Trick or treat

CHILDREN clad in frightful costumes and fairy tale attires joined Monday’s “trick or treat” at SM City Cagayan de Oro as part of the mall’s Halloween celebration.

The children, with their parents, some of whom also wore Halloween costumes, went around the mall and asked for candies from participating stalls as they showed off their spooky attires.

Vesagas: Demystifying superstitions, demonic encounters

A THIRD world country such as ours is heavily infested with superstitions. As a matter-of-fact, the mere sight of a black cat obstructing the path of our way is almost always approached with such a frightening omen of an impending misfortune.

Despite the contamination of Western Modernity and the irony of colonial mentality in our daily lives, the Philippines remains, at least in my opinion, a metaphysical nation.

Halloween run for a cause

CELEBRATING Halloween in Cagayan de Oro has started to crop up as people now participate in trick or treat wearing different costumes, especially in malls.

Flash mob dancers take SM by storm

SHOPPERS of SM City Cagayan de Oro were caught by surprise on Friday evening as 150 strangers, including a person wearing a costume of the mall’s security guard, suddenly danced and leaped into action at the busy Atrium of the mall.

Out of coordinated mix of hip-hip and disco moves from the famous songs of the late Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” “YMCA” and “Party Rock,” shoppers were amazed of the group who danced for five minutes.

Dracula, Robin Hood, Jekyll and Hyde set to do battle

PUBLISHER Mohawk Media has released the first issue of its digital comic book series, Dracula vs. Robin Hood vs. Jekyll and Hyde.

Dracula vs. Robin Hood vs. Jekyll and Hyde is written by Chris Bunting and illustrated by JL Czerniawski, who previously collaborated on the publisher’s Mr. T graphic novels.

Flashback: ‘70s top hits in a concert

MEDLEYS of original Pilipino music (OPM) sent Kagay-anons into the dance floor when Max Surban, the ‘70s Superband and comic duo Tabo at Timba held a rare concert recently at the Atrium of Limketkai Center.

Dialogue needed to end conflict in Mindanao

A FEW days from now, the Christian Catholics will celebrate All Saints and All Souls Days. This is a fitting celebration to remember the dead and honor the saints.

9th placer in licensure exam honored

CAGAYAN de Oro College-Phinma Education Network (COC-Phinma) recently recognized its student who ranked 9th in the Mechanical Engineering licensure exam held in September in Cebu City.

Mahinog studes win top prize in lanzones fest

CAMIGUIN -- The Columbia Saint Michael Parish High School (CSMPHS)/Mahinog National High School (MNHS) bagged the first prize in the 32nd Camiguin Lanzones Festival ground presentation held over the weekend at the Mambajao ABC Gymnasium here.

Contingents of CSMPHS/MNHS, who are supported by the local government unit (LGU) of Mahinog, bested seven other participants and took home P65,000 cash and a trophy.

Do your moods control you?

TOO often, we let others control how we feel about ourselves. We allow others to give us bad or good days.

Toy Kingdom’s Halloween screamers on the ramp

WITH Halloween’s frightening fun just around the corner, Toy Kingdom, the amazing toy superstore, gave kids – and kids at heart – a glimpse of some of the best trick or treat looks during the Halloween Screamers Fashion Show held recently at the SM Mall of Asia.

Life is a beach

IT WAS an unexpected return. We never thought my sister Marilou would be coming home. But she did!

A rare reunion

FORMER disc jockeys (DJs) of DXRK FM recently had a rare reunion that gave them the time to reminisce their DJ days, organized by balikbayan journalist Dolly Ilogon.

Ikebana CDO holds floral exhibit

MORE than 10 lovely pink motif floral designs have been on display as Ikebana International Cagayan de Oro City Chapter launched “Pink Blooms in October,” a floral exhibit in commemoration of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Friday at VIP Hotel.

Ikebana International is an organization composed of different schools like Sogetsu, Ikenobo and Ichiyo.

Revisiting Vietnam (Saigon on My Mind)

HO CHI MINH CITY -- I arrived here very recently with a slowly fading 47-year-old memory of a war.

Red Cross sponsors Eco Run

THE Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Misamis Oriental-Cagayan de Oro City Chapter recently organized the “Eco Run,” a fun run for health and wellness, as well as for the Red Cross building Fund Generation, last September 25.

The activity, which promotes the advancement on the spirit of volunteerism and address today’s humanitarian challenges, is also a dry run for the Red Cross Million Volunteers March slated on December 4, 2011 to celebrate International Volunteers Day.

Preparing for death

OCTOBER 15, 2011, a Saturday, I was inside the room of the late Joe Nebrao. It was 4:00p.m. Room 205 of the Xavier-Maria Reyna Hospital in Camaman-an.

4th Upsilon Phi Sigma national confab set in Oro

THE Upsilon Phi Sigma (UPS) Fraternity, comprising of 187 chartered alumni associations and fraternity and sorority collegiate chapters in the Philippines and worldwide, is holding the 4th UPS National Convention in Cagayan de Oro on October 21 to 23 at Philtown Hotel.

The convention is hosted by the UPS CDO Executive Council, which is centered on the theme “Upsilon Phi Sigma, charting pro-active responses in mitigating the effect of climate change.”

The best sinigang ever!

I NEVER liked this sour-tasting soup when I was young. Maybe because I was never exposed to this type of dish during my younger years. I tried but never liked it, but I devoured what is in it, especially the shrimps, chunk of meats, chicken or fish. But never the soup!

7 choirs from Oro, Iligan join choral clinic

SEVEN choirs from the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan joined the Open Choral Clinic conducted by the Philippine Choral Directors Association (PCDA) at Capitol University over the weekend.

Those who joined the clinic include the Xavier University Campus Chapel Aides, 4K Children’s Choir, St. Augustine Cathedral Children’s Choir, Our Lady of Fatima Grand Choir, Lourdes College Alumni Choir, Friends and Music, and Seventh day Adventist Youth Choir from Iligan City.

Friends and Music choir holds concert at Rodelsa Hall

KAGAY-ANONS heard world-class quality performance by the Friends and Music choir in a concert dubbed “As Long as I Have Music” at the Rodelsa Hall of Liceo de Cagayan University (LDCU) on Saturday.

Friends and Music is a community-based choir in Cagayan de Oro that is committed to the pursuit of choral excellence.

Tacio: Puerto Princesa: The city in a forest

THE first time I visited Puerto Princesa was in 1996. The trip was part of the prize I won for a media contest on climate change sponsored by then Senator Heherson T. Alvarez. My sister Elena, who is now living in the United States, accompanied me at that time.

BFAR celebrates Fish Conservation Week

VARIOUS activities have been lined up by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Northern Mindanao to celebrate the 48th Fish Conservation Week from Oct. 16 to 22.

Visa Tan-Dimerin, Regional Director of BFAR-Northern Mindanao, said the activities will be anchored on the theme “Karagatan Pagyamanin, Isda Paramihin, Buong Mundo Pasiglahin.”

Oro beer drinkers rock San Miguel Oktoberfest

AROUND a thousand beer drinkers gathered at the Limketkai parking lot over the weekend as San Miguel, the country’s number one brewer, formally launched its “Oktoberfest Beer Festival,” the grandest and most exciting beer event in the country.

Overflowing streams of all the award-winning beers of San Miguel with the likes of San Miguel Pale Pilsen, Red Horse Beer, San Mig Light, San Miguel Super Dry, Cerveza Negra, San Mig Strong Ice, San Miguel Premium All-malt and Gold Eagle Beer were served in one venue for only P10 per cup plus a free pack of entertainment.

Vesagas: Reproductive health and risk behaviors in the eyes of the adolescents (last part)

TURNING into empirical studies while attempting to discover the contemporary adolescents’ prevailing perceptions and attitudes related to reproductive health (RH), this column has featured the sociological research of sociologists Dr. Magdalena C. Cabaraban and Dr. Teresa Sharon Linog for the past two Tuesdays.

Bartending group holds oath taking of new officers

FILIPINO Bartending Innovators (FBI) Cagayan de Oro chapter recently held the oath-taking ceremony of its newly elected officers.

Elected are Bryan Silvano as national president, Francis Ian Pagulong as vice president, Felcris Jose as secretary, April Rose Jacutin as treasurer, Patrick Yare as auditor, Renando Yañez as P.R.O, Irish Regodos as special event and organizing officer, and Oscar Lopez and Randolph Jick Chua as Board of Trustees.

Easyrock presents its ‘little champs’

EASYROCK 96.9 presented successfully the grand finals of Little Champs, an all-kids talent competition, last October 12 in coordination with Mr. Dale Lagonera, marketing officer of SM City Cagayan de Oro.

Johnny Regaña from Del Mar SDA won the grand spot.

Oro’s pride calls for support

ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Renagine Pepito is not just an ordinary child. She has a very good voice that every teenager like her wants to have.

A proud resident of Barangay Bugo in Cagayan de Oro, Renagine is one of the finalists of Pilipinas Got Talent (PGT) Season 3.

Divine Mercy Church almost finished

MY WIFE Kits safely returned to our city last October 12 after attending the World Apostolic Congress of Mercy in Krakow, Poland, being the incumbent president of the Divine Mercy Foundation of Mindanao, Phils. Inc. and Cluster Leader of Western Mindanao of the Philippine Apostolic Association of Mercy.

With her in attendance to the World Apostolic Congress of Mercy were Board of Trustees of the Foundation Boy Arengo and his wife Tata, who is the Foundation Secretary.

Bukidnon Cenro officer tops statistical quiz show

FORESTER Felix Mirasol, the Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (Cenro) of Malaybalay City in Bukidnon, topped the Regional Statistical Quiz Show held October 3 at the Conference Room of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Northern Mindanao.

As the winner, Mirasol will represent the office in the national contest slated on October 24 in Manila.