Cras es noster

Two big events before the start of Ghost Month on the 16th of August kicked off.
First was the activity of the Association of Baguio Chinese Filipino Youth, Inc. I was tasked to tackle labor laws at the Ritz Hotel last Aug. 12. The invitation was made by its president Jeffrey Bernard Sy through my Rotary Club of Downtown Session president Kelwyn Tan.
It was a well-attended affair by young Tsinoy businessmen who were most active and vital forces in the business community of Baguio. They were most eager to learn the intricacies of laws and how it affects their business as shown in the question and answer forum.
Worth mentioning is that the association was founded in 2015 by Fernando S. Tiong and other elders to prepare the young generation to take over what he and other Chinese traders started. As the Chinese sage Confucius says, “Give a man a fish, and you save him for a day, but teach him how to fish and you save him for a lifetime.”
Another elder, Doc Willy Occidental, was also present as he was tasked to introduce me, being a long-time friend.
Next was the blessing of the sales office of the Parkway Residences and Hospital along Legarda Road on the 15th. In less than a year and a half, the construction of this project has reached the ground level and will likely be completed ahead of schedule.
Parkway offers not only convenient condo living but also health security and luxury as it will rise side by side The Parkway Medical Center, a level 3 Department of Health-accre-dited hospital.
Present were some of those in the core group: myself, Tiong, doctors Sherry Ong-Cunanan, Noli Velasquez, Francis Yabut, Sam Cunanan, Jason Ngalob, Arnel Peil, and Brandy Abeya sans Arnold Tolding and Vice Gov. Ericson “Tagel” Felipe. To all – “Cras es noster” – Tomorrow, be ours, the future will be ours.
So, the Ghost Month is here. It is a Chinese tradition but of Buddhist and Taoist influences. The “ghosts” would break free from the gates of hell to roam the living world. Legend has it that anyone who dies normally could reincarnate while those who are guilty or die violently or accidentally would become wandering spirits. There is fear that bad luck would strike. Thus, launching new ventures or big events in career, relationships, and domestic life is discouraged. It practically holds life at a standstill.
It is a matter of belief or tradition. Nothing to lose, though, in being careful and believing in prayers.
Sooner or later, a month at most, the spirits would return to where they came from and life would, as it should, move on.
Sigh.