By Francis B. Degay
PARACELIES
-- Lawyer Gina Naimes Castor was the guest of honor and speaker of the 57th
Paracelis founding anniversary and 1st Panagdadapon festival in this lowland
municipality of Mountain Province last week.
Castor’s father was from Natonin, Mountain
Province while her mother was from Tinglayan, Kalinga, where famous mountain
called “sleeping beauty” (the mountain resembles a sleeping woman) is found.
She is currently the regional hearing officer
of the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) of region 3.
Castor recalled her past experiences when
Paracelis had rugged roads, lacked transportation facilities and had no
electricity.
But today, she said, due to taxes paid by the
people of Paracale, the old name of Paracelis, and assistance of the national
government, the town is under 2nd class category and is considered cosmopolitan.
The guest of honor shared three important key
words in her message. These were remembering, celebrating and believing.
“Remembering the past is very important,”
Castor said. “We have to recall our past leaders and forebears who became our
foundation.”
Castor added “there is need of celebrating the
successes of our grandparents. They practiced and taught us the values of
oneness and cooperation, their talents and skills that we have today, and the
love of environment.”
Believing is another crucial word in the life
of the people of Paracelis, the speaker said. “We should believe in ourselves
first, before others. And more will be accomplished if we work together. We
must make our best now because we don’t what will happen tomorrow.”
In the program, a certain Wacayan Bongayon, a
centenarian was given a certificate of appreciation and monetary incentive from
the local government of Paracelis.
Bongayon was born on June 10, 1919.
Accordingly, she eats organic vegetables that
she grows in her backyard garden.
She is still strong except that she is hard up
in standing and walking due to arthritis.
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