A 4-in-1 Holy Encounter

                It is rare that a 4-in-1 religious activity happens in our parish. But tonight the faithfuls are treated to an overflowing encounter that deepens their devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and strengthens their faith in God.                                                                                         

         It is expected among Catholic devotees to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to go to Mass every Friday. It is a commitment consecrating oneself to the Most Sacred Heart. 

          But every First Friday of the Month, Ina ng Buhay Parish holds a Holy Hour with the Blessed sacrament being exposed at the Altar and no less than the parish priest leads the  prayerful meditations filled with litanies. Concluding the Holy Hour is a  benediction with the Blessed Sacrament inspiring everyone to lift up their supplications to God.

 

After reposition of the Blessed Sacrament , a Holy Mass immediately follows with a choir invigorating the celebration. Being in the highest form of prayer, the faithfuls take heed of every word proclaimed by the priest with an open and receptive heart knowing it is God’s Word for them. It is an opportunity to be not just in communion with God but a fellowship in communion with one another as a community of Catholic Christian believers.

 

The start of a weekly Station of the Cross every Friday after the evening Mass at the Parish Garden Reception before life-size image presentation of the 14 stations during the Lenten Season highlights the celebration. Not quite surprising that there are so many people participating since it is First Friday. The season invokes everyone to offer a sacrifice of self-denial thru fasting and abstinence to be one with the sufferings of Jesus dying on the cross for the redemption of mankind.

                                

 

                                                 

 

 

                                                   

What a solemn occasion and everyone seems grateful for the threefold contemplation on how great the love of God is! It yields a smile on everyone’s faces going home with a renewed spirit commissioned to spread the Good News: Jesus is alive!                                

              

My Gift to the Philippines

     It is well known to everyone how Super Typhoon Yolanda has brought devastation to our country especially in Samar and Leyte last year. The calamity caught the attention of the entire world. The worldwide media has focused its attention particularly in Tacloban City  where thousands of people died and properties were heavily destroyed due sudden storm surge. In its aftermath the city lay flat in total ruins. People everywhere in the area were crying not knowing how to pick up the rubbles and start their life anew.

     I remember in April 1988 when I first set foot in Leyte to attend a Christian Leadership Training Seminar-Workshop hosted by the Community of God’s Little Children (CGLC)  in Sitio Soliman, Tacloban City. When I was about to go home, I discovered that I ran out of cash allowance for my expenses in going home but the community allowed me to stay for further immersion in their community life; and after more than a week, they generously provided for all my necessary expenses plus pasalubong in going home.

     This is now the moment that I wish to come true with the help of Globe Telecom: to pay back to the people of Tacloban City for that unforgettable good deed I have received from them more than 2 decades ago. I would like Globe Telecom to help CGLC in rebuilding or improving their Foundational Center and their community school St. Therese Child Development Center located along Real Street just across the Sto Nino Church. Furthermore,  a cash/check or in-kind gifts be donated to the social action service ministry of the Community of God’s Little Children in order to augment their outreach project/program of putting up livelihood to help the Yolanda victims.

The fall and rise of this city is going to symbolize the fall and rise of our country. Tacloban City in Leyte province is now projecting to the world what the real situation of our country is. Any future development of our country will be in vain without the recovery and restoration of this city at least to its old glory. Livelihood must be mobilized to inspire the residents and gain their confidence to rebuild their own city and make it even better than what it used to be. Providing assistance to whatever projects the CGLC in Tacloban City can be a ripple to spark hope for the Yolanda victims to work together  for their own recovery. The goal of the CGLC has always been for the total development  of a person and  it will surely be achieved if we support them in their mission. Thus, Globe Telecom's support for the realization of the CGLC  mission in Tacloban City is my gift to the Philippines. And as Gen. Douglas McArthur fulfilled his promise to return when he landed in Leyte during World War II, so I wish also to return and visit Tacloban City with my family to witness how my dream project is implemented by #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014.       

My dear readers, I encourage you to share your own gift or wish to the Philippines in the comment box below by answering the question “If there is one thing you can give to the Philippines, what is that gift?”. Who knows your wish will be realized sooner than you could imagine. If my wish comes true then you’ll win an iPad Mini 2 courtesy of Globe Telecom.

Coca-Cola Red Hot Prizes: What a Great Blessing!

     "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)

     Every 1^st May of the year brings to mind a memory of how great the love of God is for my family. It refreshes the fervour of our gratitude for the compassion of the Lord in answering our prayers and His generosity in providing our needs. He is faithful in His promise when He said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you….” (Matthew 6:33)

     Coca-Cola had a raffle promo called the “Red Hot Prizes” during the summer of year 1997. The prizes at stake then had really caught my attention. A couple of months before its first bi-weekly draw, there were rumors that the company I was working with would be laying off employees due bankruptcy. The situation caused uncertainties and worries to my family. My wife and I have just been married for about more than a year without savings and still without a house and lot of our own.  Compounding the anxieties within us, my wife was on a delicate condition being pregnant with our second baby with just a couple of months gap after having delivered our first baby.

     The Coca-Cola raffle promo sparked hope in my innermost being. The raffle promo required 5 pieces of the sofdrinks tansan in any combination as proof of purchase placed inside a white letter envelope with the participant’s name, address, contact number, and signature. There was no limit as to the number of entries a participant may send. I cried to God in fervent prayer with a supplication begging Him to let me win the grand prize for the sake of my family especially for my babies. I offered acts of sacrifices even to the point of humiliations. I remember picking and gathering tansans or crowns from garbage receptacles left by vendors in bus and jeep terminals oftentimes with sputum as if I was already insane. Many people, including our boarding housemates, who have witnessed what I was doing were laughing at me. Me, a professional (an engineer), doing such a ridiculous thing? But I ignored all the negative remarks/comments; and instead continued to focus in doing what seemed to be a crazy task even walking at night into dangerous areas just to pick up those thrown away crowns. Then patiently I had to wash all the crowns and lay them individually in upright positions for quick drying on the floor inside our bedroom.

     For the scheduled first bi-weekly draw, I sent more than a hundred entries. Our family prayed over all the entries before dropping them in official drop boxes placed in groceries. To win the grand prize became part of our daily petitions to the Lord as we remained faithful serving Him in our local parish.

     May 1, 1997… the first draw (of 4 bi-weekly draws) for the Visayas Region was held in Cebu City. I stormed heaven with unceasing prayers during that day. God is good and true to His promise. Two days later, the Bacolod Plant Manager of Coca-Cola came looking for me to inform and congratulate because I won the grand prize: a fully loaded Isuzu HiLander vehicle! The amazing thing, I was able to win all the different kind of prizes at stake during the succeeding bi-weekly draws which include an all expenses-paid trip for 4 to Sicogon/Boracay and a special Coca-Cola edition component. And it happened simultaneously with my layoff from job. These wonderful things the Lord had done into my life made me so popular as the results of the raffle draw landed full page in both national and local newspapers. It became a byword among households in our place. All praises and glory be to God.

A souvenir pose with my prize displayed at the BAYS Center, Bacolod City Public Plaza

With movie actor Randy Santiago during the awarding of prizes in Bacolod City.... May 15, 1997

A free trip in Sicogon....

A free trip in Boracay....

Winning a special Coca-Cola edition component....

A Valentine's Date We'll Always Remember (With TobleronePilipinas)

"Say It Sweeter With Toblerone"... That's the theme of the facebook Valentine's promo/contest of TobleronePilipinas last year. I have been so blessed by the Lord to have won the grand prize in that contest. It's Valentine's season again and it feels great to reminisce the sweet victory and all the events of the road trip prize package worth P50,000.00 (but the actual expenses incurred reached more than P70,000.00 and still shouldered by the sponsor Kraft Foods Philippines, Inc.) which I have won. I am reposting below my winning entry in the said promo/contest with some additional pictures taken during the Road Trip to Hundred Islands in Pangasinan, Baguio City, Iloilo City where my 3 children competed for the National Finals of the MTG Math Challenge, and Bacolod City in Negros Occidental (my wife's home province):

A Valentine's Date We'll Always Remember ( by: Vicente I. Ferrer)

This year 2012 marks our 17th year of marriage. Me and my wife are blessed with three (3) children. A Valentine's Date during the love month of February remains a dream date that has never been realized since our children got into school. Our mind, effort, and time have been focused on the upbringing of our children especially on their education. Besides, our financial difficulties constrains us that we cannot celebrate such occasion anymore. Thus we are grateful to TobleronePilipinas for launching this promo in which we can participate and have a chance to win an all-expenses paid Valentine's Date that will give realization to our dream date.
Our dream Valentine's Date (with our 3 kids, of course) will start very early in the morning on February 13, 2012 at 4:30 A.M. A hired vehicle will fetch and take us to our first destination: Hundred Islands, Alaminos City, Pangasinan. We will eat our breakfast in a fast food restaurant along the way and upon arrival enjoy the rest of the morning at the beach relaxing and comforting ourselves away from the city crowd. Oh, how we love swimming in the beach's pristine waters. The delicious local foods that will be served for our lunch at 11:30 A.M. will be a delight. We will then have more bonding moments as we stroll at the beach then go on boat riding for a complete tour of the scattered islands in the renowned place. It will surely be a lot of fun, a great and memorable experience as we will have picture takings for mementos with our digital camera to end our date in the famous islands before we pack up by 3:00 P.M. for our next destination: Baguio City. As we travel to the summer capital of our country we will have short stopovers to have a view and picture takings on some of the beautiful landmarks or historical places along the way and also to buy some souvenir items/food delicacies. After 2 ½ hours of travel we will check in to the hotel reserved for us then take a rest. At 6:00 P.M. we will have a dinner in a downtown restaurant then go on a short walk in the city at Burnham Park and go back to the hotel to have our early night rest. 
On February 14, 2012 @ 6:30 A.M. we will hear Mass at the Baguio Cathedral then have a breakfast and afterwards proceed to Lourdes Grotto. After the prayerful meditations we will then tour the renowned places in the city such as Camp John Hay, The Mansion, Wright Park, Mines View Park, Baguio Botanical Garden, and the Philippine Military Academy. A sumptuous meal for lunch will highlight our tour.
By 2 o’clock in the afternoon, we will be ready for our trip back to Metro Manila heading to a restaurant for a simple light dinner to complete our Valentine’s Date where I will be presenting to my wife my ultimate surprise gift of our Valentine’s Date: a simple necklace and a family round trip plane ticket to her hometown in Negros as processed by TobleronePilipinas. A kiss to my wife while giving her a bundled flower tied with Toblerone bearing the messages “You’re sweet, I love you, I’m yours” will end up our dinner. 
Finally, at 8:00 P.M... Home, oh sweet home!... “Thank you Lord for this wonderful gift of a free Valentine's Date which we will always remember in our entire lifetime.”
Notes: 1.) Any remaining amount in our Valentine’s Date budget will be donated in the form of a check to the Typhoon Sendong victims thru TobleronePilipinas’ own choice of charitable organization/agency as our way of thanking the Lord for the wonderful date. 2.) The dates specified can be rescheduled.

Awarding at Oceania, SM Mall of Asia with Jake Cuenca as guest celebrity host

Hundred Islands, Alaminos City, Pangasinan

Hundred Islands, Alaminos City, Pangasinan

Baguio Cathedral, Baguio City

                             A video clippings of the Pangasinan and Baguio Road Trip from TobleronePilipinas file here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtJSJcuok1s&feature=share

Arrival at Iloilo Airport, Iloilo City

@ Jaro Cathedral, Iloilo City

@ Sta. Barbara Church, Iloilo City

Panaad Park, Mansilingan, Bacolod City

Family Reunion @ Palaka Norte, Pulupandan, Negros Occidental

Capitol Lagoon, Mandalagan, Bacolod City

Dinner date at Abe's Restaurant in Trinoma, Quezon City for the awarding of bouquets and necklace

The surprise gift for my wife:  a necklace  -  courtesy of TobleronePilipinas

Win Big Prizes

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UPCAT 2013 Results Finally Released!

     The long wait is over!... Finally, the results for the 2013 College Admission Tests of the University of the Philippines (UPCAT) is released. You may click this link http://upcat.up.edu.ph/results/index.html to access the official results.

     To my eldest daughter and the rest of the examinees who passed the UPCAT 2013, Congratulations... May you use your God-given talents/skills to help unite and build our nation. You are now called as "Iskolar ng Bayan"!