Balweg: Never a dull moment in Barp

IT IS now becoming a truism. Namely, that there is never a dull moment in Barp (Blessed Association of Retired Persons Foundation Inc.). This has been proven, as it kept holding its general assembly meetings every last Saturday of the month. The faith of its President/CEO Professor Federico A. Balanag is infectious and continues to be so. While the members of the finance section have started growing more silvery hair trying to burn the midnight’s oil to beat the monthly deadline of paying the non-compromising loan amortization to a lending bank, the Barp CEO remains unperturbed. He can arrive every morning for office work, looks at piles of papers atop his table, sits awhile, scribblers signatures then goes to the corridors up and down the 7-story Center for the Elderly, humming tunes, mostly those he says he picked up while he travelled abroad, in the East and in the West. He does not pay much attention to actuarial pundits, appointed or otherwise. “I will pay the bank when the money comes,” he nonchalantly assures. And truly there is always the amount forwarded to the bank invariably every ending days of the month. He keeps on telling that he got his MA degrees in economics, one in Pakistan, the other in the UK. He still believes in Bill Gates and in one Cacayuran who seems to be a YT linkage man.

But no matter what is the very actual that is transpiring in the Barp case, I fully subscribe to what Fr. Conrado Balweg told when he said, “Whatever you do, if it is good, people will support it, it will succeed; if it is not good, people will not support it, it will not succeed.” This admonition, however, must be guided by his later reminder that there is such a thing as “victory postponed” (as in the case of Cordillera autonomy?).

Lively life in Barp was particularly manifested by the final GA gathering where Congressman “Mark Go involved himself as speaker personally or surrogately. The birthday celebrators could cry for remembering younger days. It was not the actual gift but the tendering of the gifts that they felt so touching now that they are approaching the “department of departure.” When the xylophone ensemble of members from along the Halsema Highway played popular Ilocano pieces for the sole, the audience went “wild” and instinctively took to dancing with or without definite partners. An instant Christmas atmosphere was advanced for not less than fifteen minutes to the satisfaction of everybody sans Benguet brewed coffee. After some more unscheduled entertaining impromptu numbers led by instrumentalists the like of ever-prepared scouter Jimmy Castro with his key of C and key of G harmonicas and songster guitarist Phil Agustin and spouse, a song for the soul was rendered in the Thanksgiving Song conducted by yours truly as composer thereof. Oh, not to be forgotten were the Biblical rendition by Madame Teresita Casilen and, of course, of course, the sweet tenor voice of well-known in-demand Igoroti Pavarotti Glen Gaerlan. At least, in the midst of a sort of unintended festivity, we fulfilled a mandated item as contained in our BFI Code of Ethics, Section 6 of the 2008 Edition which still remains unabrogated or unamended. It might be good to take note of the hardships encountered by Barp soon after the practice of the Thanksgiving Celebration, an avowed Barp tradition, started to be missed. It was, so to say, supplanted by beneficiaries’ minute computation of Smap benefits received up to the last decimal point as published in the GYN. Hope that is not the real case but only a slip that will soon be rectified by the committee of internal affairs or program.

A big manifestation of the vibrancy of Barp in its being formally invited and actual participation in the muscle testing Adivay parade in La Trinidad, Benguet last November 23, 2018 (Friday). The stalwart officers led by no other than former auditor and now Barp Internal Auditor Rogelio V. Urbanozo, Treasurer Julieta A. Palasi, BODs/BOTs Dr. Juliet P. Bagano, Pureza O. Tarnate, Josephine A. Flores, and others, triumphantly covered the challenging distance and braved the seething sun without any untoward incident to them, then and thereafter, to the joy of on-lookers.

Finally, last Monday, November 26, there came a more private breathing space for the administrative and staff members of the Main Barp Office. BOT Conrado A. Catral invited President Balanag and company to his plush residence in Tuding, Itogon, Benguet. The purpose was to enjoy with them the “triple 8” celebration of his birthday where they would heartily laugh at hearing his escapades in long by-gone years.

Camaraderie is a cherished core value in Barp. Corporate Secretary Virginia “Jean” Coloma-Favor can well attest to that she has been with Barp since when Baguio was still cooler and now she has an active granddaughter and a daughter who had enjoyed successful scholarship in Barp.

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