KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEALS FOR “BAHALA NA (COME WHAT MAY”

On 20 May 201425 May 2014 By SCLMRoseIn BAHALA NA (Come What May), Kindle, Philippine History, Philippines, War in the Philipines, WWII1 Comment

Kindle Countdown Deals for “BAHALA NA (COME WHAT MAY)“ is set to begin on May 26, 2014 at 8:00:00 AM PST.

You can buy your Kindle copy of my book, “Bahala Na (Come What May)” at a discount price of $.99 on Monday, May 26, 2014. The best deal!

The price goes up to $1.99 on Tuesday, May 27, 2014.

On Wednesday, May 28, 2014, the price will be $2.99.

On Thursday, May 29, 2014, the price goes up to $3.99, still a dollar off the regular price.

On Friday, May 30, 2014, the price goes back to the regular price of $4.99.

So take advantage of the discounted price at www.amazon.com/author/rosalindarmorgan.

Learn about a young man’s obsession to meet the love of his life and his effort to stay alive after WWII starts. Gain insight about the Philippines and the Filipino people and how their faith helps them in their struggle through life. “Bahala Na”, “Leave it to God” is one dictum they cling to when they are in trouble.

Rosalinda Morgan, author, “BAHALA NA (Come What May)”.

VETERANS DAY – A DAY WE HONOR OUR ARMED FORCES

On 11 Nov 2013 By SCLMRoseIn BAHALA NA (Come What May), War in the Philipines, WWIILeave a comment

Veterans Day evolved in the years following World War I, or “The Great War,” as it was known at the time. The Great War, a war to end all wars, ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918 when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of ‘the war to end all wars’. That conflict officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, at the Palace of Versailles, France, when all warring powers executed a formal declaration of peace. The major players on the stage of history at this time were known as The Big Three: President Woodrow Wilson, Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Great Britain and President Georges Clemenceau of France.

In November 1919, Pres. Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. In 1938, Armistice Day became a legal holiday by an act of Congress.

Nov. 11 continued to be observed as Armistice Day until 1954 when, at the urging of the veterans’ organizations, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an act of Congress on June 1, 1954 formally changing the word “Armistice” to “Veterans” in order to expand the significance of that (Armistice Day) celebration and in order that a grateful nation might pay appropriate homage to those who served in all wars engaged in by our nation.

In 1968, Congress moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in November, but returned it to its traditional date in 1978 after heavy lobbying by veterans groups and concerned citizens who believed that moving the observance to create a three-day holiday only served to take the focus off the historical significance of the day.

Pfc. Henry Gunther will be remembered as the last soldier to die on Nov. 11, 1918 with one minute remaining before the armistice would end all conflict. This otherwise unknown man would charge a German machine gun encampment disregarding their attempts to wave him back, knowing that in a matter of seconds they could all leave their trenches and once again enjoy peace. Gunther fell after a short blast of fire joining the 116,000 of his fellow American comrades that died in that war.

Earlier in 2010, the last surviving U.S. World War I veteran, Frank Buckles, age 109, died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In December 2009, he appeared before Congress to plead for the approval of a memorial to honor those American soldiers who died in the Great War. He had enlisted at the age of 16, but his service to his country did not end there. He also served in World War II and was captured by the Japanese, enduring the infamous Bataan Death March. He survived three years in a Japanese prison camp, weighing only 85 pounds when he was finally liberated.

On Monday, Nov. 11, our country honors all veterans and active duty soldiers on Veteran’s Day. We remember Henry Gunther and Frank Buckles and all those who laid down their lives in the defense of freedom and pray that our brave men and women, now serving in our armed services, return to us and lead long, safe and productive lives.

For my part, I have dedicated my book “BAHALA NA (Come What May)” to the soldiers who defend the Philippines during WWII.

If you missed the free promotion of my book on Oct. 20, 2013, you can still borrow “BAHALA NA (Come What May)” at Kindle Lending Library anytime.

BAUAN CATHEDRAL IN BAUAN, BATANGAS

On 11 Oct 2013 By SCLMRoseIn BAHALA NA (Come What May), Philippine History, Philippines, Philippines Churches, WWIILeave a comment

During the Spanish regime, the Spaniards tried to Christianize the Filipinos and they built great churches during their more than three hundred years regime in thePhilippines. The church in Bauan, Batangas has a long history.

The first church of Bauan was not located at the present site. Since the Mission of Bauan was a visita of Taal, the first church was built along the southern shores of Taal Lake in a place called Tambo. Bauan Parish was founded on May 17, 1590 as Luman Bauang and became an independent parish on May 12, 1596.

Since its foundation, the Bauan Parish has been relocated three times. To escape the violent eruptions of Taal Volcano, another church was built in 1667 by Fr. Jose Rodriguez in a place called Durungao, then relocated later to Loual in 1671 by Fr. Nicolas de Rivera. Another church was built in 1692 near the sea during the administration of Fr. Simon Martinez but was damaged during the typhoon of 1694. It was rebuilt from 1695 to 1697 by Fr. Ignacio Mercado. The church was damaged again. Fr. Blas Vidal built a stone structure from 1700 to 1710.

Fr. Jose Victoria started building the present church in 1762 and construction continued for years. Fr. Jose Trevino added the convent in 1762 and also the magnificent, hexagonal domed bell tower in 1772. Fr. Alberto Tabores installed a huge bell in the tower in 1788. The present church was built in 1848 by Fr. Manuel del Arco who put the stone fence of the atrium with wrought iron columns. The tower and the choir loft were destroyed in 1870 and were repaired in 1874 and a clock was also installed. Its façade was completed by Fr. Hipolito Huerta who also worked on the transept and was completed by Fr. Felipe Bravo in 1881. Final decorations were applied starting in 1881 under the direction of Fr. Moises Santos and continued until 1894 under Fr. Felipe Garcia. The Bauan Cathedral was the most artistically built church in Batangas at that time. However, the church burned down during the Philippine revolution against Spain in 1898 and then completely rebuilt. However, it was destroyed by fire again in 1938. Then it was restored again.

The church houses the Holy Cross of Bauan, the patron saint of the town. The cross was found in 1595 by local natives in a place called Dingin, near Alitagtag and installed later in Bauan Cathedral.

In the book “BAHALA NA (Come What May)”, this is the place where Benjamin and Adelaide were married in 1943.

This is the back where the Japanese stored all the cotton harvested by the townspeople and later shipped to Japan. Sources said that the Japanese built a tunnel from the church to nearby towns.

This is the convent and the school attached to the church mentioned in the “BAHALA NA (Come What May)” where Adelaide and her sister used to help the nuns.

SAMPAGUITA, The Philippine’s National Flower

On 23 Sep 201324 Sep 2013 By SCLMRoseIn Uncategorized9 Comments

Countries have adopted flowers as national cultural symbols. The United States has the rose; the Netherlands, the tulip; Japan, the chrysanthemum; Austria, the edelweiss and Ireland the shamrock. The Philippines have several national symbols: the carabao (water buffalo), the narra tree and sampaguita. Sampaguita or kampupot was adopted by the Philippine government as its national flower in 1934 by the then American Governor General of the Philippines, Frank Murphy, through Proclamation No. 652. Filipinos string the flowers into leis, corsages, and crowns. In warm climates, the flowers bloom all throughout the year and are produced in clusters of 3 to 12 blooms at the ends of the branches. The species name “sambac” seems to derive from “zanbaq,” the Arabic word for jasmine. The name sampaguita evolved in turn from “sambac” through the Spanish colonizers of the Philippines, where this name was common.

Below is a conversation between Benjamin and a florist that appeared in “BAHALA NA (Come What May)” about sampaguita:

“What a lovely scent!” Benjamin muttered. “Is that sampaguita?”\

“Yes, it is,” the florist said.

“I thought they only have one row of petals. This almost looks like a rose.”

“The plant bears either a single flower, a row of petals, or flowers with doubled petals, bundled at the top of the branches and look like small white roses and are exceptionally fragrant.”

Benjamin put his nose again on the bloom and asked, “Do they bloom year round?”

“The single flower of sampaguita blooms year round, has white, small, dainty, star-shaped blossoms, which open at night and wilt in less than a day and has a distinct sweet fragrance. It does not bear seed, so it is propagated through cuttings. The Philippines have different domestic species of jasmine growing wildly.”

“How long have they been around? I always remember seeing them everywhere I go.”

“Sampaguita was believed to have come from the Himalayan region during the 17th century. Sampaguita has taken root in the Philippine folklore and religious rites.”

Sampaguita or jasminum sambac, the Philippine’s national flower, is a subtropical evergreen creeping vine reaching up to 2 to 10 ft tall and very fragrant and is used extensively at Flores de Mayo as a garland and in arrangement. It is mentioned in many legends, stories and songs. It symbolizes a whole series of virtues: fidelity, purity, devotion, strength and dedication.

Benjamin looked around, seeing there were no customers around, put on his beguiling smile and asked, “Isn’t there a legend about sampaguita?”

“Yes, there is and it is fascinating.”

“Tell me. I would love to hear it.” He looked around again and still there was no customers yet except him.

“Gladly. Since we are not busy yet, why not.”

The florist began…

There was this young beautiful princess called Lakambini and after her wise father died, she had to take over his kingdom. But she did not know how to govern and there was a danger that the kingdom would be invaded by the neighboring rulers. She fell in love with a young unselfish prince, Lakan Galing, from another kingdom who was ready to defend her kingdom against the invaders. On a hill above the sea when the moon was bright and full, they both embraced each other and promised to love thru eternity. “Sumpa kita.” I promise you.

Lakan Galing was not satisfied with just watching and guarding the kingdom of the princess. He wanted to pursue the enemies. “If the enemy does not come, then I will seek them.” He left with his men on his ships and looked for the enemies. Lakambini was anxious for his return. Every day she went to the hill looking out to sea to find if her love was coming back. However, she waited and waited in vain. Lakan Galing never returned.

A short time later, she died of a broken heart. On her deathbed, she asked to be buried on the top of the hill where she always waited for him. Shortly thereafter, a vine with small white, pearl-like blossoms grew on her grave with a very sweet fragrance. When the moon was full, the leaves rustling in the wind echoed the word of the princess, “Sumpa kita.” The flower was then called sampaguita. This is what the people saw ever after during the month of May.

“That was very sad but totally romantic. I love it. Thank you for telling me about the legend.” Benjamin sighed and bent his head and smelled the flower one more time. He thought of the lady in his wallet.

“You’re welcome. Maybe you might want to buy your girlfriend a plant.”

“I wish I can. I’m sorry. I have no girlfriend. None yet anyway.”

“I can’t believe it. You better get to work on that one.”

Benjamin smiled and waved goodbye.

Collaborate, Collaborator, Collaboration, Collaborationism

On 26 Aug 2013 By SCLMRoseIn BAHALA NA (Come What May), English Language, Philippines, War in the Philipines, WWIILeave a comment

According to my 1983 Webster Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary , collaborate came from the word collaboratus (Late Latin), with a past participle of collaborare meaning to labor together, from Latin com-+ laborare to labor. Collaborate means 1. to work jointly with others or together exp. in an intellectual endeavor. 2. to cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one’s country and esp. an occupying force. 3. to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected. Collaborationism is the advocacy or practice of collaboration with an enemy.

The 1933 version of the Oxford English Dictionary listed only one definition for collaborate: “To work in conjunction with another or others, to co-operate; esp, in a literary or artistic production, or the like.” In those days, when one thought of collaboration, what came to mind was Gilbert and Sullivan. In the 1972 supplement of that dictionary, a second definition appeared – “To co-operate traitorously with the enemy”. The word had been used in that way since World War II.

The first definition both at Oxford English Dictionary and at Webster New Collegiate Dictionary is obviously inappropriate for books written about war in the Philippines. The other definitions are similar, but, a little different. The OED definition uses the word traitorously, and is rather restrictive. It refers only to those whose cooperation is traitorous; hence, it does not apply to those whose cooperation falls short of traitorous behavior. Webster’s definition is also restrictive in a different way. By using the words usu. willingly, Webster’s is making a judgment about attitude – a judgment that the OED does not appear to make. One can, after all, act traitorously but feel otherwise.

In my book, “BAHALA NA, (Come What May)”, I used the definition meaning simply to cooperate with the enemy.