Community Outreach Cum Travel Adventure at Bontoc, Mountain Province

Wazzup Pilipinas!

She asked me why I joined? I told her it's because I realized that it would be awesome to travel while giving back something in return. I may be excited for the sights and experience of going to new places, but I was doubly excited in engaging with the community via an outreach. 

I know I am idealistic. I wanted to live in a world where no one gets left behind, in either their living conditions or opportunities. It may be foolish of me to think I could save the world within my lifetime, but I'm doing every little thing possible within my own network, so that I could influence others to do the same. At least someone would be inspired to follow my footsteps so that saving the world would be a continuous process.

I may not have super-powers like the heroes in comics, cartoons and movies, but though it would be spectacular to fly or have super strength, I could still find something to do that's worth emulating by others.

Others may say that those little things would not make much of a difference in the long run, but I know that when you get to touch the lives of others in your own little way, somehow there would be a spark of hope fro them to get up and move on with their own lives, to fin their rightful place in this world, and make their own mark for the benefit of all.

We joined Meaningful Travels PH at one of their community outreach cum travel events from May 25 to May 28, 2017. The destination was at Bontoc, Mountain Province, specifically barangay Maligcong and Mainit. Though it was already announced that it would be a 10 to 12 hour ride from Cubao, I did not feel any regrets since we are about to do good, while satisfying our own pleasures at the same time.

A Surprise Kabayan Homecoming

Wazzup Pilipinas!
 

Concepcion “Connie” Cabasa couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw her daughter Ruselle standing at the front of their house.  Ruselle Cabasa, who had not been home to the Philippines for seven years, has just arrived at their doorstep in Navarcan, Ilocos Sur unannounced.  What her mother Connie and her father Eddie Cabasa didn’t know about is that Ruselle had just won MoneyGram’s Kabayan Homecoming promotion where one MoneyGram customer from Japan could win an all-expense paid trip back home to the Philippines.  For Ruselle, it was a long time awaited visit

Ruselle had been working in Japan for 13 years now. She didn’t visit her loved ones home for seven years to send them more money. A roundtrip ticket costs as much as PhP40,000– an amount that would cover her family’s living and household expenses in Narvacan.  So, instead of regularly flying in for a visit like other OFWs, Ruselle had chosen to sacrifice her need to be with her family and support them financially instead.  To make up for her absence, she regularly phoned home to keep in touch with her parents and siblings. 

As the third out of four children, Ruselle always had a strong sense of responsibility for her family.  After college graduation, together with her twin sister Raquel, she immediately started working in Manila to support their family’s income.  Soon they learned of an opportunity to work in Japan.  Both sisters applied for this position, but only Ruselle’s application was accepted.  

Although it was difficult to work in a foreign country, not to mention being oceans away from her family, Ruselle stayed motivated and did her best at work.  She adapted to the culture and norms, and soon started her own family in Japan.  Whenever she was tired, homesick or longed for her loved ones in the Philippines, her children, Yoshitaka and Nozomi, kept her spirits up.

ÄRT MÖD: See You at the Fair!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The first ÄRT MÖD Fair 2017 is opening its doors on Independence Day weekend from 10 AM - 7 PM on Friday, June 9 to Sunday, June 11, 2017 at the Megatrade Hall 2, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

The 3-day art fair will be filled with contemporary artworks from various artists, talks and discussions, live demonstrations and sketching sessions among others. Visitors will also be treated to a variety of activities that inspires creativity and spurs understanding of art and its processes.

Envisioned to bring the world of Philippine Modern Art to a wider audience, ÄRT MÖD Fair 2017 gathers a host of both established and upcoming visual artists like Philipp Badon, Boysie Villavicencio, Joe Datuin and Toym Imao and other artists together under one roof.

ÄRT MÖD Fair 2017 provides art enthusiasts a convenient and comfortable venue to experience and appreciate modern art like paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, mixed media and digital art. A rare opportunity for serious collectors and first-time buyers alike to find the artwork that matches their styles and tastes. The event provides an alternative venue for artistic creations, ranging from painting to mixed media at affordable prices to be showcased in a unique and comfortable buying experience situated conveniently at the heart of the city. The art fair connects artists and buyers to strike better deals and build a community of appreciation for local talents.

ÄRT MÖD, coined from “modern art”, aims to be one of the largest affordable art fairs in the Philippines promoting Filipino visual arts and artists to a wide market.