"It might sound like Augustus trying to justify himself to Hazel but still, I hope, someday, I can look up the sky and say, "Aha, I lived a fruitful life. I'm thankful...deeply thankful."
It has been more than a week since the commencement exercises. It wasn't the best graduation ceremony ever and surprisingly, way less fun than what I've expected.
College Recognition
Imagine sitting alone on the last row of the seats allotted to graduates with no seatmate to talk to for the entire program! Take my sablay off and I'm no different from parents and guests who were arguing for seats. Poor me! And not to mention, that at least two of the other graduates and I was wearing the same dress. Haha. It's a relief that I don't know them.
Commencement Exercises
I admit that the commencement exercises is a bit better than the college recognition (and so is the medal). If it wasn't for those tactless people sitting at the back, the event could be much better. And also, being called after the cream of the crop, isn't a good thing really. Everyone thinks I kinda looked pitiful considering the difference in our cheers. Hahaha. I didn't notice it when I was on stage so it didn't really bother me until they told me that. I guess there are times when you wish to graduate without the laude thing after your name.
But still, graduation is a good thing. That sense of accomplishment makes everyone feels fulfilled, not just the graduates but their parents as well.
And because we're now graduates, we can have our photo taken with Oble without having to worry about the curse of delayed graduation. Seems like a tradition for me. We also had our photo taken with these famous sunflowers that blooms during graduation time.
Yes, it is a good thing though it haunts us to find ourselves and be more independent. And because our degree program spares us from taking a board exam, we start to wonder what to do now...where to go next?
College Recognition
Imagine sitting alone on the last row of the seats allotted to graduates with no seatmate to talk to for the entire program! Take my sablay off and I'm no different from parents and guests who were arguing for seats. Poor me! And not to mention, that at least two of the other graduates and I was wearing the same dress. Haha. It's a relief that I don't know them.
Commencement Exercises
I admit that the commencement exercises is a bit better than the college recognition (and so is the medal). If it wasn't for those tactless people sitting at the back, the event could be much better. And also, being called after the cream of the crop, isn't a good thing really. Everyone thinks I kinda looked pitiful considering the difference in our cheers. Hahaha. I didn't notice it when I was on stage so it didn't really bother me until they told me that. I guess there are times when you wish to graduate without the laude thing after your name.
But still, graduation is a good thing. That sense of accomplishment makes everyone feels fulfilled, not just the graduates but their parents as well.
And because we're now graduates, we can have our photo taken with Oble without having to worry about the curse of delayed graduation. Seems like a tradition for me. We also had our photo taken with these famous sunflowers that blooms during graduation time.
Yes, it is a good thing though it haunts us to find ourselves and be more independent. And because our degree program spares us from taking a board exam, we start to wonder what to do now...where to go next?
"UP Life? Yes, it's full of uncertainties...but that's what makes it so exciting! Happy graduation! Congrats to all of us! Aja, aja! Gambatte!"
That was the last paragraph of the acknowledgment section of my SP docs I was writing a few days ago. Yes, that's right! Magsasablay na ako! I'm part of the BIG day and only God knows how happy am I.
Submitting hardbound and CD copies of my thesis last Tuesday cemented my name on the list of this year's graduates.
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| Final Requirements for Graduation |
After four years of barely surviving UP life, I finally MADE it. It's been a rocky and tiring journey, indeed. To those who've been part of this joy ride, thank you. 진심이야.
The university will not set my calendar from now on. Form 5 will not dictate my schedule anymore. Woaah... [insert my name here] is all grownup. But let's not concern ourselves about those matters in the meantime. I just want to enjoy the present to its fullest.
I congratulate all the graduates. And to those who are still struggling, this post is for you, too. You're almost there, I know that. Konting push na lang. Aja!
God has always been good to me that I received much much more than I deserve. Thank You.
행복 해요... 정말 행복 해요.
Because of our country's complex history reflected by our different cultural heritages, Filipinos became a group of people with different beliefs and traditions. From Catholicism to Islam among various religions, from political to social institutions we are divided by different ideologies and philosophies.
One of the places where one is sure to witness and experience Filipinos' various beliefs is the so-called "Holy Mountain" - Mt. Banahaw. It is a three-peaked volcano complex located between the provinces of Laguna and Quezon. The mountain is a popular pilgrimage site and millenarian sanctuary.
With an elevation of about 2,400 ft. above sea level, Bangkong Kahoy has a cold weather allowing farmers to harvest produce like that of La Trinidad, Benguet. Farming is the primary source of income in the community.
Pullan is an environmentalist. He introduced organic farming to Bangkong Kahoy vegetable farmers. From lettuce to raspberries to mushrooms and others, all of these produce are organic. His advocacy is to help out in the protection of the area - the forest and the ecosystem that they have.
Bangkong Kahoy can be considered as a secular community where people regardless of religion or belief are tied with one goal - to take to heart the care of their mystical mountain and uplift their way of living through education and a better social and economic system. Environmentalism as promoted by Pullan governed the community. Although there are some arguments which proposed environmentalism as a religion, stating that environmentalists look back to a fabled paradise state of Eden in which man lived in unity with nature, before deconstructing this idyllic view of nature or that they worship Gaia (Mother Earth)[1], the Bangkong Kahoy, I can say is a secular community concerned on biodiversity and balance in the ecosystem based on scientific observations and theories with no spiritual, supernatural, or religious components.
Suprema de la Iglesia del Ciudad Mística de Dios (The Supreme Church of the Mystical City of God) is the largest of about 30 cults in Dolores, Mt. Banahaw which venerate the mountain as sacred where God, the Catholic saints and the heroes of the 19th century Philippine nationalist movement dwell in[2].
Whether supernatural like the Ciudad Mística de Dios and other religious sects or secular like the Bangkong Kahoy knit community and other ideological groups, we, all Filipinos, belong to only ONE national community. We are all living with a sense of national sentiment under ONE brightened sky brought to us by Rizal, Bonifacio among other heroes.
One of the places where one is sure to witness and experience Filipinos' various beliefs is the so-called "Holy Mountain" - Mt. Banahaw. It is a three-peaked volcano complex located between the provinces of Laguna and Quezon. The mountain is a popular pilgrimage site and millenarian sanctuary.
Bangkong Kahoy
Situated in between parts of Mt. Cristobal and Mt. Banahaw is the mountain valley called Bangkong Kahoy (wooden bench). It was Agripino Lontoc, the person who discovered the place who called it Bangkong Kahoy. The name originated from the trees dominating the area during that time which grow up to three meters high then grow sideways and up again mimicking a bench-like structure.
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| Bangkong Kahoy Valley |
With an elevation of about 2,400 ft. above sea level, Bangkong Kahoy has a cold weather allowing farmers to harvest produce like that of La Trinidad, Benguet. Farming is the primary source of income in the community.
The caretaker of Bangkong Kahoy, Junee-Lee Pullan promotes self-reliance among the local residents. He wants the community to stand on their own without relying on whoever politician or social group. He talked about how they managed to brought electricity and internet connection to the area on their own. They were also the ones who constructed the roads which hindered the students to go to college before.
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| Green and Ripe Raspberries at Bangkong Kahoy Valley |
Honesty can also be observed in the place. They have what they called "honesty bar" and "honesty store" where customers go inside, get what they want, check the price, leave the payment, get their own change and leave - a system that will not likely be implemented in other places especially Manila.
Pullan is an environmentalist. He introduced organic farming to Bangkong Kahoy vegetable farmers. From lettuce to raspberries to mushrooms and others, all of these produce are organic. His advocacy is to help out in the protection of the area - the forest and the ecosystem that they have.
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| Different Crops at Bangkong Kahoy Valley |
Suprema Iglesia Ciudad Mística de Dios
Suprema de la Iglesia del Ciudad Mística de Dios (The Supreme Church of the Mystical City of God) is the largest of about 30 cults in Dolores, Mt. Banahaw which venerate the mountain as sacred where God, the Catholic saints and the heroes of the 19th century Philippine nationalist movement dwell in[2].
Members of the Ciudad Mística de Dios believe that the unfinished work of Jesus Christ had to be continued by Dr. Jose Rizal and by "the twelve lights" of the Philippines (heroes of the 19th century nationalist movement). Their work, in turn, would be brought to fulfillment by a woman, their founder - Maria Bernarda Balitaan (MBB). They believe that Rizal and MBB had sprung from the same Divine Source and their combined labors will bring history to a close - whereupon humanity will be reunited with the Creator[2].
Ciudad Mística de Dios can be compared to other religious and secular groups characterized by communitas, in which asymmetrical relations of power, self-interest, individualism, competitiveness, antagonism, domination by one group or class or sex over another are nullified and replaced by an existential condition of solidarity - a community of brothers and sisters sharing an "economy of abundance"[2].
CMD is a community where members are bound together by their religious views and supernatural beliefs. As stated by Quibuyen in his paper, and as reflected on how they view Rizal, Bonifacio and other heroes of the 19th century nationalist movement as saints and on how they considered the Philippine flag as an important symbol of their sect, CMD might be a result of a counter-discourse of the hegemonical Spanish Catholicism and colonization way back the Spanish period exemplifying its political or rather nationalistic origin. Filipino nationalism, Christianity and indigenous beliefs makes up the cosmology of Ciudad Mística de Dios.
Whether supernatural like the Ciudad Mística de Dios and other religious sects or secular like the Bangkong Kahoy knit community and other ideological groups, we, all Filipinos, belong to only ONE national community. We are all living with a sense of national sentiment under ONE brightened sky brought to us by Rizal, Bonifacio among other heroes.
References:
[1] Secular Religions. In Rational Wiki. Retrieved from http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Secular_religions#Environmentalism_as_a_religion on March 5, 2014.
[2] F. Quibuyen. (1991). “And woman will prevail over man:” Symbolic sexual inversion and counter-hegemonic discourse in Mt. Banahaw - The case of the Ciudad Mistica de Dios. Retrieved from http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/15378/801.And?sequence=1 on March 5, 2014.
