My Christmas wish

Merry Christmas to all our readers for the past eight years and for all the Go Negosyantes!

Time has flown so fast and here we are celebrating Christmas once again. It is the time of the year to celebrate and rejoice the birth of our Lord and of course, to look back to the past months filled with blessings and triumphs.

This time, my wife’s family from Vancouver, Canada and San Francisco, USA will join us for a family reunion. Marissa, my wife, lost both her parents at a very young age so this family reunion will be a good time to reconnect with family from abroad. With the merry atmosphere of the season, it is best to celebrate it with family and relatives.

As you can see, the amount of balikbayans that come home to spend time with family is plenty at this time of the year. It has been a tradition, as much as possible, to spend these important holidays and occasions with people who are dear to us. In our Filipinos culture, our values and strengths are established and strengthened by our own respective families. It is so deeply rooted that it will always be our source of inspiration and courage to face many troubled times in our lives. And because of that culture, we have retained our relationship with our closest of kin despite the distance and time difference.

Finally, as the Philippines continue to prosper, more and more Filipinos are beginning to see and experience greater prosperity and opportunities. Many good things are starting to happen. And what I hope and wish for next year, is to have a continuous progress and development. And as we embark on Go Negosyo’s 10th year, I wish that we can continue promoting our advocacy of entrepreneurship. May we be able to reach not only the youth, but also the different sectors in the society.

In photo (from left) My father, Joecon, Cardinal Tagle, me and Alice Eduardo.

The year 2015 will be an exciting year as we gear up for many international events in the country including the pope’s visit.

Last week, we had a great opportunity to meet with Cardinal Tagle. My parents and some friends and donors joined us in meeting His Eminence, as we discussed how we can help in the preparation for the pope’s visit in January 2015.  The fact that the pope is coming over early next year is truly a great Christmas gift to many Filipinos. Since the last visit of pope was 20 years ago, the papal’s visit next year is a chance to strengthen our faith and devotion.

Cardinal Tagle was so accommodating that my whole family enjoyed our short meeting. My wife and I cannot believe that the Cardinal is only 57 years old. With his positive outlook, he can possibly be a candidate to become the first pope from Asia.

As they say, “the family that prays together stays together.” Relating this famous quote to the Philippines, I can say that we are a big family connected by our faith. We may have faced countless of trials and difficulties this year, including calamities, but our belief in God has always helped us move on and face another day. Again, wishing all our readers, a merry Christmas!