Home 
Things are dizzying out all over (in a take on the opening lines of the song ?June is bustin? out all over?) as the days whiz by on the ?wings? of headlines. I started this column in my mind early in the week, only to hold on until almost deadline date, by which time I am then overwhelmed by so much that is happening and continues to happen for this concerned Bystander to report on.
Briefly, in the country there were reports on the recent disaster of the Philippine Air Force C-130 plane, which crashed in the Davao Gulf; weather predictions of more typhoons to come, with floods in many populated areas due to heavy rains; fire; earthquakes; and the perennial ills of crime, corruption, injustice, incompetent leaders hoisted into power due to partisan politics, and a general moral torpidity. How sad, after the inspiring spiritual uplift of the recent World Youth Day in Australia, and the best, even if not victorious, efforts of our athletes in the recently-ended Olympics in Beijing.
And there?s the current ?recall? movement against a non-politically partisan but duly-elected leader, Pampanga Gov. Among Ed Panlilio, who has already produced results in a short time. But inspiring is the example of another inspiring governor like Panlilio, Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca, who will be this year?s recipient for Government Service of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards, to be conferred at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Sunday, the 31st, the late President Ramon Magsaysay?s birth anniversary.
So in these mixed-up times of tragedy and triumph, we take the advice of a homilist the other day who suggested we retreat in mind and spirit for a while to meditate, to think things over and straighten them out, including our own confusions.
So let us ?retreat? for this time to share with you some thought-inspiring events I have been involved in lately. Last Sunday, I was witness to the Golden Wedding Anniversary (half a century of togetherness) of dear friends Emil and Rose Rizada at the Sacred Heart Church, where they renewed their marriage vows before no other than His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, with co-celebrants Monsignor Joselito Tajanlangit (our first parish priest at the Alliance of Two Hearts Parish Church in Banawa) and Msgr. Esteban Binghay, former parish priest of the Guadalupe Parish, to which Banawa belonged before it was established as a parish separate from Guadalupe.
Emil and Rose?s four daughters (three nurses) and a son-in-law and three grandchildren flew home to Cebu from the States, where the girls work, and their youngest and only son, who stays in Cebu and helps supervise their business affairs here, were in attendance. Among their main and secondary sponsors were family, and former and present media colleagues of Emil, who is among Cebu?s pioneer broadcasters in Cebuano radio and TV drama.
They were joined by their guests who filled the vast reception held in the grand hall of the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue. On the whole, it was a significant (it was also Rose? birthday) and memorable occasion for everybody. Rose and her children were behind the careful and long thought out and planned preparations for the affair, which so many of us who have known the couple through all these years found also significant because Emil, a diabetic patient for so many years, has recently gone through a number of serious health crises in recent months, with Rose, a professional nurse in her own right, by his side. Emil, who moves about in his automated wheelchair, was still actively involved in his business concerns until his recent health crises. In these times, which are more than enough to drive us to despair, Emil and others like him inspire us not to despair but to live on with God?s grace.
And even more to inspire us, a getting to know more of ourselves, as a people and as a country, by looking to those who came before us and made us who we are now. Our Cebuano language, history and culture are vast repositories in which we learn more about ourselves. The massive Ed Castrillo monument in Parian is a concise history in stone of Cebu?s early beginnings. While the recent seminar, sponsored by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundtion Inc. and Hambin, of Dr. Michael Cullinane on early Cebuano history in the old Parian and the genealogy of one of its early resident families, the Velosos, merits a longer discussion for a future column, which has been overtaken by recent headline developments.
Now for more significant dates in August: Last Monday was a non-working holiday to remember National Heroes Day this month (not later as in November on Bonifacio Day, or in December on Rizal Day); Aug. 21 to remember Ninoy Aquino?s fateful assassination; our GSP meeting last Thursday and our Zonta meeting today; the feast of St. Augustine yesterday, patron saint of a couple of Cebu towns, all of which merit more Bystandering next week.
Till then, as always, may God bless us all!
