still that night - no multitudes that pushed and shoved like the last time I was there when the charismatic one reigned. I was told by my hosts and tour guide, great couple Michael and Linda Stockmann, that my present shepherd was probably still awake as the light was still on in his room. I simply had to pay homage to the Holy Father as a matter of respect and tradition as a Catholic, even from a distance and late as it was. One does not take chances on a serious matter as going to heaven.

The flight to Rome from Paris took two hours where I slept most of the way from sheer exhaustion after a whole day session with French business and engineering students - 37 as of the last count - who were eager to do a two month internship in GK communities in the Philippines July to August this year. I also met with the President of AISEC France who wants to add a hundred more.

Gawad Kalinga is an attractive proposition to young Europeans who are discovering our pearl of the orient seas as the exciting gateway to Asia. The east is no longer just an exotic destination for them but a continent of vast business and career opportunities with the rise of Asian economies. The Philippines is particularly appealing to students of top business schools in Europe and Singapore interested in our emerging model of social entrepreneurship using the GK communes as a massive platform for productivity to help rebuild the economy from the bottom-up with a new bottom-line - social investment in people and planet.

Air France KLM, my home in the sky, is facilitating travel and solidarity between Europe and Asia by building a Dutch village for the homeless north of Manila where Europeans can do humanitarian service.

Social tourism is exciting to those who are out to discover the world with the heart as their compass. Gk villages are particularly appealing to those who not only want to experience poverty but to learn what can be done to end it and experience in the process the happiness of residents who see hope after knowing so much suffering.

My first night in Rome was deep slumber in an old monastery, oblivious to the company of nuns from centuries past hovering around my dead tired body. Anyway, nuns are like guardian angels to me, whether dead or alive. I have the deepest appreciation for many of them because of their nature and calling to serve the least and the lost. They practice to me what many of us Catholics keep hidden, have forgotten or afraid to follow - the beautiful teachings of our church on social justice and peace.

I woke up peaceful and refreshed early morning to a bright sunshine and cool weather to face a hectic day in Rome before flying out to London in the evening for my session in Oxford. The sleep did me a lot of good to start me off hale for a backbreaking schedule of speaking engagements and meetings in 5 European countries in 10 days that would tire others half my age, depriving myself of simple joys like valentine with my wife and birthday with my son the following day. Again the energy is from a deep faith that I am doing God's work. My peaceful acceptance of the pain of separation from my family to pursue my mission is for me an act of gratitude to God for the gift of loved ones who have found grace themselves in sharing me with others.

I was in Italy briefly to be with grade school children and teenagers at the Deutch Schull Rom who raised funds for homes and scholarships for the poor in the Fiat village in Silay City, Negros Occidental. In this amazing German school where the children of elite Italians and expatriates study, they are taught compassion and stewardship early.

My whole day spent with them was one of my most refreshing experiences in my recent foreign travels. It was not just the 4500 euros that the kids raised from their allowance and various fund raising activities and the moment when all 150 of them proudly went on stage to present to me the huge mock up check. I was deeply moved when they kept still with avid interest while I spoke and nearly half of them lined up to ask me the most endearing and spontaneous questions coming from the purest and most innocent of hearts during the extended Q & A. One blonde boy asked me in German what a kid like him can do to help more poor children in the Philippines go to school. A small Italian girl with an arm in a sling was nearly in tears when the interpreter could hardly hear her faint voice, when all she wanted to know was if I was born in a hospital or in a home. What do the children in the village eat? What happens to them when it rains? Are they happy with their new home? They kept asking and went back to the long line to ask more after I answered their questions.

The session in the morning with the grade school reinforced my faith in the power of inclusive and universal love that Gawad Kalinga draws out in people all over the world.

Love has no language barrier. It was expressed in German, Italian and English and the heart understood.

Love has no age limit. From the nine year olds who expressed their concern for others so poignantly to our interpreter Alliana, the President of the parents association, who could not hold back her tears while watching expressions of overflowing generosity and profound wisdom from children so young.

Love makes us one. We are one global family building a better, kinder and safer world together. Watching them, I was reminded of my grandchildren that I missed terribly. Somehow the impact of our cause on these foreign children made the pain of being separated from them worth it. After all this is about their future too. My six grandchildren are global Filipinos -- three of them British cappuccinos, one brown American, two attractive native hybrid; all of them will grow up loving the Philippines and caring for our people like their parents.

The afternoon session with high school teenagers was no less spirited or inspiring. They showed me great respect and deep concern for others in their quest for answers, convinced perhaps that my cause is noble and honest. I learned later on that many of them took a deep personal interest in our effort because of their affection for their Filipino domestic workers and know about their struggles with poverty at home. They were visibly touched when they realized that the work of Gawad Kalinga is urgent and aims to grow in scale to stop poor parents from leaving their children to seek work abroad. Three of them approached me after the session to say that they now understand my kind of evangelization as an act of love and justice relevant to them as Catholics in a suffering world.

Hearing them I realized that we have an attractive brand in GK to speak about faith with patriotism in a post-religious Europe to a mainstream non-Filipino crowd of various ages without being seen as leftist, ethnic or cultic. Faith is best expressed in loving without borders, in dining with landlords and squatters, with harlots and zealots to build a better world that includes everyone.

It felt reassuring to have the presence of our envoy to the Vatican, good friend and GK builder Mercy Tuazon and our amiable ambassador to Italy, Romy Manalo. They kept me company the whole afternoon and honored our gracious hosts, from the headmaster and his deputy to the members of the board and the leaders of the parents association, the faculty and the students. Somehow their presence left no doubt in our hosts' minds that our government and church support our cause.

I left the place to catch my flight to London after a sumptuous Italian meal in a nearby restaurant full of pasta and hope. I just tasted the glory of Rome in the company of my new GK family in Italy who wish to share la dolce vita with my people.

It was simply awesome.

The Choice We Make

2011-01-17T17:07:00.002+08:00

Bolting out of Couples for Christ (CFC) and moving to Gawad Kalinga (CFC-GK) is undeniably a tough choice to make.

In July 1991, we have committed ourselves and our children to do work in God’s vineyard through Couples for Christ (CFC) and its Family Ministries. For twenty (20) solid years, we have strived to be faithful CFC servants .We tried to touch people for God every way we could. But somehow, somewhere and sometime in our service, we’ve been put to the test… we got wounded… we faltered and missed the mark… we got adrift. Yet, God in His goodness and mercy never fails to lend a hand and help us to stand up strong time and again and mend our brokenness. For months, we relentlessly prayed for guidance and discernment to come up with a clear, firm and spirit-led pronouncement to make a difference in our journey towards holiness. We prayed for patience and wait for the right moment to declare our certitude to align our spirituality with the work with the poor through Gawad Kalinga (GK). We prayed for boldness to choose a course of action in moving forward and the courage to survive the storms we will encounter if ever we go over the other side of the fence.

For a time, we’ve been so perplexed about what’s going on between the top echelons of leaders in community. Even as we assumed a higher service in the sector, we have been insulated and hardly knew the real score that prompted the CFC-GK mess. So, what is the use of hanging around in a community if we start to doubt its governance; if we start getting hypercritical and judgmental about community’s strategies and plans; if we could no longer get inspiration to keep going; if we could no longer fathom the rationale in unceremoniously removing dedicated leaders from the CFC roster because they’re perceived to be antagonistic to the CFC mission and vision; if we could no longer sense the community’s acceptance that nation-building is one component of evangelization; if we could no longer get the heightened spiritual enrichment and empowerment as we seek to fulfill our destiny as children and servants of God.

Though we see eye to eye with the CFC life and activities, there is one area where we differ in viewpoint with the IC - it's not about being right or wrong rather it's about arriving at a decision after exploring the “benefit of Solomonic wisdom and Jesus’ compassion,” so goes the words of an esteemed brethren.

In Philippians 1:9-10 Paul reminds us to make “excellent” choice – a choice that emanates from a heart fully committed to the Lord. Here, we are being taught that when love abounds in knowledge and discernment, we’re able to understand what is best so that we may “approve the things that are excellent.”

The Lord’s message to us: The recognition that we have to decide with our hearts, to be strong, and believe that what lies ahead is an opportunity to celebrate that elusive springtime in our journey of faith.

We guess it’s time to make a personal choice - to hit the road that leads us on doing what we can do not what we want to do. We cannot underestimate the impact of one’s choice. It can produce lifelong consequences, for good or bad. Of course, it comes with a price - responsibility. And when one is ready to accept and carry out that responsibility, then the reward is true greatness. The reward is timeless. Choosing a community in favor of the other will not always be an easy task. But it is a choice that brings the kind of consequence we can live with. We do not know where God will lead us, we only know that for those who love Him, all things turn out for the best.

There comes a time in a person’s life when he has to pack one’s bag and come to a parting of ways with a place, person or otherwise. Indeed, breaking up is one hard thing to do. It may not be the ultimate life crisis but it requires a special coping and adjusting. Just how does one say "good-bye" to a life of serving, sharing, loving, caring and friendship? Confidently, God in His kindness and compassion will guarantee us with the ability to let go, move on, depart with a smile and take along a handful of great memories. He will provide us with just enough light to see the next step - enjoy what we can see and not grumble about what remains in the dark.

Moreover, who could ever discount the role of a community that has introduced us to God’s work and taught us how to live in it – Couples for Christ, the community that has become a powerful channel for personal and family renewal; the community that has firstly provided us spiritual enrichment and brought us to where we are now in our spiritual journey.

With a heavy heart, we shall leave CFC – the community we have long regarded as a family, co-worker, companion and friend whom we shared great love, passion, and joy in service. We will carry on the CFC mission as a family in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth. Our CFC identity will remain in our hearts and no one can take that away from us.

We will persevere to be God’s humble and zealous laborers who will do whatever it takes to respond to His call to serve the least of our brothers and sisters. Indeed, it is always a great privilege to become a servant when God calls one to it.

As we are about to cross deeper into the heart of God and our own selves, we will be facing a significant and different perspective of service that determines how we respond to the full revelation of His glory and majesty.

And by God’s grace we’ll be filled with a lively faith and find comfort in His promise to restore us back to vibrant undertakings to help us grow in our relationship with Him.

God bless us all.

Terence and Thel Grana

2010-12-11 NB2 KFC Christmas Party

2010-12-19T22:11:00.016+08:00

muling sisikat ang araw (tuloypnoy 2010)

2010-03-25T13:41:00.001+08:00

North B Leaders (2010-03-07)

2010-03-25T13:39:00.001+08:00

CFC North B Leaders

2010-02-09T14:41:00.002+08:00

Hail Mary, full of grace!

2009-12-08T10:40:00.003+08:00

Today’s Readings

Do you want to live a grace-filled life? The angel Gabriel salutes Mary as “full of grace”. To become the mother of the Savior, Mary was enriched by God with gifts to enable her to assume this awesome role. There is a venerable tradition among many Christians, dating back to the early church, for honoring Mary as the spotless virgin who bore the Son of God in her womb. A number of early church fathers link Mary’s obedience to this singular grace of God. “Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.” “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was united by Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.”

What is the key that can unlock the power and grace of God’s kingdom in our personal lives? Faith and obedience for sure! When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they immediately experienced the consequence of their action – separation from the God who loved them. God in his mercy promised them a Redeemer who would pay the price for their sin and the sin of the world. We see the marvelous unfolding of God’s plan of redemption in the events leading up to the Incarnation, the birth of the Messiah. Mary’s prompt response of “yes” to the divine message is a model of faith for all believers. Mary believed God’s promises even when they seemed impossible. She was full of grace because she trusted that what God said was true and would be fulfilled. She was willing and eager to do God’s will, even if it seemed difficult or costly. God gives us grace and he expects us to respond with the same willingness, obedience, and heart-felt trust as Mary did. When God commands he also gives the grace, strength, and means to respond. We can either yield to his grace or resist and go our own way. Do you believe in God’s promises and do you yield to his grace?

“Heavenly Father, you offer us abundant grace, mercy, and forgiveness through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to live a grace-filled life as Mary did by believing in your promises and by giving you my unqualified “yes” to your will and to your plan for my life.”

2009-08-04T08:58:00.002+08:00

North B 1 Household Meeting

2009-07-18T13:29:00.008+08:00

2009-07-14
meeting venue: Bagsarsas' Residence
in attendance: Buddy and Virgie Villarey, Jimmy and Susan Dizon, Terence and Thel Grana, Willie and Beng Bagsarsa, Rev. Fr. Mike Rabino, Jun and Gie Garcia, Gerry and Chona Santos, Omin and Nette del Castillo

North B Sector Service Meeting

2009-06-01T15:13:00.006+08:00

30 May 2009
Immaculate Conception Chapel
New Capitol Estates I
Quezon City

Hosted by Terence & Thel Grana

A General Sense Of Chaos

2009-04-25T20:54:00.002+08:00

GLIMPSES
Jose Ma. Montelibano

I had just arrived from a week-long sojourn to Sulu and Zamboanga, the first to honor an invitation for bravery, and the second to bask in the generosity of a hospitable city. There was much drama in the trip to Panglima Estino, Sulu, with a party of 200 Christians defying their fears and choosing instead to invest in friendship. We thought building houses for poor Muslims was more important than perpetuating the hostility that had broken our historical brotherhood.

Zamboanga was another matter. As much as we entertained some initial apprehension about Sulu, it was only celebration in Zamboanga. Mayor Celso Lobregat went all out to make the Bayani Challenge of Gawad Kalinga a fun affair despite the heat and rain that greeted almost fifty teams of volunteer house builders. The good mayor coined the greeting, "Mi casa es tu casa," so appropriate for the bayanihan spirit that dominated the event where 800 volunteers from all over the country and abroad built homes for fifty poor families.

I thought that going back to Manila would bring back a sense of order in my life. It was fun sleeping on floors of classrooms in Sulu, or crowded rooms of overextended hosts in Zamboanga, but one longs for a modicum of comfort and routine to assuage an aging and tired body. I cannot exchange my latest experience in Mindanao for anything, not even for comfort and luxury. However, I must admit I wanted to rest, and wanted to take this rest in my own home.

After several days in Manila, I am now wondering if facilities for physical convenience are enough to make an active citizen rest. While there was fear of violence in a province long known for fierce fighting between Tausugs and government troops during the martial law years, the reality as we experienced life on the ground was totally different from perception and expectation. Mayor Munib Estino of Panglima Estino played the most gracious host together with a whole town so appreciative of Christian guests who opted to believe in a forgotten fraternity rather than succumb to ugly prejudice.

It helped so much that Mayor Munib Estino and the Marines under the command of Gen. Juancho Sabban, ably assisted by Gen. Boying Ecarma, constantly lent their presence and active cooperation. It helped even more that Sulu Gov. Abusakur Tan affirmed the provincial government was very much in control, given extra powers by an emergency situation. Sulu became the safe zone it was not supposed to be. I wonder why we were so worried in the first place, and why many who never had been to Sulu, and would most probably never go there, almost succeeded in getting the event postponed (meaning canceled). Judging a book by its cover is a dangerous habit, and, oftentimes, a stupid one. This attitude has kept Filipinos from crossing barriers to repair divisions amongst them, locking us to destructive patterns rather than taking chances at forming new ones.

What greeted me in Manila was a lot of news, bad news. My body is getting some comfort back, but my soul gets mostly vexation. While I heard only laughter and lively conversations of old and new friends enjoying each other, I read and watch media report shameful attempts to change the Constitution against a people's will, strange and abusive police behavior in investigating the death of Failon’s wife, senators alleging corruption and murder against each other, and speculations of an arrest order against a whistle blower who saved billions for the Filipino people. The list of bad news goes on forever, and I wonder why there is no attempt to postpone or cancel an atmosphere which goes beyond physical threat to the actual corruption of a collective spirit. Obviously, many leaders, including those claiming spiritual scendancy, can find peace with moral decay but go nuts over threats of physical danger. It is not order I returned to but a general sense of chaos.

Instead of getting what I thought was a well-deserved rest, I am reminded by the hypocrisy of it all, the same hypocrisy that sustains a warped value system. When attachment to power and wealth become more important than service and generosity, society is, indeed, sick. No wonder poverty and corruption rule the land together with religions of all sorts in one merry milieu, contradictions in substance finding harmony in tolerant co-existence. Principle often surrenders to protocol, nobility less valuable than credit-grabbing, in a nation dominated by Christians led by the most un-Christian role models.

When Gen. Sabban, and Gen. Allaga before him, told our contingent of volunteer builders that the Marines would and could provide security to ensure our safety, we trusted them. When Mayor Munib Estino was laughing off our fears and assuring us that all is well, and that, in fact, he was already hosting for over a week our forward party of a dozen volunteers, we believed him. When Gov. Tan said, "Come and help my people," we accepted his invitation. Yes, we knew that the kidnapping of Red Cross workers was muddling the situation in Sulu, but the word of those who knew better must have more value than the speculative fears of fearful and prejudiced people. I am glad we realized that, took a chance for peace, and have now established many, many new strategic friendships.

I am not discounting the reality of danger in Sulu, just putting it in context. We here who live in Manila and elsewhere far from Sulu are threatened by more than physical danger. We are forced to survive in a perverted atmosphere where evil can be more powerful than good, where wrongdoing can be rewarded more than observance of law, where the welfare of our pocket and position takes priority over the welfare of our soul. How can Sulu be more dangerous than this?

The word of a noble Muslim warrior or Marines willing to die for a friend, or even just an invited guest, is more credible and valuable than the word of politicians and many so-called religious leaders. Never in our history has honor bent so low when those who represent State and Church have themselves become suspect to a people they are supposed to serve but have failed. Ordinary citizens cannot allow failed leaders to determine our destiny. We must look to ourselves, constantly choose Good over Evil and Walk over Talk, look to our God and our conscience for directions, and allow our Davids to emerge from rigid King Sauls clinging to power.

"In bayanihan, we will be our brother's keeper and forever shut the door to hunger among ourselves."

GK Robosnai Groundbreaking

2009-04-08T09:15:00.007+08:00

07 April 2009
Groundbreaking
Gawad Kalinga Robosnai
East Fairview, Quezon City
Philippines

(pic taken from www.hblad.no)

Dangerously Beautiful

2009-04-03T10:49:00.000+08:00

GLIMPSES (2009-04-03)
Jose Ma. Montelibano

It is a drama that has captured a nation's attention. Three International Red Cross workers, two foreigners and one local, were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf bandits and are now trapped, together with their tormentors, in a mountain range in Sulu. A threat to behead one of them if government troops would not leave the area and contain themselves only in the Jolo area was not carried out. Having bought time, the kidnapped victims and government forces still do not know how the Abu Sayyaf will play out the drama. Neither does the public which follows the drama.

As I write this article, a deadly cat-and-mouse game intensifies. It does not threaten three lives but hundreds, both innocent and guilty alike. Around the mountain and the large band of bandits with their prisoners are the Marines and civilian militia coming from all the local government units. The Abu Sayyaf threatened to behead one of the kidnapped Red Cross workers because I believe they saw how they could all be massacred by the superior numbers and position of government forces. A simple threat put the Arroyo administration on hold. Once in a while in the Philippines, a life counts, especially if it is white and if it belongs to an international agency.

When Dick Gordon makes a plea for the lives of the three Red Cross workers, I cannot help but shed a tear with him. And what Dick may not be able to show in public but may be very much alive in his heart is a rage I cannot help but also feel. Sympathizing with victims is natural. What is not so clear is the cause of my rage, not just at the inhumanity of banditry for profit but the many lives that will be lost in the future if a settlement is reached and the kidnapped victims are returned alive and safe. What is not clear, even to me, is why a drama can whip up so much public sympathy for the Red Cross workers but almost nothing for the slain soldiers from the Marine Corps.

Are lives of ordinary Filipinos so devoid of value that the death of hundreds under the strangest circumstances that upset international human rights agencies create no public furor? Does it have to be like the case of Mary Jean Lacaba whose threatened life draws so much attention because she is part of the Red Cross? Even when we appreciate, or do not, one human life because it belongs to an ordinary Filipino, it is almost automatic that foreign lives, especially Caucasians, will elicit more importance from us.

I was in Sulu last week, part of a contingent from Gawad Kalinga visiting our first GK village in Patikul and preparing for our second in Panglima Estino. While media plays up the drama of an unresolved kidnapping and a most fluid situation which, in the end, can only end up with more lives lost, a miracle quietly unfolds where landless and homeless Tausug families in a barangay in Patikul discover that life is not all that hopeless. A generous landowner and just as generous a corporation produced land and homes for the poor.

From a very successful first initiative where the provincial government, Marines, civil society personalities, a municipal bureaucracy, and poor residents of a barangay converged in a Gawad Kalinga program, a template for replication is emerging and exciting those who have been traditionally frustrated at how things simply do not work in a conflict torn area. Panglima Estino is somewhere in the middle of Sulu, a place which most Filipinos may never have heard of. Yet, its mayor and the governor of Sulu asked Gawad Kalinga to establish a village in Panglima Estino after seeing how the residents in the first GK village in Patikul are so enthusiastic about their new homes and community.

Several more GK villages are planned for the next twelve months. Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan has been such a persistent advocate for GK in his province and is moving heaven and earth to produce funds for the houses and communities he wants to build with Gawad Kalinga. And the Marines led by Gen. Sabban and Gen. Ecarma believe that development the Gawad Kalinga way may trigger not just development but even friendship. It is unfortunate but somewhat anticipated that intermittent violence is still part of a pattern which is not so easy to break.

Sulu is dangerous not because of its terrain, which, by the way, is so beautiful with shores covered by white sands. Neither is it dangerous because it is home to the fierce and proud Tausug people. It is dangerous because we have allowed historical prejudice and religious competition to overtake the brotherhood that had been our birthright before being colonized and driven to fight against each other. And it will become even more dangerous if we do not struggle to dismantle four hundred years of Christian-Muslim conflict.

In the heat of the moment when bandits who terrorize for profit try to have their cake and eat it, too, what is beautiful in Sulu and its proud people remains hidden from view except from very up close. Sulu teaches us many lessons, many of them sad ones. Sulu reminds us how a divided people are not only weak but destructive to one another. How, then, can a Philippines ever be a strong nation with a fractious, quarreling population, jealous of their religions, resentful of their past and despairing of their future?

The road to peace in Sulu had long started. The path to friendship has begun between Christians and Muslims who are building homes and communities together. The passageway for the rediscovery of our fraternal bonds lies in our hearts if we choose courage over fear, generosity over greed, nobility over compromise.

When a friend from the military coined the phrase “dangerously beautiful” in reference to peace, he did not mean the usual meaning of danger. He was speaking about a personal experience, about how a beautiful land and people would captivate someone not from the place and make him giddy with infatuation. He was sharing, in two words, a love story that began from conflict and now wants to blossom in harmony.

Dangerously beautiful. Sulu.

My Bohol

2009-03-27T15:05:00.000+08:00

Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is Tagbilaran City. It is the 10th largest island in the country, located in the heart of the Visayas. To the west of Bohol is Cebu, to the northeast is the island of Leyte and to the south, across the Bohol Sea is Mindanao.

Bohol is a popular tourist destination with its beaches and resorts. The Chocolate Hills, numerous mounds of limestone formation, is the most popular attraction. The island of Panglao, located just southwest of Tagbilaran City, is home to some of the finest beaches in the country. The Philippine tarsier, considered the second-smallest primate in the world, is indigenous to the island.

Boholanos refer to their island homeland as the 'Republic of Bohol' with both conviction and pride. A narrow strait separates the island of Cebu and Bohol and both share a common language, but the Boholanos retain a conscious distinction from the Cebuanos.

Hills dominate the island of Bohol. Two ranges run roughly parallel on the northwest and the southeast. An interior plateau is dominated by limestone hills. In Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan, these hills form near perfect cones in great numbers and are collectively referred to as the Chocolate Hills.

Bohol's climate is generally dry, with maximum rainfall between the months of June and October. The interior is cooler than the coast. Bohol is the home province of Carlos P. Garcia, the fourth president of the Republic of the Philippines (1957-1961) who was born in Talibon, Bohol.

GEOGRAPHY

Bohol is the perfect arena for scuba diving, kayaking, trekking and cave exploration. For the less adventurous, it offers leisurely pursuits like cruising, swimming, snorkeling or, simply, collecting seashells by the seashore.

The Island of Bohol is oval-shaped mainland surrounded with 73 smaller islands, having a gently rolling terrain, ideal for commercial and industrial site development. Bohol's mountainous interior is home to rare and endangered flora and fauna. At certain points, hills drop steeply to the coast from a maximum elevation of 870 meters above sea level. The interior uplands are fit for agro-forestry and high value agricultural production. The central and northern lowlands have also fertile grounds and abundant water supply. Over a hundred caves have been identified, the biggest of which is found in the eastern part which makes Bohol ideal for spelunking adventures. The Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol are considered one of Philippine's natural wonders and Bohol is often referred to as the Jewel of the Philippines.

Most beaches are of white sand. The sand is often of such high quality that it is exported to other beaches in the world. The most well known of these beaches are in Panglao Island, and there, numerous islets have similar, yet untouched and pristine beaches.

The Loboc River is the most famous, running from the southeastern coast to the center of the island. It is famous for its River Cruise going up to its water source. The largest, Inabanga River, runs in the northern part of the province.

Numerous waterfalls and caves are scattered across the island, including the beautiful Mag-Aso falls in Antequera. Mag-Aso means smoke in the native tongue. The water is cool and often creates a mist in humid mornings which can hide the falls.

Marriage Enrichment Retreat Three

2009-03-15T21:16:00.031+08:00

2009-03-14&15

St. Michael Retreat Center
Antipolo, Rizal

CFC Pix Link

2009-01-26T15:35:00.003+08:00

http://cid-39dc4b32f3f05e63.profile.live.com/?lc=1033

2008-10-23T09:13:00.004+08:00

North B Ms. GK Mabuhay Pageant

2008-09-14T10:47:00.006+08:00

September 12, 2008 was a red letter day for the Gawad Kalinga (GK) sites of North B Sector of the Couples for Chriast (CFC). This was the day for the pre-pageant Ms. GK Mabuhay contest where the representative for North B will be chosen. The members of the organizing committee were afraid that the contest will not be successful. They feared that there will be few contestants; participation of the Kapitbahayan will be less and the venue for the contest will not be available, affordable and accessible. But all their fears were unfounded. Tickets sales were brisk and demands for more tickets had to be turned down.

On the day itself, the whole place was nearly full and the contest proceeded smoothly, thanks to the great emcee job done by Bro. Terence Grana and Sis. Babsi Cabuquit. The surprise of the night was the talents of the contestants. They came well prepared for the occasion. The evening gown section was the most revealing for the night. If an uninformed spectator saw them, he would not believe that the contestants came from GK sites.

Eventually, as in all contests, someone has to be declared the winner and be the representative of the sector in the Ms. Mabuhay contest. The representative for North B to the Ms. GK Mabuhay pageant is Ms. Cynthia de la Cruz from GK Talanay. But everybody went home all winners that night – for everybody enjoyed the contest, the good fellowship with brothers and sisters and the presence of our Lord in that event that glorified His presence in all our GK sites.

North B 1 Fellowship

2008-09-08T16:26:00.004+08:00

2008-06-20 Fellowship with Mindanao Delegates

2008-06-24T15:07:00.006+08:00

2008

2008-03-02T19:44:00.002+08:00

NB Christmas 2007 Snapshots

2008-02-21T22:05:00.002+08:00

North B Sector Christmas Party 2007

Power Hug & Group Hug Pictures!

2008-02-21T21:56:00.001+08:00

Power Hug & Group Hug Pictures!

Lemurian Cogitations

2008-01-30T10:23:00.000+08:00

CFC Disciples Weekend

2008-01-29T22:03:00.003+08:00

note: Please click the above title. It will redirect you to the pictures that Bro. Jun Dimarucot posted in the cfcnorthb web page. Thanks and God bless.

Disciples Weekend

2008-01-29T21:57:00.001+08:00

note: Please click the above title. It will also redirect you to the Disciples Weekend pictures. Thanks and God bless.

Dimarucots' Thanksgiving Party - 2007-12-29

2008-01-01T16:39:00.001+08:00

2007 GK1World

2007-10-29T15:19:00.000+08:00

CFC GK Activities in North B

2007-08-31T23:03:00.000+08:00

In Defense of the Real CFC

2007-08-23T16:28:00.000+08:00

Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A Box, A Bunny, and the Easter Eggs

It's time for a late (or early for next year) Easter Egg Hunt. I'll lay the clues, you can all follow and show me the Eggs you find.

1st Clue
The PCIJ Investigation that was brought up in a prior entry and was pointed out in an anonymous comment.

ARROYO'S LEGACY MAY INCLUDE MOTHERS PUT AT RISK...

THE CFC CRISIS: WHAT WENT WRONG AND...

2007-08-23T13:23:00.000+08:00

THE CFC CRISIS: WHAT WENT WRONG AND ITS RESOLUTION
(A PSYCHIATRIST’S POINT OF VIEW)

By
Dr Vic S. Cabuquit
CFC-North B

Introduction

The Couples for Christ, the foremost Catholic lay organization, is 26 years old this year. It has grown into a world-wide network of about one million members. Its thrust has been mainly on evangelization, beginning with the couples themselves and gradually branching into several family and social ministries, offering a unique “womb to tomb” type of evangelization that has reached all the corners of this country and in 160 countries in the world.

It has done remarkably well in its efforts to make a difference, particularly for the poor and indeed, it has achieved accolades from all sectors of society. The plaudits though may have lulled CFC into a false sense of achievement. And pride is just a step away from this.

Now, CFC is on the throes of its most severe crisis; a crisis within its ranks, a crisis amongst its leaders. During the last few years, there had been tell-tale signs of a looming crisis. Unfortunately, these signs were largely ignored.

What Went Wrong? (1)

The decline in membership was one sign. From a high of about 1.2 million members, CFC’s membership dropped to a low of 900,000 in a period of just five years. New members were hard to recruit; participants in Christian Life Programmes (CLPs) were disappointingly low. Ominously, members were simply dropping out. The reasons were varied: different priorities, conflict with members/leaders, wrong charism, lost zeal. Some preferred to stay in the background, as if waiting for the penny to drop.

The significant drop in membership resulted in a decrease in tithes, a perennial problem going from bad to worse. The unexplained CFC debts, which, for a time, ballooned to millions of pesos, further worsened the situation. Overall, there was lack of transparency in how money was being handled. There were instances when money was being spent in advance, that the council was spending beyond its means. This cavalier attitude on finances was reflected in the absence of year-end financial reports and an aversion to so-called ”corporate” auditing procedures. Members were asking amongst themselves, ”how is our money being spent?” The council’s reply, equally cavalier, was, “trust us.”

Another sign centred on the interminable tenures of the members of the Executive Council, the governing body of CFC. Key figures like Frank Padilla, Tony Meloto, Lachie Agana, and Roquel Ponte, had had uninterrupted memberships in the council for about a quarter of a century; an endless merry-go-round of multiple positions and of course, attractive perks. It was not uncommon, for example, for Frank Padilla to report to Frank Padilla who would also report to Frank Padilla. Padilla, in an audacious retort to probing e-mails last year, rationalized this anomaly by claiming no one outside of the council was competent enough to do multiple jobs. These astute men were able to wield a kind of collusive leadership because they themselves were the ones who determined who would constitute the Elder’s Assembly, ostensibly the body with the final say on CFC policies. It was observed that the members of the Executive Council, to preserve their territoriality, nominated only those members who they saw fit as friendly and obedient to their cause. Members who asked too many questions, especially the awkward questions, were excluded. The “awkward” members who somehow managed to get in the council did not last long and were speedily replaced. “Obedience” was the unofficial mantra for that select group.

What Went Wrong? (2)

The Executive Council was dominated by two individuals. Frank Padilla and Tony Meloto: both brilliant, headstrong, and ambitious. One can say that they epitomized CFC. Padilla is a great communicator: excellent in speech and prose. But he often exudes a stiff countenance, lacks a sense of humour, and comes off as an obsessive, controlling icon.

Meloto is a first class strategist, an exceptional man who can readily walk his talk. He has more charisma than Padilla. He has an incredible memory which can be quite disarming. He has the knack of making the other person feel important. Like Padilla, Meloto is passionately controlling.

In the hierarchy of things, Padilla is the mentor, Meloto is the protege. That is, until Gawad Kalinga. The success of Gawad Kalinga, rightly or wrongly attributed to Meloto, upset the hierarchical apple cart. GK generated so much positive publicity that it created a bandwagon effect. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry wanted to be part of the ground-breaking phenomenon called GK. Meloto began to reap laurels from all quarters. Meloto basked in the limelight. Meloto felt heady with success. Can pride be far behind?

A significant event that catalysed the crisis was the Ramon Magsaysay Award given to Meloto, as an individual achievement. Significantly, the announcement of the award was met with less than cacophonous jubilation by the CFC. Many were wondering, “why Meloto, why not CFC?” There were unconfirmed but widely believed reports that there were attempts by some backroom boys (actually girls) to prevent Meloto from garnering the individual award. To make a long story short, Meloto and CFC, represented by Padilla, received individual and group awards, unprecedented in the history of Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It was plain the backroom boys (girls) were able to strike a compromise.

But the arrow had been released, and CFC bled. Many felt that Meloto should have declined the honour as an individual achievement because it was not he but CFC which created, nurtured, and sustained GK. The fact that Meloto accepted the award meant he thought otherwise.

As Executive Director, Meloto controlled GK. Controlled, with a capital C. Meloto became the face of GK, a fact not all discouraged by the council. It turned out to be a big time blunder. The GK bandwagon rolled on but somewhere along the way, CFC’s evangelical wheel suffered a puncture. It was now becoming evident that GK, spearheaded by Meloto, was getting too big at the expense of CFC. CFC programmes were taking a backseat in favour of GK activities. CFC talks were being cancelled or postponed because of GK. On a personal note, the protege has now overshadowed his mentor. Not a good recipe for equanimity. When two brilliant, headstrong, and ambitious egos clash, a crisis inevitably erupts. Publicly, Meloto would say Padilla remains as his mentor. But Meloto was less than vociferous, let alone enthusiastic, in proclaiming CFC during his numerous public orations. Meloto’s star shone so brightly that some political commentators started to consider him as presidential timbre.

As GK Chair, Padilla was out of the media limelight. For the first time, people were talking more about the protege than the mentor. Padilla was quite supportive of GK from its inception up to as late as November 2006. Padilla has high regards for Meloto and the feeling is mutual. Both had developed a very close bond after being together so long in the council. That is why his trenchant defense of GK in his paper CFC-GK2 was no surprise.

But his paper CFC-GK3, released six months later, was a shocking surprise. In it, he spun 180 degrees from his former position on GK. In GK2, he was all for it; in GK3, he was against it, raising the spectre of a split between the original wholistic, global, Catholic CFC from the CFC-GK, which has turned, in Padilla’s opinion, into a mere social phenomenon. Padilla, in a brilliant anticipatory move, got the bishops involved. He knew that when push comes to shove, the bishops would be on his side. He was right, as subsequent events showed. The gambit worked like a charm.

Are You Pride? Come In

What drove Padilla, in just six months, to change his ideological suit from GK2 to GK3? In that six- month period, Padilla, Meloto, and Agana resigned from the Executive Council for reasons largely unexplained. It is not certain if their resignations were for good or for the meantime, with the elections coming in about four months. Speculations abound, from the sublime to the ridiculous. But their resignations had one stunning effect: they were out of the Executive Council, their power base for so long. Suddenly, they found themselves out looking in. A thoroughly unfamiliar position for the trio.

Padilla, whose creativity and energy require power and position, felt like fish out of water. The report, most likely true, that he was surprised and piqued that he was not re-nominated, speaks of his penchant to remain in control. Meloto, surprisingly (perhaps not really, for his protege, an obtrusive young chap, whose loyalty to him is second to none, took over as Executive Director of GK) coped better than Padilla in the aftermath of their resignations.

Psychologically, any man who publicly declares he has no need for power and position actually hungers for them. Padilla and Meloto are such men. Meloto does it more subtly, though. For Padilla, there has to be a stage to showcase his admittedly prodigious talents; one smart way to get back on track was to get back people’s attention. He got their attention indeed with his CFC-GK3 paper.

Read on its own, the CFC-GK3 paper is a bombshell. In measured tones and exquisite prose, he seemingly hit the bull’s eye. But read in tandem with his CFC-GK2 paper (something highly recommended) written barely six months earlier, one realizes that all his GK3 arguments are hollow and shallow, and a bellow from someone who is barely mellow.

For he could as well have rebutted the GK3 issues he raised by quoting his own defense in GK2. Call it semantic somersault. Call it erudite contradictions. Call it strange ruminations but this kind of thinking needs further observation. It is worrisome. He was the GK chair all those years the problems were incubating. His hands, one may argue, are also tainted.

Nevertheless, his moves rattled everyone. The Executive Council members, headed by the disenchantingly ineffective Joe Tale, did not know what hit them. Tale, who is really a nice chap, was not impressive in communicating the council’s defense and Padilla simply found him and the rest vulnerable. Meloto’s sepulchral silence did not help the council’s cause. And people wondered why. “Our house was on fire and he did not do anything,” noted an insightful member.

The Choices We Have to Make

Now, CFC is virtually rendered split into two factions: the original CFC (with GK) and the CFC (with Foundation for Family and Life or FFL). It might as well read “Meloto versus Padilla." Curiously, both deny a continuing desire for power or position. But both suffer from cognitive dissonance: what they say do not tally with what they do.

Consider these: Meloto’s influence in CFC-GK remains potent. The CFC Executive Council and the majority of the Board of Elders are loyal to him. His hold on GK is secure: lock, stock, and barrel. He remains the power behind GK. Padilla, who implored members to trust him, is now the President of the CFC-FFL and will surely be the leader of his group. He may act coy about it but a clamour for his leadership is too tempting to ignore.

Talk about not wanting power and position. That is cognitive dissonance.

The Crux Of The Crisis

The crisis is actually a crisis of two egos gone wrong. A case of an immovable object versus an irresistible force. Shall CFC suffer because of the conflicts of these ambitious men? A million members to be split between these two? Should it be allowed?

What needs to be done? Simple. Take away both the immovable object and irresistible force. How?

The Five Steps To CFC Crisis Resolution:

1. The current CFC Executive Council and the Board of Elders should step down. Just stand down. No two ways about it. A great sacrifice. But no individual or group should be greater than the CFC community. To raise legalese arguments will not wash. Their mandate has been declared null and void by at least one half of the community. And we are not talking about numbers here. Refusal would only mean they are in there for themselves.

2. The restoration CFC-FFL should still its trumpets and go back to CFC. Perish the thought. No more separatist adventurism. It is difficult to believe that God really wants CFC to disintegrate, which is likely if separation occurs. Refusal would likewise mean they are in there for themselves.

3. A new election of Executive Council members and of the Board of Elders. Past and current members of the council and the board should not run for any post, at any time; if nominated, they should decline. Terms to be fixed. No multiple positions. The slate has to be wiped clean. Very clean.

4. The work in GK should continue but with revisions in its priorities. Evangelization of families should be the main focus. CLPs and all CFC programmes must be offered to all housing beneficiaries. GK should have no human face. Its face, should there be one, is Christ’s. GK’s CFC provenance must be openly declared. And for CFC to welcome those who want to help but to be wary of “Greeks bearing gifts.”

5. In a general gathering of members, together with the cardinal and bishops, public apologies must be expressed by Padilla and Meloto, on behalf of their groups, followed by firm handshakes and warm embraces. Their wives should do the same. The cardinal and bishops will pray over our community

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain” (Rev. 21.4)

drvincente@hotmail.com
20 August 2007

Walking With Heroes - Glimpses

2007-07-03T17:00:00.000+08:00

By Jose Ma. Montelibano
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 03:02am (Mla time) 06/22/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- I remember in August 1983 when Ninoy Aquino was scheduled to arrive in Manila after more than three years in exile. My wife was part of a group tasked to feed the crowd that was expected to greet him at the Manila International Airport. That only meant making sandwiches, as no one expected to be at the airport for a long time. We ended up having a lot of sandwiches made, and arranged for their delivery to a drop-off point, because we went to Quezon province the day before. When we returned to Manila the next day, Ninoy had been assassinated, or better still, executed, in the crudest of manner amid what must have been the most heavily guarded airport in the world.

The next three years saw a people angered to a point that they defied a dictatorship they had feared for more than 10 years. Many had died from 1972 to 1983 and more would die until Fredinand Marcos, pressured by the United States, called for a snap election. The campaign to install Cory Aquino as president was wild and bloody, but the election did happen and Marcos had himself declared winner by a Congress made up mostly of his political minions. As a result, the people reacted and a miraculous, peaceful people power revolution emerged as the mankind's newest format for societal change.

For some strange reason, the whole week has riveted my attention to heroes and heroism. It may be that I am eagerly anticipating a great gathering of Filipinos, including quite a number of Filipino-Americans, Filipino-Canadians and Filipino-Australians, at the Araneta Coliseum. The Gawad Kalinga (GK) movement is staging an inspirational rally in which its workers, advocates, partners and residents in GK villages can converge and renew commitments to be their brothers' keepers in a crusade to build a nation that we and our children can all be proud of. After introducing an initiative called GK1MB (Gawad Kalinga Isang Milyong Bayani, or Gawad Kalinga One Mission Heroes) last year at the Quezon Circle, in Quezon City, more than 10,000 Filipinos here and abroad have become card-carrying Gawad Kalinga advocates who pledge to contribute a minimum number of hours helping the movement to grow worldwide.

But this sense of heroes and heroism has been a thread in my consciousness, triggered by so many individuals and events. I was reminded while cleaning my computer of old files about our heroine, Biyo the teacher with a planet now to her name, when I read a speech she had made years ago. Then, I watched Dr. Martin Bautista of the Ang Kapatiran fame follow less heralded footsteps of other Filipinos who, after being successful in America, returned to their motherland to roll up their sleeves and try to lift the poor, the sick and the despairing to a better quality of life. And last night, I watched a TV show about this teacher in Nueva Vizcaya province walk for many, many hours to teach illiterate adults in upland villages, with her aching body amply soothed by a joyful and determined spirit.

Why are there so many Filipinos today who feel an inner urge to be heroes for the poor and the young? Is there something in the air that attracts them to cross the line of comfort and wade into a zone of sacrifice? I can understand the natural feelings of those in the older generation as they look at their lives and the lives of their children and grandchildren,

Like many of them, I reflect on what has been and what we have today that we will leave to the next generations. And sharing the sentiments of many who are approaching or already are in their senior citizens' status, I feel shame at the legacy of poverty, corruption and violence that my children will have to grapple with. I feel fear that crass materialism and consumerism will swallow the soul of the young, that warped values of the world will be massively spread through technology. I feel agitated, wanting to undo many things but overwhelmed at the dominance of immorality in leadership and the tolerance of wrongdoing by the majority.

My excitement escalates, however, and outpaces my fears and apprehensions. There is a surge of goodwill and patriotism mixed with the nostalgia that most Filipinos abroad feel for their homeland. How many Filipinos here know that hundreds of Filipino-Americans join major marathons in the US wearing red-shirt uniforms saying “Heroes Run.” Each runner raises funds for at least one house for the poor in the Philippines, and in 2007, about 700 Filipino-American runners have signified their intent to join the Heroes Run.

Many, though, have gone beyond running marathons in the US to actually save up for a trip back to the Philippines and join house-building activities in GK villages. It is also a source of great pride for Filipinos when prestigious universities like Yale, MIT, Georgetown and others either allow their students or actually send them to the Philippines to study possible poverty intervention programs. Again, GK has managed to stimulate enough interest by the images of decent and brightly colored homes and happy faces of the poor. Its impact is not anymore just local but going international as well.

When second generation Filipino-Americans begin to find themselves visiting the Philippines, many of them for the first time, a trend is established and many believe it will become a recurring pattern for thousands of Filipinos abroad to follow. Simultaneously, colleges and universities in Metro Manila have adopted GK as their favorite community development program where they can send their students to immerse and evolve fresh ideas on how to help the poor.

If we go from town to town, province to province, we will see a new demand for decency among ordinary Filipinos, a new form of idealism from the young, a new stirring of hope from the poor. If we go from country to country where Filipinos have settled in order to escape an environment that offered little opportunity, we will find them with a growing optimism that meaningful change can actually happen. It might have been the senatorial elections. Or, it might be a growing belief that young military and police officers will adhere more faithfully to human rights provisions.

What is important is that despair is waning and hope is emerging. It is less the achievement of government and more the contribution of ordinary Filipinos. And undoubtedly, the yearning of Filipinos abroad to help their native land and the continuing arrival of their young in order to reconnect with their roots, reflect a shift that can become a tidal wave. At last, heroes can once again walk the land, and we can walk with them.

Tobit's Weekend (May 12-13, 2007)

2007-05-16T11:19:00.000+08:00

Tobit's Weekend (May 12-13, 2007)

2007-05-16T11:01:00.000+08:00

Tobit's Weekend (May 12-13, 2007)

2007-05-16T10:34:00.000+08:00

North B MC MusicMin 2007.02.22

2007-02-25T20:17:00.000+08:00

Hope Weekend 2007, Baguio City

2007-02-09T07:58:00.000+08:00

For more pictures, please click the above title or visit http://cfcnorthb.multiply.com
God bless...

GK: Filipinos' Gift to the World

2007-01-31T08:38:00.000+08:00

10th International Kids Village

2006-12-18T13:33:00.000+08:00

Shepherd's Weekend

2006-12-14T15:56:00.000+08:00

Shepherd's Weekend

2006-12-14T15:31:00.000+08:00

Noth B In Focus

2006-11-27T18:54:00.000+08:00

View full size

terence and friend

2006-11-21T09:44:00.001+08:00

time check

2006-11-16T13:19:00.000+08:00

actually, it's not 13 july but 7 october 2006

2006-11-11T00:17:00.000+08:00

View full size

Congratulatory Resolutions - Congress 10.10.2006

2006-11-08T21:10:00.000+08:00

GK Executive Director Tony Meloto receives copies of Adopted Congressional Congratulatory Resolutions, citing him and Gawad Kalinga for their anti-poverty efforts, from House of Representatives Speaker Jose de Venecia. Speaker de Venecia is assisted by Manority Floor Leader Francis Escudero, principal authored of the two (2) resolutions, and Majority Floor Leader Prospero Nograles. Witnessing the ceremony is Lynn, Tony's beloved wife.

GKare Congress 09.16.2006

2006-09-21T17:32:00.000+08:00

Some Photos taken during the GKare Congress held at the INNOTECH-SEAMEO Conference Hall, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City on 16 September 2006

Angie Dimarucot (Sector Head's wife) assists a registrant to the GKare Congress

Congress participants from North B Sector

The Sector Head and His Lovely Wife

Sector Head takes time to have a photo pose with some wives of Sector Leaders

Happy participant-volunteers

mga naggagandahang production assistant directors

registration officers

more registration officers

jun poses again with the ladies

GLIMPSES - Ramon Magsaysay Awards: honoring Filipinos

2006-08-04T18:15:00.000+08:00

By Jose Ma. Montelibano
INQ7.net
Last updated 02:01am (Mla time) 08/04/2006

I MAKE IT no secret that I am a totally committed worker for the Gawad Kalinga movement. It is by far the most substantial promise of the kind of change that many Filipinos have dreamed of. When I witness the political dynamics of the land, whether it is about "Hello, Garci," coup d'état or Charter change, I slowly shake my head in amazement at that leaders of this fledgling nation can preoccupy themselves with controversy while all Filipinos tiptoe at the edge of a precipice.

The history of Filipinos in the past few centuries has been particularly devastating to a culture that was promising to be one of the most creative and festive. Though natives of the motherland were no exception to hierarchical and feudalistic structures of governance, any pre-Hispanic "datu" system that was in place could not have been as harsh as its counterparts in the world. Understandably, the creative and festive traits of our culture preempted the worst of behavior from societal leaders.

But massive exploitation is the mark of colonization here and elsewhere. There must have been greedy leaders among our ancestors in pre-Hispanic times, but colonization is institutionalized corruption, the worst of its kind. There is nothing sophisticated about subjugating a people through force, and then raping their land for what it contained that was of value to the foreign masters.

While exploitation can be as physical as it can get, it is also an attitude and perspective that can linger long after the first exploiters are gone. It is the curse of Filipinos that many among the local elite were protégés of exploiters and continued what they learned from their foreign mentors. When institutionalized exploitation was terminated by political decrees, such as the awarding of independence by the Americans, the exploitative habit refused to die and easily found itself as the operating system of the new, albeit, local masters.

Colonization cannot be justified. The use of force to subjugate and dominate another people, another country that had not in any way provoked aggression from greedy bullies is beyond justification. Colonization was a wholesale anomaly that our people still reel from today. But selectively, good also happened in many ways and in many forms. Even in an atmosphere of evil, goodness in people cannot be easily eliminated or prevented from manifesting.

Thus, just as there are endless examples of why the use of superior force to take over the lives of other peoples and nations is barbaric in nature, kindness, heroism, and generosity abounded on Philippine soil -- both from foreigners and natives. The introduction of Christianity is a boon even if its spotty practice makes hypocrites of many. And the tradition of honor that defined the best among generations who are now long gone is a haunting angst that flickers still in the hearts of a people living in shame.

Our shame does not come from centuries of colonization, centuries of being defeated by wave after wave of foreign masters. We lost, but we fought. We suffered for so long, but we finally won all the wars to rid ourselves of the Spain, Japan and America. We can look back with sadness at what happened to us, but we do not need to look back in shame.

Our shame comes from the poverty we tolerate, the corruption we tolerate, the violence we tolerate. Our shame comes from the exodus of Filipinos who have to look for security and promise in foreign shores because they cannot find it here. Our shame comes from the hunger of millions who have been hungry survey after survey, year after year, decade after decade. Our shame comes from our inability to help one another when it is easier to take advantage of the other. Our shame comes from being fearful that a most fertile and abundant land cannot support its own children.

We are a people of faith, whether that is Christianity or Islam, or a native belief in a cosmology where divinity and humanity merge. Our shame comes because all our faiths cannot reconcile with a spiritual failure so horrible that our pretension of loving God is exposed by our refusal to love our neighbor. We insult not only ourselves as human beings and as the crown jewels of creation; we insult our religious beliefs as well by notpracticing what we preach.

Now, almost from nowhere, a shaft of bright light, a burning bush in the aridity of a shamed society, a bearer of hope emerges. Gawad Kalinga and Tony Meloto are like lotus flowers negating the ugliness of muddy ponds, and showing that good, indeed, can defeat evil even in its favorite lair.

What is majestic about Gawad Kalinga and Tony Meloto winning the Ramon Magsaysay award for Community Leadership is that tens of thousands of Filipinos here and abroad are honored through them. Gawad Kalinga is less an organization than it is a work, a work of faith expressed in good works. Gawad Kalinga builds beautiful churches, chapels and mosques by making its more than 850 villages living expressions of different butharmonious faiths. Gawad Kalinga has used what can be a point of division -- the building of the Filipino nation -- as a core and powerful bond among Filipinos of different persuasions.

Take a bow, Filipinos, there are among us men and women who refuse to live in shame, and who refuse to let those in shame be comfortable in their lowly choice of environment. Among the rich, among the powerful, are a growing number who are turning their backs on exploitation and advocating generosity by example. Among the poor are a growing number who are turning their backs on mendicancy and striving to be productive and contributory to the well-being of their communities. And among the most ordinary are agrowing number of extraordinary heroes, those who think of others ahead of themselves.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award to Gawad Kalinga and Tony Meloto honor all that is noble in us, for reaching out in care and friendship to the poor, the weak, the old and the young, for promising never again to leave them behind. And to think that the recognition and honoring are done at a time when the work of nation building has just begun can only make us wonder in awe at what more we, as a people in solidarity, can do to lift all our poor out of poverty and recover our honor.

***

Responses can be sent to jolomon777@gmail.com.

CITATION for Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation

2006-08-02T09:04:00.000+08:00

The 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership

CITATION for Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation
Ramon Magsaysay Award Presentation Ceremonies
31 August 2006, Manila, Philippines

Asia’s vast cities-of-the-poor are visible proof of a hard fact. Despite decades of economic development programs and foreign aid and the earnest efforts of foundations and NGOs, not to mention the sweet promises of politicians, great millions of people in Asia still live in poverty. In the Philippines, nearly half of the country’s 84 million people are credibly said to live below the poverty line. Forty percent of its urban families occupy what the Asian Development Bank calls "makeshift dwellings in informal settlements." Slums, in other words. Antonio Meloto believes these disheartening facts reveal his country’s failure "to work for the collective good." As executive director of Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation, he is changing this.

Born to humble circumstances in Bacolod, Central Philippines, Antonio Meloto attended Ateneo de Manila University on a scholarship and embarked upon a successful career in business. In 1985, an encounter with the Filipino Catholic organization Couples for Christ caused him to reassess his life and priorities. Meloto subsequently joined the organization fulltime and, in 1995, launched a work-with-the-poor ministry in Bagong Silang, a huge squatter relocation site in Metropolitan Manila. He called his ministry Gawad Kalinga, "to give care."

In Bagong Silang, Meloto immersed himself in the lives of slum dwellers. He learned that "a slum environment develops slum behavior." But he also found goodness, even in the hardened gang members he met there. Slum dwellers needed love and spiritual nourishment, it was clear. But they also needed dignity and decent living conditions. It was not enough to pray for them, he decided. "We should do something!"

Meloto decided to build houses. Drawing support and volunteers from Couples for Christ, he began transforming the neediest area of Bagong Silang into a viable neighborhood with safe, sturdy, and attractive homes—the first Gawad Kalinga village. In doing so, he formulated guidelines for later Gawad Kalinga projects. New homes would be allotted only to the poorest families. They could not be sold. And although the beneficiaries would not have to pay for their new homes, they would have to help Gawad Kalinga’s volunteers build them and to abide by neighborhood covenants.

As Bagong Silang Village blossomed, Meloto identified new sites for Gawad Kalinga villages and spread word of the project through Couples for Christ. He solicited donations and volunteers passionately, offering "see-for-yourself" exposures to convince skeptics. Through the ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor) Foundation he brought expatriate Filipinos into Gawad Kalinga’s growing web of partners and supporters. Meanwhile, he introduced health, education, and livelihood components to Gawad Kalinga villages to equip the occupants with skills and resources to rise in life.

As word of Gawad Kalinga’s hopeful project circulated at home and abroad, it tapped into a reservoir of longing. Many Filipinos despaired over their country’s stubborn poverty and yearned to do something about it. They flocked to the movement, convinced by Meloto that their money and efforts could really make a difference. Donations soared and Gawad Kalinga villages began to proliferate throughout the Philippines.

Meloto guided the organization to embrace all comers. "We provide the framework," he says. "We also provide the principles; we also provide the spirit. But anyone can come in." This philosophy led Gawad Kalinga into cooperative projects with corporations, civic organizations, families, schools, and government agencies as well as over three hundred governors and mayors. When typhoons destroyed thousands of homes on Luzon in 2005, for example, Gawad Kalinga joined a dozen government agencies and private organizations to build forty thousand new ones. In Mindanao, Gawad Kalinga-led "Peace Builds," fostered by local mayors and built by Christian, Muslim, and indigenous-Filipino volunteers, resulted in hundreds of new homes for displaced Muslim Filipinos.

It is often said that Tony Meloto is the face of Gawad Kalinga. But the movement he spawned is now much bigger than himself. In truth, Gawad Kalinga has thousands of faces. These are faces of every Filipino ethnicity, faith, and social class—of donors at home and abroad who are providing the money and land for new villages; of volunteers across the Philippines who are joining their families, and friends, and schoolmates, and officemates, and fellow church members to build houses and to provide Gawad Kalinga villages with training and services; of executives, lawyers, doctors, architects, and other professionals. These are also the faces of over one hundred thousand grateful beneficiaries.

Today more than eight hundred fifty Gawad Kalinga villages span the Philippines. Alongside those sponsored by Filipinos abroad, such as Norway Village, Swiss Village, and North Carolina Village, there are more than one hundred others sponsored by major corporations. And this is just the beginning. Gawad Kalinga is committed to building seven thousand new communities by the year 2010.

Gawad Kalinga neighborhoods typically contain fifty-to-one-hundred brightly painted homes and are conspicuously tidy and clean. There are flowers and plants and pleasant walkways, plus a school, a livelihood center, and a multipurpose hall. Participating families are mentored by a Couples for Christ caretaker team that organizes volunteers to assist in education, health, and livelihood projects. In many, clinics provide routine medical care. Through a self-governing neighborhood association in each village, residents are becoming stewards of their own stable and vibrant communities.

The objective is transformation. Meloto recently described a mature Gawad Kalinga village as "a beautiful middle-class community. Crime has virtually disappeared. Former street children are now in school. The idle have been motivated to find employment and are now leading productive lives." As for those who contribute to Gawad Kalinga and its mission, they are transformed, too, by their acts of goodwill and the warm camaraderie of bayanihan, "working together."

Now fifty-six, the lanky, self-effacing Meloto says, "I believe in the immense potential of the Filipino." Thinking of people like himself who formerly ignored the poverty around them, he says, "Before, we were part of the problem."

"Now," he adds, smiling, "we are part of the solution."

In electing the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation and its family of donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries to receive the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, the board of trustees recognizes their harnessing the faith and generosity of Filipinos the world over to confront poverty in their homeland and to provide every Filipino the dignity of a decent home and neighborhood.

Typhoon "Florita"

2006-07-13T13:01:00.000+08:00

as of 25 June 2006

2006-07-04T20:26:00.000+08:00

presenting..........

2006-06-27T08:14:00.000+08:00

Silver Anniversary of the CFC

2006-06-26T09:41:00.000+08:00

Palawan, Laguna and Quezon City CFC delegates pose as they prepare to participate in the Silver Anniversay of the Couples for Christ in Luneta

Youth for Christ members (most of them are children of CFC) enjoy the festivities as their comembers prepare for their number in the program.

Quirino Granstand of the Luneta Park in Manila, Philippines is the centerstage of the Silver Anniversary of the Couples for Christ on 25 June 2006.

pilipino ka ba?

2006-06-20T10:12:00.000+08:00

4th GK CONGRESS: A Gathering Of Heroes

2006-06-19T20:45:00.000+08:00

By Boy Montelibano

Not enough can be said about the 4th GK Congress held yesterday at the ULTRA. But if it has to be put in perspective, then try thinking of 8,400 GK advocates sitting and cheering through a straight 8 hour program without leaving, not even for a lunch break. If I cannot describe everything that happened, if I miss out with some details here and there, just try imagining 8,400 Filipinos repeating and repeating to themselves a promise to their people that they are dedicating much of their lives in an awesome effort to lift the poor out of poverty and a nation regain their honor.

From as early as seven o'clock in the morning of June 16, 2006, ordinary folks who have become extraordinary and heroes in the pursuit of a vision to transform ugly into beautiful, wasted talent into productivty, and shame into honor, trooped to fill up the ULTRA ay Pasig. ULTRA was the scene of a tragedy when a mass stampede killed many poor people who were desperate or ignorant enough to exchange safety for a chance at winning prizes. The GK Congress was like an exorcism of that tragedy, a moment of sacrifice and nobility that erases the evil of greed and poverty. At nine o'clock, the heroes began their parade, groups and groups of GK Caretaker Teams and officers of GK villages eager to show what they have done, and even more eager to commit what they will be doing.

Women and children joined their men and fathers to celebrate the rebirth of bayanihan through the heroism of Filipinos who have not stopped caring and have stepped up to become nation builders. They came from everywhere, from Metro Manila and the provinces, from the Visayas and Mindanao, from the United States and Canada, from Papua New Guinea and Cambodia, from Australia and from Africa. And many brought citizens of other nations who came to show their sympathy for a noble cause, and their admiration at Filipinos who are not allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by darkness and themselves becoming lights for others.

It was more than a Congress; it was truly a gathering of heroes, of sons and daughters of the motherland who came from everywhere to show they cared, to commit their share, to honor God by honoring their nation. Mabuhay teams danced, young children sang, and the men kept waving their flags, Philippine flags for their country, and GK flags for their God. It was especially the homecoming of sons and daughters of the motherland, sons and daughters from across seas and oceans, that brought to mind great Biblical sayings. And it was also the participation of many foreigners that evoked yet another phrase about the wealth of nations being brought to the promised land.

From nine oclock in the morning to five o'clock in the afternoon, 8,400 people stayed to be a live part of an event that drew support from one another and the stories of great love, of great sacrifice, of great heroism. In the end, the next generation stood and sang and cheered their commitment to carry on the fight all their lives. In the end, tears that had been welling up all day found an opening to be shed. People hugged each other, slapped each other's backs, shook each other's hands, and could hardly put to words the emotions that carried them through a whole day.

The message is clear. The heroes have come. The motherland is in good hands!

the way to...

2006-06-19T16:03:00.000+08:00

http://gknorthb1.blogspot.com

just click the above url and you will be redirected to the site. if you are not redirected, please copy and paste it on your browser and click go. thanks and God bless.

subukan n'yo...

2006-06-09T22:17:00.000+08:00

Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino

Smooth and sweet, you fit in to almost any crowd. No one would suspect you of being a coffee tweaker!

Click Me

I Am A Fool For Christ

2006-06-09T17:38:00.000+08:00

I Am Mr. Burns

Okay, so I always pray...

I have big plans of evangelizing my former beer buddies, and I'll destroy their sinfulness in the process if necessary!

I will be remembered for: my being persistent.

Life philosophy: "Eternal happiness? I'd be happier even without any dollar."

Visit Your GK Sites In North B

Loving hands that build

2006-06-04T16:39:00.000+08:00

By Tintin P. Bersola-Babao
Last updated 03:41pm (Mla time) 05/31/2006
http://globalnation.inq7.net/propertyfocus/propertyfocus/view_article.php?article_id=3320

Have you ever experienced moving in and out of homes too frequently and having no real permanent address? I did as a young girl.

My earliest memory of eviction was when I was four years old. It was a small apartment in Cubao. We had no choice but to move out because my father had a falling out with his siblings.
The next years, my parents, only sister and I lived a nomadic lifeâ€”living in apartments in Cubao, Matatag St., ParaÃ±aque, Fairview, White Plains, Greenhills, Loyola Heights, etc. We must have lived in more than 25 apartments and houses in my lifetime!

Reasons

There were varied reasons. Most of the time, we were living in dire straits. When my parents sold everything from country club shares to chicharon to earn a living, we lived in cramped apartments. When they chanced upon a gold mine selling oriental furniture, we moved to a 1,000-sq m., corner house with a swimming pool in Greenhills.

Then the business went bankrupt. We sold the house and moved to a smaller home. That was 1987 â€”I was 17 years old. For the next seven years, the cycle of transferring homes continued.

One night I told myself, this is it: Someday, I will buy my own house and it will be my permanent residence.

So when I started earning my own money between 1993-1996 I took a leap of faith and acquired a loan for a house which I proudly called mineâ€”bought with my blood, sweat and tears.

I moved out of that home only when I married and moved to my conjugal home with Julius. My mom and brother still live in that house today. Itâ€™s my gift to them.

It is because of my past that I donated and helped build a house through Gawad Kalinga. Last year, on my 35th birthday, I convinced my high school best buddies that the GK house would be the perfect testament to our 22-year friendship. They all agreed and contributed money; I took care of the rest of the project cost.

Volunteer

Thanks to my â€œMagandang Umaga, Bayanâ€� co-host Bernadette Sembrano, who is also a GK volunteer, I got in touch with Issa Santos, GK Head for Partnerships, who furnished me with a list of families whose house I could sponsor. I chose Mang Manuel Cortesâ€™ family in Kapamilya Village in Sitio Ruby Fairview.

The day I met the Cortes family was also when their house was going to be demolished to give way to a new one. I could not believe a space which measured a mere 20 sq m. could fit 16 people!

Aling Helen, Manuelâ€™s sister, told me that they would sleep in a sitting position to fit in the old bunk bed.

Interiors

The interiors would get flooded. And when the water level rose, all of them would just climb onto the bed and stay there till the water receded. Almost directly underneath their charcoal â€œlutuanâ€� was, to my horror, their toilet bowl. Simply put, this wasnâ€™t the kind of home the Cortes family deserved.

That Saturday was an emotional day for themâ€”they were going to say goodbye to the house that was witness to their livesâ€™ many ups and downs. Yet they were all thankful: finally they would have a decent place to live. They would no longer be considered squatters.

We all joined hands and closed our eyes in prayer. Minutes later, the â€œdemolition teamâ€� composed of GK volunteers pummeled away until the house was reduced to rubble.

My friends and I devoted four weekends to participate in the building process. We were there during the â€œpalitadaâ€� stage.

I never knew how difficult this job was until I tried it myself. Mixing cement and gravel was easy at first, but try doing it for more than five minutes and your back will hurt!

Our third visit to the construction site was for the bricklaying stage. Julius joined our group and he enjoyed the experience so muchâ€”lifting hollow blocks and laying them with precision.

Our fourth visit to the site was a fun one â€” we painted the two-story house with the familyâ€™s choice of color, light lavender. The activity became even more special because the GK choir serenaded us.

Then, it was time for the ceremonial turn-over â€” an emotional moment for all of us. The Cortes family gave a very simple, moving message of thanks, and we thanked them in turn. Helping build their house was an experience that nourished our souls.

The Bayanihan spirit is alive in the very concept and vision of building a GK house. Mang Manuel is a GK hero himself â€” he volunteers to build his neighborsâ€™ houses. Now, with Godâ€™s grace, he and his whole family have a house they can proudly call their own.

I went back to visit the Cortes family last January when I accompanied my good friend, Dr. Vicki Belo, her daughter Cristalle, and the Belo staff to Sitio Ruby. They, too, donated houses beside the home of Mang Manuel. It was Dr. Vickiâ€™s gift to others on her birthday. Cristalle also did the same on her natal day last April.

Last week Julius and I were at Sitio Ruby again, to judge a summer art contest empowering the youth and making them discover their true potentials. You see, GK is not just about building a house, it also means building livesâ€”and character.

Thank you, Terrence and Thelma Grana, Couples for Christ cluster head, project director Gerry Santos, and his wife Chona, Ferddie Mendoza, SAGIP project manager â€“ all for GK Sitio Ruby, plus all the good people of this GK Sitio. You have enriched our lives and contributed to our spiritual growth!

leaders confab at clark field 01-14-2006

2006-04-22T10:17:00.000+08:00

leaders confab at clark field 01-14-2006

2006-04-22T10:12:00.000+08:00

North B Choir

2006-04-11T11:01:00.000+08:00

North B Choir In Action

A CFC Family Ministry Activity

2006-03-24T14:18:00.000+08:00

"Father and Son" Activity held at Mount Sacramento, Tanay, Rizal

Some of the Sector Leaders

2006-03-24T14:11:00.000+08:00

Some of the Sector Leaders

2006-03-24T14:07:00.000+08:00

North B Sector Head

2006-03-24T13:47:00.000+08:00

Jun and Angie Dimarucot are currently the Sector Leaders of CFC North B in Metro Manila.

In concurrent capacity, they are also the Country Coordinators of Indonesia (Jakarta) and Provincial Coordinators of Palawan.

They are a great blessings to the sector in particular and to the community in general because they are truly passionately in loved with doing things that please our Lord.

May God bless them!

CFC North B Socials

2006-03-24T13:40:00.000+08:00

Welcome

2006-03-23T17:28:00.000+08:00

Greetings of Peace!

Welcome to the Couples for Christ North B Sector blog.

Everyone is invited to take a look at this blog and get to know a lot of information about the activities, plans and schedules of the sector.

We are also posting some pictures taken from activities of the members, as well as, of the Gawad Kalinga sites within the sector.

Thanks and God bless.