Jeepney Press 98 March - April 2019

Pahayagang pinoy sa japan Celebrating The Journeys Of Filipinos In Japan

ジープニー プレス

在日フィリピン人 向 け マ ガ ジン

March - April 2019 2019年3月-4月

ジープニー プレス JEEPNEY PRESS welcomes articles of interest on Filipinos in Japan. Please email any photos, drawings, and other materials that you would like to accompany the article.

Submissions can also be sent by postmail. Photos, drawings and other materials will not be returned unless sent with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Deadline is one month before publication. We reserve the right to edit or omit any submissions.

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Jeepney Press is published online bimonthly by Asia Vox Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright 2019

JEEPNEY PRESS A sia Vox Ltd.

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publisher ASIA VOX LTD. IRENE SUN-KANEKO editorial & creative director DENNIS SUN editorial staff

ROGER AGUSTIN Tokyo MIRIAM SUN-ARENAS, MD Philippines RENALIZA CHAVEZ Tokyo GLEN GYPSY Tokyo FARAH TROFEO-ISHIZAWA Tokyo MICHELLE G. ONG Osaka JEFF PLANTILLA Nara ABIE PRINCIPE Nagoya MARK QUIJANO Kyushu MARILYN RIVERA Philippines NERIZA SAITO Osaka ELENA SAKAI Tokyo KAREN SANCHEZ Kanagawa ANITA SASAKI Tokyo WARREN SUN Tokyo WAYNE SUN Philippines SALLY CRISTOBAL-TAKASHIMA Osaka ALMA REYES Tokyo JASMIN VASQUEZ Nagano LITA MANALASTAS-WATANABE Tokyo

creative staff

Cover design and art: DENNIS SUN

ARLENE ESPERIDA Tokyo JERRY SUN-ARENAS Philippines VAL AMOR C. PALO Tokyo JOSE MIGUEL PARUNGAO Philippines CHINO MANDING CADDARAO Tokyo NICK SANTIAGO Tokyo DANNY DUNGO Tokyo MARISOL KUDO Oita MARK WARREN DE LUNA Tokyo

CONTENTS

06 YOMU Editorial

by Dennis Sun 08 Life Is A Journey

by Glen Gypsy 10 On The Road To:

by Neriza Sarmiento-Saito 12 The Upcoming Philippine Election

by Melissa Luce-Borja

14 Isang Araw Sa Ating Buhay

by Jeff Plantilla 16 The Season of Your Re-awakening

by Marilyn Rivera

18 Kwento Ni Nanay

by Anita Sasaki

20 Signpost

by Karen Sanchez 22 Moving On

by Jasmin Vasquez

23 Kapatiran

by Loleng Ramos 24 Advice ni Tita Lits

by Isabelita Manalastas-Watanabe

MARCH - APRIL 2019 28 Traffic

by Alma Reyes 30 A Spring Journey

by Wayne Sun

Art by Dennis Sun

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Painting by Dennis Sun

読む

よむ “YOMU” means to read in Japanese

by Dennis Sun

DON'T just count

your years, make

your years

count

- George Meredith

When I was young, I thought I would never get old. When I was a boy, I thought I would stay like that forever. Like Peter Pan! When I entered my 20’s and 30’s, it didn’t occur to me that old age was just waiting at the door. When I advanced to my 40’s, different health issues started to develop.

And now in my 50’s, I already feel the pain and dread of aging.

As the sakura flowers start to blossom, I know I am going to add another year to my age. April is my birth month. Each one of those years I add, I am very proud of. Whenever I am happy, I try to embrace my highs. Whenever I am in the pit, I just try my best to let go of the lows. As I see the sakura blossoms, I tell myself to do my best to live in a way that I can look forward to see the next hanami season no matter how high the number I attach to my age.

A few people I know hate birthdays. I think it’s not really the birthday but the aging they hate. It scares them. Well, I get that. Because it scares me, too! Hey, I am over 50 already. I’ve lived more than half a century. And I’ve lived through more than 5 Philippine presidents.

The fact is, we all have birthdays! And that’s beautiful.

Because if you don’t, you should not be alive.

Every birthday for me is a time to be more grateful for all the things in life…even for the things that you should not be grateful for. For anything bad that has happened to me, I try to look for something good to be found, no matter how small. This small shift can make the biggest difference. Cherishing my flaws. Loving the difficult people in my life. Just knowing how to appreciate all things good and bad has granted me a feeling of greater harmony.

Now, I can breathe deeply, add one year joyfully and have a blissful birthday! Happy birthday, everyone!

Dennis MARCH - APRIL 2019

07

Glen Gypsy’s

There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.

- Mahatma Gandhi

08

MARCH - APRIL 2019

Student? Just arrived in Japan? Lipat bahay? Bagong opisina?

Moving company? Cable and internet connection?

“Our Mission is You! Let us support your life in Japan.�

English and Japanese OK!

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Neriza Sarmiento - Saito's On the Road to:

Osaka Asian Film Festival With “Tanabata’s Wife”

The 14th Osaka Asian Film Festival was held from March 8-17, with films from Japan, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, China, Hongkong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Programming director, Sozo Teruoka, said that the films for this festival were selected mostly for their greatness which means how valuable they are in the present world.

From the Philippines, 3 films were in the competition category.

GUSTO KITA WITH ALL MY HYPOTHALAMUS, directed

by Dwein Baltazar, TANABATA’S WIFE, directed by Choy Pangilinan, Charlson Ong and Lito Casaje, THE GIRL IN THE ORANGE DRESS, directed by Jay Abello and two more films for the Special Programs, BILLIE and EMMA directed by Samantha Lee and THE ETERNITY BETWEEN SECONDS directed by Alec Figuracion.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines, is also celebrating its 100 years of Philippine Cinema. This year’s festival campaign poster is the powerful middle aged woman called “Osaka no Obachan - fearless, robust and colorful.

When I went to the exclusive interview with the cast of “Tanabata’s Wife“, I felt exactly one of them. That week, I had a bicycle accident, barely able to walk with torn

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ligaments, but I was determined to go on with the interview! With the pain came the pleasure of meeting three impressive people - MAI FANGLAYAN (as Fas-ang), MIYUKI KAMIMURA (as Tanabata) and JUAN CARLO TAROBAL (Assistant Director).

Last September 2018, this film swept nine awards at the TOFARM FESTIVAL held at the Shangrila Hotel, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture and Best Directors.

Based on a real story written by Sinai Hamada in the 1930’s about Japanese immigrant farmers in La Trinidad, Benguet. It was the story of Tanabata and a young Bontoc woman, who came along one day with two other friends to find work in the big city. He needed day laborers to help in his vegetable farm. Only Fas-ang accepted the offer and worked tirelessly with Tanabata, from cultivating to harvesting up to selling the vegetables in the city.

This brought them closer together, until they became man and wife.

Soon, their son was born, but it seemed that the movie theaters was more attractive for Fas-ang and she felt that Tanabata did not care about her opinions and she was not even consulted about the name of her baby. When she finally left “the cage“ with her baby, she flew into the arms of a former lover from her tribe. Days of agony followed for Tanabata wondering where his wife and son were. Meanwhile,

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Fas-ang’s lover felt that the baby was becoming a nuisance so he devised a way to get rid of him but Fas-ang came right to the rescue. The final scene of the movie shows Fas-ang with the baby running towards Tanabata’s house while Tanabata’s face appeared like a Noh mask on the wide cinematic screen, a crystallized vision of man’s pure emotions!

After watching the film, the audience in the theater was enthralled. One could hear a pin drop and some were quietly sobbing. MIYUKI KAMIMURA (Tanabata) was acclaimed Best Actor at the TOFARM Film Festival. A native of Osaka, he started his International Acting Career at the age of 18 with the Piccolo Theater. In Tokyo, he also studied acrobatic theater and from there went on to organize drama workshops in Singapore at the age of 30.

Since then, he has conducted more workshops on physical theater in Mindanao. Before the end of March, he will be in Bohol for another drama workshop. When I asked him if he is more like Tanabata in real life, he commented that in some ways, maybe and smiled. He also mentioned that the scene where he hit the low table while Fas-ang complained about something, “It was difficult to portray complicated emotions of anger and frustration.”

MAI FANGLAYAN graduated from St. Louis University in Baguio City with a degree in Mass Communications. She attributes her remarkable performance as Fas-ang to her theater training. Asked about a scene that was challenging for her, she quickly replied that it was the

“bolo scene“ when she was running barefoot in the forest in search of her baby who was abducted by her lover. She had wounds in her feet as a result but Mai was quick to add that “It’s part of the role“. In the future, she hopes to be in action films because there are very few Filipino action stars.

JUAN CARLO TAROBAL is one of the Philippines‘ promising young filmmakers who won as best co-screenplay for Tanabata’s Wife with Charlson Ong, Choy Pangilinan and Maureen Portus. He is also known for other movies like “Lupang Pangako“ in 2015 and Islabodan: Free Men in 2018 produced by the UP Film Institute‘s Likha Adarna. For Tanabata’s Wife, he was asked by

Director Lito Casaje to join the production.

When I asked about one “member of the staff“ who was with the team from beginning to end, everyone burst into laughter! Incidentally, the filming started on July 19, Tanabata Day. Yes, THE RAIN was with the filming all throughout so the pitter patter of the falling rain collaborated with the sound of the nose flute and the tribal chants.

Although the three directors could not attend the festival, especially Charlson Ong who is a multi-awarded Writer for the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, we were very privileged to have met Kamimura-san, Mai and Carlo. I also

missed Dr. Jina Umali, who also contributed her Theater expertise in Tanabata’s Wife. Ong wrote the script of a musical we produced in 1995 in Osaka’s Dawn Center while Dr. Jina played the lead role, Loretta! My grateful appreciation to them for the opportunity of working with the Philippines‘ great thespians!

MARCH - APRIL 2019

As the old legend of Tanabata says, “If it rains, Orihime and Higoboshi cannot meet on Star Festival.” It really rained on awards night but even if our entries did not get any award this time, let us hope that they will join more film festivals in the future.

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by Melissa Luce-Borja

The Upcoming Philippine Midterm Elections and the Japanese Concept of Wa (和) “Kaya nating magbuwis ng buhay para sa pamilya, pero para sa isang prinsipyong makabayan?”

- Heneral Luna

May kaaway ka na naman sa Facebook.

Ah, alam mo na, eleksyon na naman.

Hindi maiwasan makipagdebate.

Minsan di ko na ma-take ang pagka-troll nya.

Block mo na lang bes.

Typical chat message between Pinoys these days.

Ang mga wall posts, tadtad ng hashtags at emojis. Walang nagpapatalo. Pero hanggang saan ba talaga ang tapang nating mga Filipino? Hangang social media na lang ba? Ano pa ba ang magagawa natin para baguhin ang kalagayan ng ating bansa sa panahong ito. May silbi pa ba ang pag-iingay, mapa-social media man o sa kalye?

12

It’s a month to go before the Philippine midterm elections on May 13, 2019. A total of 134 party-list groups are vying for 59 seats in the House of Representatives and a total of 62 candidates for 12 Senate seats with 7 reelectionists while 7 are seeking a comeback. This will be my third time to vote in Tokyo via Overseas Absentee Voting, the previous ones were in 2013 and 2016.

When I first exercised my right to vote in the 1998 Presidential elections, I was so excited. I studied my choices very well. When the results came, I was disappointed.

Feeling ko nasayang ang boto ko. But 21 years later, almost after every election, I still feel the same way. Walang pagbabago. The Filipino electorate would time and again vote for the same corrupt and traditional politicians.

When we moved to Tokyo in 2012, a national election was about to be held in December (and coincidentally, local elections this year will be held on April 7 and 21). Since then, I began to observe the ways in which our political culture

MARCH - APRIL 2019

can be compared with the Japanese way. Baka sakaling may matutunan tayo.

As a student of Nihonggo, I came across the word WA (和) or “group harmony’. My sensei’s favorite word. I learned that this WA is one of the most fundamental concept of Japan's moral, social and political system.

The WA puts a strong emphasis on social harmony, to rise above one’s personal feelings for the good of society. It evolved out of Japan's agricultural history when cooperation between farmers was essential in order to maintain the irrigation systems necessary to grow rice and other crops. The community had to work together to survive. Prince Shotoku Taishi in A.D. 604 even incorporated WA in Japan’s first constitution.

In baseball, this WA is practiced by performing a sacrifice bunt in order to move another runner closer to scoring, allow a runner on base to advance to another base. In politics, this WA is manifested by the Japanese by being more party-oriented than candidate oriented.

Policies over personalities.

Even as online campaigning was allowed in 2013 elections, the Japanese people rarely obtained or engaged with the news on social media. Fake news and other online election methods were less effective with the Japanese because they deemed it offensive to openly express dislike against a person or policy. They’d rather keep their opinions to themselves

than disrupt group harmony.

I can’t help but compare this concept of WA with the Filipino practice of “bayanihan” which refers to our spirit of communal cooperation and unity. It is derived from the word, “bayan” which means town or community and the word “bayani” or hero. Filipino synonyms for bayanihan can be “tulungan” or “damayan.”

We would often see the bayanihan spirit demonstrated when calamities strike. Pinoys from around the world would really go out of their way to extend help for their kababayans in need. I realized, however, that while the WA pervades the Japanese way of life, with our bayanihan, need is the operative word. The bayanihan spirit ignites only when there is a need. If the Japanese can practice this WA to every facet of their lives, why can’t we extend bayanihan to the other aspect of Filipino life as well? And we can start that with this coming midterm elections.

A recent survey reveals that one in every four Filipinos want a candidate “who will not be corrupt”. The other top traits that came out were: "helps or has concern for the poor" (22%), "has good personal characteristics" (21%), trustworthy (21%), and "has concern or is helpful to those in need" (20%). Base sa resultang ito, bakit paulit ulit pa ding nahahalal sa posisyon ang mga korap at traditional na politiko? Gusto pala natin ng maayos na pamamahala, bakit hindi tayo magtulungan na maihalal ang taong karapat-dapat? Ngayon tayo magbayanihan. May panahon pa.

As an electorate, we have power in our hands. We have the power to transform our

country by voting candidates that represent the true Filipino ideals and values—Mapagkakatiwalaan, Matulungin, May Malasakit, Makatao at Makakalikasan.

Kilalanin natin ang ating mga kandidato.

If we just practice bayanihan this elections, we Filipinos can

MARCH - APRIL 2019

also harness the power of the WA like the Japanese even as they play baseball. We can all give that sacrificial bunt so that the rest of the country can advance base. Sana yung talas natin sa social media, dalhin natin sa balota.

Isantabi muna natin ang ating mga pansariling adhikain.

Bayan muna bago ang sarili.

13

ni Jeff Plantilla Paano natin maipakikilala ang mga Filipino sa Japan? Ano ang kahulugan ng kanilang pamumuhay sa bansang ito?

Kilala ba natin ang ating mga kababayan? Alam ba ng mga Hapones ang ating buhay? Sino tayo sa bansa ng Japan? Ito ang ilan sa tanong na sinasagot ng isang documentation project sa Kansai.

We are Here!

Nalaman ko ang mga salitang “Estamos Aqui!” nung 1992 dahil sa isang conference ng mga tinatawag na indigenous peoples sa South America. Gustong sabihin ng mga salitang yon na nabubuhay silang mga indigenas sa mga bansa sa Latin America kahit sila ay halos kinalimutan na o itinaboy na sa kaloob-looban ng gubat o sa tuktok ng bundok.

Sa pagpapakilala ng buhay ng mga Filipino sa Kansai, mahalagang sabihin din na "We are Here!" (“Estamos Aqui!”) upang maging malinaw na gusto nating hindi tayo kinakalimutan.

At dahil dito, tayo ay mauunawaan nang tama hindi lamang ng mga Hapones kundi ng mga kapwa Filipino.

Mga Filipino sa Kansai Hindi tulad ng ibang grupo ng mga dayuhan sa Japan na may sariling lugar (Chinatown sa Kobe, Korea town sa Osaka), ang mga Filipino sa Kansai ay hindi nakikita sa iisang lugar.

Maliban sa simbahan tuwing may misa o iba pang religious services, hindi halos malaman kung nasaan ang mga Filipino sa Kansai. Ganito rin malamang sa ibang bahagi ng Japan.

Halos 20,000 Filipino ang hiwa-hiwalay na namumuhay sa 5 prefectures (Shiga, Hyogo, Nara, Kyoto at Osaka) sa Kansai.

Ito ang dahilan kung bakit mahalagang malaman kung sino ang mga Filipino sa Kansai.

Filipinos in Kansai: We are Here!

Naglunsad ang Philippine Community Coordinating Council (PCCC) nung 2016 ng isang documentation project upang magkaroon ng record ang iba’t-ibang buhay ng mga Filipino sa Kansai.

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Nagsimulang maghanap nung taon iyon ng iba’t-ibang uri ng impormasyon mula sa mga Filipino mismo (mga kwento, photos, lumang flyers, Facebook posts, at iba pang materyales), sa mga community newspapers tulad ng Pinoy at Jeepney Press, sa mga research reports ng mga Filipino at Hapones, sa ilang libro, sa mga newspapers dito sa Japan at sa Filipinas at sa mga websites.

Bakit Kansai? Ito ay dahil Kansai ang sakop ng PCCC sa kasalukuyan. Bakit may ganitong project?

Mahalagang mai-record ng mga Filipino ang kakaibang katangian ng kasaysayan, gawain at pamumuhay ng mga Filipino sa kani-kaniyang lugar sa Japan.

Ang mga Istorya Sa dami ng impormasyong nakuha, umabot sa 12 chapters at mahigit sa 365 pages ang report. Ang bawa’t isang chapter ay isang bahagi ng pamumuhay ng mga Filipino sa Kansai.

Ang chapter one ay may pamagat na “Philippines and Japan – Historical Ties.”

Tinatalakay dito ang mahabang panahon ng relasyon ng mga Hapones at mga tao sa Luzon kasama na dito ang tungkol sa ruson no tsubo, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Saint Peter Baptist ng San Francisco del Monte sa Quezon City, at si Takayama Ukon na na-exile sa Pilipinas.

Kasama din dito ang paglipat ng gobyerno ng Second Philippine Republic bago matapos ang World War 2 sa Nara City, at ang pagsuko ni Jose Laurel bilang Presidente ng Republika at ni Benigno Aquino bilang Senate Speaker sa mga Amerikano

MARCH - APRIL 2019

sa Itami airport sa Osaka nung 1945.

Ang chapter two ay mga istorya mula 1920s hanggang 1970s. Dito naman pinag-uusapan ang pagdating ng mga Filipino jazz musicians sa Kobe at Dotonbori sa Osaka mula nung late 1910s hanggang 1940s. Sumikat ang mga Filipinong musikero bago at pagkatapos ng World War 2, kasama dito sina Raymond Conde at Francisco Reyes na tumugtog sa Osaka.

Dumating din si Francisco Catalon at nanalo sa Far East Games Osaka nung 1923, isa na namang panalo sa Far East Games. Si Francisco Catalon kaya ang isa sa models ng Glico Running Man sa Dotonbori? Nung 1940s, dumating si Baby Gustilo na siyang naging Japan Champion sa boxing pagkatapos ng giyera.

Ang chapter three ay tungkol sa pagdating mula 1970s ng mga Filipino band musicians sa Osaka. Naging sikat sila sa mga supper clubs. Sinundan sila ng mga solo singers na kumakanta sa hotels at jazz bars. Nung 1980s naman dumagsa ang mga tinatawag na entertainers.

Sa ilang chapters, ikinuwento ang pagdating sa Kansai ng iba pang mga Filipino mula 1970s hanggang 2010s. Sila ay yung academics, corporate professionals, technical intern trainees, nurses, caregivers, domestic help, students, Japanese-Filipino children at mga nikkeijins.

Communities, Churches, Festivals and Celebrations Tinalakay sa isang chapter ang pagdami ng mga Filipino communities at organizations sa Kansai, ang pagtatayo ng mga networks nila, at ang mga Filipino religious missionaries.

May chapter din tungkol sa pagsali ng mga Filipino sa Kobe Matsuri, Midosuji Parade, Philippine Independence Day celebrations at ang mga Filipino restaurants.

Kasama din ang mga contests tulad ng UTAWIT regional qualifying round sa Kyoto at beauty contests.

At inilahad din ang mga sports activities (basketball tournaments, undokai, mountaineering, skiing, marathon at bowling).

Messages to the Japanese Public May mga nagawa ding activities tulad ng theatrical productions, photo exhibits, radio programs at forum para ipakilala ang buhay ng Filipino sa mga Hapones at kapwa Filipino (Kapihan at Talakayan sa Kansai). Ang lahat ng ito ay may mensaheng ipinahihiwatig sa mga Hapones.

Mga isyu ng mga Filipino at mga naging sagot sa mga pangangailangan

Tinatalakay din ang mga problema na naranasan at nararanasan pa ng mga Filipino sa Kansai. Kasama dito ang problema ng mga batang dumating dala ng mga magulang, ng mga technical interns, at ng mga tumatanda nang mga Filipino. At kasunod naman nito ang mga serbisyo sa mga pangangailangan ng mga Filipino mula sa ating pamahalaan (Philippine Consulate General, Department of Tourism Osaka Office, Philippine Trade and Investment Center - Osaka), mga pribadong kompanya (Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Metrobank subbranch), mga Japanese non-profit organizations at local government-supported international centers at associations (na malaking tulong sa mga Filipino at iba pang dayuhan sa Kansai).

Makulay ang buhay ng mga Filipino sa Kansai, tulad din sa ibang lugar sa Japan. Mahalaga na may record tayo ng ating buhay bilang Filipino. Para sa atin ito at sa mga susunod na henerasyon ng mga Filipino at Filipino-Japanese sa Japan.

MARCH - APRIL 2019

Libro sa buhay ni Baby Gustilo bilang boxer at exhibition ng paintings ni Dado Montano.

Ito ang isang translation ng title ng libro ni Mitsuru Jojima published in 2003 entitled拳の漂流― 「神様」と呼ばれた男ベビー・ゴステロの生涯 単行本 (roughly, The Trajectory of Fists – The Life of Baby Gustilo, a Man Called God)

Ang 12 chapters ay mababasa sa PCCC blogspot mula Abril 2019: http://pcccwestjapan.blogspot.com.

15

The Season of Your Re-awakening

by Marilyn Rivera

Lent is about becoming, doing, and changing.

Whatever it is that is blocking the fullness of life in us right now. – Sister Joan Chittister, OSB As we approach Holy Week, many of us already has a planned itinerary for a family adventure, relaxation, and fun. Most of us, have flight bookings done, reservations made, and preparations all accomplished in our checklist. Our perspective has indeed changed from centuries before on how we observe this period of penitence, prayer and fasting to our present time.

would avoid using any technological devices. We can set our own penitence in respect to the greatest historical and religious turning event that changed our lives.

There is no fixed or standard rule to follow just as long as you are committed in doing this for Him and to shake us from our own lethargy, as Pope Francis would say.

As a Roman Catholic, it never fails to awe me that our core tradition is still intact and alive every Holy Week. During this time, you would definitely hear Lent is the season of a single person or a group preparation before Easter doing “Pabasa" in their based on Catholic organizations. It runs for 40 barangays. Some find this annoying but if you can days excluding Sundays just imagine the efforts of from the recorded date of Ash Wednesday up to Easter the readers, singing pages after pages of Bible verses Sunday. And then during for days is truly a symbol the famous Holy Week, we of commitment and would normally witness some performing penitence dedication to our local tradition honoring Him. of whipping one's back while walking the distance from one church to another In some provinces like Zambales and Baliwag, as they are committed to people strongly hold onto their yearly penitence. And another core tradition. by the time they reached This is “Pasyon”, a play their destination church, which re-enacts the life of their back will already be covered with blood as they Jesus focused on His Passion, Death and continuously whipped Resurrection. The act themselves. normally starts from His captivity nearing His Most Roman Catholics eat persecution until He was sparingly during Lent and placed on the cross. This avoid any connection to also includes the two technology. Individually, thieves who joined Him some would set a personal being nailed on the cross. sacrifice that they would complete in the duration of And these are real nails and real hammering of the 40 days. For example, the nail through their some would stop drinking flesh. In other provinces, beer or any alcoholic residential houses create beverages while some

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MARCH - APRIL 2019

small shrines at the end of their street where people in penitence would stop and pray until they complete visiting all of them. And another tradition that we do is the “Visita Iglesia” where you visit seven different churches on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. By the end of your journey, you would truly feel the revival of your spirituality and feel your closer connection to Him before your journey began.

How about you, what is your penitence this season or next year's season of Lent? The key note to place in mind is it is not based on the difficulty level of what you choose to sacrifice.

The purpose of which is to renew our commitment that has grown dull and live our life more in reflection than by routine. The mere fact that you have set aside a simple pleasurable habit during this period of Lent like not drinking coffee or not going to malls is already a break or change to your daily habit. Make your penitence out from your own current life reflection, a retreat from your old self to a whole new one.

Have a blessed and meaningful Holy Week!

P h i l i p

D iz o n

T o r r e s

Facebook : Philip D. Torres Mobile (Philippines) : +63-91-7605-6366 Model: Irene Kaneko Photography: Borg Meneses Hair & Make-up: Vela Mua Art Direction: Dennis Sun

KWENTO NI NANAY

by Anita Sasaki

EVERY GISING IS A BLESSING!!!

Mga anak at apo ko na sumusubaybay sa mga Kuwento Ni Nanay, gusto ko po makuwento ang nangyari sa aming event, “Ugnayan Sa Japan” noong Pebrero 23-24, 2019.

Ginanap sa Kyoto, Nagoya at Osaka na pinamunuan ng CFO Commission on Filipinos Overseas at ni Professor Wako Asato ng Kyoto University. At sa Tokyo naman ay pinamunuan ng CASTLE/ CASTLE YOUTH/ TAHANAN NI NANAY TNN at kaagapay namin ang KAKEHASHI COMMUNITY. Naging matagumpay naman po ang unang “Ugnayan Sa Japan”! Salamat sa Dios! Pinapanalangin namin na sa susunod ay mas malaking “Ugnayan Sa Japan” na ang magaganap.

Sa pakikinig ko sa mga kanya-kanyang salaysay nila kung bakit naging masaya ang mga kabataan at nagiliw na bumalik-balik sa grupo, sa bahay ko, halos pare-pareho ang mga dahilan nila na labis kong ikinaligaya. Parang isa lang ang common denominator - naramdaman nila ang PAGMAMAHAL ng ina at lola na siya lamang ang tangi kong naibigay sa kanila.

Ang kanilang pare-parehong sinabi ay labis kong kinagulat at labis nagpasaya sa akin dahil wala naman akong yaman o bagay na naibibigay sa kanila. Kundi ang buong pusong pagtanggap sa kanila at ang pakikinig ko sa mga kanya-kanyang daing o suliranin.

Nakaramdam ako nang labis na pag-alab nang aking puso o damdamin ko sa mga kabataan. Nararapat lang silang mahalin at alagaan dahil ang mga kabataan ang PAG-ASA nang ating mundo! Sila ang ating PAG-ASA! Ngayon hinaharap natin ang Mahal na Araw o ang kuwaresma - panahon ng pagninilay. Dito ang greatest story ever told… For God so loved the world that He

18

sent HIS ONLY SON to die for us to save us!

Kahit tayo ay bad boy, bad girl, masama, salbahe kahit sino ka man, pare-pareho tayong mahal nang Dios!

God sees our efforts not our faults. He covers our goodness not our weakness. Tinitingnan niya tayo na nakatakip ang isang mata niya para di na makita ang ating mga kasalanan. Pero tayo naman, bukas ang ating mga mata para lalo makita ang mga mali ng ating mga kapwa.

Gagamitin pa ang “magnifying glass“.

Lahat tayo ay may mga problema. Walang tao ang walang problema. Maaring problema sa pamilya, sa kalusugan, relasyon o ano-ano pa.

Kaya kung tayo ay may problema, sana tingnan natin kung papaano tayo matutulungan ng problema.

P... Let’s PRAY. Magdasal po tayo.

R... REACH out. Kasi kung may problema tayo nagmumukmok na lang tayo. Parang pakiramdam natin kasi katapusan na nang mundo. Reach out at doon mo makikita na meron pang mas malala ang mga problema kaysa sa atin.

O... OBEY. Kaya tayo nagkakaproblema kasi meron tayong hindi sinunod. Go back and obey.

B... BELIEVE. Believe in God and yourself and believe in the goodness of others.

L... LOVE. Just LOVE. Minsan magbibigay tayo ng love pero kulang. Kaya double the love you give.

Makikita natin nag le-level up din. Kaya don’t stop loving. Merong telepono! Tawagan natin sila - pamilya, kaibigan, maski kaaway para sabihin mahal natin sila. Merong text, social media, marami nang mga bagong teknolohiya.

Gamitin natin to say I love you. Sabi nang ating Panginoon… LOVE ME as I LOVE you and LOVE your Brethren!

E... Evolve. Dapat lumabas tayo sa mga comfort zones natin. Lawakan natin ang ating paningin.

M... MISSION. Marami sa atin hindi na ginagawa ang ating mission dahil iba na ang focus nila.

Puro komisyon puro pera, pera na lang. At puro focus din sa ating konsomisyon sa ating buhay...... pamilya, pera, relasyon.

Kaya marami sa atin hindi nagagawa ang ating mission. Dahil may intermission pa tayong alam gawin. Andiyan ang alak, babae, sugal, chismis, bungangera, nagger...

Kaya dapat ang ating dalangin: “Lord, help us to live the rest of our life, the BEST!”

MARCH - APRIL 2019

133-0057 Tokyo, Edogawa-ku, Nishi Koiwa 4-1-22 Takeda Bldg 6th Floor

Looking for an apartment, condo, office or house to rent or buy?

Student? Just arrived in Japan? Lipat bahay? Bagong opisina?

“Our Mission is You! Let us support your life in Japan.�

Only 1-min. walk from Takadanobaba Eki (Yamanote Line or Tozai Line) Very near Big Box and Donki

1-26-12-701 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

www.asiavox.com

English and Japanese OK!

03-5292-2340

By Karen Sanchez

Hokkaido Food Tasting Fair in the Philippines Konnichiwa minnasan!

Isang karangalan ang maging parte o magambag sa isang magandang panimula at mga pangyayari sa ating bansa.

may direkta ng byahe ang Philippine Airlines (PAL) mula Manila hanggang Hokkaido.

Ang "Food Tasting" ay ginanap upang makalakap ng survey o pagsusuri at mapag-aralan ang mga produkto kung posibli bang Nitong nakaraang Marso 1 magustuhan ng mga hanggang Marso 3, 2019 kababayang Pilipino ang ay inilunsad ang lasa nito at dito din kauna-unahang “Food malalaman kung makakaya Tasting� ng iilang ba o maibebenta ba sa produkto mula sa presyo na itinalaga ng Hokkaido na kung saan kanilang kumpanya o pinagkaabalahang dalhin kailangan itong baguhin. dito sa Glorietta 2, Makati City at naging Maliban sa PAL, HIS, Sapporo matagumpay ito sa Beer, Hokkaido Tourism, pagkakaisa ng iilang Kita-kita movie, at piling pribadong negosyante, ng mga kumpanya ang ating embahada at mga nagbigay ng mga sampol piling sangay ng Gobyerno kagaya ng Hokkaido at ilan kaming taga SPH Santouka Ramen para sa mula sa Hokkaido, Japan.

Shio at Karamiso Ramen, At nakakatuwa na ang ang Edoya na nagpatikim ng binuo naming Samahan ng kanilang "salmon skin chips mga Pilipino sa Hokkaido at horse fried cattlefish (SPH) ay naging tulay chips" at ang ibang upang mangyari ito at kumpanya mula na maliban dito malaking nagpaunlak ng kanilang tulong sa mga Pilipino na "omocheese, wakasaimo, naninirahan sa Hokkaido an-potato, potato pumpkin ang SPH sapagkat hindi na at crab dumpling na talaga nila kinailangang naman pinagpilahan at pumunta ng Tokyo para sa binalik-balikan ng iilang mga pangunahing kababayan dahil sa lasa nito. pangangailangan sa ating At marami din ang embahada gaya na lamang nagtatanong kung saan o ng pasaporte, bisa at iba maari na ba itong bilhin dito pa. At dagdag nito, dahil sa Pinas. sa pagsisikapin din ng SPH at ng ating embahada at

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MARCH - APRIL 2019

Kapansin-pansin na ang tumatak sa mga isip ng tao ay ang ramen, kung saan pag sinabing Japan ay ramen agad ang naiisip. At animoy wala ng ibang matandaan na pagkain sa Japan. Marami ding mga Hapon at ibang lahi pa ang bumisita at ang iba ay nakarating na din ng Hokkaido para sa Yuki Matsuri o Snow Festival at mga bulaklak naman daw sa Furano.

Masaya kahit nakakapagod.

Ang mahalaga ay nakita ko din ang mga kaibigan at ang tinuturing kong mga ate sa Hokkaido kung saan sila ang naging gabay ko para makapag-aral ng Nihonggo at matunton ko ang simbahan kung saan doon ako natutong magbasa at magsulat ng madadaling salita ng mga Hapon. At sila din ang kasa-kasama kong maging volunteer sa pagtayo ng SPH, makapagtrabaho at kumita para may maipadala sa pamilya ko sa Pinas.

Kung kaya sobrang nagagalak ang puso ko sa pagkakataong ibinigay ng Diyos hindi lamang sa akin kundi sa lahat ng naging parte ng kaganapang ito.

Hanggang sa muli po! God bless us all!

By Karen Sanchez

Photo by Dennis Sun

Sa mundong makulimlim At ang langit ay kay dilim Nag-iisa at walang makapiling Pikit-matang ika'y aking panalangin Matapos ang unos o malakas na ulan Kung ikaw ay aking masisilayan Tiyak na gagaan aking pakiramdam At pag-asa ay akin nang nararamdaman Kulay mo ay nakakaliw pagmasdan Nakakalimot ng lungkot kung minsan Pagkat nagtataka kung saan ang pinagmulan Dahil dito mga pasakit ay nakakalimutan Di ko man alam ang tanging dahilan Ang Diyos sa amin ikaw ay inilaan Upang magbigay pag-asa kanino man Sa tuwing ikaw amin nang nasisilayan

By Jasmin Vasquez

Stress at Depression: Nagiging Sanhi ng Kamatayan ng ganyan. Na kung tutuusin ay kaya naman nilang magtrabaho para sila ay mabuhay. Lahat na lamang ay gustong iasa sa iyo.

Japan: isang bansa na akala ng marami ay pinupulot lamang ang pera o nahihingi lamang kahit kanino. Kung kaya marami sa ibang nasa Pilipinas ang walang pakundangan humingi na akala mo may mga patago.

Ang pera po ay pinaghihirapan para po kitain.

Dugo at pawis ang aming mga puhunan para lamang may maipadala sa inyo sa Pilipinas.

Idagdag nyo pa ang pagtitiis na pakisamahan ang mga Hapon at iba’t-ibang lahi. Na kahit ikaw ay kinakawawa na ay pinagtitiisan mo pa rin sa abot ng iyong makakaya.

Likas sa ating mga Pilipino ang masipag sa trabaho, kaya nga kahit anong bansa ang ating puntahan ay hindi nawawalan ng Filipino OFW. Pagdating sa performance talaga namang walang tatalo sa ating mga Pinoy. Mapalad ka kung ang iyong mapupuntahan na kumpanya ay may mababait na trabahador katulad mo. Hindi lang sa mga eskwelahan, common din sa mga kaisha yung mga “Bully�. Kaya kung ako sa inyo, wag kayong pasisindak sa kanila dapat marunong ka ring sumagot at lumaban kapag alam mo namang nasa tama at may katwiran ka. Dahil kung hindi ay kakawawain ka nila.

Kahit anong hirap ng trabaho ay wala kang hindi kakayanin, ngunit minsan ay dumadating ka sa punto na kapag ang tao na nasa paligid ang palaging bunga ng iyong stress ay hindi na maganda ito para sa iyong kalusugan. Buong araw ka na lang nakasimangot at naiinis tuwing nakakasama at nakikita mo sila. Baka ma-high blood ka pa dahil sa pagtitiis mo na huwag syang patulan.

Bukod sa trabaho idagdag mo pa yung mga tawag galing sa Pilipinas. Dahil akala nila napupulot lang ang pera dito.

Kailangan ng ganito, kailangan

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Hindi na ako nagtataka kung bakit may mga ilang tao ang kinikitil ang sariling buhay.

Katulad ng mga nababalitaan natin nung nakaraan dahil sa sobrang stress at depression na sa buhay. Na kahit anong kayod mo sa buhay ay walang mangyaring pag asenso dahil sa mga taong abusado na walang alam gawin kundi umasa na lang ng umasa sa iyong ipapadala. Sobrang hirap na at haba na ng iyong pagtitiis pero hindi pa rin sumasapat.

Kahit may sakit ka na ay pilit ka pa ring pumapasok sa trabaho dahil kapag nag absent ka ay hindi sasapat ang iyong kikitain para maipadala sa kanila.

Ganito ang aking pinagdadaanan ngayon, sobrang hirap. Hindi ko alam kung hanggang kailan ko ito mapagtitiisan. Kung minsan naman ay may taong malalapitan ka na akala mo ay totoo sa iyo, subalit iba pala ang kapalit ng tulong na kanyang ibibigay, naturingan pa naman na hindi iba sa iyo.

Kung minsan ay mainam pa ang ibang tao na hindi mo ka ano-ano pero malaki ang puso para ka tulungan kapag ikaw ang nangangailangan. Yung hindi naghihintay ng kapalit sa kanyang nagawa para sa iyo.

Mabuti na lang at alam kong ginagabayan kami ng nasa Itaas kahit paano nakakayanan at nairaraos naman kahit paano ang aming buhay.

Dapat nating iwasan ang mga negatibo at mga taong magbibigay sa atin ng dahilan para tayo ay lalong ma depress.

Lumayo tayo sa mga taong mahilig makipag-away at maraming reklamo at hindi marunong makuntento sa buhay dahil sigurado akong maa-absorb mo yung negativity at stress nya. Iwasan ang mga taong alam lang nila ay puro sila ang tama at puro

MARCH - APRIL 2019

sila lang ang dapat pakibagayan dahil makasarili ang tawag doon.

Masarap mabuhay ng magaan ang kalooban na sa halip na puro reklamo sa buhay ay matuto na lamang makuntento kung ano ang meron ka.

Makisama ng maayos upang ikaw din ay pakisamahan ng maganda. Piliin ang taong may respeto sa desisyon ng iba o pananaw ng iba. Hindi yung puro gusto nya lang. Dahil kung hahayaan mong lamunin ka ng systema ng isang taong makasarili darating ang panahon na mas ma stress ka pa kesa sa kanya.

Ang hirap sa kalooban yung walang kapayapaan kaya dapat palagi tayong gumawa ng mga bagay na makakapagpagaan sa buhay natin. Tumulong ng bukal sa loob ng hindi naghihintay ng kapalit upang sa gayon ay lalo pa tayong pag palain. Mas magandang magpasaya tayo ng tao, maghatid ng magandang balita hindi ng puro masama. Makikita mo mas sasaya pa ang iyong buhay. Lagi mong tatandaan na ang stress ay maaring magtulak sa iyo o maging sanhi ng paglaho mo sa mundong ibabaw. At lagi nating tatandaan na hindi mabibili ng pera ang kasiyahan at kapayapaan sa buhay natin.

Dahil tayo mismo ang gagawa nito para sa sarili natin.

Kaya kung gusto pa nating magkaroon ng mahabang buhay na masaya at payapa, lumayo ka sa mga taong hahatak sayo pababa. Doon ka sa gagabay sayo sa mapayapang buhay at magiging magandang halimbawa para umangat ka lalo. Kapag sobrang bigat na ng dinadala mong stress, maglaan ka ng oras at palaging magdasal, magsimba para mas madaling umigi ang iyong buhay at malayo ka palagi sa kapahamakan.

Ni Loleng Ramos

Kamayan Huwag Sanggaan Hi, kapatid! Saan ka sa atin sa Pilipinas? Nakaranas ka na ba na mapintasan dahil sa punto mo? Mapagtawanan dahil sa hitsura mo? Minaliit dahil hindi sosyal eh? Kinutya kase mababa ang pinag-aralan bah?

Nakaranas ka na bang ma-api?

Ma-bully? Sinalbahe dahil hindi ka kapareho ng ibang nag-hahari-harian? Merong mga tao ang pakiramdam nila mas magaling sila, mas mahusay, perpekto, superyor!

Kapag ang ganitong tao ay kumilos na para ipamukha ang sobrang bilib nila sa kanilang sarili o paniniwala, para na silang kampon ng kadiliman na naghahasik ng lagim sa mundo!

Ang ganitong mga salita ay trending ngayon palagi, “Bigotry” (hindi pagtanggap sa ibang paniniwala, katulad ng relihiyon), “Xenophobia” (takot o poot sa kakaibang kultura, paniniwala), “Racism” (galit sa ibang lahi), “White Supremacists” (mga naniniwala na ang mga lahing puti ay mas mataas kaysa sa iba pang mga lahi ng tao), “Islamophobia” (suklam sa mga relihiyon at kultura ng mga Muslim), “Anti-semitism” (diskriminasyon o pagtanggi sa mga Hudyo o Jews), “Extremists” (paniwalang labis-labis o panatiko katulad ng mga mga Jihadist na naniniwalang kailangang lipulin ang mga hindi tumatanggap sa kanilang relihiyon),“Far-right” at “Alt-right”, (dahil sa pinanggalingan ng salitang “right” o mga taong sumasang-ayon sa pagtakbo na bansa sa isang linya lamang o pagmana nito mula sa itaas, hindi nila tinatanggap ang pagkahalo ng kakaibang tao o doktrina o paniniwala kaya ang pagpasok ng ibang lahi sa kanilang bansa o multi-culturalism ay ikinagagalit, ikinatatakot, ikinapopoot nila).

Ang namaril sa Christchurch New Zealand kung saan may 50 tao

ang nasawian ng buhay ay may sukdol na poot sa mga Muslim (Islamophobic) at sa mga immigrants. Sa isip niya dahil sa patuloy na paglipat ng mga taong ito sa mga mayayamang bansa sa Europa, nasisira ang kultura ng kanyang lahi. Ito ang ideyang nagtulak sa kanya upang puntiryahin ang dalawang mosque kung saan marami ang kasalukuyang nagdarasal ng kanyang pinagbabaril. Sinasabing naimpluwensiyahan siya ng isa pang panatiko na pumatay ng 77 katao sa Norway noong 2011 na isang far-right extremist, sila iyong naniniwala na merong kapangyarihan ang mga superyor kesa sa mga taong mas mababa sa kanila. Sumasaludo sila sa imahen ni Hitler na merong purong lahi, ang mga taong blonde at may asul na mata. Pero kapag nagbasa ka tungkol sa dalawang ito na hindi na kailangang pangalanan dahil ito mismo ang gusto nilang mangyari, ang maipakilala ang kanilang sarili. Tila mas naghahanap sila ng atensyon, ng popularidad na minamaskarahan lang ng kanilang adhikain na dapat mawala sa mundo ang mga taong hindi nila kapareho.

Parang ang gulo ng daigdig ngayon kapatid ano? Kailan lamang ay dumadami ang mga white supremacists, far-right extremists na nagsusulputan sa internet at marami ang nai-indoktrinahan (nahahalinang sumangayon) at sumapi.

Tumataas din ang krimen ng mga hate crimes, kasabay ng paglaganap ng fake news. Sa atin lang, parang palengke ang ingay sa gubyerno, matatalim na salita, awayan, ang gulo. Bakit kaya parang nauuso ang siraan sa ngayon sa halip na paglinaw sa mga gusot, paglutas sa mga problema, sa pagharap sa sangkaterbang kaguluhan sa ating lipunan. Wala pang nagagawang solusyon sa kahirapan ng mga batang

MARCH - APRIL 2019

naudyukan magnakaw dahil sa hirap sa buhay ay ikukulong na lang sila para tahimik na.

Nakakatakot di ba kapatid?

Parang nagiging masyadong makasarili ang mga tao, mas importante ang sarili, sobrang importante ng sarili at ang iba, mas madali ang sabihing, “hay naku, wala akong panahon” pero kapag walang magbigay ng atensyon, isang araw na lang meron na ulit “genocide” o ang pagbuwag, pagwasak, pagbura ng isang katutubo, lahi, grupo, relihiyon katulad ng nangyari dati sa Rwanda na may isang milyong Tutsi ang pinagpapatay ng mga Hutus. Noong Holocaust, kung saan 6 na milyong Jews ang sistematikong pinagpapatay ng mga Nazis. Ang dahilan, sa tingin ng mga nasa pwersa, mababa ang mga taong ito at mas mabuti pang matanggal na lang sa ibabaw ng mundo.

Di ba ang gintong aral, “Huwag mong gagawin sa iba ang ayaw mong gawin sa iyo”, pero marami ng kinalimutan ito. Ang sa ngayon, “Gagawin ko ang gusto ko, walang Diyos”. “Wala ring Impyerno, walang Langit, pareho iyang nandito sa mundo”. Para namang wala kang pinanggalingan nyan, paano ka nabuo? Saan ka galing, saan ka pupunta? Bakit may araw at gabi?

Bakit may lungkot at saya? May kahapon, ngayon, at bukas? Kung walang salbahe at mabait, siguro wala ring impyerno at langit, pero merong masamang tao at merong taong kumikilala sa Diyos kase nararamdaman niya, tinatanggap niya, uuwian niya kapag tapos na ang lahat. At ang mas maganda pa, kahit naging salbahe ka, hihintayin Niyang magbago ka para sa Kanya ka din uuwi.

Kaya kahit konting ngiti lang dyan, may epekto na rin yan.

Kung simangot at hirap ang pangbati mo sa mundo, lalo na kung may kasamang bulyaw at away, nagkakalat ka niyan ng negative vibes. Huwag kang parang far-right, dapat be right!

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Take It Or Leave It!

by Isabelita Manalastas-Watanabe

Dear Maria:

Dear Tita Lits, Narinig ko po na speaker daw kayo, Tita Lits, doon sa seminar na ginawa ng ating Labor Office sa Tokyo on women? Kailan po ba iyon? Sayang at hindi ko po kaagad nalaman at hindi ako naka-attend. Gusto ko sana kayong ma-meet ng personal, dahil matagal ko na ring naririnig ang pangalan ninyo, at nababasa ko rin kayo sa Jeepney Press. Pwede nyo po bang mai-share kung ano po mga advices ninyo doon sa nakapag-attend?

Maria T. Tokyo

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Yes, by all means! Happy ako to be able to share to as many as my women kabaro in Japan the presentation I made as the inspirational speaker during the fora on Women’s Empowerment in observance of the Women’s Month Celebration in Tokyo held last March 31, 2019, at Midorigaoka Culture Hall, near Jijugaoka station. The event was organized by POLO-OWWA (Philippine Overseas Labor Office – Overseas Welfare Administration), Philippine Embassy, Tokyo.

It was the first time I met our lady Labor Attache Ms. Marie Rose C. Escalada, and our Welfare Officer Ms. Amy Crisostomo and their able staff. I think we are in good hands with these officials who are tasked to take care of the many concerns and the welfare of us OFWs in Japan.

Lits

MARCH - APRIL 2019

Lita M-W

Isabelita T. Manalastas-Watanabe “Global100: Most Influential Filipina Women in the World Awardee, 2013 San Francisco (Nominated by the Philippine Embassy. Tokyo under Founders and Builders Category)

LEADERSHIP TIPS: • Follow your passion.

Success is powered by passion. Even if there are obstacles on the way which others may think insurmountable, let your passion show them and yourself that you can get what you aim for. The passion will drive you to get the skills, contacts and knowledge you will need to succeed. IT ALL BEGINS WITH PASSION.

• In Rome, do as the Romans do.

In a globalized economy, you will get to work with people from around the

world, travel far and wide, and even choose another country as your home base. Be perceptive and pick up the business and social norms of your host home. Learn the language, know the culture. DON’T FORGET YOUR ROOTS BUT MORPH THEM INTO YOUR NEW REALITY.

• Overcome stereotypes of gender and nationality.

Wherever you go, it is but natural that people will have pre-conceived notions of gender and nationality which will

affect you. Understand where these biases are coming from, and learn how to challenge and overcome the stereotypes. SHOW THEM THAT YOU CAN BE AS GOOD AS OR EVEN BETTER THAT ANYONE ELSE AS A FILIPINA.

your siblings. FIND OUT IN YOUR OWN WAY, HOW YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL – AT WORK AND AT HOME.

• Don’t be afraid to break barriers.

Though tolerance and progress on the gender front seem to be picking up in many areas, there • Don’t ignore the are still new frontiers and domains where barriers family. to women and Filipinos Professionally qualified exist. DON’T BE AFRAID and skilled though you may be, don’t ignore the TO VENTURE OUT INTO powerful foundation that NEW TERRITORY. There may be no peers and family gives you. BE mentors where you GRATEFUL TO THOSE venture, but DON’T WHO SHAPED YOU, and HOLD BACK IN CURVING also live up to your OUT YOUR TURF. responsibilities to your parents, your children,

MARCH - APRIL 2019

25

BETWEEN AGE 52 AND DEATH Enjoy the Money you saved up and STOP WORRYING or feel bad about spending your money.

It’s time to use the money you saved up.

Use it and enjoy it.

Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself. You’ve taken care of your children for many years, and taught them what you could.

You gave them an education, food, shelter and support.

THE RESPONSIBILITY IS NOW THEIRS TO EARN THEIR OWN MONEY. Enjoy Life with Your Partner.

The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner.

One day, one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide comfort then. Enjoy it together.

Don’t stress over little things and keep life alive.

You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. DON’T LET THE PAST DRAG YOU DOWN AND DON’T

LET THE FUTURE FRIGHTEN YOU. Feel good in the now.

Regardless of age, always keep life alive.

Men out there – remember: “A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection”.

Be PROUD, BOTH INSIDE AND OUT. Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are wellmaintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.

ALWAYS STAY Up-To-Date. Read newspaper, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. You can use some of many social networks available that will suit your personality, your privacy concerns, etc., but let us not use them for “tsismising”, rumor mongering, or worst, spreading fake news.

RESPECT THE YOUNGER GENERATION AND THEIR OPINIONS. Hopefully, we have done our part in molding them to have strength of character, and to be honest, sincere, and loving children to their parents, and loving parents to their

children. They may not have the same ideals as you, but THEY ARE THE FUTURE, and will take the world in their direction.

Some of us embrace our golden years, while others become bitter. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WASTE OUR DAYS ON BITTERNESS. It will be good to spend time with positive, cheerful people – it will rub off on you and your days will seem that much better.

DON’T ABANDON YOUR HOBBIES. If you don’t have any, make new ones. You can hike, cook (for pleasure!) read, dance, travel. You can do small things like grow a kitchen garden in our very small “mansions” in Japan.

Pains and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Being forgetful, as well. Try not to dwell on them too much as to cause you stress. Accept them as part of the normal ageing process.

LAUGH. Laugh away your worries.

Remember, we are one of the lucky ones.

We managed to have a life, and hopefully live a very long, healthy one. Many never get to even be 52, and never experience a full life.

(Source: The internet. Original version was revised by ITM-W to suit her purpose for the fora on Women Empowerment).

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MARCH - APRIL 2019

ON MOTHERS From Rev. Fr. Dennis Paez (Ref. Luke 7)

“Mothers who cry before the Lord for their families, for their marriages, for their homes, move the heart of God.” “As a Mother protects, upholds and defends her children, so does God also protect us under the shadow of his Wings. We find refuge there and can hide there until the danger if over.”

“A Mother’s role is so vital that a father cannot get his prayers answered if he dishonours/disrespects her.”

(1 Peter 3:7).

“When Mothers stop praying, their families (especially their children) perish, Satan gets a foothold and starts to destroy the home, yet when they return to their rightful place as the anchor of the home, demonic strongholds get demolished. In Psalms 17, 36, 57, 63, and 91, God’s role is likened to that of a Mother.”

FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE – KEY TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Money cannot buy you happiness, BUT it can be the DOWNPAYMENT for it.

Earnings – Expenses = Savings? NO! Best to DETERMINE FIRST, HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO SAVE, and then work backwards to achieve this. Meaning, savings should not be iyong natira lang after you have spent your income/earnings on many things SET YOUR REALISTIC SAVINGS GOAL MONTHLY. Then adjust your expenses, accordingly.

LASTLY, let us give thanks for all the blessings we have received and hope to continue to receive.

To the sun, to the moon, to the stars.

To the sea, to the river, to the fish, to the birds and animals, to the trees.

To tatay, to nanay, to ate, to kuya, to our children, to our grandchildren.

And finally to GOD, whoever we perceive and believe him/her to be.

s t i L “Today, as the woman of the home, consider yourself blessed. Consider yourself highly favored and consider yourself dangerous when you pray.”

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BY ALMA REYES

MARCH 11 IN THE MIRROR

Every year in March I greet the spring blossoms of Japan in no different way from the previous year, perhaps, just like everyone else in Japan. Stores and supermarkets start to glitter with pink decors on food packages; some hang stalks of artificial sakura above the shelves. Anxious toddlers in that orthodox dark blue suit attire, accompanied by their likewise darksuited parents walk down the streets to the kindergartens for their graduation ceremony.

Museums, parks and riverbanks start to fill up with students who are either on excursion trips, or having just finished school, are eager to enjoy the first weeks of their spring break. The city is bright, cheery, and hopeful Then, television programs and news run the usual recap of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami disaster, paying once again, respect to the thousands of lost beloved ones and hideously devastated towns. Do Japanese ever still think about how unimaginably different Japan was during that month of March in 2011 when cities everywhere (especially in the Kanto and Tohoku regions) were almost completely black: train stations dark and dull with some

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turnstiles not deliberately operating; exaggeratedly overlit electronic stores suddenly reduced to dim lighting and blasting music gone; food shortages continuing week by week with people lining up outside groceries from early morning to stock up food; sudden abundant supply of mineral water everywhere; every single person wearing a mask; and minute-by-minute aftershock alarms and nothing else to watch on television except for the earthquake effects and radiation updates?

I have recorded a “live feedback” of such an experience on March 20, 2011:

TOKYO: THE DARK CITY

Living in Tokyo these days, ten days since the BIG quake, is no longer like living in the energized city of East Asia. Gas stations are closed—no gasoline; some bank ATM machines are not operating; supermarkets, office buildings, department stores, electronic stores, pharmacies, train stations have turned dark and gloomy due to power conservation—less ceiling lights on, lower-powered heaters (despite the current 12 C climate)...not to mention, less commodities in shelves that go empty from day to night, each single day. Some descending escalators no longer run (only ascend-

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ing escalators) so that people can use the stairs instead when going down; 5 out of 10 turnstiles in train stations are blocked to save power; some TV screens inside trains are black; less elevators in buildings are running to save power. Some of those big flashing screens on the buildings in Shibuya have been turned off.

Akihabara has become quieter now with less pumping music and flashing neon lights. In supermarkets, maybe 4 out of 6 aisles are lit; the rest of the aisles have the ceiling lights turned off.

Our neighbors have turned off their porch lights, which we normally keep on overnight for security reasons. I arrived at the supermarket 10 minutes before it opened and there was already a long line outside stretching about 10 meters from the entrance. It is NOT TRUE that Japanese are non-panic people and non-pushing people. As soon as the doors opened, people swarmed in like ants, picking up the grocery baskets and bumping each other; some running like crazy.

The rice shelves were definitely empty. Cooked food was disappearing fast and people were just pushing around and looked like they were about to die in a minute. I have never seen this homey supermarket so packed with ants and lines in caterpillar lengthspeople hoarding toilet paper, tissue and whatnot;

disappointed faces looking at empty rice shelves...

Then, I remember commenting that despite having to live day to day out of the ordinary wherein EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING in Japan as we always know it was “perfectly” convenient, readily available, with top consumer service, suddenly we had to deduce a little bit of “zeitaku” luxury living, and learn to survive frugallyless electricity, water and gas consumption and less expenditures—“WE ARE OKAY WITH THAT”. Life goes on despite all those drastic changes and people began to realize (only then) that we need not consume more than what we actually needed.

Thus, the irony of the entire disaster was it took a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear plant explosion for Japan to realize the need for power conservation. For a country that rebuilt itself so magnificently after WWII and turned itself into one of the most efficient and convenient cities in the world, the meaning of prosperity and high living had become so ingrained into the culture. Yet, the big question then, as it is today, is to what extent do the Japanese people fully understand the consequences of such a colossal devastation and to what level of appreciation can they maintain the pattern of simple living

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Eight years not only swept by so hastily but also were quite indifferently buried deep beneath the ground.

Let’s admit it. Living frugally never seems to be a “natural” way of life for Japanese. Camouflaging all the pain and horror of that phenomenon, more luxurious and unnecessary technological systems have been adopted; more desire for the hyper and cyber modernity of living has been felt. Would the country need another equally disturbing catastrophe to resurface the more important aspects of being alive? Who would ever know….

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A Spring Journey

By Wayne Sun

“In blossom today, then scattered: Life is so like a delicate flower. How can one expect the fragrance to last forever?”

– Admiral Onishi Takijiro It has been my perennial dream to go to Japan more than any other country. And with the twist of fate, my dream came true.

With our visas quickly approved, my daughter, my mother, my twin and I started our 10-day tour of the majestic Japan in its best season – Spring.

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temple in the city. To blend in the mood, we arrived there in style. Riding a Rickshaw all the way to our first destination was definitely an experience I would not forget. For a person as heavy as me, with my daughter and elder sister, this young man single-handedly pulled our two-wheeled cart and swept the streets without breaking a sweat.

At this temple, you can witness all forms of Japanese traditions on how they pray for the manifestation of their wishes and call for good luck, health life, and good fortune. From lighting of incense candles,

Japan. Among the highlights are the polar bears, the seals, the pandas and the gorillas. It was such a treat to see a big smile on my daughter’s face as it was also her first time to visit a zoo in her whole life. And I am glad that her first was here in Japan.

My first impression of Tokyo is like a bowl of busy bees. The music of footsteps on the streets makes a local ear sense that he is home. An everyday portrait of the city would be non-stop people on the street and when you look up, there would be towering buildings and skyscrapers hovering over you. My first take on Tokyo is that it is the most expensive city in the world being the center of business in Asia and surrounded by technological advancements that are not available anywhere else.

releasing of smoke, throwing of coins and drinking of water from the well, we were definitely slowly turning Japanese.

The first place we visited was the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa.

This is the oldest temple in Tokyo. It is said to be the most famous and photographed

Since we were travelling with my daughter, our next itinerary was to the zoo. We checked out Ueno Zoological Gardens which is the oldest zoo in

Our next destination is Takeshita Street in Harajuku. This is like the fashion street of Tokyo where you can see people flaunting bright, colorful and outlandish clothes and make up. It will definitely spark your imagination and inspire you to follow their trend. There are numerous clothing stores, out of this world shops selling different kinds of merchandise and restaurants worth dining for the second time. One of our

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I did undoubtedly.

And since its spring in Tokyo, we visited one of the beautiful cherry blossom gardens also known as Sakura.

And to witness these eye popping trees we went to Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens with our brother this time. A lot of tourists go here to take pictures, have a picnic or simply read a book or rest.

As you enter this magnificent landscaped garden, it was like stepping into another world.

The whole place was like a picture in

And finally to cap off our 10-day adventure in Tokyo, would not be complete without going to the happiest place on earth - Tokyo Disneyland. We literally spent our whole day hopping from one theme ride to the next. We watched the afternoon parade as well as the evening dream light parade which showcased different Disney characters from Alice in Wonderland, the Blue Fairy, Peter Pan, Mickey Mouse and the Gang, Disney Princesses and a whole lot more. If you are a kid at heart like me, it would be one big check on your bucket list.

Aside from the wonderful and breath-taking places that we visited, what I liked about Japan are the people. They are very respectful and courteous. This is evident whenever we ride the train. When they see my 83-year old mom and 6-year old daughter, automatically people near us would immediately stand up and offer their seats. During my whole stay, I had not witnessed any traffic jams or congestion of cars unlike here in the Philippines. I didn’t have any culture shock. The only challenge was the weather since it was really cold that we have to wear triple clothing, gloves, face mask, muffler, rub lotion to the whole body and apply lip balm.

favorites were the shops selling crepes and bubble tea that are served generously with ice cream, chocolate syrup, matcha syrup and everything else that will make your taste buds sing.

Our next trip was to Shibuya. We experienced the busiest intersection in the world also known as the Scramble Crossing.

Millions of people pass from all directions at this crossing each day. This landmark has been very famous in movies, like in one of the Resident Evil sequels.

This is one of the best places to take a 360-degrees video which

Another highly recommended place from my brother is to go to the Metropolitan Government of Tokyo. It’s the 2nd tallest building in the city. He took us to the 45th floor where we can see the marvelous view of Tokyo. It was a spectacle to my eyes.

If other people would say, I left my heart in San Francisco, I would say, “I left my heart in Tokyo and I can't wait for my next encounter.” a canvas that came to life. It was an atmosphere of peace and rejuvenation that you cannot experience anywhere else.

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Indeed, a country is made of the people than the places they offer.

Sayōnara Nihon, mata aimashō. さようなら日本.。 また会いましょう。

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Remember the date..

NOVEMBER 16, 2019

NOVEMBER 16, 2019

Utawit Fukuoka on June 30, 2019 Utawit Iwate on July 07, 2019