AS WE announced earlier, the Holy Mass at the Shrine of the Brown Madonna along KM. 7. Asin road was held last Sunday morning. The mass was celebrated by the Shrine’s and NCCB Spiritual Adviser Red. Fr. Alejandro, the youthful Formateur of San Pablo Seminary at Crystal Cave Barangay, this city.
The Holy Eucharist which which was prayerfully dedicated to former City Mayors Jaime Bugnosen and Raul Yaranon, educator-Scouter Macrina Olarte and my good neighbor Danny Zarate who joined our Creator last month was attended by friends and admirers specially from the Shrine’s Project Committee and Mama devotees from Urdanita City in Pangasinan, from Sitio Pacac and Barangay Nangalisan from Tuba, Benguet, and from the city.
Senior Citizens from the BARP Foundation were represented by Board Member Envenido Balweg. Among others, prayers were also offered for the souls of the victims of the ongoing Marawi City terrorist invasion and for the speedy recovery of the peace and order condition of the area and the whole Mindanao which is presently under martial law.
We all know that over a week ago, while President Rodrigo Duterte was in Russia for an official visit, he declared martial law in the whole of Mindanao because of the Maute terrorist group who attacked Marawi City, which brought to the fore death of several soldiers from the Armed Forces and Philippine National Police, the terrorists and innocent civilians.
There were also reported destructions of government and private properties and a school. We are hoping and praying to the Almighty that in the next few days everything will be back to normal in the war-torn Prince City in the South.
In return, after their visit, the Sultanate of Marawi invited city and Benguet Provincial officials and media men to also visit Marawi City in the hope of forging sisterhood relationships. So be it! Yours truly was the City Tourism Director of the Pines City when the trip took place sometime in 1973. There were about a dozen of us from the city and Benguet who journeyed to Marawi for a three days visit.
With our entourage was Ben Andaya who was then the Department of Northern Luzon Tourism Officer, mediamen Agustus Savoy from the Philippine News Serivce (PNS), Abe Pawid from the Philippine Herals, Sid Chammag from the Manila Bulletin, Bial Pelaez from the Benguet Governor’s Office, among others.
Without too much ado, a special flight from the PAF, AFP flew us to Marawi City from the Loakan Airport here. Unfortunately, we were not able to land at the Marawi Airport because the city market was on fire and the peace condition was abnormal because of terrorism.
Instead, we were in Bukidnon and stayed overnight in the AFP Military Camp, for safety precaution. The following morning, we proceeded to our destination on a special military bus. After a warm welcome ceremony upon our arrival, we were brought immediately to a nearby island for safety and a warmer reception by the Sultanate officials. We were entertained with a series of cultural shows and get-together parties on our third day, we were in Marawi City for a tour of the city and a farewell dinner held at the Mindanao State University (MSU).
I can remember we were heavily guarded by police and were well armed in case of emergency. We were truly secured as we enjoyed the affair. During our stay at the MSU, I presented a pictorial display about our city at the institution’s library. Because of the clamor of MSU and City Officials pieces which composed the foto-o-rama display. Certainly, the trip to Marawi City is part of my treasure chest.
The picture below is a very rare occasion showing the city official from Magandang Baguio. It was taken sometime in 2005 when Silahis ng Pasko sa Baguio Philippine Military Academy, AFP “PMA CADETS DAY AT THE PARK” honouring them, for the first time ever. Their attendance to the special event was coordinated by GSO Romy Concio, a member of the SNPB Committee. The picture was taken by Zaldy Camanda, Baguio-CAR correspondent-photographer of Manila Bulletin and Balita.