ANG mga bata sa Pilipinas ay malapit sa kanilang ina kaysa kanilang ama. Natatandaan ko pa noong ako ay bata pa at hanggang sa ako ay lumaki at nagkaedad na, ang aking ina ang hingahan ko ng aking mga sama ng loob at takbuhan ng pagkalinga. Sa Pilipinas, ang ama ang pinuno ng pamilya. Siya ang simbolo ng katatagan ng kalooban. Bagama’t hindi man niya pinakikita sa panlabas na anyo, nasa puso ng bawat ama ang pagmamahal sa mga anak na handa niyang ipagtanggol sa anumang bagay na maglalagay sa kanila sa kapahamakan.

Hindi ko matandaan kung ipinagdiriwang ang Father’s Day sa Pilipinas. Maliit pa ako nang yumao ang aking ama kaya’t hindi namin naging kagawiang magdiwang ng Father’s Day. Anyway, if we now celebrate Father’s Day in the Philippines, it is because the fathers deserve as much love as our mothers. They’ve made personal sacrifices in order to provide for their family. As former Governor Mario Cuomo of New York puts it, “I watched a small man with thick calluses on both hands work fifteen and sixteen hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example.”

Father’s Day History

It was Sonora Dodd of Washington who had the idea to celebrate fathers on their own special day. She thought of the idea while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909.

Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his five other children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington State.

After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices. To Sonora, his father is a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of national Father’s Day. In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.

Other June celebrations

June is the dream of a lot of couples to tie the knot. It is a celebration of a couple’s dream to be called “husband and wife.”

The month of June is named after the Roman goddess, Juno, wife of Jupiter. As Juno is the guardian goddess of marriage life, there is a legend that couples who get married in June will have a married life blessed with happiness.

Joselyn Montemayor of Seattle, Washington got her wish to be a June bride. She is going to be married to Donald Barker on June 9, 2007. The wedding ceremony and reception will be held at the Tukwila Community Club starting at 4:00 p.m. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and wife, Sharon, will be one of the many wedding sponsors of Donald and Joselyn.

On June 9, Donald and Joselyn will promise to stay by each side, in sickness and in health, in joy and sorrow, as well as through the good times and bad times. Both will promise to love each other without reservation, honor and respect each other, comfort and support each other every day, laugh and cry, and grow with each other in mind and spirit. Congratulations and best wishes, Donald and Joselyn!

The Return of the Greatest Hitmakers

My friend Odina Maningas announced the return of the Greatest Hitmakers in Las Vegas. Rico J. Puno, Hajji Alejandro, Nonoy Zuñiga, and Rey Valera will be appearing at the Pechanga Resort and Casino on June 1, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. I am sure it’s going to be another hit show.

From last Vegas, the Hitmakers will have another concert at the Benson High Auditorium on 546 NE 12th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232. General admission is $35.00, Reserved at $35 and VIP at $100.00. For tickets and other inquiries, contact Evelyn Estibar at 503.481.7368, Edel Verzosa at 360.281.1209, Gina Braganza at 971.2275989 or Margaret Suplido at 503.453.0826. You may also email Evelyn at evelynestibar@yahoo.com.

It was December 2005 when the Hitmakers came to Seattle. It was a great show. As I previously reported, the group maintained the crispness of their vocals, staged a fully entertaining ensemble show, and provided craftsmanship that delighted everyone. They delivered heart-warming favorites, and lavished their show with scatological humor from start to finish.

As usual, Rico J. was the best of the best. He lived up to his title as the “Total Entertainer.” He dropped non-stop puns at the pace even as he belted out songs with his untarnished singing prowess. Rico would go down the stage and mingle and cavort with the amused crowd, stinging them with his naughty fun-filled antics.

When I celebrated my birthday party in Manila, Rico was my program host along with Marita Zobel and Matt Ranillo. Rico did not spare me and Arnell Ignacio with his jokes. Magkamukha raw kami ng buhok ni Arnel. But of course, si Arnel yata ang nag-ayos ng buhok ko during my party.

Whenever I am in Manila, I make sure I visit Rico J’s bistro, Coriks. It’s a fun place for gimmicks. From time to time, I would see Marco Sison and Hajji Alejandro at Coriks. They would oblige the request of the guests for them to sing. Ang masasabi ko kabayan, walang bahid ng kayabangan ang grupong ito. They are humble and friendly not only to me but to all Coriks customers.

Gary Valenciano Concert in Bakersfield

To launch the Gary V World Tour 2007, Gary Valenciano will be in concert at Rabobank Theater in Bakersfield on June 3 at 5:00 p.m. With him will be his son, Gabriel Valenciano and Jason Zamora of the Manoeuvers. Also participating in the show is Timmy Pavino of Seattle, Jonathan Bangloy (winner of Gary V. sound-alike contest in California), Harold Spiva, composer/musical arranger, and Charissa Vicente, composer/singer/model.

Tickets are now on sale at ticketmaster.com and all the Ticketmaster outlets and at the Rabobank Theater Box office. The concert is another production of Pavison Worldwide Enterprises, in partnership with JVI International. For inquiries, email info@pavision.com or jvi.international@yahoo.com or call PAVISON (425) 823-5554 or JVI (661) 204-6935.

Last Call for UPAAA “ Top 2007 Alumni” Search

The deadline for submitting nominations for the “Top 2007 UP Alumni” is June 15, 2007. Decisions will be made by July 15, 2007. The nominees must be graduates of the University of the Philippines and residents of the United States. Awardees must be registered at the convention and must be present to receive the award during the Gala Night on September 2, 2007. For nomination forms and guidelines, please write to Luz Sapin Micabalo at 10705 Back Plains Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89134, tel. (702) 360-4148, email: Lmicable@yahoo.com, or to Sid Dela Cruz at 8080 Dark Hollow Place, Las Vegas, Nevada 89117, tel. (702) 256-3301, email: siddelacruz@yahoo.com.

Miss Fil-Am of Western Washington

My friend Tonton Remoroza and I drove to Bremerton, Washington to watch the 2007 Miss Filipino-American of Western Washington last May 26. We also took the ferry to make the trip more relaxing and entertaining. We arrived at the Admiral Theater just in time for the final phase of the pageant. All the contestants were beautiful and talented. They all deserved to be a winner but unfortunately only one of them could be crowned Miss Fil-Am of Western Washington.

Michelle Lynn Dubrall bagged the title, with her court of honor made up of Aara Saldana, Brianna Badili, Justine Lopez, Riza Ugalino, Imarie Castillo, and Mary Catherine Brazier.

Lynn, 17, was beaming with happiness when I talked to her after the coronation. A third year high school student at Bremerton Community School, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine at the University of Washington after graduation. Lyn is the daughter of Michael Dubrall and Lina Macasil. Her mother Lina comes from the Visayas.

Fil-Am Gospel Light Baptist Church

Last Sunday, I attended the service of the Filipino-American Gospel Light Baptist Church in Kent, Washington. It was not simply an ordinary service but an event that commemorated the founding of the Fil-Am Gospel Light Baptist Church three years ago.

The morning and afternoon service celebrants were Pastor John Stima of Monroe Baptist Church and Pastor Doug Hammond of Timberland Baptist Church, respectively. The Sunday school children, the church ladies, and the Nava father and son team, prepared special numbers. It’s too bad I had a hard time telling twins Adrian and Andrew Nava apart. Both are very musically talented. They can sing as well as play the piano and the guitar.

As part of the celebration, there was a huge buffet lunch for everybody. Although I am only new in the church, I could feel the Christian love radiate from the members to the guests who attended the service.
Church founder Pastor Frederick Garcia and family who were in the Philippines for a church mission, spoke from seven thousand miles away. “We celebrate this occasion to thank our Lord for establishing this church and for His many blessings.”

By the way, Pastor Garcia’s son, Jaret, recently graduated at the top of his class in a Kent high school. Because Jaret could not be present during the school’s commencement exercises, he sent a DVD of his valedictory address.

The Garcias are expected to be back in Washington this June.