Message from the Parents: SHC - Selfless Service, Heart, and Character

MESSAGE ON BEHALF OF THE PARENTS

DURING THE CLINICAL GRADUATION OF SACRED HEART COLLEGE 

BSN BATCH 2017

Greetings…

First, allow me to convey my sincerest appreciation for giving me this great privilege to deliver a message on behalf of the parents. I believe that every parent has significant and special message to tell to their graduating son or daughter. I just do hope that I can rightfully represent and give justice to the messages that we all want to express.

For you to easily remember my message for today, I will be using 2 acronyms.

The first acronym that I am going to use is something that you are all familiar with, that acronym is SHC, basically the acronym for your beloved school, the Sacred Heart College. But for today, may I have the pleasure of borrowing this acronym to encapsulate my message, advice, guidance, and pointers that might serve as your compass as you begin another journey in life.

The first letter is S, for Selfless Service or Service above self. Serving selflessly is the true essence of our existence in whatever capacity or profession we are in, especially you as a nurse and me as a soldier. Doing something for our organization, for the community, or for someone not just for money, without expecting for any recognition, an award and a reward is what we call selfless service or service above self.

For the second letter which is H, I will not change the original meaning which is Heart. Heart means courage, love, passion, and compassion. The heart represents courage, not necessarily physical courage, but the moral courage to do the right things and do things right. Heart significantly means love, our unconditional love for others. Heart also symbolizes passion, the willingness to perform and accomplish our duties and responsibilities with all our heart, in tagalog “MAY MALASAKIT”. Heart also notably means compassion for people who are in need of our help and support.

The third and last letter is C, for Character. Character is the best attribute of a person. Character means noble intention in everything that we do. If we can consistently display good character amidst pressures, temptations, challenging situations, we are on the right track and direction. Knowledge and skills are significant factors to move forward and go up, but having a good character will propel us towards rewarding and remarkable success.

The second acronym is something that I am very much familiar with and maybe some of you are also familiar with. That acronym is PMA. PMA basically stands for Philippine Military Academy. For this afternoon, I will utilize PMA as an acronym for Positive Mental Attitude. Our mental capacity to think positive has an amazing power that can outdo our physical and emotional limitations.  Just like how I survived 4 years at PMA. I utilized the amazing power of Positive Mental Attitude. Whenever quitting crossed my minds due to unimaginable hardships of training at PMA, I think of beautiful memories, inspiring moments, happy days, and wonderful tomorrows. Whenever I am in difficult situations even until today, I travel using my mind to the beautiful places that I visited and to the remarkable moments of my existence. Our mind is amazingly powerful. The adage “What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve” is absolutely true. In your capacity as future nurse, you will be experiencing trying moments, and disappointing circumstances, but with the proper mindset of positive mental attitude, you will triumphantly hurdle all challenges not just in your noble profession but more importantly in life. 

Before I end, on a personal note, allow me to especially recognize important persons in my life. My wife NASH, a nurse, my eldest daughter, NYNA, a future nurse and YNNA, my youngest daughter, probably also a future nurse. They are my best examples of selfless service, heart, and character. They are the reasons why I have Positive Mental Attitude. They are my inspiration to always pursue to do the right things and to do things right. 

To the graduates, on behalf of the proud parents, Congratulations! Continue your journey in life by rendering Selfless Service, always doing things from the heart reinforced with good character. Always imbibe positive mental attitude.

To the SACRED HEART COLLEGE, especially to the faculty, thank you for molding our children into individuals ready to serve selflessly, with caring heart, and right character, well-prepared for the challenges in life and for paving the way for a hopeful and bright future because I believe that Sacred Heart College has deeply indoctrinated to the graduates all the virtues and values that I mentioned.

Again, thank you and wonderful afternoon to everyone.

MINISO: The GAME CHANGER in RETAIL

As I was once again exploring the GATEWAY MALL in Cubao (Quezon City, Metro Manila) one night after dinner, a familiar signage completely caught my attention. Yes, I found another MINISO in the Philippines!!! It was the third MINISO branch that I visited in Metro Manila.

It was a familiar signage because of my 10 months stay in Beijing and regular visits to other parts of China. My classmates from Africa actually introduced me to MINISO. During free time, they frequently visited the nearby mall where a MINISO branch is located. They usually came back with lots of interesting items bought from MINISO. My first visit introduced me to a wide variety of useful, interesting, beautifully-designed, and most importantly, affordable items. The succeeding days were spent in frequent visits to the other branches of the said retail store. MINISO has a unique system of changing items regularly almost every week and month. The moment you like something in the store, make sure to buy it on the spot or else you will miss to have it forever.

When I finally reached this particular branch of MINISO at GATEWAY MALL, there is a very long queue at the counter signifying blockbuster sales even in the Philippines. In BEIJING alone, I visited about 10 branches of MINISO which are usually crowded.

As a background, MINISO is a low-end retailer and variety store chain specializes in household and consumer good. MINISO is derived from the word "mini", after Japanese minimarts. According to my research, red which is the main color of its logo is considered auspicious in Asian cultures.

MINISO was founded in 2011 by the Japanese designer Junya Miyake and Chinese Entrepreneur Ye Guofo. It is operating primarily in mainland China. However, it already expanded to Taiwan, Hongkong, macau, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and recently Philippines. On August 26, 2016, MINISO signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with an American partner to expand operations in the United States.

The Headquarters of MINISO is presently in Guangzhou, China.

Pay a visit to the MINISO branch at GATEWAY MALL in Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. There are also MINISO branches in ROBINSONS MANILA and SM MANILA.

MINISO offers functional and interesting items with amazingly reasonable and affordable prices like electronic gadgets, power banks, bluetooth speakers, headsets, bags, wallets, sunglasses, caps, umbrellas, perfumes, lotions, pillows, slippers, educational toys, and many other things. 

Discover why MINISO can be considered as the "GAME CHANGER" in the RETAIL INDUSTRY.

Another BLESSED Journey to KAMAY NI HESUS SHRINE and sidetrip to AIR SUMMIT GOURMET

It is my "PERSONAL COVENANT" to visit "KAMAY NI HESUS" SHRINE as a form of THANKSGIVING and to ask for GUIDANCE whenever I will be traveling for a MISSION, designated to a new POSITION or whenever there is a need to recharge my being as I continue with my JOURNEY in LIFE...

Traveling to the SHRINE, popularly known as "GROTTO" for the locals, is a refreshing one. Lush greens and fresh air along the way make the trip enjoyable and exciting.

This particular JOURNEY is actually my THANKSGIVING for my remarkable journey in China for 10 months. This is also purposely to ask for the ALMIGHTY's GUIDANCE since I was newly designated  to another "challenging" position just this Friday (September 23). As the new Chief of the Personnel Office of the AFP Command and General Staff College (AFPCGSC), it is another new for me. Although I already occupied several positions and had been assigned to numerous offices related to personnel management, this is another new since AFPCGSC is my first unit assignment outside the Philippine Air Force. This time, I will be in-charge of  managing personnel from the different Major Services, not just the Air Force, who are assigned at the highest military learning institution, the AFPCGSC. Indeed a herculean task to fulfill.

May God Bless my Journey so that I can successfully fulfill and accomplish the duties and responsibilities embedded in this significant and sensitive designation.

To provide some information about the Shrine:

MASS SCHEDULE

The KAMAY NI HESUS SHRINE is opened daily from 6am to 6pm to the public for FREE. 

There are daily Mass Services. 
For Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday is 9am

Healing Mass is being conducted every Wednesday and Saturday at 9:30am

During Sundays, there are 4 Mass Services at 7:30am, 9am, 10:30am, and 11:30am.

The shrine is founded by Rev. father Joseph 'Joey' Ayala Faller. The construction of the Shrine started on December 8, 2003 and was completed the following year.

The climb is both exciting and challenging with 287 steps upward the hill. The shrine is usually crowded during weekends and holidays especially during Sundays.

The 14 Stations of the Cross are situated along the way of the climb making the journey a blessed one. Perfect venue to PRAY and REFLECT. 

The captivating overlooking views are good for picture taking.

After about 300 steps, I finally reached the top of the hill. It was a triumphant feeling just like reaching the top of the world. The view of the 50-foot image of Jesus Christ was a joy to behold as a reward after the 20 to 30 minutes climb.

 Devotees praying at the foot of the image. A remarkable moment to witness.

Printed prayer is posted beside the statue as a guide for the visiting devotees. Aside from the scripted prayer, I crafted my own personal prayers from the heart thanking the Lord for the continuous blessings and asking for Lord's guidance for the next chapter of my journey.

After praying and honoring the Almighty, Enjoying the view from above, and short rest, it is time to go down the hill. 

After hurdling the slightly challenging climb, it is time to light colored candles and pray for noble intentions.

This was the first time that I noticed that there are pinned written prayers on the wall along the way out.

Noah's Ark House of Prayer is also within the compound.

There is also a playground for children that makes the compound a complete family destination during weekends and holidays.

"Feed the KOI" is another activity that can be done inside the compound near the Noah's Ark.

Many people are enjoying while feeding and watching the "KOI"

Enjoying "selfie" with the KOI.

There are numerous food shops inside the compound offering local delicacies and many other Filipino dishes.

Souvenir shops are also available selling various items.

From small to big items, there are wide variety to choose from.

From something for display to something that you can use, there is something that can you bring home as remembrance from the GROTTO.

"Pancit Habhab" for 15 pesos per serving is available to satisfy your hunger and also a rare chance to try the popular merienda in Quezon Province.

There are many other local food items that can be bought inside and also outside the compound.

The ideal duration to stay inside the KAMAY NI HESUS SHRINE is 2 to 3 hours including the mass for about an hour, the climb for about 45 minutes, buying some souvenirs, and the remaining time to explore the whole compound.

After the noble journey at the KAMAY NI HESUS SHRINE, I headed to a new RESTAURANT nearby. The "AIR SUMMIT GOURMET' actually started its operations early this year but I only learned its existence a few months ago. It is the FIRST AND ONLY AIRPLANE RESTAURANT in the PHILIPPINES. 

A new experience and different ambiance that require extra cost. A set meal costs about 500 to 800 pesos per person. A set meal for 4 persons costs about 2,500 pesos. 

It is about 10 to 15 minutes travel time from KAMAY NI HESUS SHRINE. The restaurant is located at the old KAMAYAN SA PALAISDAAN floating restaurant in TAYABAS CITY. 

How to reach KAMAY NI HESUS SHRINE?

For Private Vehicle: Drive towards South Luzon Express (SLEX), then exit at CALAMBA City (Turbina), upon reaching crossing, turn right then head towards STA. CRUZ, then to LUCBAN.

For Commuters: 

1. Ride a bus bound for LUCENA CITY.  JAC, JAM, DLTB Liners are Lucena-bound buses with terminals in Cubao and along Taft Ave.

(About 3 to 4 hours travel for about 200 pesos fare)

2.Get off at DIVERSION ROAD, LUCENA CITY.

3. Beside the JOLLIBEE is a JEEPNEY bound for LUCBAN, just tell the driver that you are going to "GROTTO". 

(About 35 to 45 minutes travel time for 30 pesos fare)

P.S. The WHOLE COMPOUND of the KAMAY NI HESUS SHRINE is a STRICTLY NO SMOKING AREA!

I am looking forward for another BLESSED JOURNEY to KAMAY NI HESUS.