For the Rehabilitation of Baguio Benguet 10/18/2009
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Baguio, Then and Now Photo Exhibit 08/24/2009
By Erlyn Ruth Alcantara AN EXHIBITION of aerials, panoramic views and re-photography, BAGUIO Then/Now opens at The Sanctuary Gallery, Maryknoll on August 27, 2009 at 4 p.m. and will run until December 31, 2009. The show features early images of Baguio and re-photography by 12 Baguio photographers. Produced by the Baguio Benguet Studies, the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary is hosting this exhibition in celebration of the Baguio centennial. This will include early photographs of the Maryknoll convent and school from the Maryknoll Archives in New York. Exhibit curator is Erlyn Ruth Alcantara, curator of The Sanctuary Gallery from 1999-2003. Baguio Then/Now was first shown in December 2007 to February 2008 at The Gallery, SM City Baguio. It was shown at the Galerya Kordilyera, University of the Philippines Baguio during the Baguio Centennial Conference, March 6-7, 2009. Featured in the exhibition are early Baguio photographs from the Baguio Benguet Studies retrieved from various archival sources and private collections. Re-photography is by Robbie Casas, Elicon Consul, Caesar Paul Garcia, JT Gonzales, Rudy Furuya, Tommy Hafalla, Ric Maniquis, Julius Mendoza, Mark Perez, Rudi Tabora, Ompong Tan, and Boy Yñiguez. Baguio Then/Now is the first exhibition in Baguio that focuses entirely on re-photography. A term coined for its use in environmental studies, re-photography uses photographs from an earlier period as reference to record present-day images from an approximate same or similar angle. The photographs document change and loss and reflect how we engage our environment or push our resources to the limits. Here, photographers play that important task of “turning the lens into a mirror.” Together, these photographs present a documentation of the city’s cultural and physical landscape. For inquiries, write to the exhibit curator, erlynruth@gmail.com or Maryknoll mesbaguio@gmail.com. Original articel published in Sun.Star http://sunstar.com. Connecting With the Maryknoll Heritage 08/24/2009
 As I stand along the surface of the Earth she says child to me, she says grandchild to me. (Wyman 1970a: 123) by: Zyn Villanueva A two jeepney-full of beaming young ladies from Maryknoll Convent School Hong Kong together with their spirited teachers, Ms. Abby Chiang and Ms. Jocelyn de Castro, a third generation Maryknoller, graced the Maryknoll Ecological Center with their willing hands of service as part of their Revisiting Heritage Program. The program aspires to reconnect the younger generation of Maryknollers with the mission and vision of Maryknoll as pioneered by Mother Mary Joseph. They arrived last June 27, 2009. MCS HK whole-heartedly left their comfort zones to experience an immersion to the Baguio culture for five days. They left last July 1, 2009. They jump started their activities by hearing mass at the Santa Catalina Church followed by a contemplative and scientific nature walk in Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary’s Cosmic Journey with Ms. Mary Jane Foy-os and toured the Maryknoll Sisters’ Bio Shelter care of Sr. Margarita Jamias, MM. They also got their hands busy with community work such as gardening where they weeded and planted, showcased their love and talent for art through visual aid making for Sunbeams Day Care and bookmark designing, PowerPoint presentation making and file organizing for MES. Cherry Wong, a student at MCS, said, “It’s tiring but I was also satisfied with my work.” Some students had used their bare hands in plucking out weeds in the garden. They also planted kamote, spinach and squash seeds. Tired as they were, they surprised us by still enthusiastically finishing the tasks given. Enlightenment on Mary and an enriching talk on Ecology, Peace and Justice were given by Sr. Catherine Encarnacion and Sr. Margarita Jamias. They also had a chance to further discover their talent in art through pottery painting with Mr. Clemente Delim and a weaving demonstration by Ms. Kathy Domigyay. MCS HK , guided by Mr. Delim and Ms. Domigyay, also made their own rain-sticks, cutting the usual 2 days of preparation to a half day. One of the highlights of the exchange program was a night of cultural exchange with the University of Cordillera where they experienced Cordillera’s culture of dance and music. MCS in return, shared a dance and song. Though impromptu, Daisy Wong dazzled us with a graceful rendition of a Peacock Dance. “It’s so nice. We are like family,” Jessica Chan remarked as she described another one of the highlights of the exchange program. It was gathering around a big campfire, sharing smores and gazing at the stars, which according to Ms. De Castro, is a rare occasion in Hong Kong. Ms. Betty Tumbaga led an inspirational activity for the young ladies where they re-affirmed their relationship with nature. A closing ritual prepared by the staff touched the hearts of many, bringing us into realization that however different we may all be, in physical distance or cultural difference, we are still connected – that we never touch each others’ lives so lightly. Turn Over Ceremony 08/05/2009
 The Maryknoll CIC welcomed its new directress, Sr. Catherine Encarnacion, on June 4, 2009. Sr. Cathy succeeds Sr. Teresa Dagdag, who held the center’s reins from January, 2006 and for three years thereafter. Sr. Cathy assumed duty in February of this year with a background in education, ecology, and spirituality, a fitting mix for the directorship of the Maryknoll Sisters’ Center for Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation. This Baguio mission is ably assisted by Sr. Margarita Jamias, MM, and the entire staff of the center. Sr. Cathy is a Maryknoll graduate (AB Child Development Education’88) who taught in the grade school division of her alma mater from the time she graduated until 1993. While teaching, she also worked on her masters in Educational Psychology at the U.P. Diliman. From 1993 to 1995, she worked with the Miriam Environmental Office while she studied courses in Environmental Education. It was during this period that she entered the Maryknoll Sisters’ pre-candidacy program. In 1996, Sr. Cathy headed for New York to become a full-fledged Maryknoll Sister. Three years after, she was assigned to a Maryknoll-supported rainforest mission in Darien, Panama, where she lent her services until she had to return to the Philippines, arriving in December 30, 2006, to care for her mother, who died two weeks after she arrived. She then requested to be assigned to the Philippines so that she can take care of her father. Her request granted, Sr. Cathy turned to teaching Theology, facilitating retreats, recollections, and workshops at Miriam, before being assigned to direct the Baguio mission. The turnover ceremony that welcomed her was from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., a warm gathering of Maryknoll sisters, trustees, staff, and friends. A ritual celebrating the elements of fire, air, water, and earth graced the occasion, with ritual mistress Betty Tumbaga calling forth their blessings upon and oneness with the programs and services of the CIC. News 05/01/2009
 The Maryknoll Baguio website was launched last Tuesday afternoon, the 14th of April, 2009. The affair was graced by friends of the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary, to include co-alumnus Kidlat Tahimik, his mother, the venerable Virginia de Guia, City Tourism Office Benny Alhambra, ECAP (Energy and Clean Air Program) consultant Edna Tabanda, representatives of Maryknoll's surrounding barangays, trustee and once UC VP for Operations Lui Padilla, representatives of the Saint Louis Center High School Department, and other friends. It was an afternoon spent revisiting the shift Maryknoll made from being a regular grade school to an ecological sanctuary. To recall, it was the 1990 earthquake that caused said paradigm shift and its attendant consequences. Maryknoll Baguio thus re-birthed into a center for earth education, offering various programs and services centered on that theme. It has been more than a decade since that rebirth, and the center thrives. The revisiting was done with the current perspective of a website being launched, essentially putting the center on the web map, there for the world to easily access it online. Likewise for the center to more easily access the world, which it serves, literally, with its environmental advocacy. One name not mentioned above is that of Anna Doubell, the AYAD (Australian Youth Ambasssadors for Development). She was there, too, of course, and is the young lady from down under who designed the website and got it up and going. In the eight months that she volunteered her IT services with the center, she also caused the staff to significantly upgrade their computer skills and comfort levels with technological advancements. She left Baguio last Wednesday, after the launch, and left for her home Sydney the day after. We thank her for her work. By Linda Grace Carino Welcome 02/18/2009
At the launching of this website, we at the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary, wish to begin to connect with you regarding the work we do for Earth education. | AuthorSr Teresa Dagdag, MM is the former Directress of Maryknoll Sisters' Center for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Linda Grace Carino Guest Writers:
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