BORONGAN CITY

p.10p.8

Turn to Page 3

www.estenews.org

New financial system expected to bring signifant changes Ma. Natividad Bagas

Ma. Natividad Bagas

Volume. 3 No. 1January - February 2015

At present, there is the pressing call of stewardship, transparency, responsibility, and accountability in the administration of diocesan and parish resources, coupled with the need to encourage among the la-ity a more generous, consistent, and orga-nized financial support for the apostolate and the needs of the diocese. Thus, the implementation of a new financial system for the Diocese of Borongan is deemed urgent and necessary.

Borongan Bishop Crispin B. Varquez, felt this need among his flock and propos-es a new financial system for the diocese. “Just like any other dioceses, Borongan is also beset with challenges common with other dioceses and some unique to the locality. This of course cannot overshad-ow the lights and beautiful things I find

in place. Faced with this reality of lights and shadows, I began to pray and discern of ways to make the light shine brighter and at the same time to make the shad-ows less dim if not all together banished. I decided to start this noble mission with my own brother priests with the hope that with them working under bright lights they will in turn vivify the faith of the faithful,” Bishop remarked.

On the 1st of July this year, the new financial system will be ready and will be implemented in all parishes/chaplain-cies of Eastern Samar. The Bishop is very hopeful for the new system to be suc-cessful and effective compared to the pre-vious commission system, which does not display transparency and accountability.

“One of the realities I have to deal

with in the assignment of priests is the complaints from them regarding their assignments. Not a few of them would lobby for the juiciest or most financially rewarding parishes. Still even harder to take are the complaints of some parish-ioners against their priests. I don’t expect my priests to be beyond reproach but for them to be accused of too much materi-alistic attitude is a bitter pill for the bishop to swallow. With these realities in mind, I have broached the idea of adapting a New Financial System for the Diocese of Bo-rongan to my brother priests. We had sev-eral discussions on this matter and have let the idea to percolate in our minds. Fi-nally, after six years in my ministry, with the support of the Presbyterium, I have

The International Eucha-ristic Conference (IEC) Symbol arrived at the Nativity of Our Lady Cathedral from Palo, Leyte at around 1:00 p.m. yesterday, February 11. The arrival of the symbol here the Diocese of Bo-rongan signals the beginning of a local Eucharistic Congress (Mini-EC). Mini-ECs are held locally at every diocese that receives the IEC symbol, since only few local Catholics will be able to attend the IEC on January next year to be held at Cebu City.

Welcome ceremony, Holy hour, Eucharistic celebration and vigil followed after the arrival. The Mass was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Leroy Geli, JCD.

The Mini-EC is packed with various activities which are lined up until February 14 and will be held at Borongan Cathedral. The

BORONGAN DIOCESE PREPARES FOR INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

“Mayroong Forever”

Bp Varquez ordains two new deacons

THE INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS SYMBOL arrived at Borongan Cathedral last February 11, 2015.

Turn to Page 3

Photo by: Dave Panaguiton

ESTE! News2 January-February 2015

In July last year, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Philippines officially announced the Apostolic Visit of His Holiness, Pope Fran-cis to Asia, particularly in Sri Lanka and our beloved country, the Philippines. One of the most important itineraries of Pope Francis was to visit Tacloban City to personally be with the victims of typhoon Yolanda.

Pope Francis visited Tacloban City last January 17, 2015. The event carried the theme ‘Mercy and Compassion,’ based from Matthew 9:36 which tell us that “when Jesus saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” Just like Je-sus, Pope Francis comes to regain our dis-couraged faith, and brought us the “joy of the gospel”.

“For me, the theme ‘Mercy and Compas-sion’ anchored with Pope’s visit, was the most accurate act our people need. Personally, I closely examined myself as a Bishop, how far I am compassionate to people, to priests, and especially to those who are poor and victims of the typhoons. I accepted the challenge of the Holy Father to become more compassion-ate and merciful, which is a concrete expres-sion of oneness with God to people. Just like Jesus when He went down from heaven and lived with us, it is a challenge for me as a Bish-op and priest, hindi ko nilalayo ang sarili ko sa kanila,” Borongan Bishop Crispin Varquez said in an interview.

“I knew that Pope wrote a letter ‘Joy in the Gospel’ and brought it with him here dur-ing the visit. I did not understand it then, why he wrote that letter, but when I saw his warm smiling face, I understood that truly, there is joy in the gospel. Because a lot of people in the gospel are sick and sinful. People in the gospel need help and healing. People in the gospel need God. And if we allow God in our lives and experience Him, it will bring us joy,” said Renjie Villafuerte, a full-time pastoral worker of Youth for Christ (YFC) and one of the volunteers that help in preparation for the papal visit in Leyte.

Villafuerte said he did not expect that he could serve in any of the papal event. When he was asked to volunteer as a part of program team for the blessing of Pope Complex for the poor, he was more than honored even though there were a lot of challenges on their way.

Meanwhile, the lay faithful from the Diocese of Borongan had been preparing themselves for an experience that they never thought could happen. Friday, January 16, 2014, 12:00 noon, pilgrims from the Nativity of Our Lady Parish were embarked comfortably in their assigned bus with their brothers and sisters in their respective community. Every-one has their own transparent bags in differ-ent styles with food, extra clothes, transpar-ent raincoats, medicines, and IDs inside. They were indeed ready to receive the most impor-tant visitor of their lives.

After four hours of travel, Eastern Samar pilgrims reached Tacloban City, where they were held for further instructions at Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) together with other pilgrims from different parishes and dio-ceses where they waited for the time schedule assigned for their entrance to the apron, the venue where the Holy Eucharist will be cel-ebrated.

There were also video presentations about Pope Francis’ life to entertain the pil-grims before moving on to the mass venue. During the last hour of waiting, final instruc-tions and reminders were given while their parish coordinators assisted their needs. The expected entrance time for the diocese was ten o’clock until twelve in the midnight before the Papal Mass.

The road to the airport was a very busy site. There were busses, vans, cars, police men, armies, media, and pilgrims all in one same road. Everyone experienced strict secu-rity checks, heavy traffic, scattered rain show-ers, cold breeze, and long hours of walking just to reach the venue. The pilgrims arrived at the airport around midnight and another strict security checks were performed before they were able to proceed to their assigned quadrants.

As of the final tally from the Archdiocese of Palo, there are more than 108,000 pilgrims occupying the 98 quadrants in the 9-hectare sprawling inside the concreted apron while there still has a spill-over of well-wishers who welcomed the Holy Father.

As the people waited for a bright morn-ing for the Pope’s coming, it was obvious that it would not be a fair weather. It was a stormy day, the rain and wind became stronger than the night before. But the; strong winds and heavy rain did not stop the people in their anticipation for Pope Francis. As everyone watched the video of his departure from Vil-lamor Airbase in Manila, joy filled the whole venue. Everyone were shouting and waving their hands. The excitement can no longer be suppressed as they patiently wait for Pope Francis’ arrival.

When the plane where Pope Francis was embarked arrived, the Christ’s Vicar here on earth, St. Peter’s successor, His Holiness, Pope Francis, wearing the same excitement, the same joy, the same anticipation, eased ev-ery feeling of tiredness in everyone. People were screaming. They were clapping, waving, and cheering “Viva El Papa, Papa Francesco!” Tears of joy were manifested in every people’s faces because finally, Pope Francis was with them.

“It was a very challenging experience, we even tried to back out but we need to ful-fill it”, shared James Victor Noroña, a Grade 9 student of Seminario Jesus Nazareno. “His homily was from the heart and very personal to me”, he added. James and his family were pilgrims from the parish of St. Peter of Alcan-

tara, Oras Eastern Samar. He concluded that the Papal visit in Tacloban was a success.

Christine Robredillo and Shara Mae Ad-ena, students from St. Mary’s College shared the same emotions as they experienced Pope Francis fever. According to them, it was a great opportunity that at their young age, they saw Pope Francis. The pope personally taught them through his message to learn how to sacrifice for others and now they have this conviction of helping others. It was a simple yet meaningful as they describe the whole event.

One parishioner also shared that when she learned that the pope was visiting the Philippines and particularly in Tacloban, she decided to stay a little longer rather than going back too soon to California where she works as a nurse for a long period of time already. She even planned to go to Rome but accord-ing to her, seeing the Pope here in the Phil-ippines together with her co Estehanons is a much better experience. “It was all worth it!” And truly, her waiting and sacrifices were paid off just by Pope Francis’ smile.

The celebration of the Holy Eucharist was an unforgettable one. Aside from the fact that Pope Francis personally celebrated it, his very touching message stirred the hearts of everyone. As he shared, “I choose to be here with you. A little late, but I am here,” was an affirmation that Jesus was with the people. He shared Jesus’ suffering on the cross that Jesus too experienced the same suffering people are experiencing for He is with them.

Arjay Abonal from Nativity of Our Lady College Seminary (NLCS) at Borongan said the most important thing for him as a seminar-ian was when Pope, in response to the grieve loss of Yolanda victims, said ‘I do not know what to say’, and then there was silence.

“In the homily, the silence, for me, was the best part. Because it’s only in silence that we hear the Lord speaking to us, at doon natin malalaman kung anong mga sagot ang gusto nating marinig. For me, that would be a mes-sage that I would carry in my formation to become a priest. It pays to be silent,” Abonal said.

As the homily advanced, Pope Francis addressed the people to ‘move forward’. “Je-sus is like us, Jesus lived like us except in sin. To be more like us He assumed sin. Jesus had been there for us; in His passion He assumed all our pains. Jesus is Lord and He never lets us down. He is capable of understanding us. We have a Lord of crying with us, walking with us in the most difficult moment of life. Beside the cross is His Mother, Mama. Let us know that we have a mother, Mary! We are not alone. Know Jesus never lets you down. Know that the love and tenderness of Mama Mary never lets you down. Hold on to her mantle. We help each other walk together as brothers and sis-ters in the Lord, always forward,” Pope Fran-cis said.

Roger Chua, Provincial Area Director of Couples For Christ (CFC) of Eastern Samar, shared his realizations during the Pope’s visit. “The papal visit was a good reminder of our weaknesses and shortcomings. His visit gave us great strength in our service, especially in our faith. His visit became a personal message for me to continue to love others not only the poor in material aspect but as well as the poor in spiritual aspect. As a lay faithful, I will live out Pope’s message by spreading and sharing the love of Christ to others,” Chua said.

After the papal mass, the Holy Father sets off on a motorcade that ran around the mass site and headed to Palo. He proceeded to eat lunch with the poor and survivors of calamities at Gonzaga House, Residence of the Archbishop of Palo, Leyte at around 12:45 p.m. Among the delegates who had lunch with the Pope were 30 Yolanda survivors in Samar and Leyte. Five of them come from Eastern Samar. Others were survivors from the earth-quake in Bohol.

However, due to typhoon Amang, the length of stay of Pope Francis had changed. The schedule of his lunch was shortened and the Papal audience with parish priests, reli-gious men and women and seminaries did not pull through. Pope Francis apologized to the people of Leyte, stating that his hurried visit to the province was something that truly sad-dened him.

“I apologize to you all. I am sad about this, truly saddened, because I have some-thing prepared, especially for you. But let us leave everything in the hands of Our Lady because I have to go now,” Pope said as he concluded his homily.

Melody Waniwan, a DepEd teacher from Borongan City, was one of the pilgrims who endured the rain and cold to attend the papal Mass. “It was all worth it, I am still very hap-py that Pope was here even for a short while because even though the weather is bad, he still chose to be here. He’s presence, however brief it is, is an incredible blessing for all of us,” she said.

The officials of Palo Cathedral reportedly gave Pope Francis a figure of the Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion made from the debris of the church when it was destroyed by typhoon Yolanda before Pope Francis left Leyte.

The police estimated the whole crowd that attended the Mass and including those outside the airport to have reached 150,000 pilgrims.

“The most important thing we should not forget as lay people and priests is to bring compassion, love and light of Christ to people, especially those who are neglected, disabled, poor, victims of human trafficking, and those who are ostracized by the society because they are extremely sinful. They need Christ most of all. We need to reach out to them for them to experience the love and compassion of Christ,” Bishop said, in a hope that people will not forget the most essential significance of Pope Francis’ visit even though he already left our country.

Pope Francis comforts Estehanon typhoon survivors Ma. Cresty Tomenio and Ma. Natividad Bagas

Kristel Mae Padasas, 27 year-old, died after she was hit by a scaffolding after the Pa-pal Mass celebrated on Saturday, January 17 by Pope Francis in Tacloban City at Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport.

The scaffolding by the stage collapsed, exactly where the mass has transpired. Kristel was then waiting for the papal convoy when strong wind sent the scaffolding on the ground and hit her in the head. She was brought im-mediately to St. Paul’s Hospital in Tacloban City at around 12:55 p.m., and was pro-nounced dead at around 2:00 p.m. Tacloban Health officials said in a report that the cause

of her death was massive blood loss due to a major injury on her head. Her remains were flown back to Manila by military cargo plane on Monday, January 19.

Kristel was from Manila and was based in Samar where she was working on a recovery project for typhoon Yolanda with Catholic Re-lief Services (CRS). She was among hundreds of volunteers who helped in preparation for the Papal Mass at Tacloban Airport.

In an interview, Father Amadeo Alvero, Palo archdiocesan spokesperson, expressed his deepest apologies that the incident had to happen during the papal visit. And since there had been allegations that the accident was

due to uncontrolled crowd, he clarified that the scaffolding fell due to the strong winds and rains brought by Tropical Storm Signal No. 2 “Amang” and not because of the crowd.

Meanwhile, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi affirmed that Pope Fran-cis was informed about Kristel’s death after returning to Manila. Pope called for a moment of silence to pray for her during his message for the youth at University of Sto. Tomas on Sunday, January 18.

“She works for the organization and help prepare for that very mass. She’s 27 years old. Young like yourselves. Let’s also pray for her parents. She was the only daughter. The mom

is coming from Hongkong and the father has come to Manila to wait,” Pope Francis said.

According to news reports, Pope Francis met with Paulino Padasas, Kristel’s father, on that same day. Much to his surprise, Pope em-braced him and gave him three rosaries.

Kristel was buried January 27 at the Heri-tage Park in Taguig City. The Philippine Na-tional Police gave Kristel funeral honors for her sacrifice and public service. Her casket was draped with the Philippine flag.

Prior to her interment, a Mass presided by Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Pinto, assisted by Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, was held at Sto Niño de Taguig Parish Church attended by Kristel’s parents, relatives, and friends. Her relatives released butterflies while her casket was being lowered to the ground.

CRS volunteer dies in an accident after Papal Mass in TaclobanMa. Natividad Bagas

ESTE! News 3January-February 2015

On the Feast Day of the Black Naza-rene, Señor Jesus Nazareno, the patron of Seminario de Jesus Nazareno last Janu-ary 9, 2015, the Porta Sancta, the Jubi-lee Door of Seminario de Jesus Nazare-no was formally blessed and opened by Bishop Crispin Varquez, D.D. It marked the opening of the year round celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of the mi-nor seminary in our Diocese by Bishop Vi-cente Reyes, the first bishop of Borongan who came from the Diocese of Quiapo.

The 11th Bulig Kablas Medical and Surgical Mission, in partnership with the Diocese of Borongan, Diocese of Jo-liet (USA), and Eastern Samar Provincial Government were launched on February 2 at Provincial Hospital, Borongan City. The free medical check-ups, medicines and surgeries will last until February 13. The patients came from different parishes in Eastern Samar province, which were screened with regard to their qualifica-

The celebration started with a pro-cession of the image of Señor Jesus Naz-areno attended by devotees, priests, par-ents and seminarians from the seminary to Borongan City proper then back to the seminary.

After the opening of Porta Sancta, the Eucharistic Celebration followed at the chapel, presided over by Bishop Crispin Varquez concelebrated by many priests of the Diocese. He stressed that in our church’s celebrations like the Feast of

tions, as the mission aims to help the poor.According to Borongan Bishop

Crispin Varquez, it was a collective effort of the Diocese of Joliet, which provided their team of professional doctors for the medical and surgical mission, the Diocese of Borongan which provided people and volunteers for operations, and the provin-cial government which provided all trans-portation costs that made the mission successful and fruitful.

Santo Nino, Feast of the Black Nazarene, Holy Week in which we give more impor-tance to the passion and death of our Lord than the Resurrection which should be given more importance, in all of these there should be conversion. He also ap-pealed for unity and support for the resto-ration of the seminary who has been serv-ing the diocese for fifty years this June 16, 2015 by producing priests for the diocese and for the island of Samar, good Chris-tian leaders of the community and good Christian fathers of the homes. The semi-nary was devastated by Typhoon Ruby last December 8, 2014

The celebration was simple but sol-

A team of foreign doctors will be the medical and surgical operations in the cataract, thyroid, tumor, myoma, and gall stones. In 11th year of Bulig Kablas’ pub-lic service through medical and surgical missions, lives of thousands indigent pa-tients have been saved, others have been changed.

A senior citizen from Hernani, East-ern Samar, whom requested to call her Nanay Claring, a widower and now living

emn as described by Fr. Rey Anthony Navidad, Rector and Principal of Semi-nario de Jesus Nazareno. He said, many activities did not push through from the planned celebration because of Typhoon Ruby. He also said that the opening of the Jubilee Door promises a blessing to ev-eryone who may enter the Porta Sancta or Holy Door of the seminary.

The Feast Day of Señor Jesus Naza-reno and Opening of the Jubilee Year Cel-ebration ended with a simple lunch shared by generous sponsors for everyone who attended the occasion at the social hall of the seminary.

with one of her children, came alone all the way to Hernani to avail a free surgery for her eyes. She has been suffering from her cataract for years and could not be thankful enough that her operation was successful was rid of her cataract, know-ing she is not able to afford to undergo operation on a regular basis, having no money to afford it.

“In nga Bulig Kablas, gidadakoi nga bulig ha amon. Nagpapasalamat kami han ngatanan nga binulig hine nga misyon, han ginoo nga diyos nga naghimo hin paagi nga mabuligan kami,” Nanay Clar-ing said.

SJN opens Golden Jubilee Door Sarah Mabansag Puno

decided to make a move towards the re-alization of our common dream to have a New Financial System in the Diocese of Borongan,” Bishop added.

Generally, the priests’ reaction was good towards the new financial system. They have in fact waited long for the new financial system to be implemented. The new priests, however, were hesitant about the new system, not sure if it will work, which is a normal reaction, according to Bishop.

One important benefit aimed by the new system is deepened sense of broth-erhood in the life and ministry of the clergy. According to Bishop Varquez, the priests will have the same allowances and at the same time, they will be able to focus on the works of the ministry.

Another benefit and by far the most intriguing, is the transparency and ac-countability in the administration of di-ocesan and parish funds. “We can regain the ebbing trust of the faithful and banish the suspicions from their mind through our transparent administration of parish goods as well as faithful accounting of how we made use of them in the service of the ministry. The people are kept in-formed of how their donations are utilized and encourage their support to the par-ish,” Bishop said.

Among the benefits as well are the enhancement of trust and confidence among the faithful regarding the admin-istration of ecclesiastical goods; effective

solution to financial inequity arising from new pastoral assignments; renewed vital-ity to parish and diocesan pastoral pro-grams and assurance for their continuity vis-à-vis change in assignments; freedom from the shackles of individualism and materialism; more freedom and capabil-ity to do more pastorally; encouragement to clerics and laity to think beyond the boundaries of their own parishes and to care for the greater and wider good of the whole diocese; and more effective Christian witness in the midst of a society deeply infected with corruption and lack of credibility.

This new financial system will be managed by all parishes/chaplaincies. First, they must keep a Book of Accounts where all income and expenses of each parish/chaplaincy must be recorded. The Book of Accounts consists of ledger, cash receipts and cash disbursements. All these shall be provided by the Diocese. Second, accountable forms (cash vouch-ers and acknowledgement receipts) shall be provided by the diocese and shall al-ways be used in all financial transactions. The parish shall be held accountable for the use of the said Acknowledgement Re-ceipts and it is the obligation of the parish to request for more copies depending on their need. Lastly, a generally-accepted accounting and auditing procedures shall be followed to ensure that the procedures are observed and to facilitate the proper recording of transactions.

The processes and transactions will be carried out and are responsibility of each parish/chaplaincy’s cashier, book

keeper, and the parish priest/chaplain. The cashier is responsible to receive and issue acknowledgement/official receipts for all the income of the parish/chaplaincy and prepares the disbursement vouchers.

In addition to the Book of Accounts, all parishes/chaplaincies must also have the Book of Inventory and the Monthly Financial Reports. The income that will go to the Centralized Operational Fund includes all mass offerings, mass collec-tions, tithing/parish support system, do-nations for the parish operation, etc.

The committee of the new finan-cial system will be composed of Bishop Crispin Varquez, Fr. Tito Abuda, Fr. Alex

Galo, Fr. Edwin Juaban; Fr. Dan Gañas, Fr. Erick Rodeles, Fr. Rey Anthony Navidad, Fr. Philip Oliver Campomanes, Fr. Cesar Lenenio Garcia, Mrs. Enriqueta Rodeles, CPA (Dolores), Mrs. Jennie Palileo, CPA (Sulat), Mr. Renato Gorgonia, CPA (Metro-bank-Borongan), and Fr. Neil Tenefrancia (Secretary).

The challenge in implementing this, however, according to Bishop, first, is how they will adopt to the new system or make the transition from the old to new one. Many were used to spending or receiving money without recording them properly. Thus, attitude of people towards the new system will be a big challenge.

New financial system...(from p.1)

Borongan diocese prepares...(from p.1)

11th Bulig Kablas and Surgical Mission opens at ESPHMa. Natividad Bagas

first day of the conference after the day of arrival of the IEC symbol, the delegates which includes the general public, youth, students, religious men and women and seminaries, will start to arrive for the cat-echesis and Holy Eucharist which will be presided by Most Rev. Crispin Varquez, DD, Bishop of Borongan. The speakers for catechesis are Rev. Fr. Eutiquio Belizar, STD, Rev. Fr. Leroy Geli, JCD, and Rev. Fr. Kim Camora.

Second day of the conference, Feb-ruary 13, the catechesis will continue with general public, parish delegates, public sectors and catechists as delegates. The catechesis, with the same set of speak-ers, will focus on the history of IEC and the Eucharist. The conference for the day

will again be concluded by a mass to be celebrated by Bishop Varquez.

On the last day of the conference, a mass will be celebrated by Rev. Fr. Mi-chael Vincent Bormate in closing. The IEC symbol will then be departed from the Ca-thedral to Calbayog City.

The IEC symbol, a replica of the shrine that houses Magellan’s, is passed on to 80 dioceses across the country for a national pilgrimage. It will end in Novem-ber 13, the day that will mark the celebra-tion of the solemnity of Christ, The King. The IEC is important in the Roman Catho-lic doctrine, where clergy, religious, and laity gathers to bear witness to the Pres-ence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This event is celebrated every four years in different countries. The most recent International Eucharistic Congress was held in Dublin.

EDITORIAL:

ANTIGOMSGR. LOPE C. ROBREDILLO, VG

CENSORED

BISHOP CRISPIN B. VARQUEZ, DDSIMPLE & HUMBLE THOUGHTS

Turn to Page 9

PUBLISHER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFASSOCIATE EDITOR

LAY-OUT ARTISTCORRESPONDENTS

PHOTOGRAPHERCARTOONIST

BUSINESS MANAGERCIRCULATION

Fr. Neil TenefranciaMa. Natividad BagasFrancis Dave PanaguitonCresty Tomenio & Kristine BerdulAlren Jerome BeronioFred Kevin AbenisS. Lilyfe Cagas, LGCLimbert DulfoElvin Sanchez

MORE NEWS @ http://www.estenews.org

TWITTERhttp://www.twitter.com/estenewsonl ine

EMAIL editor.estenews@gmail .com

ESTE! – EASTERN SAMAR NEWS & VIEWS2ND FLOOR, BISHOP’S RESIDENCE, BORONGAN CITY

Diocesan Commission on Mass Media & Social Communications

When I concelebrated the Mass of Pope Francis in Tacloban last January 17, under the rain and strong winds caused by the approaching typhoon Amang, I was moved to tears. To tell you the truth, I had mixed feelings. I was happy and inspired because of Pope Francis’ pres-ence yet sad and hurt at the sight of the victims and survivors of the two super typhoons. There were feelings of uncer-tainty and fear whether they will still be able to recover or not. But in the end, I offered them up to God together with my positive and negative feelings. God knows what is best for them. God will surely make a way.

Pope Francis’ sincerity, compassion and solidarity matter so much to me and to the people. He speaks from his heart and his smile is sincere and real. I believe that the fruits of his visit can be summed up in two: the people’s faith has been strengthened and their hope has grown. We, bishops, priests, religious men and

It took significant amount of violence before the West realized the precarious-ness of its relationship to militant modes of Islam. It was already very late when it realized that the said precariousness can, in fact, be lethal.

When the bloodbath took an unprecedented toll among Christians in areas with overwhelming presence of Al Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, and the like, only then that Westerners were awakened from their very comfortable and self-contented slumber.

Perhaps, a lightning bolt like the ISIS phenomenon was what was needed to jolt people from their well-entrenched complacencies and to reexamine, not only their relationship to their Islamic neighbors, but also their mode of expressing themselves as Christians.

“Self-censorship” is the word that, for many sociology experts, best describe the present attitude of most Christians towards themselves. Roughly, it involves a general indecision or uncertainty with regards to one’s own identity, values, and destiny. It is a kind of spine-less existence, like a wobbling jellyfish, or a crawling worm, or a driftwood mercilessly driven to and fro by the dominant culture.

This attitude is derived from the perspective which regards one’s truths as just one among many equally valid truths- and that no particular standpoint can claim to be better, both ideologically or practically. “Self-censorship” is the child of relativism.

Perhaps, this foundational flaw explains why it took not only years and decades but centuries for earlier Christians to launch the Crusades against the Muslims who have already encroached almost two-thirds of Christian Europe. And perhaps this is also the reason for our present lack of resolve to insist on our Christian values and identities- our Christian way of life when confronted by challenges that can sniff the said way of life even at its very roots.

When the Christians who launched the Crusades rethought their practical posi-tions vis-à-vis the supreme value of Eternal Life, perhaps they realized that men and women of faith are necessarily embodied in history- in time and space and do not exist in a vacuum.

women, lay faithful and government leaders should try our best, with God’s grace, to imitate Pope Francis’ ways of serving God and people.

A Challenge For InterventionsI got an information that in our region

in Eastern Visayas, the sales of beer is two times higher compared to its sales before the supertyphoon Yolanda. Mean-ing to say that in the process of recov-ery many survivors spend much of their money for beer rather than for the basic needs of their family. Another alarming information I got is that many people now, in towns and in the barangays, have no more appetite to plant in their farms. They are just waiting for the assistance given by the government, INGO’s, NGO’s and other groups.

This is a challenge to all of us bish-ops, priests, religious men and women, government leaders and all groups who

THE PADUL-ONG FESTIVAL (OF BO-RONGAN, EASTERN SAMAR)--A CULTIC

AETIOLOGY?A Religio-Historical and Literary-Critical Once-Over at the Padul-ong “Tradition”

(or, A Theory on the Padul-ong)PART 4 of 4

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS A. Conclusions

The Padul-ong, or rather, the story be-hind it—it appears from our inquiry—can in now way be treated as history, even if there are historical events that lie behind it, though already beyond recovery. It is, however, safe to say that the story behind the Padul-ong is an aetiology, or more pre-cisely, are three aetiologies that were later conflated. These aetiologies arose because of the need to satisfy questions that obtain in a community that searches for its own identity. The answers, as in myths and leg-ends, are shaped by historical factors and by the creativity of the people themselves who make what later on becomes tradition. In the present tradition in question, the his-torical core was in the process embellished, with the addition of other details that come from the three aetiologies, winding up with a new form of the story, like the present ver-

sion to which some people have given the term Padul-ong.[24]

The Padul-ong story (or any of its variations), like the aetiologies behind it, legitimates the cult of the Patroness of Bo-rongan. This explains why people from all over the island of Samar (as well as from other places outside it) would come to Bo-rongan, especially during fiesta, to fulfill a vow or a promise they had made to the Pa-troness, usually in thanksgiving for the fa-vor they had received through her powerful intercession.[25] Because of the image of the Patroness, the Borongan parish church has virtually become a shrine for pilgrims. It is therefore understandable that the story focuses on the luggage of the woman that contained the image. Indeed, every detail embellishment in the story—whether the old or the new version—is told with the inten-tion of enhancing the miraculous character of the image. The miraculous circumstanc-es in the story are clearly told in the service of it. And that, obviously, legitimizes the miraculous character of the image which people attribute to it.

As for the newest version of the story that I quoted at length at the beginning of

ESTE! News4

Turn to Page 11

January-February 2015

The Impacts of Pope Francis’ Visit to Tacloban

The quest for everlast-ing life cannot be realized in an ahistorical manner. They have to reclaim those “holy lands,” “holy places,” “holy objects,” “holy per-sons,” etc. because they matter not only accidental-ly, but essentially, to their very expressions of the Faith.

Self-censorship must end so that the Christians of today can effectively standup to the challenge of modern militant Islam. We need Christians who do not only believe and live the Faith but, more importantly, who have the heroic con-viction that the Christianity is BETTER... MUCH BET-TER!

Spotting the Difference between a Contract of Sale and a Contract to Sell

Where the Eager Dare Dream In Silence

LEGAL INSIDERATTY. MAU OBON

Turn to Page 11

THOUGHT FOR THOUGHTREV. EUTIQUIO ‘EULY’ B. BELIZAR, JR., SThD

A lot of times lawsuits are born out of faulty contracts. In the sale of properties for example, to save on legal fees, some people would just download a sample Deed of Sale from the internet and just modify some details a bit. Unknown to them, there is no “one size fits all” Deed of Sale. Legal documents which have the effect of transferring ownership over cer-tain properties should be carefully craft-ed to suit the will of the parties.

In case of a sale transaction, normal-ly the payment of the price is simultane-ous with the transfer of ownership. How-ever, the parties may agree that the full

payment of the price and the transfer of ownership will be done at different times. For this reason one has to know whether the document he is signing is a Contract of Sale or a Contract to Sell.

In a Contract of Sale, the buyer be-comes the new owner of the thing and it does not matter whether he has already paid the price or not. If it is a Contract to Sell, there is only an agreement to sell and no transfer of ownership yet. The sale will happen only after the buyer has paid the price in full.

What happens if the buyer fails to pay the price in full?

1. Item: Pope Francis to clergy and religious: “Remove the complacency that keeps you from identifying with the poor.”

Priest to another: “Did the Holy Fa-ther say, ‘Remove the SUV?…’”

2. Item: Pope Francis to Families: “Don’t lose the ability to dream dreams for your families.”

Wife to husband: “Don’t you dare think it includes dreaming of another woman…”

3. Item: Holy Father to Yolanda sur-vivors: “I have nothing to say to you but my silence.”

Yolanda and Ruby survivors to Pope Francis: “It is enough, Holy Father. Your presence brings us the Word.”

4. Item: Delegates from the Samar dioceses were glaringly unacknowl-edged in the papal Mass at the Tacloban airport. Says a pilgrim: “It was as if we did not exist.”

They must do a Pope Francis. Offer silence in return. (Not simply do a no re-turn.)

5. Item: Bishop to predator busi-nessmen of Eastern Samar after Super Typhoon Ruby: “You are not the only ones who have the right to live.”

Neither have they the right to op-press consumers or further victimize ca-lamity victims.

6. Item: Holy Father to youth gath-ered at UST: “Do not lose the ability to cry.”

They haven’t, Holy Father, especially when they flunk the bar or the board.

7. Item: Pope Francis to Philippine authorities in Malacañang: “My visit is pastoral and mainly to express my close-ness to our brothers and sisters who en-dured the suffering, loss and devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda…”

ESTE! News 5

Turn to Page 6

January-February 2015

Radiant Light of Jesus: POPE FRANCIS

BALIK BALAYSARAH MABANSAG PUNO

Turn to Page 11

We are so blessed this first month of 2015 to see a radiant light, the light of Jesus through our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and to feel the warmth of the love of Jesus through him. The blessing of his presence and his insightful mes-sages make us realize the importance of our families, our homes. He stressed that families be protected from the distraction of the devil, the father of all lies. The fami-lies are distracted by the sophistication of the world. This is really true. Families are so technologically dependent. Time is too limited for intimate communica-tions. Everyone is busy seeking pleasure from gadgets, internet, television and from vices, that family members’ eyes would seldom meet creating walls and hardened hearts.

Our Holy Father admonished us to protect our children from ephemeral pleasures. They should instead be wel-comed as gifts, cherished and treasured. But what is happening here in Borongan? I have talked with many parents of their fears. There is so much evil in our midst. Drug abuse is rampant and abusers are

getting younger, pushers and drug lords are protected by powerful and influential people. Human trafficking is rampant not because of poverty but because of ma-terialism and pleasure of both the willing victims and perpetrators. Teenage preg-nancy is increasing and getting younger and so with teenage fathers or “bagitos”, resulting to broken beautiful dreams and aspirations. Modern technology makes these things happen easily.

There is a call for missionary spirits for all families to be the light of Jesus and to tell the world of His love. How can this happen if our own family is in darkness? When the head of the family, supposed to be the builder becomes the destroyer, the heart of the home, supposed to be the vessel of graces and blessing that will flow to the family becomes the vessel of disgrace? What a catastrophe! Indeed the devil is destroying our families. His cunning ways are destroying the seed-bed of faith and love. He is silently work-ing, deceiving and hiding in exciting and

SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS

OPTION 1: FOR LISTING: [Your name will be included in the list every time the paper is published.]______ DONOR (Php200.00 per month/larger font size)______ BENEFACTOR (Php100.00 per month/smaller font size)

***I understand that I may be approached by ESTE! NEWS Account Executives to remind me of my monthly pledges.

OPTION 2: PAGE SPONSORSHIP: [Per issue.] _______ 1 WHOLE PAGE (Php5,000.00 per issue)_______ 1/2 PAGE (Php2,500.00 per issue)_______ 1/4 PAGE (Php1,000.00 per issue)_______ 1/8 PAGE (Php500.00 per issue)

OPTION 3: SUBSCRIPTION_______ Php150 PER YEAR. (2 copies of ESTE! NEWS delivered to you every month for 1 year)

NAME: ___________________________________________________________________________ADDRESS: __________________________________________________________________________PHONE: ___________________________________________________________________________EMAIL: ___________________________________________________________________________

PLEASE MAKE CHECK PAYMENTS PAYABLE TO “Diocese of Borongan”

Your will be given Acknowledgement Receipts in all your transactions with us.For inquiries on the status of your pledges, donations, and page-sponsorships, please contact:

DIOCESAN COMMISSION ON MASS MEDIA — ESTE! NEWS2nd Floor, Bishop’s Residence

Borongan City, 6800 Eastern SamarPhone: 09287990452/09278556208 (Fr. Neil)

Email: editor.estenews@gmail.com

“If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is a disciple of mine, I assure you, he will not go unrewarded.”

MATTHEW 10:42

ESTE! News6 January-February 2015

Many times have I heard people say that “promises are meant to be broken.” How can I blame them? Perhaps they have already experienced being promised to but eventually suffered the loss of an unfulfilled vow. I oftentimes read this from young people who are fond of posting their senti-ments on Facebook. Some are ‘devastated’ because their date didn’t turn out on date night. Others felt that they were just ‘vic-tims’ of ‘pambobola.’ How sadder could it be?

Last January 17, all roads led to Taclo-ban and Palo as the Holy Father came and visited us. The memories are etched and engraved well that forgetting them would be impossible. We walked the distance from San Jose National High School to the airport while other pilgrims started their journey from the Coca-Cola Plant which meant a farther distance compared to ours. At 3 o’clock in the morning, we went on our way and composed ourselves by pray-ing the Holy Rosary. I saw that the pilgrims seemed too excited about arriving at the area that some didn’t mind the ones ahead of them. Nevertheless, everyone exuded an aura of eagerness to listen to Pope Francis

Lito Quirante Sabadlan, 43 year-old from Salcedo, Eastern Samar was one of typhoon Yolanda victims that joined Pope Francis on his lunch at Palo, Leyte. Prior to his anticipated meeting with the Pope, Lito

and be part of a gathering of faithful united under the Vicar of Christ.

As we arrived at our place (we were asked to proceed to the “tabernacles” since we were about to help in distributing Holy Communion during the Mass), I no-ticed that some people were lying on the ground and perhaps have stayed for too long at the venue. I can’t help but be moved by that scene when the people are waiting. Yes. We were waiting for the Holy Father! And no matter what it takes, we shall be waiting for him.

Before the break of dawn, rain start-ed to pour in. We had to wear our yellow ponchos (raincoat) on top of our clerical to prevent us from getting soaked. It seemed odd to wear a raincoat for the last time I wore one was when I was in elementary. But it was nice to see everyone wearing the same raincoat. And when the light of the sky came, everyone could see from the monitors that the venue was a sea of yellow raincoats. As I roamed around, it was hard to look for friends. It was all the same pic-ture. Yellow raincoat. Wet faces. We were all the same.

And the wind started to blow hard.

said he was very excited to see the Holy Father and very grateful at the same time for the once in a lifetime chance.

His painful experiences during the ty-phoon were immeasurable, but these ex-periences lead him to the very moment of seeing the Pope.

On the 7th of November 2013, before the typhoon Yolanda, Lito and his wife were staying in their house in Barangay Asgad. He was reluctant to evacuate and leave everything behind, not knowing the impact of Yolanda will be very devastating. What he was worried about was his parents who lived in a nearby island. He pleaded for his parents to evacuate and they assured them that they will evacuate to the higher grounds. He trusted their words and wor-ried no more. He thought all along that his parents went to one of evacuation areas.

When the wind got stronger at mid-night, they transferred to their other house, farther from the shore. The house was still under construction so he put their things into safety. Around two o’clock in the morning, it was still dark,the wind was stronger,and the wave started to rise rap-idly. The biggest wave rose at about five in the morning. The trees and house debris were carried violently by the water. Luckily,

Would Pope Francis push through? Would he really come to visit us? These were the questions running in my head. I think ev-eryone would agree that the Pope’s safety is the priority. If by coming to Tacloban his safety would be at risk, never mind, I told myself. I guess we would feel better know-ing that he’s safe. However, it turned out, I was mistaken. If it was okay for me that the Pope would not come, it was not okay for Pope Francis. He chose to be with us. He kept his promise.

The rains. The winds. The risks. Noth-ing hindered Pope Francis from coming to Tacloban and fulfill his promise. He wanted to be with us, to express his solidarity and to offer us his presence. Nothing could be more edifying. When his plane landed safe-ly on the runway, I was uttering prayers of thanksgiving for his safe travel. As I looked at the people behind me, I saw some of them in tears. I didn’t know what their thoughts were but I could sense that their hearts were grateful for the Pope had ar-rived. I even came at a point when I became doubtful and asked: “Is this really happen-ing that Pope Francis is with us?” And as I looked intently at the screens and saw him coming out of the plane, it was then that I believed. He was really with us. Add to that memorable scene was him wearing a yel-low raincoat, the same one we were wear-

their newly constructedhouse was sturdy enough to hold its ground but the sea wa-ter rushed inside their house, it was filled with water that nearly reached the ceiling few seconds after the wave hit after an-other.

When the water subsided, they went to the evacuation area and found out that his parents never came. After making sure that his wife will be safe, he hurriedly went to his parents’ house. The rain and wind was still strong, the water still rag-ing. He reached his parents’ house after few difficult minutes. He found his father inside their house already lifeless, probably drowned. His mother was nowhere to be found.

He anxiously search for his mother all over their barangay and the nearby baran-gays but it found nothing. After couple of days, he went to pick some woods and fish ashore after the typhoon three barangays away from his. Above a pile of woods and debris, he found his mother’s body, recog-nized by the clothes she wore before the typhoon.

His siblings from Manila came home to attend the funeral. They were not expecting that Lito is alive because he was reported missing on national TV. He was devastated

ing!In his homily in Tacloban, Pope Francis

said: “I’d like to tell you something close to my heart. When I saw from Rome that ca-tastrophe I had to be here. And on those very days I decided to come here. I am here to be with you – a little bit late, but I’m here.”

These words touched me the most. Even from faraway Rome, he had already decided to come and visit us. He even con-fessed that it seemed a little late but as the cliché goes, “it is better late than never.”

For me, seeing Pope Francis fulfill his promise is an inspiration for all of us. No matter what it takes for as long as we be-come true to our words, it would be fulfilling in the end. As Christians, we must be keep-ers of our oath in the same way that God fulfilled his promise to His people. He sent His only Son to redeem us. And in Jesus, we see God fulfilling His promise until the end, until His death. But such promise did not end in death but saw its fulfillment in His resurrection. We have a faithful God. And it is so consoling to know that we have a faithful Holy Father.

I guess the old and common notion that “promises are meant to be broken” is out of date. With Pope Francis, he tells us that promises must be kept, must be ful-filled. And such fulfilling of promises is of topmost priority.

‘He gave me hope’ – Yolanda survivor after meeting the PopeMa. Natividad Bagas

The Pope who kept his promiseSem. Roel Joe E. Abonal

In a Contract of Sale the seller has already lost his ownership over the thing sold. Thus his remedy is to recover the ownership of the object by rescinding the contract. On the other hand, if it is a Contract to Sell, the seller will simply not execute a Deed of Absolute Sale.

If there is a “downpayment”, is the Contract to Sell converted to a Contract of Sale?

I DINED WITH THE POPE

The answer is no. A downpayment, also known as “earnest money” or “ar-ras” the presence of which raises the pre-sumption that the contract has already been perfected. In the case of HERRERA vs. CAGUIAT (G.R. No. 139173; February 28, 2007) the Supreme Court ruled this wise:

“It is true that Article 1482 of the Civil Code provides that ‘Whenever earnest money is given in a contract of sale, it shall be considered as part of the price and proof of the perfection of the con-

tract.’ However, this article speaks of ear-nest money given in a contract of sale. In this case, the earnest money was given in a contract to sell. The earnest money forms part of the consideration only if the sale is consummated upon full payment of the purchase price. Now, since the earnest money was given in a contract to sell, Article 1482, which speaks of a contract of sale, does not apply.”

So in other words, even if the buyer puts a downpayment in a Contract to Sell, he still cannot compel the seller to

execute a Deed of Absolute Sale prior to the full payment of the purchase price.Last Note

It is not the title of the contract, but its express terms or stipulations that de-termine the kind of contract entered into by the parties. It would be for the best interest of the parties to read everything first and not rely on the title of the con-tract.

*Caveat: This article is for general in-formation only and NOT a legal advice.

Legal Insider.... (from p.5)

by the death of his parents but the pres-ence of his wife and his siblings made him stronger to handle the situation and to face life after Yolanda.

Lito is a farmer and a fisherman. Their crops and coconut trees was the primary source of livelihood, which has been de-stroyed by typhoon. His boat used in fishing has also been destroyed. Without a house, boat and his plants, they could not have survived the first few days after Yolanda if not for the reliefs from NGOs and church.

It was a year after typhoon Yolanda when he received an incredible news from the parish priest of Matarinao that he will be one of the delegates to lunch with the Pope. He never expected that he will be face-to-face with Pope Francis one day. He was most of all, surprised and felt blessed at the same time. What he really would want the most when he meet the Holy Father is for him to bless them, to pray for them that they may be given the grace of undying faith and hope that their hard work will be fruitful, that their families be united amidst the tragedy they encoun-tered.

“I will definitely move forward. I am more motivated than ever after seeing Pope Francis. He gave me the hope even when I almost lost everything,” Lito said.

ESTE! News 7January-February 2015

Maridel Baguan from Hernani, Eastern Samar, is one of the typhoon Yolanda survi-vors who had an opportunity to have lunch with Pope Francis during his visit in Leyte on January 17, 2015. She relived her expe-riences during the typhoon in an interview where she also said that meeting with Pope Francis is such an honor and joy.

Before the typhoon that devastated many municipalities in both Samar and Leyte islands, Maridel and her family have prepared and packed their things for evac-uation as they were told by their barangay captain. However, the day before Yolanda, the sun was bright and the weather seemed fine that they thought the typhoon will not be strong at all. They thought it would be the same storm that they always encounter every year. They opted not to evacuate that day.

Evening came and it started to rain, wind blew stronger than they expected. At around 11:00 p.m., the rain and wind was stronger they were even afraid to sleep. His brother along with his family with three kids living beside their house, evacuated in their house. Her mother prayed the rosary with his younger sibling while Maridelhugs her nephew on the bed, willing him to sleep.

Dawn of November 8, 2013, things started to get worse. It was darkthey can barely see things around them. The rain and wind was so strong the trees around them collapsed and they were trapped in a minute. They tried to escape the place and rush to the nearest evacuation area but failed.

What happened next was unexpected and terrifying for all of them. Her brother shouted at once that there was a huge wave coming. She quickly told her sister-in law to get hold of their youngest child she has in her embrace. Next thing she knew, the water had already engulf the whole place. The wave was so huge it looked like a tsunami. The water covered the whole place in a second, no trees and houses can be seen. They were submerged in deep water as the wave hit the place. She rolled violently and hit the ground because of the impact. She saw one of her sibling trapped by the refrigerator, and others werenowhere to be seen, probably carried by the wave outside the house. She tried to go to her brother but the wave current was so aggressive she was not able to move on her own freewill. She was carried harshly by the waterthat already looks black along with tree branches, bottles and other de-bris that hit her underwater.

When she resurface, everything was either floating or submerge in the water.

She saw her father several meters away from her and told her to hold on tightly on a tree branch nearby. Her father tried to come to her because he was worried she would be carried to the shore, which will be more dangerous because the waves in the ocean were bigger.

So many things are on the way her fa-ther failed to get a hold of her. The water continuously carried her until she knocked herself in arooftop. She thought of dying in that instant. As fear and hopelessness engulfed her, she fervently prayed. “God, if you’re going to take me now, I surren-der everything to you at this very moment. Please forgive my sins,” she said.

After that moment, she found her-selfboarded face down in the middle of a pile of debris. The debris above her was too many she was unable to move. She looked around her and thought everyone was dead. All she could see everywhere was water. She didn’t know where to go and wept for her family, wondered where they might be.

As minutes passed by, another wave came. She saw her older sister tumbling upon the water on her direction. Her sister was also boarded in the same pile of junk she’s in, only her sister was tossed above her. Maridel was so relieved to see her. Her sister stand abruptly when she saw her and helped her, tossing around everything on the way like it were not heavy. They man-aged to reach the other side of their baran-gay, which is mountainous. There are sev-eral townspeople in that area that helped them onto land and told them their family members are already up the mountain.

Just then Maridel realized she was badly hurt and injured but was astounde-dat the same time that she was still alive. Up the mountain,a lot of people has in-juries, may have lost their loved ones, all fearedthe uncertainty of what might hap-pen to them after that terrible incident.

Later on, one of her neighbor told her that his father was sighted nearby but he did not climb the mountain because her other two younger siblings were missing. Her father looked everywhere, refused to stop lookingfor his children. During the night of November 8, Maridel could feel the excruciating pain from hunger and injuries she had. The night was slow and extremely painful; she knew all of them felt the same. All she could hear was the agonized weep-ing of every soul on that mountain.

Their house was totally damaged, nothing was left useful. Her father got in-jured and cannot walk until this day. Her youngest sibling, Emma, 12 years of age was found three days ago after the typhoon while his brother, Emac, 17 years old, was found on January two months ago, a day after his birthday. November 8 of year 2013 was a miserable day for her family. They lost almost everything but she dwelled on what they still have. She thought that she may be miserable today but she knew in her heart that everything will be fine in a matter of time.

Over a year, she received news that made her very happy. She was informed that she will be one of the delegates to be given an honor to have lunch with the pope. With this news, she feels so blessed in spite of the tragedy that came in their lives. She saidshe would love to tell Pope how grateful she is of meeting him, of giv-ing them importance and a little time to be with them to share their sorrows.

“It’s like my misery has been turned to blissfulness,” she said.

“My heart will always ache for my sib-lings’ death but there’s hope of happiness in my heart with the thought that they are now with God, that’s what Pope Francis made me realize,” she added.

A misery turns to blissMa. Natividad Bagas

Everything that had happened last January 17, 2015 was one of the most un-forgettable experiences in our lives. Not to consider the storm that we all surpassed along the streets of the City of Tacloban. It is others would call ‘a test of faith’. Ev-eryone was able to endure every bit of trial during that day. Until now the ‘Pope Francis Fever’ continues to run in our senses. See-ing the Pope was an uncontainable reward for all of us. “No Pain No Glory”, as a very popular line goes. And who would have thought that the chances of seeing Pope Francis would be as clear as the rain falls during that day.

Of course I was a bit feeling frustrated when I found out that our assigned quad-rant was very far from the altar. Other pil-grims were already seated at the barricades to make themselves secure of seeing the Pope. My chances of seeing him were quite little of a hope. Even the wide screen where others were watching the Pope’s departure from Manila was quite unclear in my sight. But I knew the Pope was just an hour away

from us, very near than thinking of coming to Rome (but who knows one of this days, I would be praying the Angelus at St. Peter’s Square!!).

I remember one interviewee that I was able to watched on television when he re-mind the people saying, “You don’t need to be an inch near him, you don’t need to literally touch the Pope because when you see his face and his smile it will already be a great experience.” And it made me more excited for what would be God’s surprise for me on that day. One thing that I was cer-tain about was my prayer, “Lord, make me learn from you through the Pope, allow me to listen to you”.

Finally the Pope was on our midst. Waving his hands and wearing the smile that I thought I would only be seeing on the television. He was with the people of God. He was under the rain too, experiencing the same storm, wearing the same rain coat, breathing the same air. It was an expres-sion of his oneness to all of us.

The Pope, which everyone wanted to

see, was on the farthest sight of my eyes but on the nearest part of my heart. Who would have thought? Only Jesus knew what will happen on that very day and I believe even the place where I was stand-ing was the very place He prepared for me. All those feeling of shivering, hunger, tired-ness and foot aches was covered by a great blessing, of victory, of inspiration, of grace, of faith and hope and love.

I struggled listening to him in his hom-ily. The rain was already heavy and the wind was too strong that their noises disrupted the sound system. But I just continued to pray, “Lord just make me understand your message for me today!” Tears fell down from my eyes with how the Lord answered me, “Jesus is Lord and He will never let you down!” It was an affirmation not only to me but to all God’s people. That He is with us and will never fail us. That He knows ev-erything in us, our needs, our prayers, our dreams, our desires, our joys and our suf-ferings. Jesus is with us and He will never let us down.

I had the chance to watch the telecast of the mass held at Tacloban upon going home, there the message of the Lord for me became clearer and more authentic. It was

a reminder that truly He is with me, in all my joys and my sufferings. In my uncertainties and my hopes, He is with me.In my anxiet-ies for things in my life He is still there with me. In my prayer time He is with me and even when I chose not to pray, He never leaves me.

In my pursuit for the mission He is with me and Mama Mary too is with me.

I had a glimpse of the Holy Father. It was the longest one minute of my life. It was heaven in my heart. His visit was a foretaste of God’s. His visit was a mes-sage from God. Mora then his smiles and his words, Pope Francis, himself was the message.

May we be able to continue pondering on the inspiration Pope Francis left in our hearts. May we continue to be excited of God’s surprises in our lives. May we con-tinue to pursue God in our prayer time. May we be like Mama Mary, who, without res-ervations had served God in all her ways. May we continue to walk together as broth-ers and sisters moving forward for the Lord as not only because it was what the Pope wants us to do but because it will be the right thing. All of these will be a foretaste of heaven.

A Foretaste of Heaven: I saw the Pope!Ma. Cresty Tomenio

I DINED WITH THE POPE

ESTE! News8 January-February 2015

Katherine Bagor, another typhoon Yolanda survivor was also selected to have lunch with the Pope on his visit to Tacloban City. The 24 year-old single mother lives with her mother and siblings in a very hum-

“Kinalooyan ngan Pinili” was the theme anchored to the Ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacons last February 4, 2015 at the Nativity of Our Lady Cathedral, Borongan City. This was blissfully received by Rev. Edmel Montallana Raagas from the Parish of St. Peter of Alcantara and Rev. Johnan Heinrich Pajanustan Palada from the Parish of the Nativity of Our Lady. The ordination was celebrated through a Holy Eucharist presided over by His Excellency, Most Rev. Crispin B. Varquez, Bishop of the Diocese of Borongan. It was co celebrated by Msgr. Lope Robredillo, the Vicar General of the same diocese, Fr. Silvino Borres, SJ, Rector of San Jose Seminary and together with the Diocesan Clergy.

The day before their ordination, they first took their Public Vow of Celibacy at the Bishop’s Palace chapel on the eve of their ordination. Most Rev. Bishop Crispin Var-quez strengthened the lines, “You cross the road less traveled”.

Rev. Edmel’s parents, Mr. Edgar Raa-gas and Mrs. Imelda Montallana-Raagas, together with Rev. Johnan’s parents, Dr. Jose Palada and Dr. Eva Pajanustan-Palada were present in the said ordination. Visitors who graced the event from outside of the diocese were Fr. Eric Eusebio, Dean, Loyola School of Theology, Fr. Roberto Buencon-sejo, SJ, Spiritual Father of San Jose Semi-nary, Fr. Mark Neil Eronico from the Diocese of Talibon, contemporary in San Jose Semi-nary, Rev. Julius Habana, from the Diocese of Bacolod, together with some brother seminarians from San Jose Seminary who were the classmates of Rev. Edmel.

The family and friends of both dea-cons were there to show their support and thanks giving. Some of their benefactors and sponsors during their studies at the seminary schools and parishioners from St. Peter of Alcantara and the Nativity of Our Lady showed their love to the newly

ble house in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.During college, Katherine met Jason

Sajabe, also from Guiuan and became her boyfriend after a while. Later on, she be-came pregnant, but her boyfriend ran away before she even gave birth. She was bro-ken-hearted but decided to keep the baby while Jason never returned. Unable to finish her studies because of her pregnancy and needing to support herself and her family financially, she worked as a Sales Clerk in a Pharmacy in Guiuan. She was able to help sustain her family’s financial needs and support her younger siblings’ education be-cause her father was the only breadwinner of the family. Having her baby with her as a sole parent, did not help her situation. And the events of the super typhoon Yolanda made the situation worse for her family.

During the typhoon, Katherine was then eight months pregnant with her baby she named Mark Jacob, now a year old. Together with her mother and six siblings, they evacuated from their house at the is-land to her grandmother’s house at Holly-wood, Guiuan. While Katherine and other members of her family evacuated, her fa-ther and younger brother, Ronald, stayed in

ordained deacons by being present in the occasion. The brothers in Borongan Major Seminarians’ Organization (BORMASO), their high school and college friends and the BEC Community of Brgy. Maslog, La-waa, Eastern Samar where they had their Pre-Diaconal BEC exposure and soome of the Religious Sisters also attended.

After the solemn mass, visitors were invited for a lunch at the Provincial Capi-tol Gym, Borongan City where it became a gathering of Orasnons and Boronganons. Mrs. Virginia M. Raagas, the ‘nanay’ of Rev. Edmel shared that at the age of three, Rev. Edmel became curios in the crucified Christ hanging on the cross. One time they were attending a mass, Nanay Virginia asked Ed-mel if he wanted to become a priest, she received the answer, “Kay hibaro ngani ak hit”.

For their family, Edmel being a deacon is a grace from God and they will continue to pray more for the grace of his priesthood.

Dr. Jose Palada, father of Rev. Johnan, said that “at the very start we don’t want our son to become a priest, for a simple reason that it’s not easy to become a good priest.” He shared the moment when Rev Johnan asked permission to continue his seminary and become a priest, he was con-templating on not permitting Johnan, but instead he said “kay bahala ka.” However he worries on the life Johnan had chosen, he was content that Johnan found a place where he could be happy. “Now here he is one step closer to become a full pledge priest, and I am hoping that he will become a good priest”. He is earnestly asking for everyone to pray for his son.

Dr. Palada also shared that during their parents’ retreat, he wouldn’t forget what Fr. Mike Gadicho told them, “the moment their son will be ordained as a deacon, he is not anymore theirs but God’s.”

the Island. Alberto, her eldest brother who has his own family stayed in the Island as well.

When dawn came, the wind and rain became so strong they were forced to evacuate on their neighbor’s house beside her grandmother’s. Several other families about seven, also evacuated in that house. They could feel the wind rumbling like a hurricane. They were so afraid that the walls of the house might collapse. The wa-ter reached the second floor and filled the entire first floor.

Every house in Guiuan was damaged, not a single tree survived the impact of the wind. There had been some casualty in their area but the worst casualty came from the nearby islands. They never expected that Yolanda would be a kind of typhoon they have never encountered before. On the is-land, big waves have destroyed everything on its way. Not even a single house or tree stood a chance, everything was wiped out. Very few made through the super typhoon and they all had injuries.

The next day after the typhoon, Alberto came and brought sad news. Their father was nowhere to be found. Her brother Ron-ald has miraculously survived. Alberto did not even expect that he will be alive up to this day after the he was hostilely carried by big waves until he was ashore on the near-

by land. He could have been drowned if not for a piece of wood he’d used as a floater.

While Katherine was relieved that her siblings were fine, she was sick worried about her father that has not been found until this day.

With her father lost, Katherine struggle to support their family. They decided to stay on her grandmother’s house after the inci-dent of Typhoon Yolanda. Katherine is now the breadwinner of their family while her mother takes care of her son.

As time pass by, her hope of finding her father alive dissolves. It has been a year, and they already lost hope that their father will ever come back. But their family’s prayer for their father never ceased.

“Even if my father won’t come back, I will always pray for him. Our memories of him will never be forgotten,” she said

The news of her being one of the dele-gates to lunch with the Pope gave her hope and so much happiness.

“I fell very lucky that I met Pope Fran-cis. The happiness I feel is uncontainable, I can’t describe it,” she added. For Kath-erine, meeting Pope Francis is not only a happy memory, but a manifestation that Christ never leaves them no matter what had happened to them.

Uncontainable happinessMa. Natividad Bagas

Bp Varquez ordains two new deaconsMa. Cresty Tomenio

I DINED WITH THE POPE

ESTE! News 9January-February 2015

Nelson Tablason is a resident of Sa-pao, Guiuan, who was one of Yolanda sur-vivor and chosen to join the Papal lunch

The Papal Visit had left others with a more dignified faith. For some it had been a turning point and made them repent and turn back again to God’s unfailing love. There were those who personally put into action all their learning from Pope Francis. And for those who were able to touch him, hug him, get near inched with him and even talked to him would be a very unforgettable experience that they will cherish forever.

But how about to those who were giv-en some tasks during the papal mass, like readers, psalmist, choir, etc.? It would have been more memorable to them. And this was true to someone who after he sung the responsorial psalm during the Papal Mass at the Manila Cathedral he became a mati-nee idol as the media described it.

This caught the attention of many spe-cially those social media fanatic who are always online. His video became viral and according to him he received lots of friend requests and he can’t even manage to ac-cept all for he has reached already the limit, this according to the interview I watched on

at Palo, Leyte during His Holiness’ visit on January 17. He is 19 years of age, a typi-cal teenager student who loves company of friends more than his family.

His father was a carpenter, who died on May 2013 due to an accident while his mother, is a plain housewife. He’d been dropping out of school because of poverty and lack of interest at the same time be-cause they are financially challenged. The incident of the super typhoon Yolanda did not made their situation any better.

On the onset of Yolanda, they were at their house in Sapao, Guiuan, Eastern Sa-mar with her mother and two siblings. They did not evacuate thinking that the typhoon will eventually subside without devastat-ing their place. Evening came and the wind blew strong and the rain seemed endless. They did not saw as a huge wave ap-proached from the west side of their house. The wave came with strong current their house was destroyed in few seconds, leav-ing only the east side wall. He and his other sibling were on an opposite side of the wall of their house from his mother’s with his youngest brother. They were almost carried by the current but were able to grab a bulky electricity wire where they held tightly so the water won’t carry and drown them. The

You Tube. He was tagged by the name “The Cute Responsorial Psalm Guy”.

This “cute psalmist” happens to be Kenneth Rey Parsad, a 22 year-old 3rd year Theologian student at the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary. He is from the Diocese of Benguet. His mother is a Fili-pino and his father is an Indian. He only has one sister who is now a 3rd year student on Mass Media in UST as well.

Some can’t deny the fact that aside from the “Pope Francis Fever” they also have “cute psalmist fever”. It’s really a small world after all as they say, because Kenneth happens to be Rev. Edmel Raagas and Rev. JH Palada’s “Kabuklod” in UST Cen-tral Seminary. Kabuklod, according to him, is like a group of seminarians that forever they will be part of. It’s like a brotherhood maybe. That is why the two newly ordained deacons invited him to sing the psalm dur-ing their ordination last February 4, 2015.

Well, I was able to recognize him be-cause I saw him on TV during the Manila Cathedral Mass. But I don’t have an idea

water was more than four feet deep but the current made it impossible for their feet to reach the ground.

After a few moments, the remaining wall of their house gave in and crashed both his mother and youngest brother. They died instantly. At that moment he felt so helpless, he cannot get to his mother and brother to help them, he almost blame him-self. When the water current decelerated, they swam using a wood as a floater and climb for the mountains. They were able to get help from their neighbors in the baran-gay. He was relieved by the sight of his oth-er siblings without serious injuries, but they are beyond sad because of her mother and brother’s death.

Without a house, without their par-ents and one less of his brothers, their life seemed to be more quiet and lonelier and the future seemed unsure for all of them.

After some months, their house was reconstructed through the help of Habi-tat, one of the non-governmental organi-zations (NGOs) who helped the victims of the Typhoon Yolanda in both Samar and Leyte. Nelson’s eldest sibling from Manila also help them in their everyday expenses. There is also an education scholarship giv-en to them through the efforts of NGO.

that he became “sikat” through that (I’m not really that ‘social media’ person kasi!!). Anyway, that’s it. He was in Borongan City and attended the Ordination. And all were wanting to take picture with him.

When asked why he entered seminary, he shared that it was a unique way because it was his mother who enrolled him and he just obeyed. “Nag stay ako kasi masaya ako, hindi ka naman mag stay sa isang bagay kung hindi ka masaya” he shared. “Masaya ako kung nasaan ako ngaun kaya I stay, kaya pinag papatuloy ko”, he added.

Truly, what keeps you going is when you’re happy on what you do. What makes your dream come true is when you are hap-py with it. The soft spoken seminarian re-layed that he is happy that people appreci-ates his talent in singing, his angelic voice. “Pero I hope that they will say beyond that, I hope na makita nila ang kamay ng Diyos, ang Panginoon”. “Hindi lang sana ako ang tingnan nila kundi si Kristo”, he added.

It was a humbling conversation with a future priest. Humility is one of the essen-

With all of the things that happenend to their family, Nelson realized that his time with his loved ones is very precious. Be-fore the typhoon, he would always go out with his friends and spend most of the time hanging out with them. Now, he always wanted to be in the house and be with his siblings. He wants to finish his studies to be able to help them and give them good life.

“I regret the times I was away from home when I should have spent it with my family. Now they’re gone without me show-ing that I care for them. I was not able to tell them I love them,” Nelson said teary-eyed.

A news given by their parish priest somehow consoled him. He learned that he was going to be apart of the papal lunch as a delegate. He believes that he is blessed of having a great opportunity of meeting the Pope in flesh.

“Throughout the tragedy our family has experienced, help has come in the most unexpected times. Pope Francis made me realized this, its making me feel that Jesus has never abandoned us. I am very grateful for all the people who help and supporated us through our difficult times and to Pope Francis who showed his deep concern for us,” he said after he met the Pope.

tial virtues that a missionary should have. In everything that we do we should act with a humble heart. Despite the popularity, just like Kenneth’s it doesn’t make him more of that ‘artista’ feeling. Instead he became more motivated to serve God in priesthood by using his talent. In fact, he doesn’t want to call those who cheers for him and those who make him trending on social media as fans, instead they are his new found friends.

In everyone that we will be meeting it would be better if we will see Jesus in them. That we will not only recognize their pretty faces, handsome features or angelic voices. That we will not only be covered up by physical features or the outside look of someone. Instead let us always look for Jesus inside the heart of our every ac-quaintance. Even with strangers. Let us al-ways look for Jesus in every situations and events.

Kenneth leaves a message for the youth. “Do not be afraid to answer the call!”

Regret and gratitudeMa. Natividad Bagas

The “Cute Responsorial Psalm Guy”: Sem. Kenneth Rey Parsad reflects on his vocationMa. Cresty Tomenio

this talk, one, of course, is not mistaken in concluding that its details were meant to justify the ritual that is being observed in the celebration during the town fiesta of Borongan—they do not appear in the ear-lier account of the tradition. The ritual or the re-enactment of the story was, in other words, first conceived, and the embellish-ment came later on to validate it.

B. RECOMMENDATIONS1. Must the Padul-ong celebration go

on? Since it is not an historical but evidently

an aetiological legend, though with some-thing historical behind it, shall we cease celebrating the Padul-ong Festival? The lack of verifiable historical notes does not, of course, invalidate the legitimacy of its celebration. For one thing, the Padul-ong somehow answers our need for rootedness,

our search for identity as Estehanons. It contributes to the wholeness of our culture, giving a cultural support to what it means to be an Estehanon. So, if the Padul-ong has to be of any use to the Estenanons, it should be seen along this gamut of thought. I do believe that these aetiologies easily related to the life of the people in Borongan during the Spanish era. The people of Guintagui-can could easily appeal to the Virgin not only at the time when the sea was rough, but also during typhoons and other natural calamities. The Hamorawon tradition must have been meaningful to the Boronganons who from time to time suffered from the cholera epidemic.[26] And I see no reason why the aetiologies would not make sense today. However—and this I would like to emphasize—it would be a disservice to these aetiologies or the “tradition” if today we will only look at it as nothing more than an event that we have to celebrate for tour-

ism purposes. It will lose its meaning and people will be alienated from it. Its survival can be assured only if it is rooted in the cul-ture and well-being of our people. Commer-cialism will destroy it.

2. Shall we limit ourselves to the Padul-ong celebration?

For all its advantages, however, I see two major drawbacks in thePadul-ong cel-ebration. Here, I shall not mention some minor problems that I find in the way it is observed, as, for instance, in the matter of consistency. For example: if the Padul-ong is a re-enactment, why do the par-ticipants use a modern motor boat?[27] Why do thety use the 19thcentury Filipina dress, instead of the 17th or 18th century-attire?[28] These are quibbles that are better addressed in performing arts rather than in history and religion.[29] So, let me go back to my two major questions. First, the Padul-ong is a Borongan tradition. Defi-

nitely, the whole people of Eastern Samar do not own it. So, the question is: is there any other tradition that all Estehanons can easily identify themselves with? Right now, I have in mind two events. The first is, the story of the landing of Ferdinand Magellan in Homonhon on March 16, 1521.[30] The second is the landing of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in Tubabao island, Oras, Eastern Samar, on February 13, 1565.[31] This is also the date when Eastern Samar was de-clared a Spanishencomienda. Both of these events can be historically verified and pro-vide much material to the portrayal of the encounter between the native and Spanish culture. Second, the Padul-ong reflects an animist religion. . It does not dovetail with the Virgin in whose honor it is celebrated. In fact, Christianity is not yet there. The the-ology is still pre-Hispanic. It does not yet have the Christian value system, and all that is dear to Christianity.*

Antigo... (from p.4)

I DINED WITH THE POPE

ESTE! News10 January-February 2015

More than a year after super typhoon Yolanda, most of the survivors of Eastern Samar had been more resilient than before, some live like they always have before the typhoon, and some are still struggling with their livelihood, shelter and everyday ex-penditure. Jenny Rose Daganzo and her family is one of the families who belong to the latter.

Jenny Rose, 14 years of age, from Guiuan Eastern Samar, recounted her experiences the day of typhoon Yolanda with cautious expression of her emotions. According to her, their family together with many other families in their baran-gay evacuated in the college buildings of Eastern Samar State University (ESSU). The order from the barangay officials were strictly implemented to take refuge in the evacuation areas during the typhoon.

They were assigned in the farthest

room of the building. They settled in tem-porarily. Dawn about 5:00 o’clock of No-vember 8, 2013, the wind started to blow so strong. The roof of their assigned room was starting to peel off and carried by the wind like a paper. They hurriedly evacu-ated in three different rooms, trying to find a safer place. On the third classroom, they ran out of options. They knew all other rooms will be the same. Her mother stow them below the classroom table to keep them hidden from flying roofs and collaps-ing walls. Her mother and father were on the opposite side of the room. Later on his brother shouted that her mother was squeezed in by a wall that collapsed in the room. They told her father, but were not able to help her. The wind and rain got stronger it’s almost impossible to move. They were able to get the body of her mother after few hours after the rain and

wind recedes.Nothing left from the houses in their

area. It diminished in an instant after the Typhoon. After everything that happened, they were left hopeless, despairing and heartbroken. Through the help and sup-port of different religious groups, priests, medical groups and NGOs (Non-Govern-mental Organization), they were able to cope and hope for better future. They were very thankful for they could have never survived if not for the help of these groups.

And there was the news of Jenny Rose being selected as a delegate for the papal lunch. Jenny Rose was so excited to meet the Pope and honored for having a chance to see him.

“If I had the chance to talk to him, I would have thanked him for giving us im-portance and concern. I would also ask him to please pray for us, victims of ty-phoon Yolanda. That is my only request” Jenny Rose said.

‘Please pray for us’ – typhoon Yolanda survivor to PopeMa. Natividad Bagas

February 14 - VALENTINES DAY, is the day when committed couples celebrate their love for each other with much fanfare, glamour, and solemnity. Yet, behind the in-tricacies and complexities of the day, they are implicitly holding on to the possibility that there is such thing as “FOREVER”.

But for some singles, the BH (broken-hearted) or even the “taken-for-granted” proclaim the day as an “INDEPENDENCE DAY” even to the point of flashing banners with words like: “WALANG FOREVER!”

But we can ask: Why do some people choose to be single? Perhaps, most of them, have tried once to fall in love, but all they got was unrequited love.

Then they locked themselves up and put up insurmountable defenses against the arrows of Cupid.

Others become contented with remain-ing NGSB/ NBSB (No girlfriend since birth/ No boyfriend since birth) for they believe that what is meant to be, will always finds a way, hopefully in the not-so-distant fu-ture. They are just waiting for the right time,

for their destiny, for their special someone. Their motto is: TRUE LOVE WAITS.

Surprisingly, during this “Love Month,” people can be provoked to be bitter.

Bitter. These are the people who doubt the capacity of love to last forever. Thus, they are afraid to fall in love again. They are afraid to be hurt again because to love is to open oneself to the possibility of being hurt… again and again.

Move on. Whether you are presently in a relationship or not, there’s always the possibility of celebrating February 14 meaningfully. It’s not solely for committed particular relationships.

How about using Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to reflect on God’s uncondi-tional and eternal love? How about seeing this big day as an occasion to examine our human and limited ways of loving vis-à-vis God’s capacity to love?

Only in this way will we be able to see that there is a heart which is far greater than our hearts that can love us with a far greater love- the heart of Jesus Christ.

Then, from the pattern of his enduring love, our own hearts can glimpse that love which is forever. Mayroong Forever.

“Mayroong Forever” Kristine Diana Berdul

I DINED WITH THE POPE

MOTHER BUTLER Liturgical Center

We sell at reasonable prices: Religious Icons, Hosts, Mass Wine,

Bibles, Yukaristiya, Anawim, Candles,

Incense, Magic Charcoal, Audio CDs, Songbooks, etc.

Cathedral Compound, Borongan City

6800 Eastern Samar

ESTE! News 11

It was not, in a word, intended to generate a public gripe session (initiated by a high and mighty Public Official).

8. Predator businessman to Priest: “Father, what do you think will the Lord say to me if I say to him, like the Good Thief, ‘Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom’?”

Priest to predator businessman: “Oh, I think the Lord would say, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you won’t be with me in Paradise. But they will welcome you into that other place where people gnash their teeth’…”

9. Item: Flash floods and super ty-phoons partly come from Nature abused by unmanaged garbage, unbridled pol-lution and unchecked forest denudation.

Super abuse of Nature begets super abuse by Nature.

10. Item: Tropical Depression Se-niang poured more rains than Super Ty-phoon Ruby.

She must have been very depressed indeed.

11. Item: If super typhoons, ex-tremely hot or cold weathers, extra

strong earthquakes are now the “new normal” phenomena in our horizons, what do we do to mitigate their ill effects, Bishop asks.

I suggest we move the Philippines closer to Hawaii. If that is not possible, at least let’s move Christmas to June, my birth month (wink).

12. Item: Eucharistic miracle at the Priests’ Home—flood waters did not reach the tabernacle.

This is the most positive thing about Ruby: She actually visited the Blessed Sacrament.

13. Item: Social Action Director urges people to protect the environment from illegal logging and mining.

But how do we protect the environ-ment from more powerful enemies, such as greed, extreme poverty and chronic unemployment?

Thought for Thought...(from p.5)

Balik balay...(from p.5)

FEATUREJanuary-February 2015

pleasurable activities and little by little separating us from the Lord. This is the devil’s profession and vocation on Earth to separate us from our main purpose of life our Creator has given us, to LOVE Him, to SERVE Him and to be with Him in heaven.

Are you aware of this immoral cul-ture of “sugaring”? I know you are aware but just don’t know the name. I happen to know its name in one of the TV pro-grams in CNN. It is sweet indeed and exciting for the sugar daddy or sugar mommy and the sugar baby. This traps the lonely and pleasure wanting senior citizens whose partners are no longer agile and virile, widows and widowers, OSW partners, and other pleasure seek-ing DOMs or Dirty Old Men and Dirty Old Moms. They are entangled with the sugar babies, who as they destroy families are also ruining their lives, their souls. I heard from a sugar baby saying, “ It is easy money , luxury and exciting. Just two M’s and two L’s: Magpaganda o mag-pagwapo and magpabango always,then lambing and landi. Kunting tampo lang, wow ! monar na! (money na) or bil’ mo ko nyan, bil’ mo ko non na! “

In my own group’s survey, the Homesavers on why single ladies cling to married men, the striking answers: Married men are romantic and “galante”; DOMs are “madali mauwat”; “Kon rich and gwapo and powerful masarap mag-pakabit bisan magpaanak para regular it support.”; “ Kon secured, I try my best to grab him from his family.”

We all pray for these people who are trapped in this dirty culture that the Lord may enlighten their minds and soft-en their hearts and cleanse their actions. May the Holy Spirit create in them good conscience to realize the negative con-sequences of their actions, their “gim-micks” to families and to them especially to their relationship with our Creator.

Fear NOT in spite of the darkness that is threatening our families . There is still hope! We surrender our families to our Creator. We surrender all His bless-ings back to Him for His perusal for His Holy will, the sophistication of technol-ogy not for devil’s work but to spread the light of His kingdom. We open our lives to the power of the Holy Spirit for true re-pentance, forgiveness and renewal and to always remind us to make Jesus the King of our families that love and peace may always reign. We pray and lift up to Him that this darkened shelter because of darkened minds and hardened hearts be regenerated back to be called home again. Let us learn to love again! “Love cast out all fears!”, our Holy Father said.

Indeed there is still hope for our families! Pope Francis said that we just remember that Jesus won’t let us down. We all together offer our imperfect fami-lies to the Lord through the intercession of Mama Mary that her tender care and love won’t let us down, and through St. Joseph the builder and protector of the sweet home for Jesus that he may help us build and protect our homes too. We just continue to help one another, to pray for one another to protect our fami-

Simple & Humble Thoughts.... (from p.4)

are making interventions to the super-typhoon survivors. We should inculcate the right values in them. They should learn how to properly utilize the different forms of assistance given to them. As they continue to benefit from the aid of different agencies, they should work with prudence and wisdom for their ongoing recovery. Turuan sila upang matuto si-lang tumayo sa sariling mga paa. Hindi sila manatiling umaasa sa tulong ng iba. Let us empower them to become more productive. Value formation is the key.

Available at Mother Butler Religious StoreC a t h e d r a l C o m p o u n d

lies and through our imperfections and weaknesses we experience the strength of the love, mercy and compassion of the Lord. May the power of Jesus make us all move forward! May God bless us all and our families ! A blessed and prosperous 2015 to one and all!

Greetings from TV13 Staff

ESTE! News12 January-February 2015

Photos by: Fr. Roneil & Fr. Phillip

“The faith of the Filipino is waterproof butthe Pope’s love for them is storm proof.”

ESTE! News 13January-February 2015

Photos by: Fr. Roneil & Alren Beronio

MASS OF POPE FRANCIS FOR YOLANDA SURVIVORSTacloban Airport, Jan. 17, 2015

EASTERN SAMAR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (ESAMELCO)

Brgy. Cabong, Borongan City, Eastern Samar

ESTE! News14 PAGE SPONSOR January-February 2015

ESAMELCO SITIO ELECTRIFICATION AND BARANGAY LINEENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

ESAMELCO through the Institutional Services Department Information Team has con-ducted information drive to sitios and barangays who are beneficiaries under the SEP and BLEP Program of some municipalities even during the last quarter of year 2014. This is in connection with the President Aquino’s mandate to Electric Cooperatives through the Na-tional Electrification Administration (NEA) to energize all household even those far flung sitios, barangays and island barangays. The government has allocated budget to these sitios and barangays that are not yet energized or no electricity through the Sitio Electrification Program government subsidy. ESAMELCO submitted to National Electrification Administra-

tion (NEA) the list of Sitios and Barangays to be covered under the program.

The SEP/BLEP program provides Php2, 500.00 worth of free labor and house wiring ma-terials such as 1pc. kwhr; 1pc. safety switch, 2pcs. bulbs, 2pcs. convenience outlet, 2pcs. lamp holder, staple wire, electrical tape, 10 meters PDX no. 14, 5 meters PDX no. 12, 2 meters PDX no. 10, wood screws and a 30 meters drop wire. The applicant will just comply and submit the necessary documents as required such as electrical permit, fire safety clearance, inspection

certificate sketch plan and a minimal fee of Php489.50 representing service fees.

The information Drives were held in Sitio Camada Heights, Sitio Bito, (Sitio Balalong), Sitio Carawsi of Maydolong, Sitio Tagalag and Barangay Banika of Llorente, Sitio Maylimon of Jipapad, Island Barangays Hilabaan and Tikling of Dolores, Sitio Monbon(Tawagan) and Barangay Sta. Monica of Oras, Sitio Lipata, Sitio Tabok, Sitio Tuugas(brgy. Bahay), Sitio

Okpol(Brgy. Tabo), Sitio Libas, Sitio Balogo(Brgy. 3) of San Policarpo.

On every information drive we conducted on different sitios and barangays we received a positive response. Almost all the residents desire to have electricity in their household. ESA-MELCO believe that by having electricity in these remote areas, it will not only help make

their way of living easier and safe, but will also be a start to progress

Lucy ForondaHon. Byron SuyotMarcelo’s Place

Dra. Evelyn MifloresSBM Joel Baldo & Family

DONORS

Alexius & Renzy Abella

Alyson Store

Arnulfo & Doris Cajegas

Beatriz Egargo

Celeste Dahlia Tabayocyoc

Celso & Thelma Tabayocyoc

Edgardo Juaban

Enriquita Rodeles

Epifania de Vera

Era Diaz

Hon. & Mrs. Jose Sabulao

Isabel Ariaso, Novy Navales, &

Children, Abelyn, Vincent & Keth

Joseph & Penny Kruse

Kier Andrie Gloria

BENEFACTORSMarvi Tanauan

Mila Cabalonga

Mrs. Gregoria Calumpiano

Mrs. Mary Grace Soraya Duran

Mrs. Myrna Isaig & Family

Mrs. Sharon Abrera

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Mabansag

Mr. & Mrs. Joaquin Lumagbar Sr.

Mr. & Mrs. Reynaldo Afable

Ms. Megan Molina

Patrocinia Canites

Romana Singayan

Tony & Becky Campomanes

Yolanda Tiozon

PASAWAYNi Kuya Fran

Hay! Lunes na liwat Kamahubya gud bumuhat

Kun diri la ako iisgan ni nanay Gusto ko gudla pumahuway

Mahubya sumulod ha skuylahan Makadi lugod ak ha computeran

Aadi an akon mga barkada Maguuyas la kami mag hapon hin DOTA

Exam namon buwas Pero adi la ako ha gawas

Irignom la hit akon mga barkada Iristorya ngan tambay mag-aga

Gin isugan ako ni nanay Diri kuno ako nagtutuhay

Tungod ha akon mga barkada an akon pag-skuyla napabayaan ko na

Waray na ako sumulod ngan umiskuyla Na adik na ako ha droga

Nag asawa ako hin sugad ka aga Nag ka anak ngan nagka pamilya

An akon kinabuhi naging miserableSugad ako hin napirdi

Waray ako makag-hunahuna hin tuhay, Nga an akon kinabuhi kunta naging mahusay

Kun bumali la ako han sagdun nira nanay nga tatay Kunta yana ak kinabuhi maupay

Sanglit, yana nagkukuri na lugod ako

Yana mag aano na man la ako?

ESTE! News 15January-February 2015

-Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

ESTE! News16

from ESTE! NEWS

“Jesus Never Lets Us Down.”

January-February 2015

Photos by: Fr. Roneil & Alren Beronio

-Pope Francis