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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
LGUs
Local Gov’t Units ETERNAL FLAME.
By Honor B. Cabie
H
ALLOWEEN in the Catholic areas of this Southeast Asian archipelago, its marked variations despite, is among the country’s ageold religious traditions that date back to the 16th century. In Metro Manila and nearby provinces, residents refer to the celebration as the “undas,” or “araw ng mga patay” called by those in Central Visayas as “kalag-kalag,” or “piesta dagiti natay” among Ilocanos, who also have “semana ti ar-aria” for the weeklong bash to All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. In the Christian areas of the Philippines, Halloween can be said to be actually more of an observance than a “celebration” or a day to remember the dead. During the Halloween season, Filipinos go to the cemeteries to visit their dead, clean their tombstones, sometimes repaint them, light candles, and offer flowers and prayers for the dead. In the runup to the two days, by law non-working regular holidays in this predominantly Christian country that received the Cross in 1521, people who hack out a living in the metropolis but have their roots in the provinces begin a tension-filled exodus back to the countryside—by buses for northerners and boats and aircraft for southerners. It is an annual trek that has become a solemn affair when the living visit the graves of their departed dead in public or manicured private memorial parks. Halloween in these parts is marked differently by the communities—one tradition in a Central Luzon town being the kin of the dead gathering in the graveyard on All Saints’ Day for some prayers, feasting, and merry-making. Most often, masses are offered in the graveyards where the priest, beyond the request of a grieving kin nearby, also prays for those who have been forgotten, their resting places abandoned for years. Some kibitzers have seen whole families camping in cemeteries and sometimes even spending the whole night or two near their dead relative’s tomb. During this time, card games are played, ghost stories are told, and there are eating, drinking, singing,
Victims of the 2013 Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ rest in a common grave in a memorial garden in Barangay San Joaquin in Palo, Leyte. Mel Caspe
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Undas: A feast of filial love and merriment in commemoration of the departed loved ones. The occasion is more like a family reunion or banquet or family picnic. Halloween also coincides with the day, often on October 31, when relatives clean up the tombstones and graves— repainting the stones or uprooting covering wayward grass, including the “cadena de amor” which is a familiar sight in Philippine cemeteries. Some in Cebu, like Mary Jane and her siblings and their father, will go to Tindog on the northern side of the island prov-
ince to visit the grave of their mother for prayers before they drive back to Minglanilla town south of the capital city for additional prayers at home. But in some areas of Negros Oriental, orphaned relatives visit the graves of their dead kin for an overnight stay— on shifts—at the cemetery for what they call the “kalag-kalag,” which is also practiced in Negros Occidental, as the family of Jeanie in Sagay City does. In some towns in Ilocos Norte, the “piesta dagiti natay”—literally feast of the dead—is marked by nine masses
Hallowing the most basic instincts THE Erehwon Center for the Arts is hosting an art exhibit on the theme “Unleash the Beast Within” featuring the works of 33 painters from October 1529, painter Rodrigo Aniag announced. Many of the participating artists are members of the Freedom Art Society that held its first plein air/onthe-spot painting session with Rafael Maniago, a California-based, multiawarded, internationally acclaimed Pinoy artist/educator, at the La Mesa Eco Park in Fairview, Quezon City on October 8. The society is a coalition of several local Philippine Art Groups that envision a community of self-reliant, empowered, and world-class Filipino artists to help bring about a more culturally and artistically appreciative and socially aware nation, painter Jesse Esplana said. It was launched at the 1st Freedom Art Society Artists’ Conference at the Marabella Palace Resort, Antipolo City on July 18 and joined by artists, other art groups, respected individuals in the arts, legal, business and publication scenes, Esplana added. Guest lecturers gave seminars on The Legal Side of Art, The Business of Art, Philippine Art Trends and Compe-
SKYSCAPE. A groufie at La Mesa Eco Park titions and On Preparing and Preserving Art For the Future. An on-the-spot painting with 10 Artworks of the Day winners was also held, and a mini-exhibit, art exchanges and medical supplies distribution with the help of the Bakusi Foundation. FIlipino artists and artist groups united again at the 1st FAS group exhibit in September at the Conspiracy
Garden Bar in Visayas Avenue with its partners and fellow art groups like 4S, Artipolo, Artistree, Philippine Pastel Artists, International Watercolor Society, Let’s Paint, Munting Sining, Sining Obando, FilArts, Central Bank Artists’ Group, Buenas Artes Art Group. For more information, please visit the Freedom Art Society page on Facebook. Edgardo S. Tugade
at home or masses arranged to be celebrated in churches, either Aglipayan or Catholic, with the ninth culminating on All Saints’ Day. The practice is replicated in many towns in Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya, especially in the Ilocanospeaking towns of these provinces of the Cagayan Valley, which lie on the western side of the Sierra Madre. In the Visayas, as in some towns in Negros Oriental, some distinct Halloween customs and beliefs are observed, including the burning of candles on the
‘Bossing’ serves only Chooks-to-Go roasters VETERAN actor and TV show host, “Bossing” Vic Sotto has always chosen to endorse to his small-screen viewers and moviegoers products that are affordable but whose quality he has personally tested. Thus, Sotto agreed to lead Chooksto-Go’s “Hindi ka Nag-Uuwi ng Ulam Na Basta-basta Lang” campaign” to bring ready-to-go, oven-roasted chicken to more families. “When you bring home food to replace home-cooked meals, it has to be something really special for the family. That’s important because the family expects more than the usual take-out fare,” he said. “When the family wants chicken, Chooks-to-Go is the number one choice. It’s juicy, delicious from the skin to the meat, and most of all good even without sauce. That levels up your lunch or dinner.” Sotto admires hardworking moms
Small farmers eye Asean free trade A PROGRAM of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture aims to usher small Filipino food producers in rural areas into market integration and enable them to take advantage of ”borderless trade” in the Association of South East Asian Nations. While Singapore and Thailand take advantage of the more liberalized
Asean free trade, the Philippines’ poorer agricultural producers still have to learn to exploit trade tariff eliminations. The Asean Merchandise Trade Statistics Database indicated that as of June 2016, Philippine intra-Asean exports stood at $8.536 billion, or only 14.6 percent of intra-Asean exports. However, its intra- Asean imports to-
taled $17.063 billion, a higher 24.3 percent of intra-Asean imports. The Philippines had a share of 19.9 percent or $25.6 billion in intra-Asean trade in the same period. Those that enjoyed higher export from intraAsean trade were Lao, 71.2 percent; Malaysia, 28.1 percent; Myanmar, 37.5 percent; Singapore, 32.3 percent; and Thailand, 28.9 percent.
family altar from 6 p.m. shortly before Angelus until past 8 p.m. when the Church bells ring. Observers say this is done to welcome the souls of the dead who, given the folk belief, are free to roam about on Halloween night. Some say a quick look at the altar and the number of lit candles there can give the impression how many have passed on from the family. The nine days of prayer for the departed souls in the Ilocos and the Cagayan Valley are believed to help the souls in Purgatory gain “a seat in heaven and a sight of the Lord.” The nine days of prayer, which end with some food feast and merrymaking, are believed by some Catholics and Aglipayans to bring back to life reunions with those who have answered God’s summons. The dead at this time are believed to be visiting their surviving relatives in their ancestral homes—but many say that in fact the living are the ones who enjoy the food festival. While the practices may differ, they point to one axiom: belief in the afterlife.
Sotto
who whip up delicious food for their broods. “That’s why for the times when they can’t cook and kids want delicious food, just pass by Chooks-to Go, and you’re good to go!” Chooks-to-Go’s oven-roasted chicken goodness brings a fresh and savory white-meat fix to Filipino households. “Personally, I didn’t think twice about promoting this product because Chooks-to-Go is also my wife Pauline’s favorite,” Sotto admitted. “It’s the taster’s choice that gives value for money.” “We are very excited to have Vic as our endorser because he really believes in the products he promotes,” said BAVI president Ronald Ricaforte Mascariñas. “With Chooks-to-Go and Bossing together, we have a great opportunity to support hardworking moms with a go-to take-home ulam of choice that’s affordable, healthy, and delicious.”