The best of the season

For the Ateneo batches of GS ’67, HS ’71 and College ’75, who also call themselves collectively as the King of the Blues (KOB), Christmas was also about team spirit.

Gerry Aquino, captain of Team KOB, led his golf team to three major championships: the 2nd and 3rd legs of the Moro Lorenzo golf series and the Ateneo Challenge Cup. Team KOB was also part of the Ateneo contingent that swept La Salle in their annual golf meet held in November.

Gerry Aquino attributed these victories, first to the blessings of Mother Mary, and to the camaraderie of the batch; the team spirit that has kept these boys together through elementary, high school and college; through marriages and divorces; through births and deaths; through laughter and tears; from across the continents; and from one Christmas to the next.

As another Christmas season ends and a new year unfolds, perhaps, the best thing we can give each other is ourselves. Freddie Mercury summed it up in his song, Time:

“Time waits for nobody, time waits for nobody

We all must plan our hopes together

Or we’ll have no more future at all

Time waits for nobody.

Time waits for nobody, time waits for no-one

We’ve got to build this world together

Or we’ll have no more future at all

Because time, it waits for nobody.”

A blast from the past, fuelling the future

She is a former flight attendant who soared in a different field — teaching.

Founder of the Centre for International Education (CIE) in Cebu and Metro Manila, Prof. Nelia Cruz Sarcol is now also a book author.

The Centre for International Education recently released two books that will help shape the way the Filipinos look at themselves and their future amidst the problems that they encounter today. Entitled The Legend of the Pearl of the Orient: The Philippines and The Pearl Principle: Ang Diwa ng Perlas ng Silanganan, the books are penned by Nelia, who is also CIE president and CEO.

The Legend of the Pearl of the Orient is a story of human survival amidst raging storms. It is a story of how people adapt to the elements by using available resources provided for by nature, and their innate tenacity and will to live. It is a story of how a community, living simply and within its means, demonstrates that the real treasures in this world shine not from material possessions but from the hearts of humans through their heroic and thoughtful deeds. It is a story of an ancient people living in what is now known as the Philippine Islands.

The Legend of the Pearl of the Orient is told in simple English language and colorfully illustrated for Filipino readers of various ages to comprehend and enjoy. The book intends to remind young Filipinos to take stock of what really is important in life, and dig deep into the values espoused and practiced by their forefathers. The book is illustrated by Cebuano artist Andrew Barba.

The Pearl Principle: Ang Diwa ng Perlas ng Silanganan probes deeply into what could be a workable modern-day Philippine ideology. Through its “Ten Tenets of the Pearl Principle,” it presents a world view “that is rooted in the transformation of adversity into a gem of a life... as in the creation of a pearl.” The book also documents a meeting of over 500 Filipinos from all walks of life four years ago to craft their vision of a Philippines that they desire, and identify the roles that each one of them are willing to take to make this dream a reality.

“My desire is for the readers to search for the treasure from within themselves and harness that positive force to lift up other people within their sphere of influence,” says Teacher Nelia, as Prof. Cruz Sarcol is better known. “Through my books, I hope I can convince them that our liberation from suffering does not await thousands of kilometers away in a foreign land, but right here within us and amongst us in our beloved Philippines.”

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