January 16, 2011, Sinulog Day.

I started the day by celebrating mass with Bro. Paul, and Reina at Mt. Tabor. After the mass, Bro. Paul conducted some catechism for me and Reina. There was just the three of us. It was very inspiring and tranquil. It was a blessed day, (thank you Lord Jesus). The mass started at 10:30am, and we left Mt. Tabor at around 4:00pm.

This isn’t how Sinulog is typically spent; but this question arose to my mind; "When we say Sinulog, what's the next thing we think of?" Do we think of the partying and the drinking; or do we think of the child Jesus?

Sinulog is a ritual that commemorates the Cebuano people's acceptance of Roman Catholicism, from paganism. Just like St. Patrick’s Day, Sinulog is often associated with the drinking and the partying. We all know that feast days are a time for people to be merry. We become merry with and for the presence of God; but if this merriness is more of worldly pleasures than of Jesus, are we able to please him on his very own feast day?

If we put Jesus aside on his feast days, or at any day, the adversary gets close to the center and takes control of us. Then come sin, and its domino effect. We get attached to worldly pleasures, experience its highs, and not so long after, its lows, its negativity, pain, and frustrations; then we affect other people and let them experience the negativity brought by our own sins, till they’re led to sin as well, then it goes on. A lot of times when Jesus is around, the adversary is also there to compete for souls. On a scenario based on feasts; on a lamer perspective, other people would say,” So there’s the partying and the drinking, after the drinking, sometimes comes the sex, the violence or whatsoever”. Bottom line is that we must not put God aside; let us place him at the center of everything we do, as we strengthen our faith. Even if at some point, we have to reflect and re-arrange our traditions a little.

Danao Cave Adventure

December 26, 2009. The Labellas went to the Francisco Dagohoy cave in Danao, Bohol.

We had to slide down into the cave with the use of a rope. The trek was 500 meters long, and it wasn’t smooth at all. There were areas where we had to submerge ourselves in water. We also had to climb up and down huge rocks where we used body mechanics to get through.

When we first set foot inside the cave, we were amazed by the crystallized rocks. My uncle thought that some of them had gold, because of its sparkling colour. He said it was the same kind of mineral he saw in Baguio, which was real gold (that still had to be processed). Most minerals in the cave were made out of limestone. They’re trying to preserve these minerals, which is why we weren’t allowed to hold our own cameras inside the cave. Apparently, these minerals turn dark (like they burn) when they’re exposed to flash bulbs. The guides had to take our pictures, so we just brought one point-and-shoot camera, and handed it to them. There were some chosen spots available for picture taking and these spots don’t look as good as the rest, because of its frequent flash exposure.

The cave was very dark, and we had to use waterproof flashlight-helmets in order to navigate our way through. There were albino species of crab and shrimp and they looked blind (they had no eyes). We turned all our lights off, to see how dark it was, and there was zero visibility. We waited a few minutes for our pupils to adjust, but still nothing. It was super dark.


In the dark, submerged in water


The only exit we saw was the entrance we came in through. We couldn’t find any other openings above water level, so we were wondering where we were getting our oxygen from. Seemingly, the only oxygen available was the oxygen element available in the H2O compound. Good thing we had water. Otherwise, we would've suffocated (LOL).


At the cave entrance/exit


The place was fantastic, but it was the bonding with the family that made this experience an event that will always be remembered.

---Miles Labella