THE Blessed Association of Retired Persons Foundation Inc. will honor the city’s 12 most outstanding senior citizens for their exemplary leadership and meritorious community services in their chosen profession or vocation.
The awardees will be conferred the prestigious Gintong Tala Luminary Award during the BARP Golden Year 2014 Octoberbest festival to be staged at SM City Baguio on October 12.
The special event is in keeping with Presidential Proclamation No. 470 by President Fidel V. Ramos declaring the first week of October annually as “Linggo ng Katandaang Pilipino (Elderly Filipino Week).”
On the suggestion of BARP, led by president-CEO Federico Balanag, the City Council approved Resolution 54, Series of 2003, declaring October as the Retirees and Senior Citizens Month in the city. Since then the Octoberbest festival provided more avenues for varied fraternal, social and religious activities for our elders to enjoy the offering.
Prof. Balanag said the Gintong Tala awardees are Rev. Fr. Manuel O. Castro for spiritual and religious service; City Administrator Carlos Canilao, government service; retired Judge Emeterio Cesario Manantan, Department of Labor and Employment; Dr. Jimmy Cabfit, Medicine; Remedios Taguba, education; retired US Navy veteran Isaac L. Espiritu, military service; Peter Ng, business and trade; Nicolas “Bong” Cawed, tourism and special events; punong barangay Reynaldo Nauyac Lopez, arts, culture and environment; Monroe Taclawan, civic and social services; Ramon Dacawi, journalism; and Dolphy Lachica, sports.
In the screening of nominees and the final selection of the awardees the BARP Committee on Awards and Recognition was supported by a select core of media officers from the National Correspondents Club of Baguio and the Cordillera Broadcasters Alliance.
While I was writing my column, I received a call from our cultural coordinator Menchi Damoslog informing me that the members of the royal court for the BARP Octoberbest Barrio Fiesta are complete. She was referring to the lola lakambini and lola lakan.
For Baguio City district, the lovely pairs are Estelita and Victorio Afalla; Benguet district are Tomasa delos Reyes and Florentino Awingan and for Mt. Province district are couple Juanita and Crispin Gabaen. They will play starring roles during the presentation and coronation rites, fashioned to give joy and luster to the endeavor. Menchie is finalizing the cultural show of songs and folk dances in honor of the Gintong Tala awardees and the royal court.
Meanwhile, the BARP regular monthly assembly will be held at the Burnham Athletic Bowl grandstand on Sept. 27.
The meeting starts at 9AM. Former Philippine National Police director Gen. Edgar Aglipay, incumbent DIWA partylist president will attend the affair as guest of honor and speaker. With him is Col. Manuel Brion, DIWA vice president. Again we are reminding all BARPers to join the fellowship.
My family and I would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of the late Damaso Bangaoet Jr. who joined the Creator several days ago. Dammy was a member of the John Hay BCDA Board when he initiated the Baguio Flower Festival, now nationwide famous as Panagbenga.
Dammy was a Boy Scout and a drum and bugle corps member which I organized at Baguio Tech in the early 50s. Among others, the original Troop 88 were the Bautista brothers, the late Fer, Ben and Rhey, Joseph Rulla, my late brother Santiago, Eddie Ordas, Elly Mallare and Rey Valencia.
They, too, were the key players in the drum and bugle corps competition held in Baugio City in the mid-50s. Dammy was also a member of the 12-man first Baguio city Cultural and Friendship mission to the People’s Republic of China in 1979.
Goodbye, Dammy. May your soul rest in peace.
Once again, we are reminding Mama Mary devotees and patrons that the regular fourth Sunday of the month Holy Mass is set at the Shrine of the Brown Madonna on Sept. 29, 9AM. We would like to advice those attending to come early because road repairs on Asin Road are ongoing.
Our celebrant for the Holy Eucharist is Rev. Fr. Domingo “German” Ledesma, NCCB and Shrine of the Brown Madonna spiritual adviser.
For added information, the Shrine’s 28th year anniversary celebration is scheduled on Oct. 4. The complete set of activities to commemorate the religious-historic event will be announced shortly for the benefit of all.
At this moment, it is safe for me to say that the Shrine’s October4sary celebration will highlight with a concelebrated Holy Mass to be offered by Fr. German and Rev. Fr. Joseph Paduyao, parish priest of Don Bosco Church at Trancovill Barangay.
A pinikpikan lunch fellowship is part of the annual festivity, courtesy of Fr. Joseph and the Layson family from Urdaneta City, Pangasinan.