As President Noynoy Aquino marks his 51st birthday today, he will be getting a deluge of birthday wishes and a lot of presents, perhaps.
I asked all his sisters, all believers in the power of prayer, for their prayer for their only brother today, and they generously shared these with me (see Page F-1 of The STAR today). Ballsy Cruz said she was adding an extra rosary to her existing four, for the intention of the President. Pinky Abellada prays that her brother’s “happy moments will be enough to get him through the many lonely and challenging days.” Viel Dee, among other things, prays for P-Noy’s good health and peace of mind. Her birthday wish for P-Noy is almost a plea addressed to the Filipino people: “That more of us can commit to do our share to support his administration.”
Kris Aquino prays for her only brother’s “wise discernment.”
“And on a personal level, I pray that God and Mama Mary will bring into his existence a loving life partner,” she added.
Late last year, Ballsy also expressed the wish that the President, an eligible bachelor, be given the time and space to date and go out with friends without the public eye sharply following him. The frenzy of “presidential date-watching” seems to have waned, because the President has been seen in dinner dates with stockbroker Len Lopez. Eyewitnesses say that despite the presence of several presidential guards, the couple seemed to have a semblance of a private, normal, date.
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Kris was on a personal high over the weekend — not just because she was busy taping The Price is Right — but also because she was witness to a reaffirmation of her brother’s integrity during the induction ceremonies for the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP).
“I felt so good after my Girl Scouts induction because I had a Q&A with them about what message they’d like to send to P-Noy. Isabella, a chief Girl Scout awardee from Oriental Mindoro, said she was grateful to P-Noy for the release of P10 million needed to complete their sports complex and Olympic pool. Both are now finished.”
“They clapped when I said this was possible because P-Noy is keeping his promise na ang pera ng bayan, babalik and mapapakinabangan ng bayan dahil ang pinuno ay hindi magnanakaw. This was an impromptu sharing and it felt encouraging to know that our countrymen are feeling the tangible benefits of P-Noy’s leadership,” Kris shared.
The mother of two, who will turn 40 on Valentine’s Day, has scheduled medical missions (women’s cervical cancer immunization and children’s immunization) in three provinces — Tarlac, Leyte and Batangas — to celebrate her birthday.
She is grateful that because of her brother’s position (and her own credibility, I might add), Kris was able to tap Glaxo Smith Kline and the provincial health officers of Tarlac Gov. Vic Yap, Leyte Gov. Icot Petilla and Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto to provide this service. Kris also appreciates the donation of a friend, who owns Toy Kingdom, “so that I have birthday loot bags to share with the children.”
From the outpouring of appreciation for her mother Cory during her funeral, to the avalanche of support given her only brother during the campaign and the presidential election, Kris has seen the affection and esteem in which the Aquino family is held by millions of Filipinos. I think she is not only giving back, but also paying it forward.
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I would like to thank Fr. Catalino Arevalo, S.J. for sharing with me his homily at a private Mass last Jan. 25 marking the 78th birth anniversary of the late former President Cory Aquino at the Pink Sisters oratory on Hemady St., New Manila, Quezon City. Mrs. Aquino used to celebrate her birthday every year by starting her day with a Mass at the Pink Sisters convent.
“Surprisingly, in a way, this Mass is the first time her family has gathered (here), after her going home to Heaven that first Saturday of August 2009, and after Noy’s election. We have come, I think, to do two things: One, we want, here in her often chosen place of prayer, to give thanks to God, because of His gift to us of her person and life, and thanks to her, because of what she was and did for us all. And (two), we want to pray for President Noy and to enlist the Sisters in this convent in constant prayer, to pray for him, his co-workers in government, as they bear the almost impossible burdens our people have laid on their shoulders….
“We gather to pray for President Noy as he meets each day with his present responsibilities and burdens — maybe better said, his present challenges, his present call to genuine achievement for our people’s well being and also its demands from him for much labor and self-sacrifice.”
According to Father Arevalo, “Prayer is not an optional extra; it is wholly necessary, if our faith tells us true. It matters; it greatly matters. As Father Peyton’s saying goes, ‘Try prayer; it works.’ For Tita Cory, prayer was something she knew deeply in her own life. She believed, as few do, in its real power. Over and over she prayed, and asked others to pray. I am sure she asks us today to pray for her son.”
Father Arevalo said he often is requested to bring something up to the President. He takes note of the issues but feels, “There are enough people bringing up ‘these important and urgent things,’ these reprimands, these things-he-must-do... Some of us must have a different part to play; we must pray, convinced that prayer matters, hugely matters. Some must hold on to that as their assignment.”
So Mr. President, on your 51st birthday today, I give you not only my support but my prayers. That you will have both physical and spiritual fortitude, the will to do what is just and right, and the wisdom to know what is truly best for the transformation of the country.
As Father Arevalo stressed, prayer “matters, it greatly matters.”
(You may e-mail me at joanneraeramirez@yahoo.com)