Simbang Gabi

SIMBANG GABI

Simbang Gabi, Dawn Mass, or Rooster Mass is one of the longest tradition among Filipino Traditions in the country. A nine-day consecutive morning mass starts as early as 4 a.m of December 16 and culminates with the "Misa de Gallo" on Christmas eve. Due to either a busy schedule or conflicting activities, the church arranges anticipated Simbang Gabi, usually at 8:00 p.m., for who wanted to complete the novena.

Simbang Gabi is a truly sacrifice and devotion of Filipino. It is a spiritual preparation for the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. When Simbang Gabi starts, expect the "Caroling" season as well. A group of children or adult goes house to house to sing Christmas songs.
ORIGIN
Simbang Gabi traces its roots in Mexico when, in 1587, the Pope granted the petition of Fray Diego de Soria, prior of the convent of San Agustin Acolman, to hold Christmas mass outdoors because the Church could not accommodate the huge number of people attending the evening mass.
During the old times, the pre-dawn mass is announced by the ringing of the church bells. In some rural areas, an hour before the start of Simbang Gabi, a brass band plays Christmas music all over the town. It is also believed that parish priests would go far knocking on doors to wake and gather the faithful to attend the misa de gallo. Farmers as well as fishermen wake up early to hear the Gospel before going to their work and ask for the grace of good harvest.

SIMBANG GABI NOW AND THEN
The changing of times does not break the preservation of celebrating Simbang Gabi although it is celebrated in new ways. Still, the tradition of Simbang Gabi continues. Part of it are the colorful lights and lanterns that fill every streets. Beautiful parols are hung in every window. Songs of the season are played everywhere to warm the hearts. Families, friends and even individuals find its way going to the nearest church to attend the nine-day novena. Shortly after the misa de gallo, families gather in their homes to celebrate Noche Buena and feasted on various delicacies like queso de bola, bibingka, puto bungbong, or a drink of salabat or hot chocolate.

SIGNIFICANCE
Simbang Gabi has become one of the most popular traditions in the country. But it is not just a tradition that is celebrated because we need to do so. It is a significant moment not only because it strengthens relationships among family members but also because it is the time where our faith is intensified. This is the time where we mostly feel the presence of the Lord because it is the spiritual preparation for Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. It does not matter if one has the stamina to complete the novena or not, what really matters is what is inside the heart. The blessing does not depend on the number of mass attended, but what is important is the disposition of the person who receives the Lord’s blessing.

Read More

Amb. Grace R. Princesa: A woman of Courage

Who is Grace R. Princesa and what was her achievement and credentials?

Appointed by Commission on Appointments approved on May 27, the appointment of Grace R. Princesa as Ambassadors Extra Ordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Arab Emirates.

A simple Filipina who was full of courage and unwavering faith. I personally met her in the "Feast" the Sunday gathering of Filipino Catholic Christian headed by Bro. Bo Sanchez at Valle Verde Pasig City. She has a chance to share her experiences not only as diplomat but also as a wife, a mother and a servant of the Lord.

She shared her successes as a Philippine representative to various Arab countries including Iraq during the Gulf war. She received citation for her work in helping our Overseas Filipino Workers abroad. She face another challenges as ambassadors due to numerous cases of abuses, maltreatment,jailed OFWs and OFWs who died mysteriously in UAE and Qatar.





Princesa was also a victim of abuse as wife. For many years, she was a victim of physical and psychological abuse from her husband. But because of her courage she remained strong particularly for her children. With all her faith and courage she did not even hate her husband instead continued to love him and taught her children to love their father despite of his behavior. Until her husband left her and their children.

She raise all her children alone as single mom. A proud mother, she was proud to tell the country that she was able send all her children in college. Three of her children was a professional degree holder, such as a lawyer, a doctor,and another work in of United Nations. The two young child was still studying in college and high school were both are scholars.




She share that whatever the rise and fall of our life, we Filipino has a virtue of courage and faith that never give up to all the challenges of our life. A wonderful message and encouragement to all Filipinos.

Read More

Subterranean River Natural Park

Puerto Princesa Underground River on Top 21!!!

Our votes make it possible fellow Filipino. We made it possible that our own Subterranean river is now on top 21.

Puerto Princesa is reach in beautiful places, and one of those is the Underground river wherein, it features a lot of exciting activities such as rock climbing, bird watching, seeing mangrove trees, touring in Sabang river and the most exciting part is that the visitors have the chance in planting mangrove samplings in designated areas. Just one of the pride of Filipino.

The country’s entry to the Seven New Wonders of Nature, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in Palawan, needs a boost from the international community as the tourist attraction has one of the fewest online votes among the 28 official entries outside their respective countries.

In the fourth week of online voting, the ranking of the 28 official finalists in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign showed that the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Natural Park is on 21st spot.

Zurich-based New7Wonders (N7W) Foundation cited that the online ranking this week showed which of the official candidates are appealing to most voters outside the country or countries they are representing.

However, the ranking does not include votes that the finalists have received from their own nations.

“Maximizing international votes is absolutely essential for a finalist to be successful in the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign. Remember, this is a truly global campaign on track to get over one billion votes in total,” Tia Viering, head of communications for New7Wonders, said in a press statement.

“Increased awareness encourages international appreciation for these places of extraordinary natural beauty and ecological significance, so reaching out beyond borders is really crucial for many reasons,” she added.

According to this week’s ranking, the top seven finalists receiving the most international votes are: Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Jeju Island (South Korea), Mud Volcanoes (Azerbaijan), Bu Tinah Shoals (United Arab Emirates), Maldives (Maldives), Milford Sound (New Zealand), and Great Barrier Reef (Papua New Guinea/Australia).

Meanwhile, entries in the bottom seven are the Jeita Grotto (Lebanon), Puerto Princesa Subterranean River (Philippines), Iguazu Falls (Brazil/Argentina), Amazon Rainforest (Venezuela/Suriname/Peru/Guyana/French Guiana/Ecuador/Colombia/Brazil/Bolivia), Masurian Lake District (Poland), Halong Bay (Vietnam), and Komodo (Indonesia).

The Palawan subterranean river features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 kilometer navigable underground river that winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea.

It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites and several large chambers, and is known as the longest passable underground river in the world.

The 28 finalists will advance to the final voting to determine the New Seven Wonders of Nature that will be announced in 2011.

The Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign began in 2007 with more than 440 participating locations from over 220 countries.

Our vote will be a helpful to make it on the number 1 spot. Let us vote to prove that Filipinos are united and helping in preserving the beauty of the nature.

Read More

Brian Viloria: Hawaiian Punch

Brian Viloria Defend his IBF title via Unanimous Decision.

The Filipino-American from Honolulu win his fight via Unanimous decision and defend his IBF title for the first time. The Honolulu-born , who had Filipino parents did not disappoint his hometown fans beating the Mexican challenger Jesus Iribe in the main event of Island Assault at Blaisdell Center, Honolulu Hawaii.

“I just gave the fans old-fashioned boxing. I hope they all enjoyed it," said Viloria after the match. I just gave the fans a good show, wanted them to enjoy a good boxing match against (Iribe) who is one tough guy."




Viloria’s win completed a sweep for the Philippines as AJ Banal and Dennis Laurente also outpointed their respective foes. He now holds to 26-2-0 (15 KOs).

Viloria, wanting a KO win, tried to bring down his opponent in the 12th round as he went toe-to-toe with Iribe, who managed to withstand the attacks of the Filipino champion, as the bell sounded to officially signal the end of the match.

His fight against Iribe was almost the same when he challenged Ulises Solis early this year where he scored an 11th round KO win to seize the IBF light flyweight crown.

Though failing to floor Iribe, Viloria chalked up enough points to complete the win against his tough Mexican foe. The fight went into scorecards with all three judges siding with Viloria: 118-110, 117-112 and 117-11.

Like royalty
Viloria made a grand entrance, coming out of the dugout like a Hawaiian king.

Two men, garbed in traditional Hawaiian outfits, blew conch shells to signal Viloria’s entrance. Hula girls, dancing to the tune of Hawaii Five-0, then came out as part of Viloria's entourage.

Iribe entered the ring with sounds of a Mariachi band at the background.

Next challenge
The Hawaiian punch target the light flyweight crown as he plans to challenge World Boxing Organization champion Ivan Calderon, who will face Filipino Rodel Mayol on September 12 at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.

He and Calderon have a long history inside the ring. Viloria has beaten Calderon three times when both were still fighting as amateurs.

Filipino pride

Earlier,in the undercard fight, AJ "Bazooka" Banal and Dennis Laurente defeated their respective Mexican opponents to serve as an appetizer for the Viloria-Iribe title bout.

Banal was even deducted by one point for a low blow in the 9th round but had piled up the points in the first eight rounds that gave him his 20th win (16 KOs) against one loss and one draw.

Laurente opened up the fight with a unanimous decision win over Zaid Zavaleta in their own 10-round light welterweight non-title fight.

All three judges ruled in favor of Laurente (100-90, 100-90 and 99-91). The Filipino southpaw now has a 32-3-5 record (16 by KO).

Kapuso star Jolina Magdangal, wearing a Maria Clara dress; Juan Muñoz, playing a guitar; and Fil-Am singer and American Idol Season 3 third placer Jasmine Trias sang the national anthems of the Philippines, Mexico and the United States, respectively.

Read More

Meet Bo Sanchez

Who is Bro.Bo?

Eugenio Isabelo Tomas Reyes Sanchez Jr. a.k.a. Bo Sanchez a Filipino entrepreneur, an author,video podcaster, T.V personality and a Roman Catholic lay evangelist and preacher.

He started preaching at the age 13 and wrote his first book at age of 20. He was published a lot of best selling book such as "How to find your One True Love", "Simplify create Abundance", "8 Secret of the Truly Rich" etc. He also a publisher of Catholic Magazine Kerygma Family. He was a awardee of Catholic Mass Media Award (CMMA) as Serviam Awards and The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) in 2006.

He has established a number of Filipino communities to address the many needs of the people like ANAWIM the center for elderly; Light of Jesus, a charismatic and renewal community and just recently Grace to be Born a center for teen age pregnant women in crisis.




No wonder he has received award like the Serviam Award given by the Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA), the Golden Gavel Awards from Toastmasters International and TOYM Award from no less than the president herself, Gloria Arroyo, for the many outstanding accomplishments he has made.

By the way, he is also an entrepreneur. No he doesn't make money out of the love offerings given every Sunday. He said that himself. He makes a living doing what he loves -- speaking and writing.

To those who know him, he is an inspiring Catholic lay preacher. Those who regularly attend The Feast at the Ultra every Sunday mornings can attest that he is an inspiration and a true servant of God. He writes and contributes articles to many Shepherds Voice Publications like KERYGMA, FISH and MUSTARD etc. He has also written numerous books and articles about love, growing in abundance, facing fears, among other topics.



He is a proud Filipino and serving God in so many ways.

Read More

EDSA Peoples Power

EDSA 1 PEOPLE POWER Filipinos Make A History


One of the biggest history happen in the Philippines that out bust the dictatorship of Marcos was happen in 1986. The Filipinos make a world history by showing the world the Filipinos can be united and willing to give their life for the native land.


The People Power Revolution (also known as the EDSA Revolution and the Philippine Revolution of 1986) was a series of non violent and prayerful mass street demonstrations in the Philippines that occurred in 1986. It is sometimes referred to as the Yellow Revolution due to the presence of yellow ribbons during the arrival of Ninoy Aquino.These protests were the culmination of a long resistance by the people against the 20-year running authoritarian regime of then president Ferdinand Marcos and made news headlines as "the revolution that surprised the world". The majority of the demonstrations took place at Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, known more commonly by its acronym EDSA, in Quezon City, Metro Manila and involved over 200,000 Filipino civilians as well as several political, military, and religious figures, such as Jaime Cardinal Sin. The protests, fueled by a resistance and opposition of years of corrupt governance by Marcos, occurred from February 22- 25 in 1986, when Marcos fled Malacanang Palace to the United States and conceded to Corazon Aquino as first woman President of the Philippines.



Now a days the EDSA became a place for people power to express their protest to the Government. People power 1 and People power 2 became successfully out bust the president of the Philippines.

This event was simply show us the we Filipino people can be better if only united. Set aside our conflict and have the common goal for the country.

Filipino we can do it!!!!!!

Read More

Philippine Tarsier : Tarsius Syricha

A cute tiny animal you can only found in our own land,Philippines with measuring about 4 to 6 inches (15 cm) in height. The small size makes it difficult to spot. The average mass for males is around 134 grams, and for females, around 117 grams. The average adult is about the size of a human fist and will fit very comfortably in the human hand.

It is locally known as "Maumag" a Cebuano/ Visayan (one of the local language of Filipino)local name of Tarsier is now an endangered endemic to the Philippines archipelago. The Philippine Tarsier has thick and silky fur which is colored gray to dark brown. The thin tail, usually used for balance, is naked or bald except for a tuft of hair at the end, and is about twice the body length. Its elongated "tarsus," or ankle bone, which gives the tarsier its name, allows it to jump at least three meters from tree to tree without having to touch the ground.

The Philippine Tarsier has been called "the world's smallest monkey" or "smallest primate" by locals before. However, the Philippine Tarsier is neither a monkey nor the smallest primate. It is related to other primates, including monkeys, lemurs, gorillas and humans but it occupies a small evolutionary branch between the strepsirrhine prosimians, and the haplorrhine simians. While it is a prosimian, and used to be grouped with the rest of the prosimians, it has some phylogenetic features that caused scientists to classify it as a haplorrhine and, therefore, more closely related to apes and monkeys than to the other prosimians.

Kingdom : Animalia

Phylum : Chordata

Class : Mammalia

Order : Primates

Family : Tarsiidae

Genus : Tarsius

Species : T. Syricha

Scientific Name : Tarsius Syricha

Read More

Pinoy Student Bagged 17 Medals in Math Quiz

Check this out fellow Filipino!!! Another news breaking for the young Filipinos who compete in the worldwide event.

A group of Filipino High School student from different school bagged 27 medals in Math quiz held in Durban South Africa from July 5- 10, 2009. The 10th Inter-cities competetion (IWYMIC) was participated by 19 different countries. The success of the young mathematician was reported by Mathematics Trainers Guild( MTG )- Philippines.

The following is the name of our great Filipino Mathematicians:

Bronze Medalist

1. Geraldine Baniqued (St. Paul College- Pasig)

2.John Russel Virata (Gideon Academy)

3. Zheng Rong Wu (Zamboanga Chong Hua High School)

4. Matthew Chris Chan ( St. Stephen's High School)

5. Vance Eldric Go (St Jude Catholic School- Manila)

6. Elvis Jeremy Ayroso (Philippine Science High School- Main Campus)

4 Student with Individual Merit

1. Andrian Raphael Co ( Xavier School)

2. Ostin John Ong (Bacolod Trinity Christian School)

3. Arielle Elise Chua (St. Jude Catholic School)

4. Paolo Manuel Iyulores (Ateneo de Manila High School)

Group Contest Team A (First Runner-Up)

1. Geraldine Baniqued (St. Paul College-Pasig)

2. Arielle Elise Chua ( St. Jude Catholic School)

3. John Russel Virata (Gideon Academy)

4. Zheng Rong Wu (Zamboanga Chong Hua High School)

Group Contest Team B (Second Runner-Up)

1. Matthew Chris Chan

2. Andrian Raphael Co

3. Vance Eldric Go

4. Ostin John Ong

Group Contest Team C

1. Elvir Jeremy Ayroso

2. Paulo Manuel Iyulores

3. Jannsen Khotahv (Philippine Cultural College)

4. Hanz Vladimir cabanes (Zamboanga Chong Hua High School)

Others

1. Sarah Jane Cua ( Pangasinan Universal Institute) -Bronze Medalist Individual Contest

Read More

16 years old Filipina win in Math Quiz in Olympiad

Lao a 16 years old third year high school student from St.Jude Catholic School in Manila won a bronze medal in International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO),the oldest math contest in the world. Lao made history in IMO by becoming the first female Filipino contestant who won a medal in the contest.

The contest was held in the Germany from July 10-22. The contest was participated by 565 contestant from 104 countries including, China,USA Russia,Japan South Korea etc..

Hard work, training and support from the loving parents was her instrument for her success. Lao thanked God and her loving present for her success in the contest.

The Philippine Team was composed of 4 student from different school namely Carmela Lao- St. Jude Catholic School, Carlo Francisco Adajar- PAREF Southridge School,Earl John Cua and Jonathan Wong- Grace Christian High School.

Another proof that Filipino are very competent worldwide and highly intellectual that can compete with the giant competitors. A salute to the young mathematicians of our race.

Proud to be Pinoy!!!!!!

Read More