Greetings from Uganda

Hi Greg,

This is Max and I hope you are doing well. My travels back to Uganda were smooth. It's now shortly over four weeks since I arrived and still do not have an assignment. Hopefully I will get a call from my bishop in the coming days.

I'm currently at home with mother, helping with the house work - and occasionally visiting priest friends and classmates. How is Eve doing? My prayers are with you both; and thanks again for all you did to enable my ministry while I was in Chicago.

Greetings to all my friends in the Novena group. I miss you all and I pray for you everyday. Wish you God's peace, and increased health and strength.

Max

(Note: This is from Fr. Max, a secular priest, from Uganda who came to States for his graduate studies. He stayed for a while at St. Timothy Rectory where I came to know him.)

Why I am here?

And that's The Question!

In my everyday waking moment, a question always pops up. Why am I here? Not a complaint but clarification on the mystery of existence. And the temporary status.

Is it the desiderata? The purpose-driven life? The power of purpose? And why have I the audacity to bring this out of the open?

Recently, I met a person at Home Depot, who understood the beauty of life, of existence, of FAMILY. (Father And Mother I Love You) This person, after paragraphs of conversation, confessed that his parents are from the Philippines who left the country when he was a child. He understood Pilipino and has a heart of his birthplace. Now he is married with 2 children. The family has just moved 6 months ago from Las Vegas. He intimated that Las Vegas is only a place for vacation not to stay, live, raise children. But to retire? It's a no-no. That's his take!

I met another person sporting a southern droll. He was enthusiastic about life. He talked with great pride about what life has offered him. I listened...

And lately, I crossed paths with a religious woman who was happy to talk to my wife and me about God, Jesus, and His most blessed mother Mary. She said she has drifted and was lukewarm to his religious life that she needed a push, a motivation, persons to listen to her agony; that she is willing to listen to, to their enriching, enlightening, enhancing words on prayer, forgiveness, and gratefulness. In fact, she is very devoted to the Holy Infant who is an unfailing partner to her in her triumphs and trials.

The denouement of that shall we say the intimate talk was a question - Why are we born? Why are we here?  

After the Path to Rome was the Road Back Home

During lunch time, we poised our vision to the Chicago Loop where the widely acclaimed Bayanihan Dance Troupe of the Philippines venued. Once again we were sentimental.
Our birth country's history flashed in the colorful live dances and songs performed by the young, the talented Filipinos. Reminding us that Filipinos are lively, lovely and zestful people. Product of European and western cultures. The Cross of religion and the Torch of education and Hollywood. The country that Gen. Douglas McArthur proudly proclaimed his famous " I shall return" promise.

The Philippines is the Pearl of the Orient Seas but the social cancer of graft and corruption exits. We pray that our Mother of Perpetual Help and All Saints will come to her succor.

Path To Rome International Conference - Chicago 2006
Oct.06 - 08, 2006
My wife and I attended. Met friends who were relgion friendly.Truth seekers came from all over the States and abroad. They were all enlightened. We discovered that the Catholic Religion is getting stronger and stronger unexpectedly. We learned that knowledgeable protestants sought shelter to the Catholic Church while the weak and non-knowledgeable Catholics departed from the Universal and True Church- Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the GATES of hell shall not prevail...
Path To Rome conference series was held at the Wyndham O'hare Hotel, Oct. 6 to 8, 2006. It is the only international conference of famous converts to the Catholic Church and is sponsored by Miles Jesu.

Speakers were: Msgr.Stuart W. Swetland, STD, who became a Catholic while studying at Oxford. Has B.A. and M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford; a Div. and M.A. from Mt. Saint Mary's Seminary and S.T.L. and S.T.D. from John Paul 11 Institute for studies on Marriage and Family, Pontifical Lateran University. Currently serves as Director of St. John's Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and chaplain to Catholic Students at the University of Illinois and Parkland College.
Steven W. Mosher, a convert to Catholicsm is the author of best selling A Mother's Ordeal: One Woman's Fight Against China's One-Child Policy. His other books are: Hegemon: China's Plan to Dominate Asia and the World; China Attacks; China Misperceived: American Illusions and Chinese Reality; Journey to the forbidden China and Broken Earth: The Rural Chinese. Steve is president of the non-profit Population Research Institute and widely recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on the population question.
Deacon Alex Jones, a lifelong Pentecostal who was converted to Catholicsm in 2001. He was the senior minister of 2 churches in the city of Detroit: Zion Congregational church of God in Christ (1975-82), the 2nd oldest Pentecostal church in Michigan, and Marantha Christian Church (1982-2000), an evangelical/charismatic church. While reading the Apostolic Fathers and subsequent church history, he discovered the Church to be charismatic/liturgical, hierarchical and Eucharistic-centered. The more he read, the more he came to conclude that the present day Catholic Church - and the Holy Mass - is the same exact"worship service" from the very early Church.These discoveries lead to a 2-year journey in the Catholic Church that converted 54 members of his previous congregation including 11 members of his own family to the Catholic Church. He has a Masters of Arts in Pastoral Studies and is employed by the Archdiocese of Detroit as the Evangelization Coordinator. Was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Archdiocese of Detroit on Oct. 1, 2005 and continues to preach with his fiery passion about Christ and the Church.
Michelle McGhan, a young Mormon convert to the Catholic Church after a long search which began in her early twenties. Discovering the fullness of Faith in the Catholic Church she was never persuaded by her family and friends to remain a Mormon but remain firm in her commitment to the Truth. She said,"If God exists, then there are real and absolute triths about Him. Truths that neither we, nor anyone else can change. And, if you take the time to study, you will find, as I did, that those real, unchanging absolute truths are here in the Catholic Church". Michelle is currently a second grade teacher in Arizona.
Mrs. Linda Poindexter,who was converted to the Catholic Church, was raised in the religion of Disciples of Christ until 1959. Then she became a member of the Episcopal religion; became a deacon and then as an Episcopal priest. She was married to John M. Poindexter, Retired Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, who served as National Security Advisor to former President Ronald Reagan. She has traveled throughout the United States, enjoys swimming, tennis,sailing, birdwatching, needlework and reading. She is also a fan of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

Oct.2,2006/ Tuesday
Tempus fugit! Time flies.

Pope Paul VI said, "Tell your sons, your nephews, your grandsons; tell the people that the pope loves the Kights of Columbus. The glory of the Knights of Columbus is not based on humanitarian works alone. Even more admirable have been your insistence upon the supremacy of God and your fidelity to the Vicar of Christ. In truth you can call yourselves 'brothers' because you call God your Father and have declared yourselves ready to do his will and serve his cause...the Knights of Columbus an immense force for good."

In the pre-vatican II days, the mass was in Latin. As an altar boy, I have to memorize and mumble the Ad Deum que laitificat juventutem meam... as a response to the priest's Latin intro to begin the mass. Little did I know that I would someday become a member of "the world's largest lay Catholic family service organization. And tonight, I became one of the three new members of "these men they call Knights."

It started with an invitation to attend a meeting.

Myrna approached me and said, "Remo is going to call you as the meeting starts at seven."

"OK, I'll wait for his call." And we drove home.

"You can go, but you better eat first," said my wife as we arrived home.

Tempus fugit! And time flies. I became a member of the First Degree of Knights of Columbus, Father A. Ryan Council No. 5025, this 2nd day of October, 2006.

SAN PEDRO HOSPITAL, DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES CLASS OF '62 REUNION. Related article is : An Afternoon To Remember

09/24/06,Sunday

Priests.Music.Entertainment.Friends.

Those were the contents of the package that my wife and I received when we went to St. Patrick High School Auditorium at 5900 W. Belmont Ave. It was a day after autumn
begins(September 23). The affair was Harana sa Kabitoonan, A serenade to the Stars featuring: The Singing Priests of Caseres. I understand this was sponsored by the devotees of Our Lady of Penafrancia.

Garbed in black,white barong tagalog,the 4 singing priets of Caceres thrilled the audience with their ethnic songs and of the Bicolano's favorite- Sarong Banggi, medleys of love songs interspersed with jokes and dancing. Sung were : Maybe tomorrow, Our Love Affair, Misty Eyes in English and Historia de un Amor,Rumba beat, Solamente Una Vez in Spanish. There was the appearance of a group of 14 with 6 males and 8 female blending their notes into the delight of the crowd.

We were greatly enthralled. We were happy to meet new and old friends.

Saturday (09/16/06)

An Afternoon To Remember

Plans have been made. Lots of them. But just that! Only plans. Yet this short-notice plan of a reunion meeting came to a stunning reality. In this epoch, who could believe that a magnificent 7 Florence Nightingales of San Pedro College could be together after over 2 score years? And of all things, they were all euphoric women. They really were in the seventh heaven as their waves of laughter shook the rafters of the joint, so to speak.

They came. They met. They talked. And streams of college joys and tears gushed forth from their eyes as they recalled their yesterdays in the College of Nursing in Davao City, Philippines. Those days were momentous and beyond forgetting.

They are worthy to be in the book of records as they are successful in their own respective fields of endeavor, careers, and marital life. They are in alphabetical order: Connie, Fe, Loida, Polly, Tessie, Thelma, and Vangie.

According to Peter S. Temes in his book, The Power of Purpose," the trick to making a typical marriage work, it seems, is the balance of the good against the bad, the sharing of the whole package. If you can't help but fight over money, but then don't balance that out by sharing the small joys of a life truly shared, you might think that money problems have sunk your marriage, when in fact it's the lack of the good, not the presence of the bad, that makes all the difference. It's the total package that leads to success, the sharing of whole lives. If you give your spouse only part of yourself, if you keep secrets, if you try too hard to put only certain pieces of your personal puzzle into your marriage, you'll make a happy ending harder to find. The best prescription for a marriage is to focus on things that both partners agree on that help build the habits of caring and mutual support. "

The horizons of these Magnificent 7 Florence Nightingales are rosy. They were vibrant and full of vigor. In fact, Connie emailed, that it was a "nice afternoon. Could we meet to have another of that?" And Tess wrote, " Lunch was wonderful. we need to do it again."

That meeting in the Filipiniana Restaurant at Niles was indeed an afternoon to remember.

( By Greg Intas Alcala Caponong Trabanca )

Reflection

09/13/06, Reflection on a Wednesday

Alone. I am alone. And it's thinking time. Time to look back. Time to separate the good old days from the bad. I turn on the computer.

There's stillness in the house. Not a soul move. I cringed to my left.I saw my figure from my chair on a 3-piece mirror.On the front was another mirror; while immediately in front of me is my PC, an hp pavilion mx70.The 32-inch Sony TV is on the right with the antenna, the artificial flower and the small sony radio and CD player.

I heared a car screeched to a stop as there was a stop sign between Jersey Ave and Ardmore. And another one.

I sat. I gazed at the wall. I saw the number 38. That's 5 weeks & 3 days). A couple of days and it's done. Unbelievable!

I thought of what brought me to the facility, to meet people of wisdom in medical and spiritual fields making this world a wholesome, wonderful, happy place despite  its shattered dreams, fraudulence, and drudgery. To them, I said deep in my heart -Thank You Very Much. To All of you and to the new friends I met in that memorable 38 days, may you be at peace with God, whatever you call Him. He is our Hope, our Light, our Guide, our Healer, our ALL. Seek Him anywhere, knock on His door anytime, and of course you have to ask Him on the whys of your seeking and knocking. However, we should not only seek, knock and ask during our trying moments but also on our happy hours.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

In my mental meandering,I found these paragraphs interesting written by Carlos Bulosan (11/24/1913-09/13/1956), well-known Filipino writer writing in the West Coast, who at the age of 17 came to America and spoke little if any English. He never went back to the Philippines.This is from the introduction of Carey McWilliams on Bulosan's book, America Is In The Heart, A Personal History by Carlos Bulosan.

" America is not a land of one race or one class of men. We are all Americans that have toiled and suffered and known oppression and defeat, from the first Indian that offered peace in Manhattan to the last Filipino peapickers. America is not bound by geographical latitudes. America is not merely a land or an institution. America is in the hearts of men that died for freedom; it is also in the eyes of men that are building a new world. America is a prophecy of a new society of men: of a system that knows no sorrow or strife or suffering. America is a warning to those who would try to falsify the ideals of free men.

America is also the nameless foreigner, the homeless refugee, the hungry boy begging for a job and the black body dangling from a tree. America is the illiterate immigrant who is ashamed that the world of books and intellectual opportunities is closed to him. We are all that nameless foreigner, that homeless refugee, that hungry boy, that illiterate immigrant and that lynched black body. All of us, from the first Adams to the last Filipino, native born or alien, educated or illiterate -
We are America!"

Stumbled on this from AARP Magazine (Sept& Oct.2006)

5 Foods That Can Add Years to Your Life:

1. Spirulina (blue-green algae)
Spirulina contains not only the anti-oxidant phycocyanin but also a bundle of protein, plus omega fatty acids. Once a mainstay food of the Aztecs, spirulina additionally works as an ibuprofinlike nonsteroidal anti-inflamatory. Add one teaspoon to one tablespoon of spirulina a day to smoothies or yogurt, or take it in capsule form. Caution: for some people, Spirulina can be overstimulating (kind like too much coffee), so experiment to find the right balance.
2. Cranberries, blueberries, blackberries. These are jam-packed with anti-oxidants called anthocyanins and polyphenols, which also have anti-inflamatory qualities. Try to work in a cup of berries a day.
3.Leafy greens (such as kale or spinach). They're full of lutein, another super-anti-oxidant; it's been proven to protect against macular degeneration of the optic nerves, thus protecting eyesight. Scientists recommend eating a cup of cooked kale or one to two cups of raw spinach each day.
4. Almonds and walnuts. these nuts are a fantastic source of omega-6 fatty acids, as well as phytosterols (plant sterols) and vitamin E (tocopherols). People who regularly consume nuts tend to have both a lowered risk of Parkinson's and lower cholesterol.Try to eat a quarter cup of these nuts a day whenever you can.
5. Flaxseed. It contains fiber and omega-3 fatty acids that help to clear plaque and bad fats from the cardiovascular system. The fiber also protects against colon cancer. For best results, buy flaxseed ground ( or grind it yourself) and throw one teaspoon to one tablespoon a day into everything from meat loaf to muffins.
Finally, don't forget to add these superfoods into a diet rich with lean meat, fish, and whole grains.-D.J.N.

Crossing Paths

We
meet
one day
to exchange
our experiences
down rough and smooth memory lanes
drawing us closer as
a baby to a mother.

Note: The above poem is an attempt to create a Fib. "The Fib is a poem that draws on the Fibonacci sequence; its lines consist of 1,1,2,3,5,8 (and so on) syllables. This started on a blog and then was written about in the New York Times. It's great and wondrous... in culture."

Aug.19,2006/Saturday

Santo Nino de Agosto

Saturday, Aug. 19,2006 is the 6th celebration of the Santo Nino de Agosto. This annual August fest in Chicago was the idea of Rev.Leoncio Santiago, pastor of St. Genevieve Church of 4835 W. Altgeld, Chicago, Illinois as this celebration has been
on-going in the East Coast (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Unity is the reason for this celebration; "letting devotees come together in one place, in one common worship while preserving the autonomy of each devotional group.

And why not connect devotees worldwide? Thus a website was created- www.santoninoonline.com. It has just started. It is our profound hope that this site will be connecting devotees of the Santo Nino globally.

08/15/06, Tuesday

Wanderlust


Searching for nuance and meaning
the journey leads me to question
the different portals of learning,
of street-wise friends with perception,

of places, even dangers hide.
I'm seeking for Him even far
because of my hopes, my dreams reside
and etched in the glow of that star.


I think of Him as my mission,
immortality- the beauty
in His passion for redemption.
They don't believe in His story.

When darkness surreptitiously
appears in the form of plague and war
bringing fear while the masses pray
to keep Almighty's door ajar.



Melodious notes of balmy rain
and rhapsodic smile of the sun
shatter and ease the burning pain
so that people may understand

that power resides not in them
but in the might of that Unseen
and they saw Him in Bethlehem
while Magi asked, "where have you been?"



And in a friendly foreign shore
I see my daring self adrift,
undauntedly different from before;
unknowingly a stunning shift.

A Nephew's Epistle

I saw the ZAMNAI website. Seeing the events made by the association, reading its humble roots, and browsing the letters bearing your name makes me smile with pride that I have an uncle who made something for himself and shared it with a great number. With the thought in mind I became more aware of the importance and weight you have given in your acts of true charity. The assistance your family have shared with my parents and son as well, were laid out to show that gifts are shared to everyone without discrimination. Despite the past setbacks you have experienced with sharing to those in need, especially relatives.

I have learned that those gifts were not simply material things to fulfill basic needs and desires but rather tools of learning for the keen-eyed. You have wisely shown that you can give when you have and you can do the same when you make something worthwhile out of the things God has given.

Today I have learned that saving for the rainy day and toiling more when things are better is a must for everyone to survive well in life.I am saving now for my son and the family's future. The walk upwards to financial security may be slow for the meantime, but a slow and steady pace will always better prepare one for the bigger race.

Until now I am thinking of ways to revive the dream we shared of growing a business that will fetch food on the table and help others in life. Am no quitter and will never be. I refuse to believe that only my uncle can be the one who receives and gives. You and auntie will be my inspiration to strive more and be better in life, with God's blessing. The dream will take shape while I walk the slow strides and look up to the skies.

God bless.

(Written by ChrisLawrence Trabanca Dalida, Manila,Phil.)

Memories ( On Reading David Bates' Childhood)
(03/24/05)

O lovely and sweet memories,
Of rebellious youthful air,
Like Mindanao's field and forest,
That needs tender loving care.

Witness the opulence around-
In recklessness I wander;
Asking questions on that surround;
Grasping lessons sans surrender.

Who loves not celebrations,
Birthday, fiesta, and school dance,
Puppy love and infatuations,
Freedom in the tender world of chance?

Human nature of revelry;
Living what's in store for life;
Train the body and the psyche
for the future toil and strife.

Fill young days with love, not a terror
And let me sing my own song;
The young person commits no error
As a member of the throng.

Let me play with joy and fearless
In a world of great abundance;
Let my spirit flow and endless
Curb with God's loving guidance.

You cannot stop the river's flow
On its inherent mission
Gleefully it really must go
Or change its destination.

For the youth, it is like a fountain
Filtered by a friendly sand
Its life-giving waters sustain
Withered field and thirsty land.

Youthfulness is the spring of life;
Coming from a tender bud;
And precious love until its ripe,
Needed for the growing lad.

Young and pliant can be molded-
The growing pains to cherish;
Doing the best and being guided;
Lessons from past memories.

Birth of ZAMNAI

Birth of ZAMNAI, a looking back

How It Started

A score and 15 years ago, there was a ZamboNortean diaspora. The urge to migrate begun. They were from the province of Zamboanga del Norte of the island of Mindanao, the second-largest island of the Philippines. Zamboanga del Norte (ZANORTE) is situated in northern Mindanao bounded on the north and west by the Sulu Sea, on the east by Misamis Occidental, and on the south by Zamboanga del Sur.  ZANORTE is known for its twin cities: (a) the orchid city of Dipolog with its beauty and charm (b) the Shrine City of Dapitan with its history and rustic quaintness. Also, of the tourist's delight, Dakak Beach with its oozing natural attraction of the bleach-white sand beach, calm blue waters, coral reefs, shaped cove, and Kodak's sunset horizon.

The Midwest

They came to America. Some on the West Coast. Others to the East Coast. A few to the South. And trickles to the Midwest at the state of Illinois, notably at the city of Chicago. They worked hard. They blended. They were enthusiastic. They beamed with the American dream. 

The Inquiring Mind

And as they chased that American dream, they wondered why there was no Zamboanga del Norte Association? Maybe, it's time to unite, to associate, to be visible, to have a sort of empowerment.

Birth of an Association

In a summer picnic of August 1989 at Schiller Park, Illinois, USA with Bishop Felix S. Zafra and Frs. King Fuerzas & TQ Solis concelebrating an Association was born called the Zamboanga del Norte Association  (ZAMBONORTH then was changed to ZAMNAI, formed with a rock-solid foundation of the guidance and blessings of God amidst the rustling wind of change. Ber "Nonoy" Refugio, a civil engineer and a Jaycee was the 1st president and Greg In. Trabanca became the 1st vice-president.

Constitution and By-Laws

The newly founded Association was in dire need of a Constitution and By-Laws to be effectively in harmony with the fundamental law of the state and the Federal government. We created one. With deletions and additions, the group finally agreed and ratified the newly-created Constitution and By-Laws that began with a preamble:
We, the Filipino-Americans of Zamboanga del Norte, the Philippines invoking the guidance and blessings of God in order to establish solidarity in achieving our goals and objectives do ordain and promulgate this constitution and by-laws.

Why Filipino-Americans?

It is a fitting tribute to the honest, hardworking pioneers who have arrived and reached a state of being a part of the land in their heart- America. They are in America and they are Filipino-Americans from Zamboanga del Norte and not just mere roots but the whole tree planted in the soil of opportunity who want to have a share in the fertile American soil which all hoped and longed for.

The Test of Time.

The Association has withstood the test of time from a small membership to a swelling many. During the 2nd president's tenure of office, the Association unnoticeably had undergone the acid test of boycotting. Out of 120 booked for the occasion, only 80 came. The Association suffered a great loss but it managed to move on and found an avenue leading to revenue to offset the great loss incurred. In fact, it discovered a gold mine so to speak.

The Dream

Unmindful of setbacks and trials, the Association moved on. It has a dream, a vision, and a purpose for Filipino-Americans of Zamboanga del Norte. It is an Association that is on the go blazing the trail for tomorrow's memberships, with its vision, mission, hopes, and dreams under the blessings and guidance of Jesus, the Lord, and Savior of the world. It welcomes all sorts of ideas for better governance.

The Heart, the Passion, The Soul

I am tearfully alone languishing

under the penumbra of loneliness
and if our world once more collides, I'll
gladly take you in my welcoming arms
tenderly cuddle you closer

to my heart so you could feel
the remorseful throbbings
of this longing heart ready
to siphon you to be a living
blood enhancing the incessant

the flow of life-giving love.



The Passion

I am passionate all because of

your timely appearance as
a lovely rose blossoming
in the garden of this perturbed
life; your petals exude a spell
that charm even a savage of a heart;

the color is blood-red shrouding
the thorns with its glow.

The Soul

I see in you the soul of love

draped in the white clouds of heaven.
in you, I see the iridescence of
living and life is immortal
with you.

(July 18, 2006, Tuesday. )

Nourcel 500 , a Whole Food Dietary Supplement

The Journey

The first time since I arrived in Chicago that I witnessed the captivating lakescape and landscape of the south Lake Shore drive. "To see is to believe" still holds true to its meaning.

Chicago's South

Taking Lake Shore Drive southward is like a leisure drive down Manila's Dewey Boulevard now Roxas Boulevard. This time the destination was - South Shore Hospital, 8012 S. Crandon Ave which is still part of the city of Chicago. Purpose: a meeting of Filipino doctors on the 4th floor conference room thru the courtesy of the hospital's CEO, Mr. Jess Ong (an accountant).

The Nurse and the Doctor

My wife and I were invited by Tess Manuel ( nurse of Norwegian-American Hospital)to this meeting. Dr. Cesareo Rivera Albano, Jr. MD (medical consultant, cardiovascular anesthesiologist, anti-aging Medicine Specialist & medico-surgical and nutritional theraphy counselor) was introducing a new product called NourCel 500 which is a Whole Food Dietary Supplement, not a Medicine.

"Life begins with the proper nutrition of every Cell"

NourCel 500 is a cellular nutritional support that could bring wellness and probably youthfulness. A whole food dietary supplement that will promote better quality of life to everyone. This is a slow process and commonly slowed further by the body's toxic condition. A BIG HELP to maintain general health, in the prevention of diseases, in the management of diseases from colds to cancer, for the proper growth and development of children, and for the prevention of early aging and its associated degenerative diseases. This is an answer to Nutritional Insufficiency and the other stages of Malnutrition. Just as Hippocrates once said, "Let your Food be your medicine and let your MEDICINE be your food."

The Product Presentation

Salad and hot foods were served. It was a lap-top round- table presentation to 5 medical doctors , 2 nurses, 2 accountants and 1 salesperson. Of course, questions pertinent to the product permeated the wholesome atmosphere compared to the temperature outside which was in the 90's. Tess Manuel and her friend gave testimonials on the efficacy of the product. At the end, the doctors were convinced that the product was not a medicine but food which is to be a medicine for long life and youthfulness. All were given one complimentary bottle each that contain 120 tablets. One doctor remarked that he could recommend this product to his patients.

The Product

NourCel 500 is made of pure Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis, a highly nutritious dark blue-green micro-algae that is composed of 5 essential micronutrients: Plant Proteins with 18 essential and non-essential amino acids (55-71%), Carbohydrates made of rhamrose (special sugar), polysaccharides an glycogen-like substance called cyanophycean (10-25%), Fats & Lipids with Omega 3, 6, 9 and gamma linolenic acid (5-7%), a Spectrum of Vitamins, Minerals and Trace Elements (7-13%), Nucleic acid: DNA, RNA (1%), Phytonutrients with phytosterols,phycocyanins, beta carotenes, triterpenoids, chlorophylls, SOD and dietary fibers (8-10%). These are all highly digestible and absorbable, and its biological activity is almost 100%, making it an easy source of nutrients and energy for every cell of the body preventing "Nutritional Insufficiency", the possible "Roots of all Diseases" and the "Flint of Early Aging."

The Answer to Malnutrition

Arthrospira (Spirulina) has been studied for more than 40 years as to its nutritive and medicinal values by different nutritional institutions and universities from different countries like the U.S., Canada, Russia, Germany, England, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and many more. Since 1974, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UNICEF recommended Arthrospira (Spirulina) as the "Answer to Malnutrition" and the "Best Food of Tomorrow".

On Remembering Bishop Zafra

I write you
this as a vacationing priest
reminds me of your annual visit

as a dear friend and not a guest.

Chicago welcomes you 

and with great anticipation
invite you to special occasion 

for the Eucharistic celebration.

Your honesty
embossed in the wall of Time
is a living testimony 

of your mission in any clime.

The world now echoes with terrors 

that destroy the peace needs  prayer

your integrity and holiness.

Even as our world trembles and speaks 

in Babel of harm and disunity
we find unity in diversity.

We believe that Luzon, Visayas,

and Mindanao could find the fountain 

of understanding, peace, and love.

And we have embraced your message

of faith, hope, and love; for you're loved.

(Msgr. Felix S. Zafra died Sunday, Aug. 4, 2002, at 1:00 PM at the Bishop's Residence in Tagbilaran City, Philippines. He solemnized our wedding with Msgr. Salvador Mora con-celebrating on May 29, 1973, at St. Mary's Chapel, Dipolog City, Philippines. )

Greg In. Trabanca

Zamboanga

Blue sky, white sand, serene sea, and I 
Precious Zamboanga it's worth a cry.

This is the scenario sans doubt
Supported with true evidence
In all directions, I could shout
Because this narrative makes sense.

I combed the island of my birth
Searching for what really is this for
Only to find that there's a dearth
Of the essence of   this metaphor

I see you with your heavy loads,
As they ruined your forest, your path
Leading you to your dear abodes
Of faith, hope, love without wrath.

Embrace me, feel my aching heart
It throbs with affluent delight
Knowing that this arena's part
This life is filled with flight or fight,

A mission for Neighborliness
A devotion towards change
From decades of gloom and darkness
The people will be home on the range.

Pedestrians' footsteps are trudging
Zamboanga's sunbaked lovely shore
The seagulls echo are amusing
The school of fish dances on the ocean floor.

The sky, the sand, the sea and I
 Zamboanga, please don't you cry.