Mano Po

Mano Po is a famous Tagalog film about the lives of the Chinese-Filipino community. I saw this movie in 2002, but because of Warren and Cheyenne's wedding, it made a flashback. Last Monday (August 9, 2010), I attended the wedding of Cheyenne Sudaria - a child hood friend, neighbor and relative. She is married to Warren Soon, a Filipino-Chinese guy from Cebu City.

The solemn part of the celebration was done at Saint Therese of The Child Jesus Church, Lahug, Cebu City. The wedding ceremony was officiated by a dear friend of the bride, our friend, our choir mentor, Rev. Fr. Rogelio Piloton. The more exciting part - the Dinner Party for the newlyweds was held at the Ching Palace.

From the Bride’s side, these were the guests: the Rule Family, the bride’s family on her mother’s side who came all the way from USA and United Kingdom, the Ares Family, the Guinita Family, the Colita Family, the TESDA Family, Catmon Central Teachers, close friends of the bride and relatives of the bride from Catmon and around the world. And from the Groom’s Side, these were the guests: the Soon Family, Tan Family, SY Family, Ciruela Family, Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Family and family friends and relatives of the groom.

The newlyweds were so honored by the presence of Hon. Mayor Michael Rama of Cebu City (one of the Principal Sponsors), who rendered two songs for the couple during the reception. Mr. Wendell Quisido made the bride's beautiful gown and the dresses of the members of the entourage. The Royal Plus Trio performed their beautiful repertoire of jazz, classical and pop music. Mr. Maynard 'Mec' Concha provided the AVP of the love story of Warren and Cheyenne. Everything was so perfect - the cake, the decoration, the ambiance - very magical; and I believe that was the dream wedding of Cheyenne.

Aside from the couple, the other two happiest people that day were Mrs. Era vda. De Sudaria, the mother of the bride and Mrs. Conchita vda. De Soon, the mother of the groom. Dr. Lita Rule Lasilla, Mr. Antonio Concha , Ms. Ceara Jae Chy, Hon. Mayor Michael Rama and the very emotional best friend of the bride, Miss Janice Jusay gave their messages for the couple.

The wedding was not only the union of these two individuals, but also a marriage of the Catmonanon and Chinese culture.

I'm so happy for Cheyenne and Warren! I know some day, I will have my own wedding too. (Great sigh!)

Religion, Culture and Community Life

Photo courtesy of Mec J. Concha

Winston Churchill, a British politician and recipient of Nobel Prize in Literature once said, “Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.” Art is an integral component of community life. Catmon as a community of faithful Catholics stood for 175 years amidst great drama brought by the forces of nature, economics and politics. With the artistry and innovativeness of the people, tradition like “Sugat” emerged to be a favorite of all. Though this event is not unique to Catmon, nevertheless you can feel a distinctive stroke of Catmonanon creativity in it. Like any form of spectacle, the “Sugat” evolved from a simple manifestation of faith to a grand expression of community culture and life.

"Sugat" in Cebuano or "Salubong" in Tagalog is the Easter celebration of the Catholic Filipinos which never failed to be a crowd drawer in any part of the country. Minglanilla, Cebu is quite famous for this, and they call it as Kabanhawan Festival. Almost all parishes in the Philippines have their own way of celebrating such event.

Utmost jubilation reverberated in the corners of the Catmon town plaza as the angel (portrayed by a pretty girl) went down from heaven (a structure decorated to depict as such) to take off the purple veil that covers the face of the Virgin Mary. This scene was an annual sight, except for last year, when a simpler dramatization of the “Sugat” was done. We were deprived last year of the spectacle of a flying angel, and thank God it’s back! I didn’t really know what the real problem was; some say it was the lack of the bamboo poles and other materials for the “Sugatan” (the structure), others say someone didn’t like to risk the safety of the girl harnessed as an angel. Okay, okay! Let us not dig on that, because one important thing happened - at long last, the structure that was built a few years ago in the upper portion of the entrance of the gym eventually served its purpose, heaven for the “Sugat”.

Guided by the tradition, the art is preserved, yet it grows it splendor. With the use of modern technology – innovation is inevitable – but the heart of the celebration is always kept constant. That’s the Catmonanon spirit. Proud to have one!