A thing of beauty and a joy forever!

The delegates of Signis/Asia, when they came to the Philippines, were touched by the hospitality of the people, by their gentleness, by their courtesy, and by their genuine kindness. And they were deeply impressed by the artistic talent of the Filipinos.

For instance, on the evening of Sunday, September 15, their host was Saint Paul College of Quezon City. The whole event was managed, including the expenses for it, by an alumna of the school, Pilar Fargas Gaspar. The colegialas who were studying Hotel and Restaurant Management cooked the food, decorated their beautiful dining hall, arranged the tables with artistic finesse, and welcomed their guests at the door, personally. The delegates, from our different continents, admired the quality of the dinner, and the beauty of the preparations, but they were overwhelmed by the warmth, and by the gentle reverence of the girls who served them. One foreigner who has seen all the world, said, quietly: "These girls are ladies!"

The entertainment of the evening was presented in the new theater of the college. The school already has a large auditorium which seats 2,000. This is equipped with a stage, theatrical lights, sound, a frond curtain and a cyclorama, wings, teasers and battens, but it is also used as a gymnasium.

The new theater is worthy of Broadway. It is exactly Broadway size – sitting 603. It has boxes, like the classical theaters of Europe, which gives it a beautiful Old World look. Every seat is wide and comfortable, with a clean, clear view. The architect, Bobby Cericos, has encased the theater with three walls, so that – even with a wild storm raging outside, or high school girls screaming and pounding drums, or trucks roaring down Aurora Boulevard, or the Light Rail Transit rolling by – not a whisper of sound seeps into the theater. The actors whisper on the stage, and are heard, every syllable, in the farthest corner.

The delegates of Signis/Asia watched two groups of ballet dancers: Philippine Ballet Theater and the Shirley Halili-Cruz School of Ballet. Both companies are in honor all over the world. Philippine Ballet Theater is one of the two companies, all over the world, entrusted by the Balanchine Foundation of America to include in its repertoire six masterpieces of George Balanchine, the greatest choreographer of ballet in the Twentieth Century. And they presented one of his modern and advanced creations: "Who Cares?"

Balanchine was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1904. He came to the United Stats at the age of 29, where he founded the New York City Ballet, the leading dance group in the United States, and one of the greatest in the world. His choreography is fast, beautiful, and incredibly precise. The keynote of his style – what makes it stand out – is precision. Watching it, you get the impression that the dancers are reacting to every 32nd note.

"Who Cares" is done to popular American songs, known to almost everyone in America, which have become semi-classical.

The dancers swept onto the stage, and off it, swiftly, beautifully. The choreography was extremely difficult, amazing in its speed – but our dancers, both boys and girls, did it effortlessly; every motion sharp, clean, and they were enjoying every moment.

The broadcasters watched, breathless. They knew that the Filipinos were the best folk dancers in the world, but they did not expect this complete mastery of ballet. Handling our boys and girls were three veteran Filipino dancers and teachers: Inday Gaston Mañosa, Tita Radaic, and Gener Caringal.

The choreography of Balanchine is American, built on the ancient classical tradition of Russia, but the choreography of the second group was purely Filipina. The Shirley Halili-Cruz School of Ballet was recently awarded as the Most Outstanding Ballet School in Asia. Shirley herself was named as the Most Outstanding Filipina of the World in Arts and Culture. The group represented the Philippines in Australia and Singapore. They won first place in every event they entered, coming home with 62 awards out of 80 that were offered.

Their number for the broadcasters was called. "The Filipina." They portrayed the Filipina of Luzon, of the Visayas, and of Mindanao. All the dancers were high school and college girls, from Poveda, Miriam, Holy Spirit, Saint Theresa’s, Siena, Saint Mary’s and Saint Paul’s. The Asians, watching, were very much at home with it. One of the foreigners, from outside of Asia, as he was leaving the theater, said: "These girls are not only world-class. When they compete with the rest of the world, they win!"

Going back in the bus to the Orchid Garden Suites, where all of them were billeted, one of the delegates said to Cherry Castro-Aquino, our "house mother": "I like the place you found for us. It’s like a home. It’s beautiful, and immaculately clean. It’s comfortable, and the service is excellent. It has dignity, without being lavish. But what I like most is the way the attendants smile!"

That is the charm of the Philippines. Personally, I am convinced that it is rooted in our faith, and in our music. The heart of our religion is love – Love Thy Neighbor – and that makes us courteous, generous, kind. It gives us peace of soul. Our music wells up from that inner peace. We laugh, and sing, and dance. God has given us the joy of living.

Our Lord said to Martha, about Mary, who was sitting at his feet. "Mary has chosen the better part. It shall not be taken away from her." We sit in poverty, in humility, at the feet of God. The West has money, and machines, and comfort. But we are rich in the treasures of the spirit – in love and life. God has given us the better part. It shall not be taken away from us.