HOLY Spirit Sisters & Associates conduct Christmas party for Loakan-Apugan Day Care Center
Dec 6, 2018 - Loakan-Apugan Barangay, Baguio City:
Our group – the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit Associates (SSpSA) – with SSpS community leader Sister Linda Moron and Sister Marijo and Sister Rose – last December 6 conducted a feeding program and Christmas party for the Day Care Center here.
Parents also joined their 53 children enrolled at the Barangay Loakan-Apugan Day Care Center under Loakan-Apugan child development worker Jacqueline Manuel who coordinated the event with the Holy Spirit associates.
Emceed by Sister Linda Fienes, the program featured games and storytelling – aside from partaking of the snacks brought by the SSpS and the delicious chicken macaroni soup that was cooked by the parents from the ingredients that we – Holy Spirit Sister Associates – had brought to the Day Care the previous day.
(Our sisters Alice Onoza and Flor Omaoeng had kindly gone to the market to buy the ingredients funded from the monthly donations from SSpS Associates including Delia Madarazo.)
Sister Linda Moron, head of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, delivered a message and interacted with the day care children and their parents.
SSpS Associate Tess Mendoza-Mabutas told stories about different insects to the pupils; while Loakan-Apugan Barangay Nutrition Action Officer, Mrs Juning Ayangdan, discussed “Sigla at Lakas ng Buhay” or “Ten Kumainments.”
Also helping out in the feeding & Christmas program were SSpS associates Rose Pindog Carrillo and Maria Victoria Gale.
We chose this barangay for our initial feeding program in coordination with the Baguio City Office of Social Welfare & Development (OCSWD) headed by Betty Fangasan who had concurred with this choice of barangay when we visited their office some months back.
For our program at Loakan-Apugan, the OCSWD was represented by Social Worker Presela Dumiwal (Unit 2).
The Holy Spirit Associates also include Marilyn Padawel Mangngaya, Merlin Bencio, among others.
Many thanks to all – and let’s all have a Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
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Backgrounder:
“The Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, also known as Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, or simply Holy Spirit Sisters is a religious congregation within the Catholic Church. The group has 4,000 members in 49 different countries.” [Wikipedia]
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Baguio City Nutrition Office launches novel “Love Project – Adopt An Angel 2018”
December 3, 2018: Baguio City Hall:
I am happy to have adopted seven angels today.
The angels? The city’s underweight (UW) children as identified by the Baguio City Nutrition Office from all over the city barangays.
The City Nutrition Office, headed by Ms. Angelita Sabado, launched the project at the City Hall lobby with Baguio City Health Department Head Dra. Weenie Galpo cutting, err, loosening the artsy ribbon to start the “adoption” of 100 severely underweight children.
The novelty? The launching had a Christmas tree as its centerpiece – and it was adorned by 100 Christmas Cards each containing the names & pictures of the 100 severely underweight (UW) children.
Donors picked their card/s off the tree to find out the identity of their adoptees.
I was the first to pick a Christmas card from the Christmas tree. My first adoptee: An angel girl from Barangay Middle Quezon Hill.
Plus six more angels:
The president of the Baguio City Association of Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) – BNS Monica Novelas-Sicat – who happens to be my barangay-mate – informed me that our home barangay (City Camp Proper Barangay) has three UW children – plus three more in our neighboring barangay (City Camp Central).
So I adopted six more angels for Christmas.
Plus some more – as I later committed to also adopt the UW children from neighboring barangays in Rock Quarry and QM (Quezon Magsaysay).
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Angel dies!
As I write this to beat my column deadline, it is with a heavy heart that I share news from former MRR Queen of Peace Barangay Captain Catherine Avergonzado Quinones that one of the UW children included in the above “Love Project - Adopt An Angel 2018” project had died within the week!
PB Quinones informed that her daughter Karen Cadacio had picked a little girl as her angel – but before the “angels” could hold their Christmas party – the adopted angel died on December 8 of pneumonia...!
Little girl Blesserie D. Mendoza of Cresencia Village along Bokawkan Road did not make it to celebrate her birthday on December 21... She left behind her grieving mother, Valerie A. Damagon.
Rest with your fellow angels now, angel Blesserie.
And my condolences to your mom and your friends and family.
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Backgrounder:
From PB Quinones’ Facebook post:
“Love project...adopt an angel! Ito ang angel Napili ng anak kong si Karen Cadacio para sa LOVE PROJECT... Siya si Blesserie D. Mendoza! Nakakalungkot...pumanaw na ang angel na ito kahapon Dec.8, 2018. Our Heartfelt CONDOLENCES to the family! From Karen Cadacio & Family and Catherine Avergonzado Quinones & Family!”