Posts tagged with Cavite

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February 16, 2010

First days of 2010 campaign

Kabataan Partylist Campaign in Cavite Kabataan Partylist Campaign in Cavite Kabataan Partylist Campaign in Cavite Kabataan Partylist Campaign in Cavite Kabataan Partylist Campaign in Cavite Kabataan Partylist Campaign in Cavite
Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite
Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite

In between spending the day at the headquarters and meeting with allied candidates, organizations and supporters, I joined some of Kabataan Partylist’s sorties this past week, the first in the official campaign period for the May 2010 national elections.

Our campaign platform for this elections is E 4 ALL: End corruption and tyranny, Education and employment, Environment and national patrimony, and Empowerment and equality.

Our campaign slogan is “Ipagpatuloy ang Magandang Simula,” which is a call to continue advancing the rights and welfare of the youth in Philippine Congress through the representation of Kabataan Partylist. We are proud of what we have accomplished the brief six months we were seated in the House of Representatives and we look forward to continuing our work, with two more Representatives next Congress. We may not have had constructed classrooms nor bridges like other congressmen, because as members of the opposition we are not being given our proper fund allocations, but we have filed countless bills and resolutions aimed at promoting the welfare of the youth, and successfully pushed for various campaigns including the extension of the voters registration and and the suspension of the implementation of various “no permit, no exam” policies in colleges and universities nationwide.

Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila)
Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila) Kabataan Partylist 1st Day of Campaign (Manila)

On our first day, we held a motorcade around Manila, starting off at Liwasang Bonifacio, onto Taft, then Espana, Morayta, and Recto through some of Manila’s major universities, distributing campaign flyers to and speaking with students and residents of nearby communities. We also passed through Sampaloc on our way back to Quezon City. Our local chapters in other parts of the country also made their own campaign kick-off activities. Our Quezon City chapter held their own motorcade in the metro’s largest city. In Baguio City, members held “˜Kabataan Fest’ at the Malcolm Square. Meanwhile, Kabataan Partylist in Panay released doves and balloons while Southern Tagalog, Negros, and Davao City chapters held grand caravans to declare the youth’s intent to continue its service to the people.

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August 2, 2009

Lolo Roming (1925-2009)

Last week, my last surviving grandparent also succumbed to his failing health. He’d been confined for almost a month at the intensive care unit of a hospital in Manila and since then been bedridden in his home for weeks. He died on the evening of July 22.

That weekend, after my last class on Saturday afternoon, I drove to our upland southern Cavite hometown of Amadeo (by myself, for the first time), with my cousin, to join the rest of the extended family at the wake and interment of Lolo Roming.

I was, to be honest, never really that close to my grandfather. I would always remember him as a stiff person who doesn’t talk much. Though, at the same time, I don’t know any other man who is as sentimental and who cries as much as him. A peculiar mix of characteristics, I think. In his last years, he would often cry on the spot upon seeing relatives visiting him or cry even in the middle of conversations among his children.

He was, for around a dozen years, an elementary school teacher in Tagaytay. He is largely remembered by many, however, as Col. Villanueva, Tagaytay’s Chief of Police for almost three decades. (It escapes me how one becomes a chief of police straight from being an elementary school teacher, I still have to ask my elder relatives). One time we were buying fruits from among the elder fruit vendors in Tagaytay, and it was quite amusing how the women suddenly remarked how my father looked like hepe, for indeed he was Col. Villanueva’s son.

Despite the heavy rains that day, the ceremony continued with the family, relatives and townspeople finally walking the casket to the town cemetery in the afternoon.

On the picture above is my father, myself, and my grandfather, during my first birthday.

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June 12, 2009

Random family notes, again

Santa Cruzan at Amadeo, Cavite Santa Cruzan at Amadeo, Cavite Santa Cruzan at Amadeo, Cavite Santa Cruzan at Amadeo, Cavite Santa Cruzan at Amadeo, Cavite Santa Cruzan at Amadeo, Cavite

Tisay will begin her post-daycare schooling this week as a nursery student at some private school a few minutes from home. I’ve been doing errands for my mom with regard to her enrollment, so I’ve been to her new school a number of times the past week. It’s amusing how some of the people at her school mistook me as her father, that day I took her and bought the prescribed school uniforms. This time, she’d be taking the school bus, so there’d be no need for me to bring her and fetch her from school, as I used to do over the summer, when she was attending daycare school in UP.

A few weekends ago, we went to Amadeo for the Santa Cruzan. We had lunch at the residence of the presidente of the youth council of sorts in the community, organizing the festivities, who happens to be a second cousin also. It was the first time Tisay donned a gown for the parade. Too bad the dress made her itchy all over so she backed out from the parade the last minute. It’s hilarious how young girls are so excited over dressing up and parading, I don’t get it.

A weekend ago, the family went out for lunch together at the mall. It’s been a while since we did that. There are those rare times when we’re not all busy with our own preoccupations.

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May 24, 2009

Some random family notes

Yesterday, I went with my family to Tagaytay to pay my paternal grandfather a visit at the hospital. He’s actually been at the ICU for around two weeks here in Manila, and for that span of time my parents have been visiting him almost every day. The doctors and the family decided to have him discharged from the private Manila hospital, after the hospital bills reached the seventh digit. For quite some time already, his children–my dad and his siblings–among with other relatives have been talking about how his health has been failing terribly the past months and about his possible demise anytime soon. They’ve also made plans, apparently, for his funeral.

Despite everyone’s expectations, however, and quite fortunately enough, he’s still alive. I never really grew close to my grandfather at all, but I’m glad he’s still here. These past weeks we’ve been having unofficial family reunions almost every week.

On other family matters, my days of bringing my sister Tisay to school early in the morning and picking her up at lunch time are temporarily over. I used to enjoy doing it, but during the past few days it felt like quite a chore. One morning, I brought her to school too early so she didn’t want to go in. Though the school’s doors were open, she insisted on staying out and waiting for her classmates. Because I grew quite impatient, I told her I have to leave and if she wanted to wait for her classmates before going in, she could wait without me. Before I stepped into the car, I saw her crying silently and alone in the bench. It wasn’t the usual bratty-type of crying I quite detest of a brat, but the silent and genuine type that just crushed my heart. It was too cute, and too heart-breaking, I decided to walk back to her and stay. Bought her a happy meal after picking her up.

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November 5, 2008

Block lunch at Tagaytay

Some of my blockmates and I wanted to make most out of the last few days of the sembreak before the second semester starts so we decided to plan a trip to Enchanted Kingdom in Sta. Rosa, Laguna yesterday, November 4. Unfortunately, we did not foresee that the theme park was closed from Mondays to Wednesdays. We did not allow it to defeat our objective for the day, however. We spontaneously decided to drive to Tagaytay and then back to Manila to spend the rest of the night at Star City. It turned out to be a great spontaneous plan, definitely satisfying.

We left Diliman just before noon and arrived at Tagaytay around half-past one. On the way to Tagaytay, just to complete our frustration with Enchanted Kingdom, we had to pass by the place to really see for ourselves that it was indeed closed for the day. Anyway, when we got to Tagaytay, some of my blockmates were looking for bulalo, so for lunch we settled at this bulalo restaurant along the highway with a great view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.

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November 4, 2008

Less time at the cemeteries

We went to Amadeo, Cavite for our departed paternal grandparents and other relatives last October 31, then to Sta. Maria, Bulacan for our maternal ones last November 1. We didn’t do much at the cemetery. It would seem to me that we’ve been spending less time at the cemeteries the past few years. It’s not like the way it used to when aunts, cousins and relatives from all over spend an entire afternoon together at the family mausoleums for Undas.

The atmosphere around the cemetery, especially in Sta. Maria, is as festive as usual. Undas always feels like one big fiesta at the cemeteries, with food stalls and marching bands roving around playing religious fares.

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August 10, 2008

Nurture Spa Tagaytay

A short trip to and a massage at Nurture Spa in Tagaytay was just what I needed in the midst of all the stressful activities I’ve been getting myself into. A satisfying lunch of leafy salad and tandoori chicken was just perfect to cap it off before heading back to Diliman for a student council meeting.

I’m not a spa person. Regular trips to a decent spa is not something ordinary students like me could afford. But this was a treat, and I couldn’t pass it off.

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