Romantic Trip to Boracay, Philippines

By: Veronica Leighton

 

The loving-est couple in VT/CPRTV family, Baron (CPRTV musical director) and Lou Maningas-Cabalona (Art Columnist), will tie their wedding knot for the third time in Boracay, Philippines. Believe it or not, they have just been married for three years and have exchanged “I Do’s” three times in different locations–first wedding in Las Vegas, second wedding in Chicago, and third wedding, this time, in Boracay, Philippines, so that their immediate family members in the Philippines can come and rejoice with this couple’s heavenly love made on earth story. The Cabalona’s romantic love story can likewise be added amongst the modern popular lovers of our time (read Veronica’s Vibes on page 5). Taveling to Boracay to witness their wedding on February 22nd are some members of VT/CPRTV family, Maria Girlie Pascual (GMail columnist), James dela Cruz (LOL TV Host & Columnist), Joe Mauricio (Objectively Harsh Columnist), myself, and Neneth Miranda (CPRTV LOL cast member). With the kind of “winter of discontent” that we have been experiencing here in Chicago, we just can’t wait to fly away to the warm island resort of Boracay. We will be bringing you back the latest stories, interviews, and pictures that we can capture with this wonderful trip where we are scheduled to visit also the island of Iloilo, provinces of Batangas, Bulacan, Makati and Manila areas. ideal Of course, we are very proud of our featured cover this month, the Kramer Family, headed by our dear friends Don & Flor Kramer together with their children, in-laws and granchildren for the celebration of their 45th wedding anniversary. Enjoy the cover and the accompanying pictorial on page 41. We are so proud of our VT/CPRTFV staffers Girlie Pascual and Lou Maningas-Cabalona for a very successful fundraising concert ILPRO HAIYAN that they held for the benefit of the Haiyan typhoon victims in the Philippines, in collaboration with the Philippine American Cultural Foundation. The event raised more than $10,000 which they are personally distributing to the areas they are planning to visit, Girlie in Coron, Palawan and Lou in Tacloban, her husband Baron’s ancestral province in the Philippines. Speaking of kind-hearted people who have been helping the devastated victims of the Typhoon Haiyan, Ms. Nancy Economou from Lombard, IL. tops my list. She is the co-founder of Watts of Love, a solar lighting non-profit dedicated to improving living and economic conditions for those without access to electricity. As of this writing, Nancy had already headed to the Philippine with her five boys and her professional fotog brother to distribute 2,000 solar lanterns and solar backpacks to typhoon survivors in the most remote islands, part of its effort to raise money to donate a total of 10,000 solar lights to help rebuild the lives of Filipinos devastated by the typhoon. More than 4.1 million people were displaced by the typhoon and 90% of homes in the hardest-hit regions were lost. Nancy also said that they also will head to a remote Philippines island to help celebrate the February 10 weddings of 80 couples by giving each couple a solar lantern. Isn’t that so endearing? We are so thrilled that we had a good chance to meet Nancy in person and interview her on CPRTV before she departed for the Philippines. Watts of Love is encouraging people to donate $40 to supply a solar LED lantern to survivors of Typhoon Haiyan instead of giving candies or flowers to loved ones for Valentine’s Day. That surely will make a difference this St. Valentine’s Day, as it’s always better to give than to receive, most of all to the unfortunate ones. Before I end this February column, let me share the beginning stanza from Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet of the Romantic Movement.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal

Joe Mauricio interviews on CPRTV Ms. Nancy Economou, cofounder of Watts of Love, who’s donating 10,000 solar lanterns in the Philippines’ devastated areas hit by Typhoon Haiyan.