PGMA's Remarks during the Inauguration Ceremony of Ina Healing Center and Eucharistic Celebration |
| DSWD Compound, Batasan Hills, Quezon City, 16 Dec 2006 |
| Joe
and Gina, Tita Nene, the other members of the De Venecia and Vera Perez families, Espie
Cabral and our other fellow workers in government, members of INA, lahat ng mga nandito na
nagmamahal kay KC -- happy birthday in heaven -- yan ang ating sasabihin because the day
that KC died was the day she was born in heaven. Kanina yung ating first reading tungkol kay Elijah, Monsignor Laban, at sinabi that Elijah was brought to heaven in a chariot of fire. KC was brought to heaven in a chariot of fire. And kC is there with us and all the children of the INA are here with us because as Monsignor Laban reminds us, we, who believe in the communion of saints, believe that they never leave us. Naalala ko noong minsang kami ni Gina magkasama at may typhoon signal tungkol sa Bicol, pinag-usapan ni Gina itong affair na ito. Tapos sabi niya, "Naku! Dadami na yung ating alaga," yung mga inang mauulila ng anak doon sa Bicol pagdating ng typhoon. At yon na nga ang nangyari, pagdating ng typhoon lalo na yung reming doon sa maipon sa Albay ay napakaraming inang naulila sa anak. At tamang-tama rin na nung December 1 nung ako ay naging Secretary of Defense at naging Chairman ng National Disaster Coordinating Council, ginawa natin si Gina bilang consultant ng NDCC. Kaya ngayon maraming alaga si Gina not only as the leader of INA but also as our new consultant. And tamang-tama yung sinabi ni Monsignor Laban, he remembers now the many other INAs there in Bicol, and there are indeed so many of them. At nung pinag-uusapan natin yung mga outreach, yung magagawa ng mga ina na makakadalamhati kayo at makakatulong kayo sa kanilang healing dahil naramdaman din ninyo ito, siguro unang-unang outreach natin kahit na wala pang building ay mag-outreach ang INA kasama ng NDCC at DSWD doon mismo sa Guinobatan sa Albay. And while the cameras are on me, I'd also like to take the opportunity to say that, "Yes, so much destruction and so much loss of life happened in Bicol these past few weeks, but there are also appeals from islands outside Bicol who were also devastated." Kahapon magkasama kami ni Girlie sa Mindoro Occidental, yung kanyang probinsiya. Nandoon din ako, bago ako pumunta doon kasama ni Girlie, nanggaling din ako sa Marinduque. At itong mga lugar na ito bagamat hindi buhay ang pinag-uusapan hanapbuhay naman ang nawala doon sa Mindoro Occidental lalo na yung mga nasa baybay. Yung mga mangingisda na kunting-konti lang ang kita nila, yung konting kita nila ay nawala pa dahil sa bagyo. At doon naman sa Marinduque lalo na dahil napakaliit na island province, ang kinukuhanan lang nila halos ng hanapbuhay ay yung kanilang niyugan. Halos lahat ng niyog ay nahulog na kaya wala silang naasahan sa mga darating na taon at umaasa at naghahanap pa sila kung ano'ng aasahan sa mga darating na linggo. And that is why they have asked me to make this appeal that those island provinces like Marinduque and Mindoro should also be the subject of humanitarian assistance from the Philippines and from all over the world. Talagang maraming kailangang gawin. At siyempre hindi naman matatanggal, gaya nang sabi ni Monsignor Laban, ang... Yung scar, yung scar ng kalungkutan dahil nawala ang mahal na mahal na anak. Ngunit yon na nga ang ginawa ni KC when she went up in a chariot of fire, KC was really a fiery young lady and she did not want her mother or the other mothers here to be defeated by tragedy. She wants her whole message all these two years in many manifestations are always been -- "Use your grief to make life better for other people." Gaya itong araw higit sa lahat nagpapasalamat tayo kay KC at nagpapasalamat sa lahat ng mga anak ng mga ina at sa ganun ay habang sila ay nandito sa kapaligiran natin kahit hindi natin sila nakikita makikita ninyo muli sila sa mga ibat-ibang ina na magiging bagong anak rin ninyo. Maraming salamat. And once again, happy birthday in heaven to KC! Thank you. |