INDUCTION OF NEW PPAN OFFICERS & JUNE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

JUNE 27, 2010

This date is one for the calendar of events: UNFORGETTABLE – of course I’m talking of the FIFA WORLD CUP – THE ANTICIPATED EVENT: GERMANY VS ENGLAND

But for the Pusong-Pinoy Association in Nigeria, this is also what we say ‘for a change’ – an all-female officers (2010 – 2011) will take charge of the Filipino association here in Abuja. Pictures below show the officers being congratulated after being sworn-in by the new Philippine Ambassador HE Nestor Padalhin (who together with his wife Mrs. Annie Padalhin was welcomed by most of the outgoing officers of PPAN after the Saturday mass June 26 at the Nunciature):

THE OUTGOING LEADERSHIP
The outgoing administration under the leadership of Architect Benjamin Nadado proved to be up to the task – facing the challenges head-on and producing the desired results. Perhaps the greatest challenge not only for the OFWs in Abuja but to the OFWs in Nigeria was the struggle to have the travel ban imposed by the Philippine government under Arroyo’s administration be lifted. The struggle began during Lito Nucum’s term and became a sacrificial lamb when the Philippine immigration officials refused him exit after his holidays and the derision and mockery he received from some quarters. And as he teamed with Benjie Nadado and the rest of the OFWs who really fought hard, and of course with CMA Director Ellene Sana, Atty. Karen Dumpit, POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili and Human Rights Commissioner Leila de Lima at the helm, Pusong-Pinoy overcame the hurdle.

It is worth mentioning that this struggle led also to a blessing.

The problem was mentioned to Eunice Barbara C. Novio, a feminist & activist who was then following a lead on fishermen caught on the high seas and imprisoned by Malaysian government. She then connected PPAN to CMA (Center for Migrant Advocacy) & CHR (commission on Human Rights) which then led us to the then Philippines VP Noli de Castro, former Speaker of the House (and later presidential candidate ) Manny Villar and to Sen. Benigno Aquino, Jr. (of course now the President of the Philippines). And with CMA Director’s connections led us to government agencies i.e. BI, CFA, DOLE, POEA. (The officers who were deeply involved and met with these government officials were Benjamin Nadado, Lito Nucum, Marisa Mercado, Bernie Mercado, Vangie Novio and were all along supported by Nonito & Dorothy Barraquias, John Hernandez in close communications with CMA Director & Atty. Dumpit and at the onset, Janette Alican who met CMA Director & Atty. Karen Dumpit).

In January 2010, on behalf of PPAN, Benjie, Lito & Vangie were able to meet and thanked CMA Ellene Sana, CHR Karen Dumpit and POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili. Administrator Manalili emphasized the fact that only PPAN went back to express gratitude to the help extended by them. Pusong Pinoy Association in Nigeria is now recognized by these government agencies.

In the year-long term of the outgoing administration, it is worthwhile to note that funds of PPA was used judiciously.

Projects undertaken were as follows:

1. Giving back to the host country – charity for 100 indigent families in Kuje

2. Aiding robbed Pinoys (seamen) who sought the help of the Philippine embassy

3. Aiding back-to-back Ondoy-Pepeng typhoon victims

4. Membership Fee Drive through the diligence and perseverance of the late Asst. Treasurer Ana Dador more than doubled the paid members and issuance of PPA ID which proved beneficial when getting the exit pass from POEA

5. Donations personally requested /voluntarily given from friends in Abuja & Nigeria in general to give to the bereaved family of late Ana (Asst. Treasurer of PPA), Nestor Dador (embassy staff)

6. Appreciation – token gifts to CMA Ellene Sana & co

7. Family Day celebrations with 2010 – 2011 election of officers and bingo

8. Giving back to the host country – charity for 200 indigent families in Ketti Village

9. Donations personally requested by Mr. Nadado from friends and colleagues for Santiago Margarito’s son (Jun-jun currently in St. Luke’s charity ward) to help defray the hospital bills

And the Filipinos having established a very good relationship with the Vatican Embassy are always sought for in any occasion – be it in serving , cooking, decorating, etc.

JUNE BIRTHDAY CELEBRANTS:

NESTOR DADOR, RAMON MIGUEL BARRAQUIAS, BERNABE MERCADO, NINO HERRERA, JOHN HERNANDEZ, LORENZ KENNETH MERCADO, MARIE BEBAL, LITO NUCUM, ALESSANDRA KATRINA RONQUILLO celebrated their birthdays on June 27, 2010 – a very joyous occasion indeed.

Earlier on Sunday of June 27, 2010, celebrants and some close friends gathered and celebrated together this joyous day. Maris in her playful mood even wanted to ‘chop off’ the blossoming ampalaya (ang paboritong gulay ng lahat! At paborito ring batiin at dunggulin ng lahat – ayun kaya nababansut! At paborito ring bilangin agad ang mga dahon para tig isang dahon lang ang kakainin!).

Actually the celebrations started right after the mass of Saturday June 26. Here, Tikya & Merz after eating a hefty dinner still wanted to claim ‘refugee status’ (shown here carrying buckets).

A SOUVENIR PHOTO

The outgoing officers took this souvenir photo with a past president Bernabe Mercado from whom they also ask every now and then for much-valued opinion.

GERMANY WON 4 GOALS TO 1 OF ENGLAND!!! Can aptly be named – The Trashing of the English Team!!!

GIFT-GIVING TO THE NEEDY

KETTI VILLAGE: GIFT-GIVING via the SISTERS OF JESUS THE REDEEMER IN GWARINPA SR. JOVITA & SR. GABRIELA and the MCST SISTERS

14 June, 2010, Abuja FCT Ref: ppa/bpn/140610a

Hello Mga Kapusong Pinoy,

RE: CHARITY GIVING - KETTI VILLAGE, ABUJA

Magandang araw po sa lahat. Malugod naming inaanyayahan and lahat na dumalo sa pagbibigay ng Charity Gifts, bilang pagtulong sa mga less fortunate sa ating host country na gaganapin sa:

• Date: 20 June 2010, Sunday

• Assembly time : 10:00 AM at Dantata and Sawoe Life Camp

• Departure time : 11:00 AM

• Destination: Ketti Village (Off Airport Road) about 40 minutes drive from Abuja Business District)

Ang occasion pong ito ay isa sa mga activities na kailangan nating gawin, hindi lamang sa ito ay nasasaad sa PPA Constitution and By-Laws, kundi bilang humanitarian gesture na likas sa ating mga Pilipino; matulungin, maka-Diyos, maaasahan, masayahin, atb.

Mga Kapusong Pinoy, labis-labis kaming nagpapasalamat sa inyong lahat, sa mga tulong at dasal ninyo sa tagumpay ng mga nakaraang okasyon at sana ay gawin din natin na ito ay magtagumpay. Nais naming banggitin dito ang donation na ibinigay ng mga MCST Sisters sa Apostolic Nunciature, sina Sisters Marilou, Aurea, Maria Gracia at Efflaida, na 3 bags of 50 kg parboiled rice and cash of N50,000. Ito po ay malaking bagay na dagdag sa mga recipients ng charity gift na mahigit 200 households. Hindi pa po huli sa sino mang gustong mag-ambag o mag-donate ng anumang bagay, in cash or in kind. Paki-contact lang po ang sino man sa mga Executive Council Members.

Kaya po, inaasahan naming ang inyong pagdalo at pagsuporta sa darating na Linggo, 20 June, 2010. MABUHAY!!!

Ang inyong lingkod sa ngalan ng PUSONG PINOY.

Executive Council (2009 -2010)

PUSONG PINOY ASSOCIATION

B. P. Nadado

President

Executive Council (2009-2010)

President – B. Nadado, Vice President - N. Barraquias, Secretary - G. Abrazado, Treasurer - P. Nucum Auditor - J. Hernandez, P.R.O. - S. Cayabyab, P.R.O. - R. Torres, Assistant Treasurer and Property Custodian – M. Subibe

______________________________________________________________________________

HURRAH TO THE LAST PROJECT UNDER THE OUTGOING OFFICERS OF PUSONG-PINOY ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA

KETTI VILLAGE (off Airport Road) about 40 minutes drive from Abuja Business District

The outgoing officers of Pusong-Pinoy Association of Nigeria, after the first gift-giving to a village in Kuje, FCT Abuja, Nigeria held on the 26^th of July, 2009, (where the late Mrs. Ana Dador gave so much time and effort buying and sorting out the goods and whose last birthday was celebrated that day) resolved to repeat the deed. This was done last Sunday, June 20, 2010.

The outgoing PPAN President Benjamin P. Nadado called on the community to assist in allotting the goods for distribution which outgoing Treasurer Pablo L. Nucum, true to his profession as a certified and seasoned accountant painstakingly canvassed and bought. Saturday night of June 19 (the birth of the Philippine national hero, Jose P. Rizal), after hearing the mass at the Nunciature, the OFWs who heeded the call went straight to Mr. Nucum’s house at Dantata & Sawoe Life Camp where buckets were filled with basic necessities for 200 families at Ketti Village. The gift-giving was slated for Sunday morning at 11:00.

However, Mother Nature was trying to test the resolve of this group of OFWs. As early as 7:00 in the morning, the very thick, dark clouds burst open and poured ‘cats and dogs’ which would have had everybody go back to bed. That was the first test.

The second test and the most challenging: An MB Sprinter was arranged to be sent at the meeting place and supposed to arrive at exactly 8:00 in the morning to give ample time for the loading of the goods. Minutes ticked and seemed to be actually ‘running’ and there was no sign of the vehicle. Frantic phone calls, meaning waking up the Central Stores Manager, Mr. Frank Henrich of Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company who lent the vehicle plus the driver. After 4 tries and the sleepy-voiced reply came. Oh no!!! The foreman he assigned forgot and he has to send somebody else to collect the key from his house at JBN camp, go to the Main Yard and get the Sprinter, return the key to him and report for ‘duty.’ After which seemed an endless wait, Mr. Henrich called: ‘Fifteen minutes Sprinter and another driver will be there. Sorry.’ That was music!

As if on cue, the rain abated at around 10:30 as the Sprinter arrived. The driver complained that he was even on his way to a relative’s wake when he was called to carry this assignment. Sisters Marylou and Mary Grace of the Nunciature followed. The Filipinos whose kindred spirits rose to the occasion were seen loading the buckets in the vehicles. The place bustling with activity attracted the attention in the neighbourhood. ‘Aha, aha, uhmmm, very good, well-done…’

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

True enough, with the systematic approach, the crew was ready to dispense the goods. No one has ever been to that village before. Sisters Jovita & Gabriela of the SISTERS OF JESUS THE REDEEMER (Gwarinpa) led the way closely followed by the MCST sisters from the Nunciature and the rest followed suit. From Dantata & Sawoe gate, the entourage turned left and moved on to the rough road where taxis plied and flied unmindful of the craters on the road, honking incessantly to get their way. Soon we were already at the outskirts of the city where the actual ‘long and winding road’ led to Ketti village. ‘Wonder! I never knew there is this village. This is my first time to come and actually see this!’ exclaimed the MB Sprinter Nigerian driver.

Because of the rain, there were slippery pools of muddy water. And because of the rain, the weather was cool. There were slopes and mini-dunes along the narrow roads. Scent of grasses and of food wafted as we cruised along. Every now and then, okadas or achabas with their passengers to be dropped at the church gave way to us.

After some curves and turns, we reached the village. The crew (Benjie, Lito, Nonits, John, Ric, Rex, Sherwin, Nino, Rami, and 2 Nigerian drivers) immediately off- loaded the buckets into a makeshift shanty cum classroom. ‘See this? We can still send a blackboard,’ Ampy commented as she laid eyes on the threadbare scrap from a cork board with Arithmetic lessons still on it. Right in the middle of the shanty is the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mother.

The mass has just ended. The parishioners soon trooped down to the shanty which is just a few yards away from the church. There was a pre-arrangement: a sort of ticket was issued to every family which will be presented upon collection of the bucket. The ticket issued will then be collected to avoid getting double ration. The villagers were asked to form a line with their tickets ready. The crew lined up and acted also as barricade for easy dispensing of the goods.

The shanty is just open in front where the door (and walls) should have been aside from a foot high sort of wedge. Inside were the goods and the assigned crew to put the additional items like detergent, packets of noodles and a kilo of rice which can not be mixed with other edibles already inside the bucket.

‘PASSING THE BUCKET’

Standing side by side, Benjie Nadado checks the ticket, gives back to the person who then steps towards Mercy Subibe and Nonits Barraquias who collects the bucket from Bernie ‘Tikboy’ Mercado inside with John Hernandez, Sherwin Cayabyab, Rex Lautrizo in their respective task. After this process, the person moves a little towards Ric Punzalan and Amy Pagirigan to help the old and the very young and the disabled. Maris Mercado gives the final extra packet assisted by Adora de Leon and Angie Alcaria. At the end of the line is Sr. Marylou and the ticket is finally surrendered to Sr. Mary Grace which was then put inside a plastic transparent bag.

One villager, an old man still panting and gasping for breath, came wagging his ticket – torn and worn out elicited laughter amongst us. He must have thrown this out and later searched (and found) and rushed to us to collect his ‘prize.’

The rest of the crew Ampy, Vangie, Dorothy Barraquias, Lito Nucum, Dulce Casaldon, and Janette Alican, Nino & Rami assisted the villagers and ensured that no one breaks the line to be ahead.

The gift-giving was administered as planned and coordinated with precision lasted only for an hour or so. It was so hot inside the shanty, although the weather outside was cool. We all rushed out and rested awhile under the trees while watching the villagers who still stayed in groups. The recipients were comparing the contents of their buckets. It was quite amusing knowing that every bucket has exactly the same amount of goods inside. Soon, we were all drinking cold water which the ever generous Mrs. Rosa Ilic, an Indonesian who adopted the Filipinos as her own, rushed to give us before we proceeded to the village.

TRIP BACK HOME

Whereas the trip to the village was long, the trip back seemed only a few minutes ride. We again converged to the Life Camp where Lito and Sherwin had already prepared food for lunch. Sherwin’s boiled bushels of corn, Lito’s Geisha stew and ginisang mince meat (con raisins pa!)and Otie’s fried ‘tapa ala Abuja’ … PRESTO! Food was demolished with gusto! (And because nagutom ang lahat, nobody realized that the very 'red' Geisha stew is heavily decorated with red peppers - ha ha ha anghang - while fanning the tongue!)

112th

The 112th Independence Day Celebrations
The celebration was hosted by CDA Alex V. Lamadrid.
As stated earlier, it was a toned-down event. Most of the diplomats are from the other neighbouring Asian countries. OFWs requested permissions from their respective companies to attend the event.
Photos below are some of the highlights of the event:

112th Independence Day Commemoration

The 112^th Independence Day Celebrations

June 12, 2010 marked the 112^th Philippine Independence Day. It was a low-keyed celebration compared to last year which was marked with a month-long preparation and activities.

A Holy Mass was officiated by Msgr Jean for the Filipino people held at The Nunciature at 7:30 in the morning. The mass was attended by the embassy staff led by Con-General Alex V. Lamadrid joined by some OFWs. After the Mass, the Filipinos proceeded to the Philippine Embassy to join the others who were already there. Ambassadors from some ASEAN countries attended the event.

The flag-raising ceremony was held. A short welcome address by Con-Gen Lamadrid was duly rendered followed by the customary Christian and Muslim prayers after which everybody was requested to partake in the Filipino breakfast prepared by the embassy.

Shown below: Con-Gen. Alex V. Lamadrid while welcoming the guests and the community, Doy Abrillo and Alex Emam for the prayers...