Think about it
Middle East war drums escalate
By Jun Velasco
“The worst imprisonment is the one we impose on ourselves.”– Deng Ming-Dao
THE full scale war raging in the Middle East with Israel mercilessly bombarding and pounding Lebanon seems to foretell the much dreaded Battle of Megiddo, vaunted as the final and ultimate war that could terminate humankind.
Military and religious scholars have warned Megiddo is the mother of all wars akin to an Armageddon, God forbid! Let us pray it wouldn’t happen.
Terrifying thoughts shudder us because the Middle East, the exact place where they predict the Third World War to happen, has exploded.
As of press time, the Middle East outburst has moved the Philippine government to evacuate frantically some 30,000 Filipino workers from harm’s way.
What’s happening dramatically shows that a deadly war thousands of miles away directly affects the homeland.
Watch this war closely and with the grave concern, and pray harder it would end soon.
Let’s hold on together in prayer to God Almighty who works in mysterious ways.
* * *
Cesar and Gonzalo Duque are euphoric these days because the University of Pangasinan and Lyceum Northwestern University towered over their peers in the recent board exams for nurses, with UPANG an undisputed kingpin.
Primus inter pares (first among equals), Number One in the Top l0 Board Placers, thanks to Gringo de Guzman San Diego, son of a certified public accountant from Mangaldan who has switched to driving a taxi in Manila.
UPANG’s golden harvest did not end with Gringo. His classmate, Felipe Sotelo was 8th placer.
While UPANG is celebrating, the younger Duque also staged a classic sprint by taking three slots in the top l0 with Razzle Abalos and Benedict Mayo tied at 8th and Melody Aquino, 9th.
The message, say the Duque brothers, is our locals need not send their children to Manila to acquire quality education.
Where and when is the blowout, Gonzalo, Cesar?
Two other honchos deserving salute are Li Rivera, UPANG president, and LNU’s Dr. Ado Duque whose passion for medicine has sired six handsome and brilliant children-doctors all in high places in the US except Marco, the youngest, who is finishing a few curricular requirements before flying to Chicago soon.
* * *
Yesterday, July 22, the big family-clan of Speaker Jose de Venecia held a thanksgiving party at the People’s Astrodome. Councilor Alex de Venecia, son of former Councilor Tony, JDV’s elder, was director of the gathering.
A glimpse of things to come, says Alex. “The time constraint didn’t permit a much bigger crowd.” Say 7,000? .
When Alex was fourth year at city high, we were a sophomore in college. That early we partnered in the “Joe de Venecia for Congressman Youth Movement” in l965. Joe de V lost in that first try in politics … to the old guards, re-electionist Angel Fernandez and NP bet Jack Soriano.
Yesterday’s party was earlier billed “De Venecia-Claveria family and relatives reunion.” Actually, it was a thanksgiving gesture for Alex’s genius sister, Joan, who topped (Number l) the last Philippine Bar Exams his daughter, another genius, Carla Alexis, is a fresh graduate magna cum laude in medicine at the Sophie Davis College of Medicine in New York City.
We got an idea of Joan’s intellectual gifts when she spoke at our Rotary Club of Metro Cubao meeting a few days after the bar results were out.
We knew Carla from a wallet photo lovingly kept by doting father who proudly shows it like a passport to anyone’s heart. Carla is a bundle of pulchritude. Her late ma, Dr. Ruby de Guzman, daughter of the late Regional Health Director Ignacio de Guzman, was brains and beauty at city high.
We were making a headcount of the clan members here and abroad and came up with something like 7,000. Gosh, this clan has overgrown a confirmed violator of PopCom rules eh. It has built several affinities near and far: the Palisocs, Edadeses, Ravagos, Villamils, Caguioas, Gaerlans, Ortegases, Zabalas, Cayabyabs, Caramats, Arzadons, Fabias, Fernandezes, Trinidads, Marambas, Siapnos and many more.
“We’ll produce that number in the next worldwide reunion,” says Alex. “By then it won’t be Joe de V, yesterday’s sponsor and godfather, who will foot the bill; all members will.” So, yesterday was the clan’s thanksgiving bash to JDV. Santa Claus in July.
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