1.      Apologies my brethren and colleagues for this rather delayed greetings;  anyway,  much belated "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year",  mga kababayan,  and as all of us welcome Year 2024,  there is indeed much optimism that it shall usher in a myriad of opportunities, albeit perhaps still unbeknownst to many, given the tragic events in Ishikawa Prefecture that jolted us, and which unduly spoiled what otherwise would have been an auspicious start for this year;

 

2.      Events that have unfolded in the past six months speak for themselves,  and give us all much cause for congratulating ourselves for "A Job Well Done!',  and,  whereas there were serious reservations at the onset,  this representation    never wavered in his belief as aptly memorialized in his Keynote Message/Souvenir Program, to wit: "An event truly like no other, and a collaboration the likes of which has never ever been seen in Central Japan" (i. e., Chubu Region); 

 

3,      Indeed,  no doubt in anyone's mind that what is unmistakably being referred to is our very own  "Ang Saya Saya Ng Pasko Sa Nagoya",  a rousing success by all accounts,  and to repeat the familiar refrain "An event truly like no other",  but what ought not to be unduly excised from our consciousness is the fact that it took the "Combined Efforts" of all of us to pull it off, and pulled it off, we did, and, unabashedly, in such a truly grand fashion;    

 

4.      Much of all these hodgepodge of seemingly random thoughts need to be elucidated on further down, but suffice it to state that perhaps it is just but an attempt to capture the sum total of our collective experiences, of those days, weeks, months of ebbs and flows, of unwelcome vicissitudes here and there, wondering whether it was really a good idea to be ambitious then as to think that coming up with this so-called "Umbrella Organization" was even worth our while; 

 

5.       Astoundingly!, or, better yet, amazingly!, "I (we) made it through the rain", to borrow a line from a song by Barry Manilow, and, "weathered the storm well", we did, truly befitting of our Event Theme, as in, "Towards A Truly Empowered Filipino Community In Japan" / "Tungo Sa Makabuluhang Pagkakaisa Nating Mga Pilipino Dito Sa Bansang Hapon", as in, "Together We Stand, Divided We Fall"?, or nothing less that the oft-quoted slogan of the "Bayanihan Spirit"?;

 

6.       Empowered indeed, as a "United Front", posthaste, was formed, and less than four days after the Magnitude 7.6 Earthquake, a Composite Team composed of the Filipino Community - Central Japan (FCCJ), Fraternal Order of Eagles, Maharlika Dragon Lady Eagles, and, of course Nagoya PCG, hurriedly hit the road bound for "Destination: Ishikawa", and within hours were in the Cities of Kanazawa, Nanao, Shika and Tsubata to lend a helping hand to the needy;

 

7.       It, however, could never be gainsaid that the burden and/or onus of ensuring that relief assistance gets through lies in the shoulders of those who are there, and this is when/where we say kudos to the "Filipino Community In Ishikawa", whose officers, I do recall then, were just inducted by me when I was there a month ago to assemble an "Ishikawa Contingent" for the "Pasko Sa Nagoya 2023", and, they did not disappoint, complete with banners and all during our event;

 

8.       Many of them came to lend their unquestioning support for us here in Nagoya City in those most frigid of days shortly before Christmas Day, a fledgling group not even a month old back then, and so, it is only fitting that we are here for them in these most trying of times; again, an undeniable testament that we Filipinos abide by the mantra of "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going", and so they did, the toughness to do unselfish acts most worthy of all our praises;

 

9.       A good number of you might probably remember my Introductory Letters addressed to the Governors and/or Mayors of the different Prefectures and/or Cities under our Consular Jurisdiction, wherein I mentioned that your good selves are also, aside from organizing events, into the "protection of the rights and/or promotion of the welfare of Overseas Filipinos in Japan", or akin to the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) being done every now and then by Nagoya PCG;

 

10.     Effectively, that is what you guys and gals have done, of late, and this has never been made evident than the time even before the "First Mission" that Friday of the 5th, as discussed in  no. 06 above, as Chat Groups here and there, whether under the ambit and/or purview of FCCJ, criss-cross the communication lanes, and, like wildfire, coordinative efforts got underway to ensure that our distraught countrymen there in Ishikawa are not left to fend for themselves;  

 

11.      In fact, just this past Sunday, the subsequent "Second Mission" rolled down the highways once more, and thereafter embarked on two fronts; the first, led by Nagoya PCG, and, the second, by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, armed with relief assistance from National Headquarters (Manila), and, this time, in tandem with its partner Japan Lady Eagles Club; both finally reaching hard-struck Wajima City; Suzu City, where access is  still nil, remains a challenge to this very day;

 

12.     Moments like these call for expeditious action, and, once more, the men and women of the Affiliate- and/or Member- Associations and/or Organizations of the FCCJ and/or the "Organizing Committee" of our "Pasko Sa Nagoya 2023", did not disappoint, and, just in a wink of an eye, unflinchingly, transforming from "Events Organizers" (Re: Pasko Sa Nagoya 2023) to "Rescue Volunteers" (Re: Mission: Ishikawa), unmistakably, the hallmarks of the "Bayanihan Spirit" in us;

 

13.     And so!,  another year has passed,  certainly anything but unforgettable,  and armed with the still vivid flashbacks of all our successes back then,  we hold our heads up high,  confident that 2024 will be another banner year,  what with all that alluding back then to a "Part 2"?, yes, none other than the "Philippine Festival (Nagoya Edition)", or whatever it will eventually be dubbed as, maybe/perhaps "Flores de Mayo / Nayong Pilipino Sa Aichi"?, or something like that;    

 

14.     Even more exciting and something to look forward to is the Philippine Consul General (Osaka) beseeching this representation for a collaboration of sorts, and, certainly, it would indeed be quite foolhardy to turn down such entreaties, given the potential to bring to our fold our other kababayans out there in the Kansai Region, even as we make more robust our tie-ups with our kababayans in the Kanto Region, our partners in success (Re: Pasko Sa Nagoya 2023);  

 

15.     It,  hopefully,  would be no less than "another event, truly, like no other",  given that it has never been done before,  or a  "Consular/Diplomatic Philippine Independence Day Celebration Reception" cum "Meet  and  Greet  with  the  Filipino Community" cum "Philippine Festival (Nagoya Edition)" cum "Pasko Sa Nagoya (Version 2.0)"; quite risky?, but wait, come on folks, we pulled it off when only but a few thought that we really could, right?, well, they were wrong!;

 

16.     Mindful of the seemingly daunting and/or gargantuan task that lies ahead,  and unlike last time where practically just one of us took up the cudgels of bankrolling our past event, Nagoya PCG, this time, will stand shoulder to shoulder with like-minded folks to make this dream a reality; even as it solicits support from our Agricultural, Labor, Tourism and Trade Attaches based in the Philippine Embassy (Tokyo) or Philippine Consulate General (Osaka).     

 

 

Ang tunay na sukat ng ating kakayanan ay hindi lamang nababatay o nabibilang sa mga tagumpay na nakakamit natin,  kundi sa ating patuloy-tuloy na pagbangon sa kabila ng parang sunod-sunod na mga kabiguan na ating sinasapit.  Ngayon, higit sa anumang panahon, ay ang nararapat o tamang oras o pagkakataon na patunayan natin sa lahat, kung ito man ay ating mga kakampi o kahit na sa mga humahadlang sa ating pagsulong, na ang ating tagumpay kamakailan ay hindi lang isang "minsanang bagay", at malubak at masalimuot man ang landas tungo sa tunay na pagkakaisa,  ito ay ating patuloy na tatahakin dahil ang labis na makakabuti sa higit na nakakarami ay ang tanging hangad lamang natin.

Maraming, maraming salamat po, at sana huwag tayong magsawang paigtingin ang ating pagsasama, ating pagkakaisa, dahil "Taas noong ipinagmamalaki nating lahat na tayo ay tunay na mga Pilipino".  Mabuhay!

 

 

Note/s:

 

1.      I will be holding "Targeted Meetings" with certain "Small Groups" starting today, but, hopefully, there will be a "General Meeting", of sorts, probably with "Attendance/Roll Call", ha!, ha!, ha!, ha!, and, hopefully, once more, it will be held no later than 01 March 2024, so as to jumpstart preparations for our next event tentatively scheduled on 15-16 June 2024.

 

2.      I would also like to avail of this opportunity to thank, in advance, the Niigata Philippine Society for its forthcoming Charity Event for our distressed countrymen;  and other like-minded folks in the FCCJ as well, and rest assured that there will be at least a "Third Mission", or even "Fourth Mission", to ferry relief assistance to our kababayans in need out there in Ishikawa.