Editorial

Supreme Gesture 

On Mother’s Day

Undeniably, Filipinos possess a genuine and deep love for the family. This includes not only among the spouses and children, parents, and siblings, but also grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, godparents, and other ceremonial relatives. We, as a people, are noted worldwide to have many outstanding values such as our strong sense of hospitality, pakikipag-kapwa tao, pakikiramay, industry and hard work and to single out our strong family orientation. 

As a people, we are person-oriented, and sensitive to relationships with others which are  very important part of our lives. Thus, we are capable of much caring and concern for others. Our family-person orientation leads us to be concerned for people more so with our family.

 To the Filipinos, the family is the source of personal identity, the source of emotional and material support, and the person’s main commitment and responsibility.

Concern for family is manifested in the honor and respect given to parents and elders, in the care given to children, the generosity towards relatives in times of need, and in the great sacrifice one endures for the welfare of the family. This sense of family orientation results in a feeling of belonging or rootedness and in a basic sense of security. 

However, our family orientation is both a strength and a weakness, which is very essential to any form of reaching out to others even beyond the family and to the larger community.

We connect with each other especially in times of sorrows. This becomes the family bonding time since every member of the family far and near comes home for the final viewing and internment of their loved ones. In addition, the family gathers together during happy occasions such as christening of an additional member of the family, birthdays, anniversaries, fiesta, Christmas, New Year and weddings. These are clear manifestations of strong family orientation 

There are other occasions when the families show love and concern for each other. Although this may not be well within the culture of many Filipinos nowadays, however, these are traditions we should include in the festive celebration of every Filipino family.  

Last May 9, the country celebrated MOTHER’s Day. Interviews were done on TV and on radio from celebrities who had their style of making their mothers happy. Gifts and greetings rocked the heavens to express how important a mother is .Indeed it was a significant reminder to many who have forgotten their mother. 

• Here at the Northwestern Visayan Colleges, the classes of the Guidance and Counseling and Values Education/Personhood put their hands together on how best to celebrate Mother’s Day. The students expressed their creativity such as designing huge Human formation of Happy Mothers Day which was posted in their facebook accounts. This received many “likes”,  “share”, and “tags” from friends, classmates, and the community which were amazed with the pictures and who read the messages. The thousand responses made the pictures and the messages ‘trendy’.  Many expressed their gratitude for reminding them of the occasion because without it they have totally forgotten the occasion. Still others made tarpaulin saying:

A mother is the truest friend we have,

When trials heavy and sudden falls upon us;

Adversity takes the place of prosperity; 

When friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us;

When troubles thicken around us;

A mother bears with us forever. 

Many students used the radio stations in Kalibo to air their greetings. These supreme gestures again brought back to the consciousness of people to remember love ones such as their mothers who nurture them with unrequited love and sacrifice.  

The concerted efforts of the students in BSED, BEED, with majors in Mathematics, English, Pilipino and MAPEH will for certain go a long way to start anew the momentum of keeping up traditions of Filipino Values.

Hugs and kisses to you Mother!  We love you!!  /MP