10,000 PETs for a Bottle School

Ayala Center Cebu recently launched its Bottle School Project Collection Drive in order to build the first ever bottle school in the Visayas using 10,000 PET bottles.

PET or Polyethylene Terephthalate, is derived from oil and is formed by a polymerization reaction between an acid and an alcohol. It was first used as synthetic fiber with excellent wash and wear properties as well as a substrate for video, photographic and x-ray film. PET is widely used as a raw material for making packaging materials for consumer goods such as containers for beverages of softdrinks and bottled water.

To help in the collection drive, Ayala Center will give a free parking coupon for every two 1.5L or 2L PET bottles donated. The bottles can be dropped at the booth located at the Active Zone where the coupons can be instantly redeemed.

The PET bottles which will be collected before school opens this year, will be used to build a bottle school in Bantayan Island’s School of the Seas. - Tita Quennie

PACIENCIA. AGUANTA.

“Paciencia. Aguanta.”

“Patience. Bear it.”

This two words are one of the sayings my late grandmother, Narcisa Baybay Miel, used to tell us. Sadly, she passed away the other Friday, February 18, 2011. She was 95 years old. Thank God she reached the grand age of 90+. She really did have patience with her 9 children, 23 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. Nanay always had this trust in God all the time. Imagine, she even survived World War II while she gave birth to a son!

I will share a poem of St. Teresa of Avila with you. The title is Nada de Turbe, or Let Nothing Disturb You in English. I will share it in Latin; the English translation is written below.

NADA DE TURBE

Nada de turbe.

Nada de espante.

Todo se pasa.

Dios no se muda.

La Paciencia todo lo alcanza.

Quien a Dios tiene nada la falta.

SÓlo Dios basta.

LET NOTHING DISTURB YOU

Let nothing disturb you.

Let nothing frighten you.

Everything passes on.

God does not leave.

With patience everything is attained.

Whoever has God lacks nothing.

God alone is enough.

There you go.

I hope you will share this poem to your family and friends and keep your faith strong in God. I am very upset and sad about Nanay’s death, but as the poem says, everything passes on, so I will let the sadness through. I’m still very sure that though Nanay is already in Heaven, she will stay in her relatives’ hearts forever.

We love you, Nanay!!

Amira Axelle Arellano Miel, Age 9