What is our greatest expectation?

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

IT’S, of course, to meet God at our judgment day. This should be the abiding and life-long expectation we ought to have, for which we should always be vigilant and, more than anything else, properly prepared.

We are reminded of this duty in what Christ told his disciples about being always watchful and prepared to receive the master of the servants in his return from a wedding. (cfr. Lk 12,35-38) “Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands,” he said. He told them that they should be like “men who wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately.”

And Christ continued by saying, “Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he comes, shall find watching. Amen, I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and passing will minister unto them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.”

In this regard, we have to continually update and upgrade our vigilance skills. Remember Christ telling his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life…Be vigilant at all times.” (Lk 21,34.36)

Times are constantly changing. Although we are told that nothing is new under the sun, still we cannot deny that there will always be new developments that will require us to upgrade our skills in handling them, knowing how to take advantage of the benefits they give and to avoid the dangers they also pose.

Truth is the many developments today, while giving us a lot of advantages and conveniences, can also easily lead us to bad things. They can foster complacency, self-indulgence, vanity, pride, greed, envy, discord, etc. They can turn us into materialistic monsters, totally insensitive to the spiritual and supernatural realities of our life and to God himself.

We should never underestimate the tricks and snares of the devil, the false allurements of the world, and the dynamic of our weakened and wounded flesh. These enemies of our soul will constantly make new guises to mislead and tempt us. To upgrade our vigilance skills is not a matter of paranoia. It is to be realistic. It is to be effectively prudent.

What we have to develop is the skill of looking for God first and always in everything that we do in this life. We have to reassure ourselves that that is the best thing that can happen to us. With God, we would know how to properly think, speak, react and behave in any situation of our life. Yes, we are reassured of joy and peace. And most of all, we would be achieving the final goal of our life—our salvation, our sanctity.

We really need to develop an abiding and burning desire to fulfill the real purpose of our life which is precisely for us to be “another Christ,” God’s image and likeness. We should be clear about this ultimate purpose of ours so we can have the proper sense of direction and focus in our life, and the corresponding urge to fulfill it.

To be sure, God is everywhere. Not only that, he constantly intervenes in our life. He is never passive. He is full of love, concern and solicitude for us. We really have to learn how to correspond to this tremendous madness of love God has for us!

Yes, desiring to be with God in the end and always should be our greatest expectation!

Worlding Filipino imagination

By Philip Cu Unjieng     

The Philippine stand

With the rally cry of ‘Imagination Peoples the Air’, the Philippines opened the 2025 Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Bookfair) on the evening of October 14, as this year’s Buchmesse’s Guest of Honor. As the world’s leading venue for printed and digital content, the annual event is where publishing experts and representatives of the creative industries, authors, journalists, and culture enthusiasts from around the globe gather to network, to exchange ideas, to negotiate and make decisions, and to discover and celebrate. There’s a little bit of everything during the Buchmesse, and this year was the fruition of a decade-old desire to see the Philippines take on the mantle of Guest of Honor.

Taking full advantage of this window to the international book community, the National Book Development Board of the Philippines worked hand in hand with Senator Loren Legarda to turn this year’s Buchmesse into a thrilling showcase of our literary diversity, of our creative voices, and our vibrant culture - across different forms and interpretations of what constitutes the Arts. To make all of what is cerebrally creative come to life in a physical manifestation of what is truly and uniquely Filipino, a colorful jeepney was even positioned on RoBmarkt plaza and transformed into a stage for encounters, cultural exchange, and workshops.

Sen. Loren Legarda

And at the massive Frankfurt Messe, where the Buchmesse is held, it would be fair to say that with the number of notable representatives of our creative industries who had flown in for the event; from Fiction and Non-Fiction authors, to publishers, to graphic artists and children’s books and Komiks writers, it became more a question of who had not showed up! It seems that no stone was left unturned in making this a glittering showcase of Filipino creativity and imagination, peopling the Frankfurt air.

Upon the invitation of the NBDB, I was fortunate to be among the handful of media representatives flown in for the Buchmesse, attending the Opening Night and the first day of the official Bookfair. Needless to say, the Philippines was making the most of the Guest of Honor status with a Philippine Pavilion where cultural performances and dialogues were scheduled throughout the day, with talks and lectures in the International Hall where the Philippine Stand was located, and with off-location activities - including a city tour that connected to Jose Rizal during his time in Germany, as led by Ambeth Ocampo.

The Manila Bulletin’s Yvette Tan, author and resource speaker at the Frankfurter Buchmesse

Manila Bulletin’s Yvette Tan was one of the authors flown in for the occasion, and she, along with Charlson Ong, led a discussion on The Chinese in Our Stories at the Philippine Pavilion, Forum 1. To make this both relevant and political, it was about integrating their Chinese ancestry in their writing, and how that has changed dramatically in the context of the ongoing West Philippine Sea dispute. I liked this connecting to geopolitical themes, as this territorial dispute is portrayed in Chinese media to the world as the Chinese ‘saving’ natural resources in the face of dynamite-fishing by Filipino fishermen.

Yvette would also be joining Dean Francis Alfar in a discussion on the very relevant topic of Speculative Fiction and AI Narratives. Known for writing about a technological future, these Filipino SciFi/Fantasy authors would be touching on the responsible use of AI in their creative output and the role it could play.

The world of Philippine Komiks

Over at Hall 5 and the Philippine Stand, one could not resist the symposium that was entitled "Philippine Comics at the Fair: A Tale of Many Pages," as it promised to unleash the raw, unbridled energy of Philippine Komiks, in all its forms and permutations. From satire, to superheroes, to love stories and heartbreak, to urban legends and monsters, to artistic depictions of the urban underbelly, and on to alternative universes - it seemed this was one rich avenue of possibility. The fervent hope is that our Komiks writers break into the mainstream to rival countries like Japan, which have made global industries out of their manga and anime. There was even to be a live drawing session by Ian Sta. Maria centered on the ‘Tikbalang in Frankfurt’.

‘What Moves Us’ Film and Literature: Tension and Translation was an engrossing presentation, with Angelo ‘Sarge’ Lacuesta and Tanya Yuson as resource speakers. Sarge talked about his short story "The Errand," its transition to a Cinemalaya film, and how it was shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival earlier in the year. Tanya Yuson is an international film producer whose anime series "Trese" is on constant rotation globally on Netflix. While Sarge was direct and honest about being protective of his short story, and ending up as producer of the film to ensure it’s proper ‘rite of passage’ to feature film, it was endearing to hear a German media person pipe up and enthusiastically ask Tanya if there was a Season 2 for "Trese" in the works.

NBDB’s Charisse Aquino-Tugade

Consul General in Frankfurt Ivy B. Abalos and Ani Risa Almario of Adarna House

NCCA’s Ino Manalo, National Museum’s Jeremy Barnes, and NCCA’s Eric Zerrudo

Xandra Ramos-Padilla, National Bookstore

What was particularly revealing was a tour we were given to one of the top floors of the Frankfurt Messe. As our guide explained, this was the real nerve center of the Bookfair. It was row after row of small tables where agents and publishers would meet to negotiate on global translation rights and representation. This was far from all the cultural presentations, author appearances, and symposiums going on downstairs. This is where the money is being made, and where deals are struck. In fact, the guide was frank enough to say that the Frankfurt Buchmesse is not so much a book fair for authors, as it is known for being one for agents and author representatives striking agreements on rights and multiple deals.

National Artist Virgilio Almario (center), with fellow poets Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta and Paul Acoseba Castillo

This Frankfurter Buchmesse is truly about ‘worlding’ Filipino creativity and imagination, in the supreme hope of monetizing this, and making our creatives be recognized, and earning for their talent and gifts. We often wonder why there are waves of interest globally for authors coming from a particular country or region - like how there’s been acclaim and popularity for writers from India, stretching from the time of Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, and Vikram Seth, to today, and the likes of Kiran Desai, Arundhati Roy, and Aravind Adiga.

From Claude Tayag’s post, Lexi Schulze, and the author

And really, why not a similar wave for Filipino writers and creatives? And why can’t it be led by our Komiks writers and artists? It’s whatever gets us on the map, and if this Buchmesse participation as Guest of Honor was one step to making that dream a reality, then I’m all for it and throw my full support to the endeavor. I’m just praying no stone is left unturned in making this happen, and the serious business of making deals is also happening!

The NBDB has played its part in making the Philippine participation this year a noteworthy and memorable one. The creatives did their part in showing up and turning the Bookfair into a Filipino ‘fiesta.’ So we can only hope that their representatives and publishers have also done their homework, and will give our Guest of Honor status the ROI (Return On Investment) it deserves.

Road Temporarily closed

 Road Temporarily closed

Bukidnon-Davao City Road - Overview

Location : Kipolot, Palacapao Quezon Bukidnon

𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐘: 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖

Possible diversion routes:

1. From CDO City to Tagum City: Jct Sayre Highway Poblacion Valencia City, Bukidnon via Kapalong - Talaingod - Valencia Road

2. From: Camp 1 Maramag, Bukidnon to Davao City: Via Jct. Bukidnon- Davao City Road to Cotabato Boundary - Carmen-Kabacan-Matalam-Kidapawan, Cotabato-Digos City, Davao

3. (LEAST ADVISED ) Jct. Bukidnon Davao City Road to Brgy. Puntian Quezon Bukidnon to Arakan via Katipunan to Davao City or Arakan via Kidapawan City

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