ANG PUNGSOD ILONGGO!
(The Ilonggo “Nation” Movement Newsletter)
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* Volume No. I * Issue No. 002 * Date: August 1, 2007*
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CINCO DE NOVIEMBRE AND THE ILONGGO NATION
(By: Dr. Jose"Joey"Dacudao -INM Banwa_Mo: NorthernMindanaoPh)
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Introduction: All Filipinos are taught a narrow type of history from the point of view of historians based in MetroManila, in accordance with a Uniform educational curriculum concocted by Manila-based institutions and individuals, and enforced in all Philippine schools.
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This is passed on as 'history of the Filipino people' or as some other euphemism. Yet nothing is farther from the truth.
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I will be posting old articles once in a while for the purpose of showing history from the point of view of certain Visayans. It clearly shows that Visayan history is DIFFERENT from Tagalog history, and yet what is officially passed in all Philippine schools is the latter.
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It goes without saying that this is the history that we should be teaching to our children in all schools in traditional Visayan areas:
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"Remember, remember, the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot."
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This is the nursery rhyme, popular in Great Britain , that commemorates the successful foiling of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the British Parliament. Guy Fawkes and his comrades were consequently tortured and executed by the British Government. During Guy Fawkes Night, British citizens have, for centuries since that fateful night, been burning effigies of Guy Fawkes.
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From the point of view of the British State, Guy Fawkes and his comrades were EVIL. Imagine trying blow up the Parliament, the symbol of ‘democracy’! From the point of view of Guy Fawkes and his comrades, it was the exact opposite; they represented the GOOD. They were trying to blow up the symbol and representatives of a Government gone dictatorial, that had suspended civil rights, a Government gone evil.
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The movie ‘V for Vendetta’ starring Hugo Weaving (Matrix Trilogy) and Natalie Portman (Star Wars Episodes 1 to 3) in fact explores this theme. ‘V’, the protagonist of the film who wages a one-man revolution against an evil Unitarian Totalitarian State , regarded Guy Fawkes as his personal hero.
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Now, my dear Kasimanuas, what if I were to tell you that we Ilonggos have an equivalent of a Guy Fawkes night?
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In NOVEMBER 5, 1898, Gen. Juan "Tan Juan" Araneta and Gen. Aniceto Lacson, after defeating Spanish military forces in Negros , declared in Bago Plaza Negros Occidental the Independent Republic of Negros. This was also on NOVEMBER 5, exactly 293 years after Guy Fawkes was caught with fuses in his hands, about to blow up what he truly believed to be the symbol and representatives of an Evil Government.
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Why declare an independent Negros , and not join the revolutionary forces in the Tagalog region under General Aguinaldo? One of these Ilonggo patriots was recorded as saying that they DID NOT WANT TO BE UNDER A TAGALOG DICTATOR (referring to Aguinaldo).
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Next day November 6, 1898, Don Diego de los Rios, the last Governor-General of Spain in the Philippines formally surrendered to the Independent Republic of Negros revolutionary leaders (Gen. Aniceto Lacson - President, and Gen. Juan Araneta-Secretary of War) in Bacolod .
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On 17 November 1898, before 3000 joyful residents of Sta Barbara Iloilo, the Visayan Leaders and Generals proclaimed the Independence of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Visayas and Mindanao .
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However, by itself, it would not have amounted to much. After all, any interested group of Visayan patriots could today go to Sta Barbara plaza and proclaim Independence from Manila , and even if they had an audience of 3000, it would be more of a symbolic rather than a politically concrete act. The name of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Visayas and Mindanao, which claimed jurisdiction over the Visayas and Mindanao, was later changed to Federal Republic of the Visayas, in order to clarify that the Visayan patriots wanted to form a Federal Philippines.
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Let us point out that Aguinaldo and the Tagalogs did what was fundamentally the same action in Malolos. General Emilio Aguinaldo was proclaimed President of the first Philippine Republic during the ratification of the Malolos Republic Constitution and its inauguration in Malolos, Bulacan on 23 January 1899. No doubt it was a symbolic act of great significance to the Tagalogs fighting against Spain , but fact number one is that no country in the world recognized this proclamation. Fact number two is that the Tagalog revolutionaries (although with a cause as just as ours in the Visayas) NEVER WON THEIR WAR AGAINST SPAIN .
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On the other hand, WE VISAYANS WON! On December 25, 1898 Don Diego de los Rios, after more than a month of intense fighting wherein the Visayans militarily defeated the Spanish forces in Iloilo , surrendered to the Federal Republic of the Visayas, lead by General Martin Delgado, at Plaza Libertad in Iloilo City .
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These events occurred BEFORE:
1.Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was proclaimed President of the first Philippine Republic during ratification of the Constitution and its inauguration in Malolos, Bulacan on January 23, 1899. (Recall that neither the Spanish nor the Americans ever surrendered to this Government, nor recognized it. No country in the world recognized this government.)
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2.The Treaty of Paris , wherein Spain ceded the whole Philippine Islands to the USA for $20-million, was officially consummated and became legally binding on APRIL 11, 1899. (This Treaty was the legal basis upon which the Americans formed their own colonial Government in the Philippines .
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Eventually this Government, through continuous legal processes, gave way to the present Manila-based Unitarian Government of the Philippines . From this point of view, the present Unitarian Government of the Philippines is derived via continuous legal processes from the Treaty of Paris.)
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Note that since Spain had already formally surrendered to the two Ilonggo Governments before the Treaty of Paris, then technically Spain had already ceased to have jurisdiction over these Governments. Consequently, Spain could not have legally ceded these Governments and their territories to the USA . The treaty of Paris is therefore invalid with respect to these Governments.
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Legally, these Governments could still be regarded as extant. Let us place these events in perspective:
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The duly constituted head of the Spanish Empire in the Philippines FORMALLY SURRENDERED TO TWO AND ONLY TWO GOVERNMENTS in the Philippines :
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1.The INDEPENDENT NEGROS REPUBLIC on NOVEMBER 6, 1898 in Bacolod . This government claimed jurisdiction over Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
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2.The FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF THE VISAYAS on DECEMBER 25, 1898 in Iloilo City . This government claimed jurisdiction over the Visayas.
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Given that these Governments HAVE NEVER BEEN LEGALLY REPUDIATED, the implications of these events are enormous:
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1.When the Spanish FORMALLY AND LEGALLY surrendered to us Ilonggos, WE ILONGGOS ESTABLISHED TWO LEGALLY INDEPENDENT NATIONS.
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2.These two nations, from a purely legal point of view, are COMPLETELY LEGITIMATE UNTIL TODAY. (This could imply that the Manila-based Tagalista-oriented Unitarian central government of the Philippines in the Visayas and Mindanao is an Occupational Government, that ultimately originated from an invalid Treaty of Paris.)
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My dear Kasimanwas, next time you meet an anti-Federalist Tagalista who is acting as though he owns the Philippines, PLEASE REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER, when Ilonggo patriots won our freedom with their sweat and blood.
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Sinco de Nobyembre
Remember, remember, the fifth of November, Ilonggo freedom, in my heart. I see no reason why Ilonggo freedom Should ever be forgot.
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Tanda-e, tanda-e, sinco de Nobyembre,Ilonggong kahilwayan, buhi sining dughan.Walay kabangdanan akon kalimtanIlonggong kahilwayan, tubtob sa katubtuban.
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Addendum:

Mga Kasimanwa, this is the way we should be telling our story to the Visayan youth! Yet what does the educational curriculum from Manila enforced in all Philippine schools mention of our efforts to achieve our freedom? Nothing!
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History as taught in our schools is the history of the Tagalog Revolution against Spain . It is not even as good a story as ours, as the Tagalogs never won, and is severely tainted by ruthless infighting, dictatorship, and the murders of Katipuan Founder Andres Bonifacio and General Luna by Aguinaldo.
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While Aguinaldo was advocating a formal dictatorship on his part, the Visayans were advocating Federalism. From a certain point of view, there is nothing to be proud of in this story.
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To recap, we Visayans had established two Independent cantonal states by 1898 against the might of a European colonial power, A FIRST IN THE HISTORY OF ARCHIPELAGIC ASIA.
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We should be standing proud! Instead our general populace at present knows nothing of these. It is not our people’s fault because our educational curriculum is totally controlled by Manila-based institutions, which enforce their own version of history. Our fault is that we take the Unitarian system imposing such slanted history on us standing down.
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We could still change this erasure of our own history. In Federalism, which the Visayan patriots mentioned above envisioned and openly advocated, the local state controls its educational curriculum. Under the present Unitarian system, Manila has total control over what is being taught to our children. Our patriotic forebears fought for Federalism and sacrificed their blood for it.
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Let us not fail them!
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Editors Note:
Dr. Jose Palu-ay Dacudao, is an ilonggo Neurosurgeon practising in Butuan City, CARAGA-Philippines. He is the National President of Save our Languages thru Federalism Foundation(SOLFED), Inc. and is an active member of the Ilonggo Nation Movement (INM Banwa_Mo). -----
His column "Language, Traditions and Federalism" and "Save our Languages Through Federalism" appears in Western Visayas Informer Newspaper and the Negros Daily Bulletin Newspaper respectively.
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Dr. Dacudao's ancestry are from Dingle, lloilo. He is also related to the Familia Gaston and Locsin of Silay City in Negros Occidental.
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Please bear in mind, that SOLFED and INM have nothing against the Tagalogs nor the Non-Visayans but only with the "Tagalistas". And that even ilonggos and Visayans maybe considered Tagalistas; if they prefer to be subservient to unitarian-centrist policies that adversely affects our very own ethnic languages and cultural heritage.
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Sa guihapon...dinggol a.divinagracia..
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FEDERALISM IN THE PHILIPPINES

Here's an anniversary comment taken from Manuel Luis Quezon-III(MLQ3) blogsite:

"Manolo, Resil Mojares’s paper delivered at the recent conference on Political Reform and Charter Change, says the Ilonggos (even before the birth of Salvador Araneta) first articulated the federalist dream. He says that in 1898, leaders in Iloilo formed the Federal State of the Visayas, anticipating that a Federal Republic of the Philippines, composed of three states — Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao — would be formed by the Aguinaldo government.

Mojares further points out that in 1899, some “eminent” Filipinos submitted to the Philippine Commission a draft for a Federal Republic of the Philippines with 11 states. The Ilocano intellectual Isabelo de los Reyes also proposed in 1900 a federal constitution with 7 states.

The Tagalogs, of course, were not dreaming of federalism but of a unitary state, with themselves at the helm."

Sheila Coronel said this on July 29th, 2005 at 3:57 pm
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LIPSTICK MARKS ON THE MIRROR
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According to a news report, a certain school in Lorton, Va. was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12 year old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the washroom.
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That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day, the girls would put them back.
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Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. He called all the girls to the washroom and met them there with the maintenance man. He explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night.
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To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, he asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet sanitary bowl, and cleaned the mirror with it.
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Since then there have been no lip prints on the mirror.
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The moral of this story...... There are teachers, and then there are educators.
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Mon Jocson -(INM Banwa_Mo LortonVaUSA)
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READY! AIM! FILE!

Association Of Ilonggos-Metropolitan Washington D.C. (AIM) Inc.

"The Pagla-um Girls"
(By Zenaida Alimon-Tabligan: President - AIM, Inc.)

Hello Everyone;

I don't want anyone of us to miss this publication. I am so proud of these girls. For several years my brother Tony Alimon, used to chaperon this Little league delegation to the US as Finance Officer-and would always recount to us his enjoyable and remarkable experience with them and how their hosts in Oregon and Seattle treated them wonderfully with much appreciated hospitality.

These girls came from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental which is also my birthplace. They are all true blooded Ilonggas like all of us. They worked so hard to give our country such unsurpassed honor and prestige. They deserve our commendation and utmost respect and WE'RE GENUINELY PROUD OF THEM!
MABUHAY TO THE PAGLA-UM GIRLS! MABUHAY TO THE ILONGGOS! MABUHAY TO THE FILIPINOS!

Sincerely,
Zeny
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Inspiring Story from Paglaum girls of Bacolod.
Written by: Rina Jimenez David (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
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Paying a courtesy call Thursday on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at Malacanang were the members of the victorious Bacolod team that emerged as champions in the recent World Series Junior Girls Softball championship in Kirkland, Washington, United States. After the girls showed her their victory banner and presented her with an honorary team jacket, the President handed the girls from Paglaum (a village on the outskirts of Bacolod) a check for one million pesos, an incentive for their winning performance.
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A newspaper report says the team's 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico in the title match "gave the Philippines its first World Series crown since 1992 when a team from Zamboanga was stripped of the crown it won in Pennsylvania on allegations of fielding over-aged and unqualified players. The girls' victory, then, was not just a great honor for the country, but also a vindication of Filipino honor and pride.
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Beyond that, though, the team's victory is a real "Cinderella" story, a fascinating tale of how girls from a small town overcame the odds and showed the world what they're made of. THE GIRLS, from 12 to 14 years of age, come from Paglaum, a small village on the outskirts of Bacolod, and belong to farming families, their parents working in the sugar cane fields or else engaged in fishing and rice and coconut farming.
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Rufino Ignacio, one of the Filipino-Americans in Washington who played host to the team, says the girls brought pictures of their nipa huts and the dilapidated premises of the Paglaum Village National High School. As Ignacio tells it, the team almost didn't make the trip for lack of money for their plane fare. Funds raised by their sponsors, including Little League Philippines and politicians and business people in Negros, were not enough for their needs. So as a last ditch effort, the team's coach and the school principal took out a loan for 100,000 pesos, though perhaps the President's check should now ease their anxieties somewhat.
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Upon arrival in the US, the girls and their coach stayed with a host family, the Shannons, all of them crowded into the Shannons' modest home, although once the tournament began, the USA Little League housed them in a hotel. But they faced more than logistical challenges. Ignacio describes the Paglaum girls as the "smallest" among all the players in the tournament, who were "heftier and taller and from their looks, stronger."
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Despite their physical disadvantages, however, the young Pinays became the "darling of the crowd," racking up a "very impressive record" and winning everyone's admiration for their "discipline and decorum."
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THE STORY of the Paglaum girls, though, is also the story of how the entire Filipino-American community in the area came together to lend their moral, physical and financial support for the lucky team.
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Fil-Ams from as far as Oregon and British Columbia came in droves to cheer on the Paglaum girls. The longgos Northwest Association, the Filipino Community of Seattle, and a regional Fil-Am association, the FACSPS, combined resources to make the girls feel welcome. The FACSPS, headed by Ignacio, gathered used clothing, shoes, toiletries, canned goods and other items and packed them in balikbayan boxes for the girls to take home to their families.
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"As the team is not used to eating bread in the hotel, the Ilonggos and FACSPS prepared food for them, potluck style, and the team heartily ate with other Filipinos after each game," recounts Ignacio. "The girls said they had the best meals in their young lives during the tournament." Ignacio notes that the Paglaum girls left the Philippines with "no money, hardly noticed, and thinking perhaps they had no chance of winning."
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But now, they have returned as heroes, or rather, as young heroines. Everyone loves an underdog, but victorious underdogs are loved even more. This is one "Cinderella story" that deserves to be told and retold.
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Its only when you share your life to others that life begins to have a meaning and purpose ... the time you touch the life of others is the time you really live.
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A N N O U N C E M E N T S:

2008 REUNION

The Assumption Alumnae Association Abroad, Washington DC Chapter; will host the Eighth AAAA Triennial Reunion in 2008
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Inviting all former students, graduates and friends of the schools run by the Religious of the Assumption in the Philippines.
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Join us to celebrate the 21st year of the AAAA existence in the USA. Save the dates! August 15-16, 2008. Plan to join us and the nuns of the Religious of the Assumption at Hilton-McLean in Tysons Corner, Virginia, USA
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Unite with us as we grow in the spirit of the Assumption community.
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For more Information contact
(Chairpersons)
Lina A. Divinagracia, Tel. 202-265-1251, Email http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Lina@aaaadc.tv or
Marilen Payawal-Abello, Tel. 301-755-4457, Email http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Marilen@aaaadc.tv
(President)
Raquel Lim-Salientes, Tel. 301-460-7883, Email http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Raquel@aaaadc.tv
(Others)
Tina Manglapus-Maynigo, 202-885-3632 (w), 202-277-8314 (c), http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Tina@aaaadc.tv;
Julie Marfil-Kelly, Tel. 202-321-8385, Email http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Julie@aaaadc.tv
Luisa Velasco-Reyes, Tel. 703-379-2412, Email http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Baby@aaaadc.tv
Grace Celis-Keeve, Email http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Grace@aaaadc.tv
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Additional information will be continually added to this site. Please visit often or email http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Eve@aaaadc.tv to subscribe to our alert notifications. Thank you.
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WELCOME! New Members INM Banwa_Mo eGroup:

*Ernesto "Ernie" Gange from the island Province of Guimaras
NaFFAA Founding Chairman for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
National Federation of Filipino American Associations(NaFFAA), Inc.

*Salvador "Jun" Calumno, Jr. from the Municipality of Leon, Iloilo
President: The Leonians of America, Inc.
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Join! the Last Laugh with us!

When Christopher Columbus said that the world is round, people asked: "What?"... and then they laughed!
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When the Wright brothers said they'll fly and soar the skies, people asked: "How?"... and then they laughed!
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When Jules Verne wrote, someday man could travel below the seven seas and shall walk on the moon, people asked: "When?"... and then they laughed!
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When John the Baptist prophesied the coming of the Messiah, people asked: "Who?"---and then they laughed!
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When the ILONGGO "NATION" MOVEMENT announced its mission and vision, people did not bother to ask: "What?---How? ---When? or Who?"; they just laughed! ... and laughed!
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People are still laughing - - - but the laughter is fading!.
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Ang inyo alagad...dinggol a.divinagracia. .
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Banwa_Mo)
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