There are three important celebrations in the Philippines during the holiday season in December. These are the Christmas Eve, the Christmas Day, and the New Year’s Eve. Filipinos being closely knit, more often than not, celebrate with family, relatives, and friends. Even when they’re in other countries or places, they always find a way to get together and celebrate though away from home.
Social media provides the means for many to reach out to their loved ones around the globe through pictures, videos, and greetings posted online.
Here are some of the greetings of Centralians around the world:
Greetings from Centralians in Australia headed by Mauro Somodio. Greetings from Maynard Fernando, Sherwin Banusing, Pinoy and Roy Libatique in Houston, Texas. Pinoy Gonzales is the President of CPUAA South Houston and Regional VP of CPUAAFOA. Greetings from Mrs. Lulette Libo-on Carne, CPU Political Science Batch 83. She celebrated Christmas with her family in Christchurch New Zealand. To all fellow Centralians worldwide: Wishing you God’s best in the New Year. Happy New Year from Dr. Manny Palada (Member, CPU Board of Trustees) and family here in Gainesville, Florida USA.
Engr. Eddie P. Cañuto has been passionate about promoting Agripreneurship.
In a Board of Investments (BOI) Forum held at the Grand Xing Hotel on November 28, 2017, Engr. Eddie P. Cañuto, CPU Board of Trustees member and Ephrathah Agri-Tourism Resort owner, was hailed by officials of the Department of Trade and Industries Regional Office as an “expert consultant” for Agri-business.
Cañuto’s ideas on Agri-Tourism are timely and relevant to the forum regarding Inclusive Business. The Centralian businessman is known in industrial circles as the engineer who helped struggling farmers sell their farm produce which gave them higher income.
The BOI forum was held to heighten Inclusive Business awareness and to start synergies with government agencies and other sectors on Investment Priority Plans (IPP). Inclusive business offers a valuable solution to alleviate poverty by including small community enterprises in the value chain of big businesses.
DTI Assistant Secretary Felicitas Agoncillo, who heads the Investments Promotions Services, thanked the academe for its involvement in helping businesses and policy makers improve the Inclusive Business Ecosystem.
Central Philippine University was represented by Mr. Joel H. Somosierra, Technical Assistant, CPU Office of the President and Mr. Cyrus A. Natividad, Media Relations and Publishing Officer, CPU Office of Communications.
Engr. Eddie P. Cañuto together with Mr. Joel H. Somosierra, Chair, 7th Organic Agri-Fair and Mr. Cyrus A. Natividad, Media Relations Officer, CPU Office of Communications.
It was a Friday afternoon when the CPU Agrifair 2017 team left Barangay Sariri in Badiangan, Iloilo. Earlier, the team walked through a beautiful landscape of Ephrathah Farms. It is a sprawling 7 hectare farm that surrounds an inland resort, rolling hills, and magnificent natural scenery.
Eddie Cañuto considers God as the owner of this land and himself as only the steward.
Cañuto is a Centralian Engineer who became very successful in farming. His farm includes a greenhouse for vegetables, an area for aquaculture, a mini-zoo, and a papaya plantation. He also has a plantation for sweet “pitahaya,” otherwise known as dragon fruit.
Earlier, Cañuto invited the team at the resort’s pavilion. He offered native coffee and shared interesting stories about Ephrathah Farms. Asked why he named the farm Ephrathah, Cañuto said that it is the old name of Bethlehem, and it means “fruitful.”
Ephrathah Farms was realized through patience and hard work. It took Cañuto 35 years to realize his “agri-tourism farm,” making it a popular tourist destination, not only in Western Visayas, but also in the country. Ephrathah is visited by thousands of tourists every year, not only for the luxurious resort within the farm, but for the abundant organic fruits and vegetable grown and managed by Engr. Cañuto.
Engr. Eddie P. Cañuto transformed his passion for farming into agritourism.
‘Ed’ was a work student assistant at the CPU library and engineering laboratories from 1966-1969, and in 1969-1970, respectively. He finished his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Central Philippine University in 1971. He ranked 7th place in the Philippine Board Examination for Civil Engineers in 1972. He then took up Master in Construction Management at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila. He finished his Master’s degree in 1980.
After his retirement from professional work, Ed returned to their farm in Badiangan with his wife. Inspired by the biblical promise of God in Micah 5:2, he worked hard and developed Ephrathah Farms. He expanded the business by building an inland resort within the productive farm.
Not only was he rewarded by God for his dedication, he was doubly compensated for his selfless efforts to help the local farmers. Ed recalled that his friends in the barangay admitted that without him, they would not be able to earn much from their farms. With his success in farming, Ed shares his knowledge and management skills to the people needing technical and financial assistance for their own farms.
In his keynote speech during the opening program of CPU-DA Agrifair 2017 in CPU on November 21, 2017, Ed emphasized that “there is money in agriculture.” He encouraged everyone to invest in agriculture, saying that there is a big local consumer demand for organic fruits and vegetables, particularly in Iloilo where local producers supply only 15% of the demand for vegetables. Ephrathah Farms is one of these producers, supplying big volumes of fruits and vegetables to SM Supermarkets.
Ed has also served in various capacities, such as a consultant for some corporations and as president, vice president, and general manager for different businesses in Metro Manila. He was a member of Central Philippine University, Corporation from 2010-2012, and a member of the CPU Board of Trustees from 2016 up to the present. He is also a lecturer on many different topics in different symposia in the Philippines and abroad.
Behind this success, however, is his unfailing devotion to and enduring faith in God. He has a wide range of involvement in the Christian ministry as church administrator, national president, international trustee and member of Gideons International—an association of Christian business and professional men in 200 countries.
Engr. Eddie P. Cañuto is married to Rosalinda Velado Cañuto, also a Centralian, with three children who are now professionals: Ed Roderick, Ainah Rose, and Jonathan Ed. The three children have specific responsibilities in the farm and resort. Two of their three grandchildren are studying at the CPU Elementary School. The whole family now resides at the Ephrathah Farm.
Good food and good company – alumni and friends celebrate Luz, Nestor and Direk Larry´s Birthday.
There are more than one hundred fifty CPU Alumni Associations all over the world: Strong, Supportive, Sympathetic (SSS), and I´d say symbiotic. And if you’re finding the reason why it’s priceless to become a member of one of them, you have to find out how a senior organization get together, celebrate and feed each other (literally).
Wednesday is the scheduled regular weekly meeting and fellowship of the alumni of the CPU College of Agriculture Alumni Association of CPU at the Agri Fellowship House. The other day, we are invited again to lunch with them in their ‘hideout.’ The affair was no secret anyway because of the tarpaulin announcing a triple birthday celebration for CPU Alumni Larry P. Nacionales, former DA Region 6 Director and President of the CPU Agriculture Alumni Association, Nestor Verdeflor and Luz Cordero.
The convergent place is a mini-farm near the entrance of the CPU Centennial Village in Aganan, Pavia, Iloilo. A modest hut in the center serves as pavilion and meeting place of this admirable alumni association. All around are green and leafy vegetable patches; organic papaya, ampalaya, malunggay, and fruits — grown to be harvested and shared by everyone in the association. Guests cannot leave without bringing home some fruits and vegetables on their way out.
An organic luncheon was served after a short devotional (food for the soul) was shared by Rev. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on, CPU Communications Acting Director. There was an abundance of native dishes served with organic black rice, grilled pantat, dila sang baka, ampalaya salad; luscious mango, banana and pineapple; milky bibinka, lumpia and other native delicacies – cooked right there in the farm. Certainly, a real first ‘farm-to-table’ experience.
I say they are Strong – there were around 30 of members who responsibly attended the meeting – cum birthday party. How can they be not strong at their 60´s with everything organic in their food list? That’s a real organic feast experience that we got there. They are Supportive – they do the extra mile for each other; everyone seemed to be lifted up by everybody whenever there is a problem. “One for all, all for one” is a theme that they adhere to. They are Sympathetic too. They help people in the field of agriculture; extending knowledge and technology to farmers.
We are looking forward to the bigger convergence in Bacolod City, when the Negros Chapter of the CPU Agriculture Alumni Association hosts the Grand Agriculture Alumni Homecoming at the Pavillon Hotel on October 20 to 21, 2017. See you there!
The day greeted me with an early faux pas after I sat in the front seat of the Uber taxi and was mistaken for a party animal who was suffering from a severe hangover by the driver. To validate his presumptions, I offered to pay him in cash after giving him a lecture on the pathophysiology of neonatal prematurity the entire trip to cover up for my embarrassment for being disoriented and exhausted from yesterday’s shift, thus the haggard-look. I was saving lives, you know. Thank God he was honest to remind me of automatic electronic banking and gave me well wishes for my trip “don’t get ripped off in Paris.” The truth is, nothing beats the excitement of catching up with a childhood friend after several years of just ogling each other’s lives on Facebook. Better yet, our several ill-attempts to meet in our dear hometown in the City of Love, brought us to an unexpected rendezvous in the City of Light for Paris Fashion Week instead. After two hours and a half of drifting in a mini-coma in Europe’s bullet train, the torrential rain of Paris welcomed me in an unforgiving fashion. I braved the cobblestones of Rue Moliere, drenched, with Google Map leading me to the hotel where my friend and I were booked. After hovering from one street to another, I finally got to the hotel, left my luggage and went straight to the venue which was thankfully a few blocks away from where we stayed.
Centralian smiles – Ruth Marcille Tinsay Gico and Audrey Dusaran-Albason at the Oxford Fashion Studio.
It was filled with people, of course, clad in all-black or something between the MTV Music Awards and the Grammys. “I’m here for Audrey Rose Dusaran-Albason, a designer. I’m her assistant,” were the words that came from my mouth when I was asked by the tall mademoiselle who was at the door. I was handed with an ID card and was ushered to the backstage where models ran around in their undergarments and fancy clothes, assistants painstakingly did their steam iron tasks and designers neurotically freaked out. Audrey Rose or “Smol,” as she was fondly called by her friends was somewhere along Rue de Rivoli panic buying for shoes in lieu of the ones she bought from SM City that didn’t fit her casted models. Although the eldest, “Smol” (small), is the most petite among the three daughters of Dr. Rey Dusaran (CARES) and Professor Adelfa Dusaran (College of Nursing), both actively working as faculty members of Central Philippine University. Originally from Dumangas, Iloilo, Smol grew up in the City of Iloilo and was a loyalty awardee of Central Philippine University, the place where we shared our fondest moments from grade school to graduate school.
Audrey and Ruth poses with a model wearing Audrey´s design.
“Nini!” as we endearingly call each other, echoed through the white walls of the hallway when we finally met after she was stuck in traffic for more than an hour. Still the unpretentious, humble friend and classmate that I knew despite her notable growing reputation in the fashion realm, we situated ourselves on the carpeted floor and got straight to business. Both armed with needles, we sutured the tulle and faux pearl designs on the new shoes like the full-fledged nurses that we were. Having completed Bachelor of Science in Nursing on 2006, we both enrolled in graduate school and finished our Master of Arts in Nursing on 2010. She worked at West Visayas State University Medical Center for a few years after that but her passion for fashion was just too strong for her to ignore. She took up short courses at TESDA and eventually got formally enrolled at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines. The opportunity opened doors for her to work as an intern for the world-renowned Francis Libiran and paved the way for her own clients as she continued to rub elbows with the dignitaries.
“Why gugma, Nini?” I curiously asked about her collection after running my fingers through the laces and tulles of her dresses. “Because I think the Visayan region is underrepresented in a way. Culturally, Tagalog and Luzon are more recognizable. I think the other Philippine languages are just as beautiful and just as expressive so I chose to highlight that in my collection title”, she answers. Gugma, in the designer’s native language of Hiligaynon, translates to “love”. Her collection is inspired by the natural landscape of the Visayan islands – its beaches, rivers, lakes and waterfalls, along with the flora and fauna abundant in the Philippine forests. Tulle and luxurious silk gazaar in shades of soft grays, silvers and beige were embellished with individually handcrafted fused tulle and glitter-layered and fused piece by piece and then cut out and beaded into shapes of Anahaw, Ilang-ilang and bamboo. Speaking of gugma, she is married to Jude Chester Albason, a contractor in Iloilo City, with whom she shared a love for ultimate Frisbee and their adorable son named, Sage.
Friendship means supporting each other´s passion, Audrey and Ruth adding final touches to shoes to be worn by models.
I fiddled with the carefully crafted headpieces that were tucked nearby, “did you make these as well?” I said. “No, these were created by Dr. BJ Chavez. Do you remember him?” she answered. How can I forget Mr. CPU of the year 2000? After the constant babbling of idle gossips, our tete-a-tete was cut short when we were called to bring her collection to the backstage of the runway. Long-legged models gracefully met us like Middle-earth elves waiting for their time to move down the catwalk. I helped Smol suit them up in my internalized role as a designer assistant and felt like a pro for those brief, yet magical minutes. Closing the show with her ethereal, whimsical, ballerina collection, I watched her gleamed with excitement and flabbergasted with the overwhelming response of the audience for her collection. “They clapped for me, Nini!” “They were all smiling!” escaped her unassuming lips after strutting the runway with her model. The next minutes to hours (I lost track of time) catapulted her to instant stardom as snapshots were taken with models and visitors that were enthralled by her collection. As the only Filipino designer, she was also interviewed by a Filipino TV Network correspondent to be featured on Philippine national television.
When the euphoria died down and the adrenaline faded, we headed backstage to pack her collection. We then walked through the dark alleys and cobblestone streets of Paris like two wandering tourists with a giant suitcase, giggling our way to the hotel. It was almost midnight so all the shops were closed except for a convenient store nearby. We got ourselves some chocolates, pretzels and cup noodles, and celebrated the night like little girls in a slumber party. She fell asleep shortly as the stress of the day took a toll on her instantly; and as my languid self-fought for the last string of consciousness, I thought to myself… dreams do come true.
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