Manay Gina: I feel liberated
Gina de Venecia had a happy birthday on Feb. 15, even if the dust from her husband Joe’s ouster as Speaker had barely settled.
“I feel- liberated and vindicated. Now, I don’t have to cover up for anybody anymore,” she told me when I greeted her on her birthday.
She tries hard not to be angry or bitter, “because that will just dilute the purity of my intentions.”
Which are?
“To really work for a government that is clean and as corrupt-free as humanly possible. In my own way, I want that to be my gift to the next generation,” said the doting grandmother. Gina’s eldest daughter Carissa Cruz- Evangelista has a baby girl.
“I am not interested in political vendetta,” claims Gina. “I believe in Divine Justice. And I am surprised at how fast it came for Joe and I.”
True friends and relatives gave her an asalto at her mother’s house on
Gina also considers as “priceless” the dinner given her by TV hosts Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda.
“I wanted it to be a quiet and private dinner, and I was really surprised that Kris and Boy wanted it in a place for all to see,” says Manay Gina.
“You know the saying. You really know who your friends are until you’re down, until you’re not in power, until you have nothing to give them but your friendship in return.”
All of us, who, at one time or another, have experienced tough times and bad weather, know exactly what Gina de Venecia means.
Angara joins Komedya Fiesta
Sen. Edgardo Angara has accepted the invita-----tion to be the hermano mayor of a cultural fiesta that seeks to bring life and sustenance to a theater form that has been performed for over three centuries.
Komedya Fiesta 2008, a cultural activity conceptualized and organized by the University of the Philippines College of Arts and Letter (CAL), celebrates the glory of the komedya, a theater form that was introduced from Spain and Mexico in the 16th century but currently plays to limited audiences in the few areas of the country that still have active komedya groups.
One of the few existing komedya groups is the Comedia de Baler, in
The Komedya Fiesta, a cultural centerpiece of the UP centennial celebration, will not only organize performances from the various komedya groups still active in the country but will also cover related activities, according to Virgilio Almario, dean of the UP CAL.
“The Komedya Fiesta 2008 will feature performances, an exhibition, an international conference and colloquium aimed at promoting a deeper understanding of Philippine cultural expressions that unite us as a people,” said Almario.
All the events will take place this month. They will be staged in the atmosphere of a traditional fiesta, according to the UP organizers.
The festival will recapture the komedya in its full glory. To complement the performances of the komedya groups, the organizers will also present balagtasan and the serenata ng banda (the marching bands’ contest), which were popular cultural fares and presentations up to the ‘60s.
There will also be magic shows and the traditional peryas with walkers, jugglers, fire eaters, higantes and mime performances.
The organizers have also invited komedya groups from
From a mother’s loving heart
I would like to share with you this reaction from Rose Espiritu, to my column on lupus patient Lisa Cojuangco-Cruz, who rose above her own pains and aches to live a full life and help others. Rose has a daughter who has lupus.
Dear Ms. Joanne,
I didn’t know why I actually cried after reading your article.
I am a 40-year-old widow of almost two years now. I have three teen-aged children and my second daughter, Adelaine Joy, 14, was also diagnosed with lupus in August 2007. It started out as fever of unknown origin, which led to more symptoms like headache, joint pains and even episodes of partial blindness in one of her eyes.
She got so anemic she needed two sessions of blood transfusion. It was such an ordeal going through a lot of laboratory tests, consultations with different doctors as they have to be sure what it really was and to rule out other possible diseases such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and even leukemia (she had to undergo the painful bone marrow aspiration).
Finally, the diagnosis was lupus. As a mother, I couldn’t bear it at first, especially that my daughter is so young. I couldn’t help but entertain some negative thoughts. It was also surprising to know that there are only two pediatric rheumatologists in our country and it’s just so lucky that I think we have a very good one attending to my daughter. But then, just like Ms. Cojuangco-Cruz’s story that she was wholeheartedly supported by her family and friends, so were we.
Of course, I was also surprised by the courage and strength of my daughter. She went through a lot of physical, mental and emotional depletion but she still came out a victor. Sliding to number 6 in academic standing as a high school sophomore in Stella Maris College, Quezon City for the first quarter of the school year, she now soared back to the top position for her year level, garnering an average of 97 percent, the highest average attained for the entire high school for the current semester. She is now also back with her usual activities, playing jazz piano, table tennis (she got gold during their recent sportsfest) and performing with her older sister Arianne Rose who plays the viola and younger brother Jerome John who plays the violin.
Yes, there is no cure yet for lupus as of this time but it can be managed and made bearable by the love, care and support of the family members, by prayers and most of all by the mercy and grace of the Almighty God. He has a reason for everything and now I understand why he led me to a nursing profession (I just graduated in April 2007 and passed the local board exam in June) from a banking career of almost 14 years.
I thank from the bottom of my heart my entire family and friends who were with me and my daughter during the most trying times in our life.
Sincerely,
Rose F. Espiritu
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(You may e-mail me at [email protected])
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