Keeping Forgiveness

FORGIVENESS IS A VIRTUE. After the public shame put on me by the fabricated stories of accusing persons in Baclayon, Bohol (done both in personal and through Facebook posting) that no 4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit & 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang Reunion would happen last Saturday 25 April 2015, a woman personally asked for my forgiveness. She cried for what she did to me. She admitted she was wrong. She believed in the fabricated stories of these "prominent church going women" of Baclayon. She realized that the 4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit & 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang Reunion were indeed true when she saw our bishop, nuns, priests, pastors, politicians, famous persons and kin from Mindanao, Visayas, Luzon and from the USA joined us last 25 April 2015.

4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit 
& The 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang 
Reunion Poster

She realized that the invitations I circulated in Baclayon were true when she saw our kin bishop head celebrated the Thanksgiving Mass with Healing of Family Tree (as stated in the invitation) during the 4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit & 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang Reunion last 25 April 2015 at Baclayon Church unlike the claims of these "prominent church going women" of Baclayon that no bishop would celebrate the Holy Mass.

She admitted to me that she and her friends questioned me who I was, a not known person in Baclayon, to call a clan reunion in Baclayon.

(Believe it or not, our bishop waited for 30 minutes for our kin in Baclayon to fill the church for the Holy Mass. The committee members went to the houses of our kin nearby the church and told them to go immediately to the church because our bishop was waiting and it was time for the Holy Mass. It was stated in the invitation that the Holy Mass would start at 8:30 AM. It was already 9:00 AM and the kin present inside the church were less than 50. Our bishop told me that we would start. Eventually, before the Homily, we turned into more than 180 from 50. But in the reception, we zoomed into almost 400 attendees. Our kin in Baclayon realized that the 4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit & 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang Reunion were true. They started to deliver food and drinks. There were kin who joined us as walk ins. They were just informed by that time because the invitations given to them through their designated kin, as named after their common ancestors, were not given nor informed to them. These kin who eventually joined us were mostly ordinary people.)

The 4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit
& The 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang Reunion

She realized also that the 4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit & 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang Reunion were indeed true when our kin who joined our past global reunions in 2012, 2013 and 2014 testified that there were indeed past global reunions of the heirs of the Familia Sauza-Berenguer de Marquina. She was enlightened by the kin from Loon, Maribojoc and Inabanga, Bohol that there were already clan reunions in Bohol before Baclayon hosted last Saturday unlike the claims of these "prominent church going women" of Baclayon that there were no past clan reunions in Bohol prior to the 4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit in Baclayon last 25 April 2015. She was enlightened as well by my words on stage last reunion that not all persons bearing the same surnames were kin to us. She realized that the PhP 50 and PhP 150 collected by yours truly were meant for t-shirt printings  unlike the claims of these "prominent church going women" of Baclayon that the money I collected were for my personal needs. Thanks to our kin who spoke candidly that they allowed me to collect PhP 50 and PhP 150 / joining family member for t-shirt printing. Our kin stated publicly that they were not forced to give me PhP 50 and PhP 150 and they were not forced to join the 4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit & 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang Reunion  unlike the claims of these "prominent church going women" of Baclayon that I forced them (my kin) to give me money and I forced them (my kin) to join the 4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit & 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang Reunion.

Honestly, I was hurt by the false accusations of these people, but I learned to control myself. Eventually, I learned to forgive these people who did this shameful acts on me. Thanks to our kin who trusted and supported me and who defended me from these kinds of people. Thanks as well to the Manhilot family, the hosts of  4th Los Parientes Unidos - Bohol Unit & 1st Familia Manhilot-Lacang Reunion for defending me from the shame accused on me by these people.

I asked forgave the woman. I asked her what prompted her to see me personally and asked for my forgiveness. She simply replied, "Igo kaajo ko sa homily ni Bishop. (I was deeply hit by the homily of bishop.)" She started as well to know and to respect more the Igorot-blooded people like me after I defended my Igorot lineage  before our reunion ended. Her belief for Igorot people as beggar people was removed from her mind. Before, all she believed was the Igorot people were the curly haired black people begging in the streets of Tagbilaran City, Bohol and the same kind of people roaming in the streets of Loay and Guindulman, Bohol. Before we parted ways, she told me that she would like to go to Benguet and Ifugao to personally interact with the "real Igorots" not like the "pseudo Igorots" in Bohol as collectively defined by many of the Boholanos.

ANOTHER LESSONS LEARNED: My maternal great grandmother Criselda Embrado-Sauza y Embrado (1896-1999) was indeed right. In 1990, she was 94 and I was 12, she told me then that if I would go back home to Baclayon, the place where lived in 1931, I should be careful, though not pertaining to all denizens of Baclayon, because of the old saying, "Sa Baclayon, balili ray di mutingog" (In Baclayon, only blades of grass don't talk.).

Thank you, dear family family members and kakabsat and to everyone for inspiring me!

I also learned to talk bravely, not just ignoring the insults, to stand for myself. In short, don't allow people to bully me.