Jose Santos - Vice President For Finance And Treasurer, Ateneo De Manila University and Fr. Bienvenido Nebres SJ - President, Ateneo De Manila University

Last Saturday was the birthday of the hero and martyr, Ninoy Aquino Jr. He should have been 76.  
There were masses, wreath-laying at his monuments and gatherings to honor him and it was also the time to express support for his only son, Senator Noynoy Aquino who is the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party.

An annual award in his name is the Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Award For Nationalist given by The Joint Congress of The Federation of Catholic Schools Alumni/ae Association and The Good Citizenship Movement in collaboration with the Commission On Higher Education. They also bestow on deserving citizens the Manuel L. Quezon Award For Exemplary Governance. This year’s awardees for the Aquino Award were Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno and Christopher I. Carreon, Founder of The Spirit of Edsa Foundation. The Quezon Awardees were Mayor Alfredo Lim, Tycoon John Gokongwei and Environmentalist Nicanor Perlas.

To all of them, mabuhay! May your tribes increase!

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Also, in anticipation of Jan. 25, beloved Tita Cory’s birthday, Swatch will come out with a very limited number (801) of Cory Swatch Watches, so beat the rush, reserve now at all Swatch stores! It’s perfect for Cory fans and veterans this Christmas with the actual watches to come out in January! Profits will go to Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Foundation Scholarship Funds.

“Swatch Shares” incidentally is a campaign to celebrate the — 20th anniversary of Swatch in the Philippines. This is also to support KC Concepcion’s humanitarian activities that focus on Food For Education. Among the poor, many kids are only allowed to go to school if they are fed and can bring home rice for the family. Otherwise, they are forced to stay in the streets to beg. The reality is that R10 can already feed one child per day. Swatch’s participation on this is for every Swatch watch bought from the 2009 Fall/ Winter Collection, people can help feed a child for a whole month.

Meanwhile, I wear the Limited Edition Ateneo Sesquincentennial Watch made by Swatch too in honor of Hubby who finished his high school at Ateneo.  It is an ideal gift for die-hard, true-blue Ateneans this season especially Jubilarians this coming Alumni Homecoming! The profit from sales will be donated to the “500 At 150 Sesquicentennial Scholarship Campaign”. The objective is to send 500 scholars through school at the Ateneo. Swatch Philippines has donated the first million from proceeds of the Ateneo Swatch sales which will be used for deserving scholars who we hope, will one day make their own significant contributions to society armed with their Ateneo education.

This Sunday is the start of the 10 Day Countdown to Ateneo’s 150- Year Anniversary. Time to get your Ateneo Swatch!

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This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, and if your family is into the tradition of The Advent Wreath, then you will gather, say the prayers and light up the First Pink Candle.

You see, there are four candles in all, symbolizing the four weeks of the season before the birth of The Savior, Jesus Christ! And when all the four candles have been lit in four weeks, with the Deep Purple Candle as the last, then it’s the day before Christmas!

Sadly, this tradition dating back several centuries in Europe, is no longer popular in Catholic homes, even here in the Philippines. It seems so archaic to be observing this devotional tradition but I lament its passing. I enjoyed the ritual of The Advent Wreath, from the making of the wreath with leaves and the four candles to the lighting ceremony presided by Dad, the prayers led by Mommy, and the singing of the song, “Oh come, Oh come, Emmanuel…”

But it must be hard to be cheery and hopeful about the coming of Jesus and salvation when your loved one is one of the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre or you are still mired in flood waters in Laguna, or you are lining up for job interviews or doing odd jobs just to survive. It is also hard to feel the Christmas spirit when your relationships with some family members or friends are in shambles, right?

Since the Christmas spirit is “hope” for the coming of the greatest gift of all, so “we remember, we celebrate, and we believe,” as Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD reminded all of us at the mass for beloved Hubby. We are hopeful of the great reunion, made possible by Jesus becoming a Man! We have been busy dressing up our homes for the holidays, how about cleaning up our hearts for Him?