The Filler family is growing exponentially! I suggest we modify our use of “The Fillers” by adding the place where we live like: The Fillers at Esensa” or The Fillers at Ft. Bonifacio” etc.How about it?

Photo courtesy of Ate Becca

With Kuya Trickie. Photo courtesy of Ate Becca

Here’s a quick Q & A with the proud Mommy.

How did you react when you found out you were pregnant?

As you know, we had been trying for several years to have a baby — undergoing countless procedures and treatments, but without success. So this pregnancy was truly a surprise for us, especially when it came at a time when we were just about to ‘give up’.

When I found out I was pregnant, I couldn’t believe it at first. I told Trick about it after and we were both a little shell-shocked and in a daze that it took a bit of time to actually sink in. We had to see the doctor to confirm that we were in fact expecting and when it was confirmed, we were ecstatic!

Who does Frederick look like more, Trickie or you (or lolo or lola or a movie star, perhaps)?

I think Frederick is a mixture of both of us. He has particular physical traits that are similar to mine (like the wavy hair and the nose) and traits that he inherited from his daddy (Trickie’s eyes, dimples and hands). He is also quite long-limbed, which he may have inherited from his Lolo Freddy.

Why did you decide to name him Frederick?

We chose Frederick because it combines the names of his Lolo (Alfredo) and his daddy (Patrick). His second name is Vincent, named after my dad, Vicente.

So far, what do you feel is the most challenging part of being a new mom?

Right now, the most challenging part is trying to care for the baby while recovering from surgery / C-Section.

What’s the best thing about it?

Looking at Frederick and being reminded of what a little “miracle” he is, especially after all that Trickie and I have been through the past few years.

This is Tintin Servando. Would just like to share that I will be moving to Jakarta, Indonesia soon to work as a copy editor at an English-language newspaper there.

The job’s got a lot of perks, foremost being that it pays 4 times what I am earning now. Also, it’s an excellent opportunity to get a “regional perspective” and to learn to live on my own.

So I’m really hoping that this blog could be one of the ways by which I could keep in touch with all of you.  Hope everyone is well.

Tintin

She was surrounded by her family and friends.

Everyone dined on Cebu lechon, courtesy of Baby and Johnson Leung, smoked fish, buttered vegetables, and sumptious cakes and fruits for dessert.

Let’s all wish her happy and fruitful years ahead! Happy birthday!

Of course, the whole Labra and Filler clans were there to shake things up!

The night began with a short mass, where the priest sternly lectured the couple on failed relationships in this day and age; and told Nikki and Basti to check back with him after 10 to 25 years and show that they’re still together.

It’s easy to imagine how this lovely couple can go beyond 25 years together!

Then everyone feasted on Cebu lechon, calamari, grilled vegetables, spinach hors d’oeuvres, seafood and sausage paella, and carbonara.

This was followed by a lot of dancing, in which the Filler cousins were most active.

Everyone could take pictures at a special photo booth at the poolside gazebo, so now we have a lot of pictures of the family wearing funny wigs and crazy hats.

(If you’re on Facebook, you can see the photos here and here)

Afterwards, Nikki’s sister, Andy Filler, and K (Basti and Dindin’s childhood best friend) sang songs for the couple.

The after-party was held at the Parque Espana hotel in Alabang, where Basti and his cousins (and Nikki’s closest friends) played team-based card games and drank whisky until 4 a.m.

Throughout it all, Basti and Nikki never left each other’s side. (naks. haha). Congratulations to the couple! We hope you have many more happy and “interesting” years to come!

Thank you all so much!

Elya graduates from UCLA

Attached herewith is Elya Marie Filler’s Senior Thesis titled “Sex in the Company of Soldiers: The Role of Japan’s Comfort System and U.S. Military Prostitution in the Development of Eastern Asia’s Contemporary Sex Industry.”

Elya is the recipient of the Global Studies Senior Thesis Award for 2008-2009 at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her paper was chosen unanimously by a panel of faculty members for the top honor.

Also included is her Statistics paper on voting trends during economic crises.

Congratulations, Elya!

Click on the links below to view her papers:

Elya Filler Thesis

Final edition of poli sci 6 stats maxi project

by Miguel Ricardo “Mao” Leung

The typhoons our nation has recently experienced – Ondoy and Pepeng – have definitely left their mark on the Filipino people.

Ondoy left its mark in the National Capital Region and surrounding provinces, while Pepeng stamped its foot in the Cordilleras by wreaking
havoc on ancestral homes, killing approximately 200 people, causing nearly 20 landslides, and displacing countless families.

Classes were suspended for a total of 6 days in Baguio City, and students were left with supposedly nothing to do.

Nothing to do, that is, but help.

‘Helping hands’

On October 11, I decided to step out of the house and do some good for once (with a little prodding from my mother of course).

My sister and I spent the day with the “Serve the People Brigade” of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance, packing and distributing relief goods
to the families of Purok 9 Pinsao and Purok 7 FairView.

We were with many other volunteers from the Serve the People Brigade mobilized by the Cordillera Peoples Alliance and Center for Development Programs in the Cordilleras.

Volunteers included medical students from the Saint Louis University College of Medicine and the staff of the health NGO CHESTCORE (Community Health Education, Services and Training in the Cordillera Region).

The morning started out with the packing of relief goods. We had to
pack rice, sardines, and noodles, along with clothing for the victims
of the typhoon.

Immediately, there was a sense of fulfillment, for even through the simple task of shoving things into a plastic bag isn’t much, it’s doing something
nonetheless.

And in our society, where people would much rather sit down and watch the television instead of actually getting up and helping, being proactive is key.

‘A proud people’

After a modest lunch of egg and tuyo, we set out to distribute the packed goods.

The Cordillerans are a proud people, and it must be hard for them to get to the point where accepting help is no longer an option, it’s a must.

This was evident when, whenever a person or a family would reach out to get their relief goods, they would turn away before I could get a picture.

But it wasn’t whether or not they thanked us verbally. The true sense of appreciation came from the smiles of the people around us, that, even in the
smallest possible way, we did something to help.

We then decided to take a look around at the devastation of the locality we were in.

No houses were spared. Some were totally destroyed. But the people’s spirits were not dampened.

They constantly smiled, and even laughed, at and with us – a perfect manifestation of the indestructibility of the human spirit.

Volunteerism

Seeing all the damaged homes made me wonder: “Now that their
houses are gone, will the people still build in the same place?”

For a moment, I considered that maybe they would relocate to safer place. Then I realized that they have no choice.

They had to build in such precarious places in the first place because of their life status.

Most of the people in those areas were of the urban poor class, with
already very little to their names.

The devastation wrought by the typhoon left them with nothing
but each other. (Some don’t even have each other anymore.)

I now realize that even though you cannot donate 5 cavans of rice, or 10 sacks of used clothes, you can help through volunteerism.

The storm victims need one thing above all others, above food, above clothing, above shelter.

They need to know that people care about them and that we, their brothers and sisters, are with them in times of need.

Serve the people.

Note: In the past few days since Typhoon Pepeng, we have been witness to the many mays volunteers are truly serving the people — packing thousands of relief bags, going from house to house to collect donations, letting the world know about what happened through the internet and text messages, etc.

Much more needs to be done as we wait for roads to be cleared so that relief workers can get through to the other Cordillera provinces.

The bigger work of rebuilding homes has barely even begun.

Old clothes are plentiful, food is relatively adequate too. Especially for those in distant places, the most practical help you can send is CASH we can use to purchase relief goods targeting specific needs of particular groups.

We have received requests as varied as flashlights, cooking utensils, toothbrushes and GI sheets.

Please continue to send your donations to: CORDILLERA PEOPLES ALLIANCE Savings Account 1-326-72354-8 (RCBC Baguio Peso Account)