Birthday Celebration

Estanislao Fernandez
The very reserve and 'reclusive' Estanislao Fernandez celebrated his birthday (actually last 28th) on the 31st of May. Such a wonderful gathering! Pictures tell more.


...nope! he's not dancing moro-moro...he's just acknowledging the birthday greetings...




Donald, Stan, Noel and Gel

Tony, Bernie, Wilma, Noel, Ampy

...Blessing...

Ready???

...justice served!...

...actually, it's not that bad...i can still swallow...

...mahjong? ...

Ampy, Joy and Tony, Sr. Res

Bernie And Kat

...gotcha!!!,,,

...sign language?,,,
with Jay R & B & Erwin



Marisa's B and B...

...who else? ...Gel!

Jay and Kat

Joy and Tony

...just relaxing...

Kat, Renz, Erwin, Nino

Erwin, Jay R and Nino

...can I use 'left hook' instead?

'See these fists? Lethal!!!'

...your fan forever, Jamie.

Alyssa's algebraic equation lesson...Prof. Renz






Efren Lim of JBN

...nah...don' even know where 'they've all gone'...

Renz, Erwin, Nino

In this corner - Alyssa...in that corner - Jamie - before da 'big fight'


Alex
Ric, Bernie, Jay R, Tony and Rex

JT, Nino and Gel

Send-Off Luncheon Party

Send-Off Luncheon for Virgie Nadado and son Alex
On Friday, May 29, 2009, Maris and Bernie Mercado hosted a luncheon send-off for Virgie Nadado, the wife of Architect Benjie Nadado. And of course, a Pinoy gathering wouldn't be complete without the 'sing-along' - Filipinos almost always have very good singing voices. Our regulars - Sheen, Gel, Julius, Lolit, Kat, Sherwin, Ric, Bernie & Bernie, Renz, Lito, Sr. Ortencia, sr. Mary -Grace among others and new discoveries - James and Donald.
Some pictures are shown below:

Don't be fooled with the 'blazing eyes' - Kiko is as soft as a cotton wool!!!

Hosts - Bernie & Maris with Benjie and Sr. Ortencia and Sr. Eflaida at the other side

Mr. Nonito Barraquias and Con Gen. Alex Lamadrid. But did you see Sr. Eflaida in the mirror? That's magic...

Lunch Time...

Rex, Stan and Gel

John and Benjie

Sr.Res, Lolit, Sr. Ortencia, Sr. Mary Grace and Sheen

Who's next?...

Grey cells vocabulary practice

Gel, Kat, Renz, Bernie - mas pogi wari si Kat, di baga naman?...

Sr. Res ready for the next action...

Donald's voice sent Annie to sleep

Anna, Sr. Mary Grace, Virgie, John and Ampy

the Family T(h)ree - Anna, Nestor and Kay

The lilac mother and dotter teams - Ampy and Kat, Lolit and Sheen

Benjie and Angie

Sheen and Ric

Ric, Nino, Noel, Rex, Gel

Noel, Gel, Julius

Noel, Gel, Julius, and Stan

Renz, Ric, Nestor, Bernie, Jay R

Lolit and Sr. Res

Sr. Ortencia, Sr. Eflaida and Angie

Virgie, the honoree, Kay and Anna, Ampy

James, John, Stan, Lito, Sr. Mary-Grace

Stan, Lito, Sr. Mary-Grace and Tikboy (doing justice to the food)

Benjie looking for dessert?...


Donald with Tikboy intently listening...

Donald

Sheen

Gel belting out a love song...

Julius' Skin to Skin...stint

James, belting it out...
Con-Gen, Maris with Kiko and Annie

Don't be deceived - Kiko is as soft as a cotton ball!

Conejos not quick to lift the deployment ban just yet...

14 freed RP seafarers to arrive home from Nigeria
05/27/2009 | 04:28 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Fourteen of the 16 Filipino seafarers on board the hijacked MV Spirit in Nigeria would be flown back to Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The first batch of eight Filipino seafarers would arrive Wednesday evening at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) with Geranfel T. Abrillo from the Philippine Embassy in Abuja. The remaining six will arrive on Thursday.

At least two seafarers who sustained injuries after the daring rescue mission by Niger authorities have been given medical attention before their departure in Nigeria and will be further assisted upon their arrival in Manila. [See: 2 rescued Pinoy seafarers in Nigeria injured - DFA]

Despite the rescue, two more Filipino seamen remain with members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, which hijacked the MV Spirit, a chartered oil tanker, last May 13.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos, Jr. said the Philippine Government is coordinating with the Nigerian Foreign Ministry and the Nigerian State Security Services to look for the remaining two seafarers.

"We are exerting all efforts to confirm the whereabouts and condition of the two other seafarers. We have met and are coordinating with their families in Manila," he said.

The Philippines has stopped sending Filipino workers to the African country in 2007 due to kidnappings and civil unrest in the Niger delta. The ban, however, doesn’t cover seafarers passing through the important waterway in Nigeria.

Several migrant groups in Manila and even in the Nigerian capital of Abuja are lobbying for the Philippines to lift the deployment ban citing better working conditions in the oil-rich country. [See: Seafarers’ ban should be on Nigeria, not Somalia - UFS]

But Conejos is not quick to lift the deployment ban just yet.

"This recent incident where a number of Filipino seafarers were hurt in the crossfire between Nigerian security forces and Nigerian militants highlights again the dangerous situation in the Niger Delta," Conejos said. - Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMANews.TV