Zonta initiative, summer heat

The past week  took up a lot of concerns for this bystander.

In last Thursday’s  Zonta I General Membership Meeting at the Cebu Country Club, Zontian March birthday celebrators Chabeng Garcia (March 9th), Tina Ebrada, (March 13th) and Cely Chiongbian (March 24th) were  greeted with a  song, a candle-lighted cake  and  floral bouquets.

After the usual business concerns, Zontian Dr. Mila Espina of SpeechCom International conducted an interesting seminar-workshop on the Zonta Brand of Leadership on self-enhancement, work ethics and teamwork. She spoke on intellectually sound creativity and professionalism par excellence. Think big and great concepts.  It was a stimulating, inspiring activity enlightened with Mila’s sense of humor.

Zontian Felisa Chiongbian, founder of the Georich Livelihood and Scholarship Foundation, also announced that the Banilad  Center for Professional Development (BCPD), a TESDA-accredited institution, is providing one or two-year courses in the field of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Services.  BCPD offers summer classes for women in Basic Housekeeping and Basic Cooking & Basic Baking starting April 25th through May 24th.  Inquiries and applications are available at 491 Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City.

Important dates to remember for March are:   March 20th, International Happiness Day;  March 21st, Day of  Forests (considering that Central Visayas  forest cover is now only 50%, there is  a campaign to plant more mangroves especially in the coastal barangays in southern Cebu which was recently  affected by Typhoon Caloy);  March 22nd, World Water Day (with the theme, “Water & Energy”);  March 25th, the Solemnity of both the Annunciation of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Incarnation of the Son of God; March 29th, tomorrow, the Earth Hour, observed  by SM Malls  in Cebu by a  switching off of lights at 8:30 – 9:30 PM.

People and institutions in the news:  Highly popular Pope Francis was  honored in the Philippines with the newly released  Pope Francis stamp;  Pope Paul II relics will be displayed in Manila pending his canonization on April 27th;  and the University of Cebu (UC)  ranked 5th in the recently released results of the Narional Engineering Test, and 8th & 9th in the Teachers’ Test.   Also at UC, Executive Candice Gotianuy  handed keys of a new Toyota Vios to Manuel Sarausad for placing 6th  in the 2013 Bar Examinations as well as to  UC College of Law President Baldomero Estenzo.

Congratulations !

Now that we feel that  summer is here, although PAGASA says summer officially starts next week yet, the best advice is to   drink water and bathe often. The problem is the  scarcity of water in many places in our own Cebu though it did rain during the weekend because of typhoon Caloy that threatened Central Visayas. The MCWD has shifted to surface water sources in Carmen and Danao.

Ironically, in this Fire Prevention Month, there was that recent forest fire in  mystic Mt. Banahaw.  Fires continue to break out, not only  in congested areas, but recently in commercial buildings as well.

Our unusual summer heat, with varying weather and temperature situations in other parts of the world, brings to mind again  former US vice president Al Gore’s book, “An Inconvenient Truth”. It discusses global warming, due in part to human disregard and/or misuse and abuse of the environment. The book was    cynically disbelieved and poo-poohed then, but is a disturbingly stark reality now.

In other  disturbing current events, the pork barrel scam and payoffs involving top political and government authorities now reportedly involves  broadcasters! There’s the  gradually unraveling case of  Noel Archival’s ambush slaying. And internationally, the  missing Malaysia Airlines flight met its “end” in the South Indian Ocean. What are we coming to?

This  brings to mind Cebu Daily News heritage writer Trizer Mansueto’s rememberance of the fate of the plane carrying the late President Ramon (“The Guy”) Magsaysay and his party that went missing after receiving an honorary degree from the University of the Visayas and other engagements in Cebu City 57 years ago. The plane was later discovered to have crashed in Mt. Manunggal in what use to be  part of Binaliw, Cebu City.

I was still working as a radio announcer at station DyRC when President Magsaysay’s plane went missing. I remained on board at the station while our reporters and those of all the other Cebu radio stations were in the field looking for clues. Then we received a phone call from barangay captain Nuyad who reported a plane crash in his area.  I  immediately aired a  flash report.  It  turned out to be the plane carrying President Magsaysay. And the rest is history.

So for now and until next week then, may God continue to bless us, one and all!