Our struggle to keep our faith

Our special guest for tonight's show on Straight from the Sky, we have with us his Excellency Ambassador Peter Sutherland, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines, who was a guest of our show last Feb.16, 2004. Amb. Sutherland has been coming in and out of Cebu six times since he took his post last year, which shows that he has his heart set for better relations with Canada and the rest of the Philippines because clearly, he is not concentrating his efforts in Metro Manila alone.

The Canadian ambassador was in Cebu last week to celebrate Canada Days 2005 where the Canadian International Development Agency in partnership with UNICEF launched its 6th Country Program for Children in a signing ceremony between UNICEF and five provinces and the City of Cebu. He also graced the opening of the Conference on Protecting and Caring for Our Children at the Cebu Grand Hotel.

If that's not enough, Canada wants to help educate our people on the pros and cons of a Federal System. So the Embassy of Canada, together with the University of San Carlos, will hold a public forum on the structure, processes, and dynamics of the parliamentary and federal forms of government, using the Canadian system as a model. It is entitled "Prospects for Federalism: The Canadian Context" which will be held this Friday on Aug. 12, 2005, 9 a.m. at the USC Main Campus.

Speakers from Canada include Dr. J. Peter Meekison and Dr. Rupak Chattopadhyay, both experts from the Forum of Federations who will discuss separately such significant topics as Canadian parliamentary and federal history, the institutions of government such as the House of Commons, the electoral system, the legislative process, the division of powers, equalization between provinces, and resolution of conflicts between provincial and federal powers. They will also discuss ethical issues such as accountability and the commitments of representation.

So watch his Excellency Amb. Peter Sutherland tonight on SkyCable's channel 15 at 8:00 p.m. Replays on Wednesday and Saturday same time.

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While we're on the topic of celebrating Canada Days last week, I promised my friends that what happened last Thursday evening during the cocktails sponsored by the Canadian Embassy would find space in this column. Yes, as Canadian Amb. Peter Sutherland was making his speech; the people in front were much annoyed by the noise done by the guests who were already eating their oysters at the back of the ballroom because even up close, we could hardly hear the Canadian Ambassador.

I was glad that when the time came for Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia to speak, she started acknowledging the important guests, but the ruckus at the back went on. Sensing that not everyone would hear her speech, she proceeded also to greet "the people in the back" to get their attention. But they ignored that and went on chattering noisily... until Gov. Gwen raised her voice...to get the attention of the people at the back and only then did they stop their chatter and kept quiet.

Good breeding or common decency and courtesy dictate that when the host is speaking, we ought to stop what we're doing and listen intently to our host. More so in that particular instance because the host is the Canadian ambassador, who represents the people of Canada. I asked my dear friend, Spanish Consul Jaime Picornell about the rude behavior of people during such formal activities and he assured me that this does not only happen in Cebu, but it also happens in many formal functions in Manila.

Well, I daresay that the Cebuano glitterati ought to think twice when he gets an invitation to a diplomatic gathering and perhaps we ought to learn more on how to observe proper decorum in such functions. Jaime Picornell suggested though that canapés or snacks should be served after the host makes the speech. But while this is a good idea, it merely covers our lack of etiquette. I would rather remind our friends in this corner hopefully that the next time, they wouldn't be embarrassed.

I salute Gov. Gwen Garcia not only for a the successful observance of the 436th founding Anniversary of Cebu Province, but also for going out of her way to teach our friends how to conduct themselves in those stiff, but never boring diplomatic gatherings. This is what leadership is all about!

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Kudos to Arnel Tancinco of the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management for responding positively to our article about the presence of the Verandah Bar along Juana Osmeña Ext. Last weekend, the cars of their customers were lined up only on one side, thus allowing nearby residents to pass freely without disturbance. I hope those drivers realized the danger they have posed to the people living nearby. Let's see if this attitude will last.

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila's columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com