It’s just a week away – the Paris Olympics and the mood in the French capital is reaching fever pitch.
The Summer Games will open on July 26 and end on Aug. 11. Almost 11,000 athletes representing 206 countries are seeing action in the games, which was also held in Paris 100 years ago.
The Philippines is sending 22 athletes – seven men and 15 women – who will see action in nine sports disciplines: athletics, boxing, fencing, golf, gymnastics, judo, rowing, swimming and weightlifting.
Bacoleña Annie Veillon, a resident of France and sister of my friend, Ana Batisla-on, obliged with my request and forwarded some photos of part of the Olympic torch relay, which “pays tribute to the memory of people who left a mark on the history of the country and contributed to the country’s influence and reputation.”
The Games, which costs about €9 billion will feature 329 events in 32 sports, including breaking, or breakdancing, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and 3×3 basketball. Not included in the competition this year is baseball, softball and karate.
For Filipino sports lovers, the nights ahead will be long – to watch the games on screen, especially those featuring the performance of our athletes.
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A trip to Kabankalan City on July 18, the first long travel I had since I had stroke three years ago, proved fruitful, rejuvenating and sentimental as well.
I was invited by my friend, Olive Seruelo, to speak to a group of farmer-leaders belonging to groups in Kabankalan and Bago City and partner institutions. The farmers are beneficiaries of SEARICE, the Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment.
SEARICE, as its website describes it, is “a regional non-government development organization that promotes and implements community-based conservation, development and sustainable use of plant genetic resources in partnership with civil society organizations, government agencies, academic research institutions and local government units.”
SEARICE operates in the Philippines as well as in Bhutan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand and Vietnam.
The day earlier, SEARICE held a training also for farmers on biocultural community protocols.
The July 18 training focused on communication and was designed to provide participants with knowledge, skills and the mindset to disseminate and share information for the empowerment of rural communities.
Overseeing the conduct of the trainings was SEARICE’s Executive Director, Quezon City-based Normita who called on participants to use information for the realization of their respective associations and institutions’ goals and objectives.
Using the virtual platform, SEARICE Communication Officer Ma. Teresa Debuque, discussed the organization’s programs and strategies at the start of the Thursday training.
Key resource person, Keith Cari-an, a media colleague now who is my former student at USLS MassComm, and I shared inputs on important communication and writing techniques with Keith also discussing strategies participants can adopt to spread their messages through the digital platform.
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The Kabankalan trip brought memories back of days when I served as member of the Board of Trustees (now Board of Regents) of the institution for two terms in the past decade.
It was during the latter part of my board tenure when the school was elevated from Negros State College of Agriculture to its current university status.
Under the trailblazing leadership of Dr. Freddie Maningo, CPSU established campuses in various towns and cities.
Today, CPSU has 10 campuses, including the main campus, spread out in north, central and southern Negros Occidental, under President Dr. Aladino Moraca.
I also had the opportunity to teach at the CPSU Graduate School when it expanded to the poblacion using the facilities of Kabankalan Catholic College.
All these memories were pleasantly brought back when I went to the main campus in Barangay Camingawan on Thursday. Thanks to the weather, too, the downpour kept the trip on the way home – with George, Olive’s Hubby and my longtime printing industry partner – extra cool and comfortable.
Despite my physical issues, I am happy I had another opportunity to share God’s gift of knowledge and skills.
It was truly an occasion of renewing and strengthening ties and building new connections.
Thanks again, Olive and SEARICE.
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When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. (Leviticus 23:22) | NWI
