OCTOBER 29 - NOVEMBER 4, 2017 4 OPINION “It was the worst six months of


E D I T O R I A L Worst days


my life.” That was how Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale described her stint as Acting Governor of Cebu during the suspension of then Governor Gwen Osmena. This was quoted by Negros Oriental Vice Governor Mark Macias, now Acting Governor, to give a glimpse of what life could be in his temporary assignment. Thrust into the post of Acting Governor with the 90-day Preventive Suspension of Gov. Roel Degamo, many would probably think this could be the best thing to happen to the Vice Governor.


But such may not be the case. Having learned from his short stint as Governor last year with the Department of Interior and Local Government’s implementation of the Ombudsman’s Dismissal Order against Degamo, Macias pledged it would be to everyone’s best interest to leave things unchanged during these 90 days. But many of Macias’ political


allies are not quite happy about his stand and want changes—changes that could put Negros Oriental in a crossroad once more with Macias and Degamo on opposing sides and changes that could put careers of other government employees in jeopardy. The position of acting governor—


which was given one day after his 54th birthday, could be proving to be not a birthday gift but a Halloween scare. In the end, this will be the Acting Governor’s call whether or not he will institute changes to please his allies and he alone would be answerable for his actions. It would be best if we leave him do do what’s best.


ATTY. WHELMA SITON-YAP ECON 101 whelmayap@yahoo.com W


All Souls’ Day(Undas in Tagalog), the day when Filipinos traditionally remember our loved ones who have passed away. Some believe that the origins of All Souls’ Day in European folklore and folk belief are related to customs of ancestor veneration, practiced worldwide, through events such as, in India Pitru Paksha, the Chinese Ghost Festival, the Japanese Bon Festival. For Catholics, it


Every November 2nd


hat are your plans for All Souls’ Day or “Kalag-kalag”? ,


is


Most religions have a belief in life after death, and this day is also know as the Day of Remembrance of the Dead. The commemoration of Halloween, a western practice, is also adapted, as the time for ghost stories or scary pranks or stunts. Most Filipinos honor the dead loved ones and visit the graves of deceased relatives and friends in the


is observed as a day to commemorate their departed loved ones, who, based on the Catholic belief, has not yet reached Heaven. It is a day when we pray for their souls to finally rest and be with the Lord.


to the cemetery for three straight days. Others would spend the night at their loved ones in mausoleums. Us ually, cleaning, repainting or beautifying the tombs, lighting up candles, offering of flowers, and saying prayer for the


NIKKA CORNELIO-BAKER


SAVING FOR BOTOX


Twitter: @nikkajow A member of the Philippine Press Institute


ALEX REY V. PAL Publisher & Editor-in-Chief (On-leave) IRMA FAITH B. PAL Managing Editor


JOEL V. PAL Online News/North America Editor RICHLI D. AVES Cartoonist


Awardee, Best Editorial Page 2007 Community Press Awards


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wish I was one of those people who stayed attractive even when fat. Curves in the right places, a tiny face. But nope. We’re talking Judy Ann at her worst. And it sucks. It sucks when Halloween comes around. On one of the very rare instances when wearing costumes in public is socially acceptable, sometimes it feels like the go-to costume is a variation on a sexy professional. Sexy nurse. Sexy firefighter. Sexy maid. Sexy nun. Sexy zombie. It wouldn’t do to just be professional, it has to be sexy because it isn’t Halloween unless your butt cheeks are hanging out. Hallow - J.K. Rowling aside - means holy, and the hallow in Halloween has long passed its sell-by date. There’s nothing sacred about running around in stilettos, wearing thigh- high fishnets and a sexy nun costume, but hey we’re only young once. I’m not hating.


I


Between you and me, that Halloween would totally be my Halloween if I weighed at least twenty pounds less and had a waist. Alas, some things aren’t meant to be. Halloween means you get to go to work dressed as something without anyone giving you the side-eye and if I couldn’t be a sexy


zombie, I was going to go the opposite direction and wear something completely asexual and shapeless. Work can sometimes feel like being in a penal colony and the costume doesn’t require toned thighs and abs, so I donned a shapeless orange jumpsuit, wore fake prison tats and secured a ball and chain around an ankle. This apparently made an impact, because the next year they decided to have a theme, and the theme was… you guessed it. Jail. Everyone went as an inmate.


The prison theme is an unwitting favourite of mine. I once spent the night at the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel. The former Carleton County Jail, once considered a model penitentiary in the 1800s, they’d conscripted the cells into really cozy little rooms with bunk beds, which I thought was a hoot


Night of the living undead and a half.


They were nice enough to include a guided tour of the jail for the guests the next day, leading us to the top floor - which had been Death Row - showing us the gallows with the working trapdoor, taking us all the way to the basement to solitary. I later found out that apparitions sometimes appear at the foot of guest’s beds, that the courtyard was an unmarked grave site, and that there have been reports of lonely cries echoing through the dorms. All I’d wanted was to say


cemeteries. For various reasons, some families prefer to go on Oct. 31st or Nov. 1st


, while some go


souls of the departed, are done, during this period. “Kalag-kalag” for


most Filipinos is a festive celebration, even if this day ought to be a solemn tribute for our departed loved ones. It is celebrated as a happy time, combined with prayer breaks, because Filipinos are happy people, they have the belief that we want our loved ones to be


Kalag-kalag


happy also as we pay them a visit or remember them, with our prayers.


for families, relatives and friends with their children, since schools are on their semester break, so, families to spend time together. Children would play with their cousins as the adults would exchange stories


This is bonding time


and play cards or mahjong (a game that originated in China). No gathering is complete, everyone sets the table for the various dishes cooked and brought as in a picnic. It usually includes the deceased loved one’s favorite dish, the plate of favorite food, is placed in front of the tomb or grave as offering for the soul of our relatives and friends.All the food including the food offerings are consumed by all the living relatives and friends present.


go back to their home provinces for All Souls’ Day, for those who are not able to go home, they go to the church to light candles or just have a gathering on one of the relatives ‘ homes, for food and prayers. This time, we pay special tribute to those who gave up their lives, in defense of our country, especially Civilians, Soldiers and Policemen, who lost their lives, in the Marawi siege. Let us storm the heavens to protect the Filipino nation from the claws of terrorism! Happy all souls’ day!


I got to spend the night in jail, and unwittingly ended up in a building ranked just behind Chernobyl on the list of the world’s scariest places. The trick to trying the unknown? Don’t research too hard.


Dressing up, trick-or- treating and hoarding bags of candy is awesome, but I still prefer the way we Filipinos celebrate the dead. Picnics at the cemetery, One Sweet Day on repeat, the party taken straight to where our loved ones are interred? It’s awesome. Plus, we get a bit judgy. “That headstone has weeds. No one’s come to visit.” “Oh look, those lanterns


still have price tags from Robinson’s Handyman.” Then everyone goes


back to communal eating, drinking, singing really bad karaoke and playing mahjongg o and whatnot. The whole thing is macabre, hilarious, bittersweet and a great way to celebrate the dead. Free candy and exposed butt cheeks are fun, but the Day of the Dead is about focusing on the ones we love who’ve since departed and in my opinion, the way we do it is still the best.


While most people


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