Ari Ning Parnaso's Arrival

It's too bad I had to miss Blood - The Last Vampire but I did get to watch G.I. Joe which is a pretty good "guy movie".

It's 12:56 am right now Sunday night or Monday morning rather but I figured I'd better start blogging or it'll get overwhelming again trying to keep up on my updates.

Wednesday 8-19-09
Pat, Donna's school mate has been saying that for the longest time one of their friends intended to take them to the Monasterio de Tarlac. And she has not. So, we thought since Donna and I have been there several times taking friends, we might as well take Pat and the rest of the Guagua gang.


Friday 8-21-09
It's a day that we have been looking forward to, the day the new Ari ning Parnaso arrives at Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA). Around 8 pm, I went to Dolores to pick up Cong Paing and Cong Naring. Romy wasn't ready so we went and drove to Greenfields and waited for him. Once he arrived, we proceeded to Clark DMIA. Since there was only one Asiana flight coming, there weren't too many waiting when we arrived, added to the fact that we got there about an hour early. His flight was supposed to land at 11:45 and he got out of the terminal just a few minutes after.


Saturday 8-22-09
I took the King to Holy Angel University (HAU) for him to meet and greet the Center for Kapampangan Studies (CKS) staff. Myra gave him his itinerary and he settled some business with her.


Afterwards I took him to SM mall in San Fernando to buy a SIM card for his cell phone and to check out some Barongs. That was around noon so we had some lunch at Max's.

The Sunday before, I was approached by someone from St. Paul right after the mass to do the offering at the next Saturday 6 pm mass so we took the King with us to church and right afterwards I took him to the new local radio station DWBL 91.9 Bright FM for the 8-9 show Parnasong Capampangan. The new Prinsipi ning Parnaso Romy Rodriguez hosted it while PL Rafael Maniago, Poet Naring Maniago and the King himself read some authentic Capampangan poetry. Sorry, can't shoot any videos, I was playing the guitar.

Soaking up Some Culture

August is Buwan ng Wika here in the Philippines. Last year the Pampanga Sandigang Panlalawigan (SP), similar to state senate in the US, created the Pampanga Language Council and enacted the last Friday of August as Aldo ning Capampangan (Pampanga Day). Our Capampangan language advocacy internet group ANASI is represented in the PLC by Romy Rodriguez, the new Prinsipi Ning Parnaso and a JASHS Class '70 alum to boot. The provincial along with the city (San Fernando) governments, assisted by the PLC are organizing several cultural and language activities and events culminating on August 28. Last Thursday there were a series of lectures on the heritage of Pampanga.

"O't cucutnan yu cu uling mag Capampangan cu? Atiu cu Pampanga ale? So normal mu na mangapampangan cu. Ing e normal deng Capampangan atiu Pampanga na mag Tagalug!" Jean Christophe Gaillard, Capampangan speaking French Geographer during the question and answer portion of his lecture "Mt. Pinatubo vs. Capampangan Heritage", August 13, 2009 Heroes Hall, City of San Fernando.

Literally translated, "Why do you ask me how/why I speak Capampangan. We're in Pampanga aren't we? So isn't it normal for me to speak Capampangan. What is abnormal is to hear Capampangans in their native Pampanga speak Tagalog with their children and with each other".

Here he is with Poet Laureate Rafael Maniago reading a poem (from his Power Point presentation) written by Capampangan poet and playwright Crisostomo Soto in the early 1900s, seemingly predicting the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.



Poeta Laureado Querubin Fernandez

He's a distinguished Capampangan poet who hails from Mabalacat, Pampanga. He couldn't make it to the election of Ari Ning Parnaso last August 8 so he sent a representative in Adrian Magcalas. Since he didn't make it, the College of Poets Laureate decided they'll visit him instead. So yesterday we took the Holy Angel University school bus and we headed towards Mabalacat. There were a bunch of poets laureate who came, along with CKS Director Robby Tantingco and his staff Erlinda Cruz and Myra Paz Lopez.


PL Querubin was so gracious in welcoming us into his home. The visit turned out to be a work shop in short story and poetry writing because he told us how he started writing poetry. He said the late and former President Diosdado Macapagal inspired him to write poetry. PL Querubin prefers his poems be recited by others. He feels he doesn't have a voice good enough for reading or declaiming poetry. PLs Frank Guinto and Amado Gigante were more than willing to oblige his wishes and proceeded to do so.



After lunch PL Rafael Maniago sketched his picture. Here he is with Joel Mallari, Myra, PL Pol Batac, PL Amado Gigante and Prinsipi ning Parnaso PL Romy Rodriguez looking on.


Before we left, he gave Robby an autographed copy of his book of poetry Bakas Panas.


Shown on picture above, standing L to R: Robby Tantingco, Adrian Magcalas, PL Rafael Maniago, Rey Maniago, PL Frank Guinto, PL Amado Gigante, PL Querubin Fernandez, PL Pol Batac, Prinsipi ning Parnaso PL Romy Rodriguez, Sunstar reporter Ria, Bern Saban and Joel Mallari. Seated from L to R: Myra Paz Lopez, PL Florencia Turla, PL Eufrecina Pena, PL Virgilio (Bilyung) Calilung, Erlinda Cruz and PL Jaspe Dula.

On another happy note, I think my Honey's feeling better. We went to have dinner at Kenny Rogers in the mall last night. She may even be ready to go to school tonight. Not sure why, but the mall was especially crowded last night.