Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit (Christmas Has Arrived)

By: Veronica Leighton

 

We concluded our annual Christmas party held last December 13th at Hyatt HotelMcDonald’s Campus with the popular traditional Filipino dittty of “Ang PaskoAy Sumapit” (Christmas HasArrived, in English translation). This Christmas song has endeared to me as it brings back nostalgia, with its easy, marching beat to it, a I enjoyed singing and dancing with it when I was young. What a nice feeling to see and hear staffers and friends singing the song altogether, Filipino-born, FilAms and non-Filipinos alike, especially my little Apos (grandchildren) Maya, Christian & ChaCha. Funny thing was, they not only enjoyed singing it but wanted more of it.

It has a nice message of enjoyment, merriment and singing to welcome Jesus’ birth and the new year, that it is also the time for loving and forgiving each other, even if it’s not Christmas. Children love this song and make them feel Christmas is really here. How nice to be a wild-eyed child in anticipation of Christmas once again. How nice to be innocent once again, believing in Santa Claus and Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer and White Christmas, though living in a tropical country.

Let us regale you with the photo below from our Christmas party, showing the group’s enjoyment in singing the song “Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit.” through the keyboard accompaniment of SamaSama Project’s Baron Cabalona.

Our columnists’ Christmas messages and pictorial features in this issue will make you feel that Christmas is really upon us, though our editorialist Joe Mauricio carries a more serious tone about the globalization of the Philippines due to the recently-concluded APEC summit in the Philippines. The Philippines had the honor and prestige of serving as the host country for the many attending country members, businessmen and guests from all over the world. Read our Editorial on this page, right side.

For Veronica’s Vibes, page 5, we thought of starting to pick out the Most Fascinating People Who Made or Are Making a Difference in this world we live in. You will find two interesting ladies for my initial picks for this year, Ms. Maria Victoria Smith (Warrior’s Heart on page 24a) and Ms. Nancy Economou, both past recipients of the Chicago FilipinoAsianAmerican Hall of Fame prestigious award.

Meanwhile, with this news of merriment, we are sorry to report here the passing of Ambassador Willy Gaa, former PH Ambassador to the US, and a awardee of the Chicago Filipino Asian American Hall of Fame. We’re sharing with you the sad message from the current Ambassador Jose Cuisia, Jr…

“It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Ambassador Willy Gaa. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Gaa family during this time of loss and sorrow. On this sad occasion, we recall the Ambassador’s long and dedicated service to our country and to the Filipino people. Ambassador Gaa’s professionalism and tireless efforts to advance the interests of the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora community will continue to inspire the work of the Philippine Embassy and Consulates General across the United States.”

Enjoy your festive Holidays and enjoy reading VT, as usual from cover to cover, featuring the PASS’s 2016 Calendar Moms, Dads & Grandmas.###