Pit Señor! Viva Señor Sto Niño!

This week, let's take a little break from our usual topic on US immigration. Although there have been a lot of developments going on right now that have direct consequences on issues involving the lives of immigrants such as the ongoing government shutdown over the border wall, the confirmation hearings of the nominee for the next US attorney general, healthcare, sanctuary cities, minimum wage, etc., today is the day that I want to pay homage to my patron saint and the protector of us all, the Sto. Niño de Cebu.

Being born, bred, and raised in Cebu, it was always the tradition, like any other Cebuano family, that Fridays always meant a trip to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño. No Friday was complete without the “dagkot,” the “hawok” and the novena to the Sto. Niño. This childhood experience has been instilled in me that even when I was already an attorney working at the Cebu City Attorney's Office, I always made it a point to stop by the basilica even when it was not a Friday. In times when weariness from the stress of work and life seem to be insurmountable, just sitting in front of the image of the Holy Child was enough to clear up a foggy mind.

Each one of us, through our own individual experiences, has that certain connection with the Sto. Niño that nobody else feels. The Holy Child has a way of revealing himself to us in ways only he and ourselves can understand. Even until now, I always say a perpetual novena first before I walk inside the courtroom in an immigration hearing. And when I do that, all the time, without fail, I always feel guided and aided by the Sto. Niño.

As we chant with conviction “Viva Pit Señor” sing the “Gozos” and dance the Sinulog, let us also include a Pit Señor for the undocumented immigrants, Pit Señor for the families living in constant fear of deportation, Pit Señor for the son or daughter who has not seen his/her parents because of the latter's inability to go back home, Pit Señor for those who have been waiting for years to be reunited with their loved ones, Pit Señor for those who are struggling to find their way in the US, Pit Señor for those who are working as healthcare workers abroad yet are burdened with guilt because they cannot even take care of their sick and elderly parents in the Philippines, and Pit Señor for those whose hopes are unwavering that a better life for them waits ahead.

Here’s a Pit Señor for all of us! Viva Señor Sto. Niño!

This column is not a substitute for professional legal advice obtained from a US-licensed immigration attorney. The information contained herein does not constitute a warranty or guarantee or legal advice regarding a reader’s specific immigration case. No attorney-client relationship is and shall be established with any reader.

For any questions, comments and observations, please contact Atty. Marco Tomakin at [email protected]