Pit Senyor 2010!

JAPAN — The novenas and masses offered to the Sto. Niño must be drawing the crowds that are filling up the Basilica as well as other churches throughout Cebu these days.

So much preparations as well are taking place to ensure a smooth, safe, and happy celebration of this year’s Sinulog. It is back to business for those who wish to attract the Sinulog visitors at the malls or out in the streets. Sinulog time in Cebu is also reunion time for families and friends. Participating schools and groups will also soon realize the fruits of their hard training not only through the awards that they may receive but through the audience reaction and reception of their performances.

Too bad, we will miss the Cebu Sinulog this year. Most especially, we will miss the happy reunion hosted by our dear Gallardo relatives, Alice, Tony and Tere, Jonas and Peachy, Thelma, Mylene, and Margie who are carrying on the tradition started by their parents, our Tio Loloy and Tia Feling, both of whom are now joyfully and peacefully watching the Sinulog with the Lord from the heavens.

Year in, year out, the Gallardo family has opened their whole building to relatives and friends during Sinulog time. And it is always such a grand reunion – with relatives from both near and far, eagerly updating each other about how they have been since they met last and probably planning as well with each other about the next reunion to look forward to! The reunion is also a happy occasion for the young to bond together and for the oldies to reminisce about grand old times together.

Aside from the happy reunion, the Sinulog at the Gallardos is memorable for the unending servings of oh, so delicious food and drinks. We can imagine the lechon but most especially, the to-die-for humba and fresh lumpia and binangkal! Our foster-brother Akio, if he joins this year’s celebration, will surely be smiling through his choices of hard drinks.

From the talk and the food, the guests will next set their eyes on the various performances that can be viewed very comfortably from the Gallardo building. It is so relaxing to watch the whole Sinulog celebration from the building and in the warm company of friends and relatives that many prefer to just spend the whole day inside.

There are the adventurous, especially among the young and even the not-so-young as well who will venture out to the streets. For sure, if he is not busy trying to capture the dramatic scenes of Mindanao, our Uyong Froi will be out in the streets, with his camera trying to document this year’s Sinulog!

We can imagine Tia Rosy Lim with her friends, the cheerful nuns and priests, lined up along the side of one floor of the building, enjoying the grand performances of the various participants from Cebu and other provinces. On another floor, or perhaps on the same floor, our ever-vibrant Tia Nanie Dante with her brood of grandchildren will surely be happily enjoying the event as well!

Gratefully, even as we will miss this year’s Sinulog in Cebu and miss even more the happy reunion with friends and relatives, we will also have the occasion to have our own version of the Sinulog in one of the churches here, in Joso, Ibaraki, Japan.

Sr. Flor and the rest of the Joso church community are now busy preparing for the Sinulog mass and dances. Fr. Jack Serate of Cebu City is also expected to attend this event as well. He is scheduled to hear confession which is much awaited especially by the Visayan-speaking majority in Joso! For sure, the food and drinks will flow as well as the fun and games.

More importantly, however, the Sinulog is one-much awaited occasion to offer and lift up special prayers and intentions to Sto. Niño, the beloved center of focus of this celebration.

There is much to pray for in the midst of the present global and local crisis. There is much to pray for our people and our country. Special prayers for a truly honest and clean elections is a special prayer for Sinulog 2010. Special prayers for genuine public servants to emerge and lead this country towards greater service to our people and to God are most especially needed for this year. Special prayers for our country and our people to be spared further disasters are also needed. May the prayers and spiritual offerings also continue beyond the 3rd Sunday of January and beyond this year’s Sinulog!

Pit Senyor everyone! Enjoy the celebration as well as your private time with the Sto. Niño!

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