Father (part 1)

(This column appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

Hi there! It’s another weekend. And yes, today’s column is not about fathers or fathers’ day, coz I’m the last person who believes in that celebration. I see that celebration as another chance for the capitalists in the U.S. of A. (where it first started) and the rest of the world to rake in more money from the public (the Americans especially) who needs every reason in this world to spend their money on. Oops, I suppose we have a different landscape now with the economic downturn and what have you. Anyway, put it there. I’ll reserve my rant about fathers’ day for next year.

Finally PGMA will get to see Mr. Obama. Yun lang po ang take ko on the issue. Well, the (news about the) mad scramble to be part of the presidential entourage is understandable. Many of them scrambled for the other trips to countries whose leaders pale in comparison to the celebrity that is of Obama (I’m tempted to refer to these world leaders who as children of the lesser gods. Smile, it’s a weekend!); and it’s not everyday that one gets to receive an invitation to the White House. Let me re-word that, it’s not everyday that one gets the chance to be a part of the entourage of an official invited to the White House. Anyway, magulo ba? Ako rin naguguluhan, sa pag-uunahan.

And cheaper medicines? (for the masa, if I may add?) I’m tempted to say dream on, but, it’s almost election season, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Talking about election, este the E-season. Suddenly we have a swamp of ADs from a good number of government departments. Hmm, just wondering, or should I say, observing?

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Local Events. On top of Mayor Sarmiento’s schedule for today is the 2nd Barangay Summit for Education and LIGA Meeting. That’s today at 8:00 am at the DepEd Conference Hall. All 157 Punong Barnagay of Calbayog are expected to attend. The event was organized by the LGU, DILG Calbayog and DepEd Calbayog City Division.

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Last Wednesday, Mayor Mel Sarmiento received PInsp Karlou Caesar Capmosano and PInsp Vicente Bullecer, Jr. The two PNP officers paid a courtesy call on the City Mayor. The two police officers are part of the two platoons of police troops from the Police Regional Mobile Group (PRMG) which the PNP Regional Office deployed to Samar to immediately stop the criminalities in the area. With the police officers in the courtesy call was Calbayog PNP Chief, PSupt Lito Bigoy.

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And finally, what’s with today’s title? A friend of mine who writes under the pen name Eunice Ji wrote an article about fathers, in time for the Fathers’ Day edition of the Samar Sunday Star, a local publication in Calbayog. I thought it was just another piece about fathers, you know tatay, papa, amay, daddy, until I realized that it had to do with fathers of a different kind, fathers who are supposed to care for our souls. Yes, fathers as in padre and / or padi. With the permission form the author and the publisher, I am featuring that piece in two parts in my column. Here’s the first part:

FATHER by Eunice Ji

The month of June is here again. It is with great excitement that I enter into my world of grateful reminiscence once again every time we celebrate Father’s Day. Fond memories with the “great men of my life” always make me wish I am a little girl once more. As I wrote this I felt very emotional in praising God for giving me them. Ain’t I lucky?

It is very ironic though that at the very same time I also felt immeasurable sadness for the youth of today. Leo J. Trese, in his book MANY ARE ONE, exposed that “…in the primitive times, the father of the family was also the priest”. Eureka! I finally found the final piece to complete the puzzle I was so long trying to piece together to somehow find the answers to my innumerable whys – the causes of our ever increasing number of lost souls, both of this world and those in the other locations.

Like St. Thomas Moore, I think the most of us are also dreaming his dream for utopia. For who wouldn’t be? The killings that happened for the past few weeks are very disconcerting. It is a glaring truth that we have totally lost our reverence for life. I cry inside for every un-fateful eventuality, look up to the heavens and offer prayer, for that is all I can do. Literally, I sigh, where have all our fathers gone? What have they done when their kids were young? Where were they when their children needed them? What are they doing now? And I cry some more. Every time I feel the frustration I still shed tears of pain and loneliness maybe in realization that the dream will remain but a dream. What with the way things are.

As if this is not enough yet. The not-so-recent reshuffling of assignments (please correct me if I’m wrong) of our beloved priests in our most loved Diocese – in the words of Bishop Singzon, “the religiosity of the Calbayognon is second to none” – has stirred up and effected malicious controversy upon its flock and parishioners, as if adding insult to injury. Figuratively then, I ask, what happened to you “Fathers”? What is it in Theology that made you Theomaniacs? What exactly are you doing that for? Satisfy your hunger for money which you did not have, or had not enough of, when you were growing up because you associated it with power? How on earth can you make me believe what you preach when your actions do not make me? Aren’t you a little too confused maybe about service and income? In the words of my good friend: income in the guise of service? You are supposed to have stipend la because your chosen field is for the betterment and most especially salvation of the people’s soul – because it is what is eternal – you are not there for profit. Kaya nga po tinawag kayong Vicars for Christ, e.

Two (2) weeks ago, my dearest friend – a nun – sent me this text message: “it is not what we have but what we give; not what we say but how we live.” That is what service is all about, dear “Fathers”! “Without love, everything that we say is but an empty sound” (maski nano pa niyo kaupay magyinakan), according to Leo J. Trese, to which I add, and everything that we do is but a mere action. Only Love gives meaning to everything.

This nun-friend of mine, by the way, did not even finish college because when she was barely there, her heart was achingly longing to serve God through His people. So, off she went inside a nunnery despite objections from her father, since she is his only daughter. (to be continued…)

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Have a nice weekend everyone! Ciao!