The Virac Pilot Elementary School (VPES) Batch 1975 celebrated their 50th Grand Reunion last Sunday, April 20, 2025, beginning with a Mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, a visit to the school campus where they shared a sumptuous lunch, and a thoroughly enjoyable fellowship at one of the videoke rooms of ARDCI Corporate Inn.
Elected as batch officers were Jocelyn Gapangada-Suarez, president; Noel Amata and Noland Guerrero, vice presidents; Remy Valeza-Tabilin, secretary; Heide Samar-Holgado, treasurer; Ma. Teresa Condat-Villaluna, auditor; Leo Arcilla, mass media officer; Edison Malinana and Fredeswindo Alcala Jr., business managers; Edna Villaluna-Culp, muse; and Nestor Tabirao, escort.
Also present was the class’ most prominent member, Virac Mayor and now congressional candidate Samuel Laynes.
The former Ms. Villaluna, who is a practicing nurse in San Diego, California, USA, and active in a Parkinson’s Disease support group in the States, took time out from her busy schedule to spend the Holy Week in Virac with family and classmates, including shouldering the cost of the reunion shirts.
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In preparation for a large-magnitude earthquake in Metro Manila and nearby areas, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to launch an infrastructure audit tool which will assess the structural integrity of buildings.
According to DILG Undersecretary for Local Government Marlo Iringan, the Harmonized Infrastructure Audit tool will be utilized to ensure the resilience of buildings in the country against earthquakes and at the same time establish a national standard for assessing local public infrastructures, particularly their vulnerability to high-magnitude earthquakes.
Pilot testing of the tool will be conducted in the National Capital Region, Region III, and CALABARZON, with the DILG partnering with the academe to tap 4th-year and 5th-year engineering students to help in assessing the infrastructures.
Whoever wins in the May 12, 2025 mayoral election in the capital town should approach the DILG for the chance to utilize the tool in assessing the buildings in Virac as far as resiliency against earthquakes is concerned, especially since the town already has two edifices higher than four stories.
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Easter Sunday brought thousands of residents, as well as their visiting relatives from the mainland and abroad, to beach resorts, public beaches and waterfalls and other attractions.
The overflow crowds swamped resort operators, who found it difficult to provide satisfactory service to its clients..
Next year, those who wish to escape the heat and relax in comfort should head out to more secluded places or go to the beach a day ahead to avoid the crowd or just stay at home.
Considering that the Holy Week population is continuously rising, local authorities should consider passing an ordinance mandating beach resorts and similar tourism facilities to limit visitors based on their physical carrying capacity (the number of individuals a site can physically accommodate) and socio-cultural carrying capacity (visitor thresholds beyond which satisfaction diminishes).
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ADVICE FROM THE BIBLE. A man was really struggling so he decided to open a Bible to a random page and drop his finger on a verse and do whatever it says.
The verse his finger landed on was Matthew 27:5: “then Judas hanged himself”
The man thought, “That’s not right, let me try again” and does the same thing, this time with his finger on Luke 10:37: “Jesus told him ‘go and do likewise.’”
Again, the man thought it wasn’t right so he did it one last time and his finger landed on John 13:37: “Whatever you are about to do, do it quickly.”