Lest we forget. on 08 February would be the birthday of a great
Filipino jurist, nationalist and senator born in 1890 at Tiaong,
Tayabas (now Quezon). Also, years later, on 08 February 1935, as
President of the 1935 Constitutional Convention, he delivered his
Valedictory Address.

He said: "The years and the ages will pass into nothingness and
oblivion; new generations will be born, succeeding the present. . .
history, in its usual fashion, will make its inexorable demands,
changing the meaning of these words if not reversing it completely;
humanity itself, weary of itself and prey to new follies, will again
and again throw the treasures of the ages, . . .; yet, when those who
come after us look back to the past for counsel and inspiration, and
consider the Charter that now leaves our hands, I feel sure that they
will see written in it, the nobility of our purpose as well as the
magnitude of our task; . . ."

Constitutional Convention President Claro M. Recto, the grandfather
of present Senator Ralph Recto and father of my law classmate,
Assemblyman Rafael Rector, ended his Valedictory Address by saying
that the care and zeal that marked their labors "were not a bid for
the plaudits of the present nor for the perpetuation of our names in
fame's eternal marble or bronze, but sprang from the desire to arouse
in our people, through this Constitution, that noble enthusiasm, that
human wisdom and divine fire which an illustrious prelate, pride of
our clergy, invoked the blessings of the Supreme Creator on the never-
to-be-forgotten day of our inauguration: ' Father, Thou, who art the
fountain-head of all power and the source of all happiness, make of
the Philippines a nation of happy people within Thy Kingdom.'"

A timely and relevant reminder to all Filipinos especially at this
time when Constitutionalism, rule of law are among the issues being
discussed in our midst.

Today is a sad day for us. Henrietta. A member of our family for many years, died today at 9 am. Below is a short article I wrote about her in 2007.

This is Henrietta. Kirsten and Kevin gave her as a birthday gift in 1995 to their father, who has loved her just like one of his children.

"Hello, my little one," is how Mark greets her in the morning, "do you want your breakfast now?"

As we celebrate on 30 December 2011, the 115th Death Anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, it occurred to my mind that Yuletide 1896 must have been difficult and trying moment to his family as well as to himself. Let us recall the events and dates when Rizal underwent trial and then had to face death by musketry at Bagumbayan field (now called Rizal Park).

The Trial of Jose P. Rizal
On 20th December 1896, Rizal together with his counsel, Lt. Taviel de Andrade of the Spanish Artillery, prepared for his defense.

Five days later, on 25th December, a Christmas Day, Rizal was informed that on the following day, at 19:00 a.m., the Council of War would convene. Rizal wrote his counsel Taviel asking for a conference prior to appearing before the Council, However, it was not known whether such pre-trial conference between Rizal and his counsel took place.

On 26th December, at the Cuartel General de Espana, a soldier’s dormitory was converted into an improvised courtroom.

Our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal in his novel “Noli Me Tangere” (Social Cancer) wrote:
“It was Christmas Eve and yet the town was wrapped in gloom. Not a paper lantern hung from the windows nor did a single sound in the houses indicate the rejoicing of other years.”

And whenever I see a star paper lantern on Christmas, I remember Christmas of Yesteryears and the Star of the Magi which shone on them more than two thousand years ago.

30 November has been declared Bonifacio Day, the birthdate of the "Great Phlebian" -Andres Bonifacio- the "bodegero" who became the founder and leader of the Katipunan (KKK) ; took up arms and proclaimed "Long Live the Philippines" at Pugad-Lawin in the farm of Tandang Sora. He and his followers tore their "cedulas" as sign of protests against Spanish Colonial rule over the Philippines. The fight against Spanish rule started. Later, there was rivalry between the Magdalo and Magdiwang factions of the Philippine Revolutionary movements and as a result of the Tejeros Convention, Bonifacio was sentenced by a hastily convened Court Martial to die for acts inimical to the State. He was killed and buried in unmarked grave somewhere near Mt. Buntis while Bonifacio and his loyal followers were on their way back to their own headquarters or revolutionary base.

Tuesday, Nov. 8 happened to be a sunny bright morning and will be remembered as the beginning of classes in eight classrooms at the new Gabaldon building in Infanta Central Elementary School. Two Speed Classes and two Section 1 classes from Grades 3, 4, 5 & 6 were chosen to occupy the eight spacious classrooms.

Invited to attend the morning flag raising ceremony, my wife Sally and I witnessed the presence of the thousand or so students in front of the building before ushering the selected occupants to their respective rooms. On behalf of MIF, I gave a brief welcome talk followed by the Principal's, Dr. Carlos Crisostomo, laundry list of housekeeping rules and procedures in using the new building.

Edna is also survived by her husband, Paul Joachim.

Viewing : Thursday, Nov. 3, : Bueler Funeral Home, 14 West Hutlat, Dr., Chandler, AZ 85225
Funeral: Funeral, Friday, Nov. 4 at 10 a.m.

Ipinagdiriwang ng tao
mahalagang araw na ito
kaarawan mahal na santo
at mga mahal na yumao.

alay bulaklak na mabango
mga ulo ay nakatungo
dasal sa Diyos na totoo
buhay na walang hanggan matamo.

And in observance of Halloween, let us recall to mind the Filipino song as follows;

“Kaluluwa nalibot, nahingi ng limos.
Kung kami po ay bibigyan, dali-daliin po lamang
At baka kami’y masarhan ng pinto ng kalangitan."

Here's the details of the Funeral Arrangement for Rudy

Forest Lawn Glendale
1712 South Glendale Ave., Glendale,CA 91205

Thursday, Oct 20 5PM- 9PM Viewing
Friday, Oct. 21 5PM - 9PM Viewing

Saturday, Oct. 22 @ 2:30 PM Interment

Romy/Melanie Catbagan, Dennis/Rhea Catbagan, Jun/Michelle Gaffud, Ronald/Maita Catbagan and Noel/Rhea Calderon,

Forty-seven years marriage,
We celebrate at old age
Is happy day to observe
Blessed by children, grandchild.

At St. Patrick Church we vowed
Before Almighty Lord
To cherish each other, love
In happiness, sickness, pain.

Three years more we celebrate
Our gold day of marriage
Happy that mission fulfilled
Assigned to us by the Lord.

We pray to Almighty God
To bestow us more strength
To serve, glorify the Lord
Fulfill mission on this earth.
E n d.

Balance Forward: $ 28,160

Revenues: $148,568
Interest: $ 181
Investment Income: $ 42,014
Total Revenues: $190,582

Total: $218,742

Expenses:
Bank Charges $ 1,336
Fundraising Expenses $ 11,227
Grants: $204,750
Information Technology: 240
Licenses & Permits: $ 10
Office Supplies: $ 769
Postage: $ 296
Total Expenses: $218,629

Balance: $ 113

As you can see in these photos, we have transformed the Gabaldon ruins of 1972 to beautiful building to which we all can be proud to send the Infanta children for generations to come. We hope to have the children start using the building on November 1. Please help make this a reality. We need only $7,000 now to complete our fund campaign and to finish the flooring that's keeping the children from using the building.

We need you! Please see the list of donors on the left. We would like to add your name on this list. If your name is on the lsit and you think you can give more, we would be very grateful. Please send your donations to: Metro Infanta Foundation, 7350 Braun Way, Arvada, CO 80005.

Also please take a look at our Facebook icon at the end of the column and click like.

(*Mr. Rodolfo A. Arizala is a retired Filipino Diplomat)
Santiago, Chile
02 September 2011

I. Arrival in Tehran
When I arrived in Tehran in September of 1977, from my posting at the Philippine Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I noted a country at the doorstep of transition - from an ancient country formerly called “Persia” toward a modern Iran under the rule of the Shah.

I learned later that there are thousands of Filipino workers in Iran hired as doctors, nurses, engineers, technicians, hotel employees and some work as domestic helpers. When I reported the next day of my arrival to the Philippine Embassy, I noticed a long line of Iranians in front of the Embassy’s Consular Section applying for student visas so that they could pursue further studies in Philippine universities.

II. Extremely Busy Consular Section
Because of such desire of many Iranians to study in the Philippines, as well as the presence of thousands of Filipino workers in Iran, the consular section of the embassy was always extremely busy. It had to attend to the consular needs of Filipinos and foreigners as well. At that time, there were around 15,000 Filipino workers and dependents in Iran scattered throughout the country. They worked in hospitals, hotels, factories, ports, and oil fields of Iran. As early as 5:00 o’clock in the morning, there were already long lines of Iranian students at the embassy gate waiting for their turn to be interviewed by Filipino consular officers.