Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 24 | Page 11

December 16 - 31, 2018
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
nineteen years ago. Her husband was
Teodoro Jhocson of the family that
founded the National University.
Nelly was a wonderful human being
who was smart, confident, funny, and
caring. She and her husband Teddy
loved to play golf and she won a lot
of trophies at the sport. She also had
numerous “wards,” each one went
to school because of the couple’s
benevolence. She was a champion
at Scrabble, even during her aging
years. She was my godmother at my
baptism and again at our wedding
and when we celebrated our silver
anniversary, too.
And, like her, I am named
Lourdes.
We had happy moments together
and the last time we came to see her
was at her 101th birthday dinner given
by her nephews Gabby and Danny
Intengan. She was all dressed up and
in a jovial mood, trying to remember
who we were—she succeeded!—
and enjoyed having her pictures
taken. Good night, Tita Nelly. It was
wonderful sharing your life. Sleep well
in heaven!
Another “goodbye” that hurt was
the passing of my very good friend
Angelita Pontiveros Salcedo, founder
of Angeliglass. She popularized
hand-blown glass for ordinary folks
and branched into making beautiful,
decorative objects, trophies, and
plaques. I guess Someone up there
needed another angel!
* * *
We recently celebrated the Feast
of our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness
of our country, the Americas, and
Mexico. More than 500 years ago,
on Dec. 9, 1531, she appeared to a
shepherd named Diego in Tapayac,
Mexico. In several apparitions, she
asked him to build her a church and
help her give the lives of the people
to Jesus.
The tilma, or seamless shawl that
Diego used to bring the fresh roses
Mary caused to grow in the cold
mountaintop, revealed her portrait to
the bishop Zurmaraga who asked for
such a sign of her presence. It is still
miraculously intact today. Our Lady’s
portrait remains as clear as the day
it appeared. So many scientists have
examined the tilma, which now hangs
high above an altar in her church in
Tepayac. They have come to only one
conclusion: The cloth and colors of
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the portrait are not
of earthly origins,
despite the fact that
the agave fiber of
the tilma is usually
weak.
And
modern
day
technology
has also revealed
what’s in the irises
of Our Lady’s eye,
which
measures
a miniscule five-
sixteenth of an inch.
Accordingly, there
are 13 figures found
in the iris, including
those of Diego and
the bishop and
his court. It also
conforms to the
law of optics, 100
percent!
What we often neglect to see in
the portrait, which depicts Mary with
the sun’s rays behind her and stars
on her mantle, is that she appears to
be with a baby in her womb. Her blue
sash is tied above the waist! So she
was truly the chosen vessel of Jesus.
If we call the land of Jesus’ birth Holy
Land, what more of the womb that
bore Him?
This Christmas Day, let us pay
tribute to Mary, the Mother of God,
who desires to be our Mother. And
remember, Christ is the reason for
Christmas! (Reprinted from Manila
Bulletin Dec. 27, 2018)
City of Surrey Requests Assistance from the City of
Vancouver and Vancouver Police Department
Surrey, BC – The City of Surrey
is the only major metropolitan area
of its size in Canada that does not
have its own municipal police service.
Just as Surrey has evolved and city
infrastructure has grown with it, Mayor
and Council are taking steps to advance
how policing will be delivered in this
city with the creation of a Surrey Police
Department.
An important next step in ensuring
a timely and orderly transition has been
initiated, with a request for technical
assistance from the City of Vancouver
and the Vancouver Police Department
(VPD). Both cities will now work to
develop a partnership agreement.
“The Vancouver Police Department
is internationally recognized as a best-
practice, evidence-based police service
and the City of Surrey would like to
create a similar model that takes a
leading-edge approach to preventing
and solving crime and social issues that
142 acres of land...
a hub to be protected for its natural
assets. The land contains several
watercourses, two of which are fish
bearing. It is also part of an important
north-south
habitat
connector
between the Nicomeckl River to the
north and the Little Campbell River to
the south
The BCS is a policy document
used to evaluate biodiversity in the
City and prioritize its conservation and
management. A Green Infrastructure
Network (GIN) forms the backbone of
the BCS. A GIN is an interconnected
network of open space and natural
areas that conserves ecosystem
impact our communities,” said Mayor
Doug McCallum. “What Vancouver and
its police department bring to the table
are experience and knowledge that will
help us create, in short order, a police
department that meets the needs of our
city and ensures the safety and security
of all Surrey residents.”
“It is important we do all we can
to fight crime across the region,” said
Mayor Kennedy Stewart. “On behalf of
the City of Vancouver and Vancouver
Police Board, I have confirmed our
interest and willingness to explore a
formal partnership to support Surrey’s
implementation of a municipal police
department.”
Paul Mochrie, Deputy City Manager
for the City of Vancouver will work with
Terry Waterhouse, the General Manager
of Policing Transition for the City of
Surrey, on the development of a draft
partnership agreement.
values and functions, and provides
benefits to people and wildlife. The
GIN includes natural forested areas,
streams, and riparian and upland
corridors that together function
as a system of “hubs’” “sites’” and
connecting “corridors.” The GIN
identifies over 3,640 hectares (9,000
acres) of forests, streams, ponds,
wetlands, marine foreshore, old
fields, agricultural land, and urban
environments. Approximately 2,020
hectares (5,000 acres) (about 55%)
are City or regionally owned park
land.
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