LET US HELP FIL/ASIAN CHILDREN IN ISREAL

We received a very disturbng news from AMY MELCHOR, a Filipina in Israel actively advocating to help Israeli Children endangered of being deported:

ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED (1,200) children from Israel faces deportation, some half Filipinos/Asians. These children already adopted Israeli culture and tradition. The Isreali government's policy to deport these children, who are, in fact children of Israeli citizens shall separate these children with their parents! INHUMAN! Israel, where CHRISTIANITY was known to have originated now becomes UNCHRISTIAN!

WATCH ITS ORIGINAL VERSION IN YOU TUBE! (DOUBLE CLICK HERE)

Rare Pictures . . . by Jonel

Jonel (Luga) Monforte Padernal, took the historic shots of the 75th Death Anniversary of Gen. Mateo Noriel Luga, a once in a lifetime affair of the Luga Clan. After 75 years, the wish of Gen. Mateo Noriel Luga to return home in Isabela with his children, to see the place he dearly loved, a place he once called home came true. The descendants of his siblings, Vicente, Domingo and Julia, with cousins Manolo and Gregorio gathered altogether to embrace the event, to rekindle the spirit of the Tribal Warriors from Cagayan Valley, who left home to join the Katipunan, but never made it back to Tumauini.

THE SOUVENIR PHOTOS

The event was captured in high resolution pictures by Jonel Monforte Padernal. The group picture taken in St. Mathias Church, were framed in an 11X14 double sided matting borders embedded on imported frame with the rest of the pictures of about 350 selected shots stored in DVD costs only P 1,500.00 including the soft copy of the pictures in DVD is. The cost covers only the materials, electricity and miscellenous expenses for its reproduction. You can contact Jonel Monforte Padernal at mobile: 0929-4425162 or via email @ naughty_pest@yahoo.com, many have already placed their order to get hold of this lmited offer of the historic images. (A shot taken by Jonel, who was only made aware during the reunion that the model, Cathy Luga, who also lives in Tuguegarao, was actually her relative).

An 11X14 portrait of the attendees of the the 75th Death Anniversary of Gen. Mateo Noriel Luga at St. Mathias Church and a DVD with 350++ of high resolution pictures in DVD.

PHOTOS BY JONEL

"What's in a Name" by: Engr. Tony B. Luga

(Engr. Tony B. Luga, delivering his message during the 75th Death Anniversary of Gen. Mateo Noriel Luga)

What's in a name? It was more than 10 years ago that Engr. Tony Luga met Col. Mateo Luga for the first time in Makati and was told: Do you know Gen. Emilio from Cebu? "Hindi pa po . . ." The Col. said: "Dapat magkakilala kayo". It was about 10 years ago that these people were planning to honor the Ybanag Tribal Warriors right at the birthplace of Gen. Mateo Noriel Luga. Among the siblings, it was Mateo who wields influence in the tribe. Domingo, Vicente and Julia with cousins Manalo and Gregorio, however, were also known to possess certain degree of influence. Manalo, whose descendants now spreads in Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur and Norte; and, Gregorio, whose descendants can be traced in Mindanao, were the two Luga cousins who accompanied Mateo in Cebu. Vicente, Manalo and Julia where left behind in Tumauini, while Mateo his cousins with a band of tribal warriors in Cagayan Valley left to join the Katipunan. If we read the history of Tumauini, Tumauini once became the capital of Isabela. In 1896 to 1900, however, "many of its youth joined the Katipunan and never returned".

Ladies and gentlemen, Engr. Tony B. Luga, during the 75th Death Anniversary of Gen. Mateo Noriel Luga, in You Tube - In Honor of the Tribal Warriors:

CONDOLENCE

The Luga Clan wishes to express our deepest condolences to Maricris Baquiran Luga, the daughter of Jose "Pepe" Luga (A Grandson of Bartolome Luga from Tumauini [son of Mateo Noriel Luga, in Tumauini. Mateo left Tumauini secretly sometime in 1896 to join the Katipunan, many thought that he already died as his whereabouts is unknown even to his relatives in Tumauini], for the passing of her Lola ANTONIA TAMANG BAQUIRAN from Tumauini, Isabela. Maricris is now working in Israel. Please say a prayer for the peaceful journey of Maricris' Lola to another life.

The Affair

A Tense Beginning . . . Part II

Early that afternoon while approaching the ancestral home of the late General Mateo Noriel Luga, in Barrio Ugad, Tumauini, after Fr. Angel fetched the descendants of Jose Valdez Luga (the eldest son of the General from Sagay, Negros Oriental) namely: Maria Luga Ramiro, Myrna Luga De Jesus and Mala Jean Albano Luga, the daughter of Col. Mateo Luga (the grandson of Mateo Noriel), aside from Aileen Luga Sta. Romana and family, who represents the descendants of Emilio Valdez-Luga Sr., the brother of Jose , the direct descendants of the late General in Cauayan Airport - you can see a smoke from afar as if signaling the beginning of the event. As you go nearer to the place, you can see people of all ages, happily helping each other preparing the food for the upcoming event. We learned afterwards that those people came all the way from the far flung Barrios of San Mateo in Tumauini and as far as Tuguegarao, Ilocos Sur and Norte, who volunteered to help - most of them were actually the offspring of Vicente, Domingo and Julia, the brothers and sister of Gen. Mateo Noriel Luga, respectively.

THE FOOD COMMITTEE:

OUR COOK ATE CORAZON LUGA ADEZA HINLAGA
FROM LAOAG, ILOCOS NORTE, IN YOU TUBE:


Under the direction of Father Angel and Engr. Tony B. Luga, it was so touching to see how these people from far flung places from different families speaking different dialects the Ybanag, Gaddangs and Itawis of the Cagayan Valley bonded together, helped each other, happily working altogether without any traces of remorse in their faces young and old alike. You cannot only see, but actually feel deep within how these people were so organized - each individual and group doing each task assigned to them to produce the required food for the event. We were also surprised to learn later that many of them brought along with them their rice, malagkit and other farm produce as their share to the event. No wonder that in the next day when the event proper begun many were teary eyed, excited while marching towards the training center chin-up, head high as proud member of the clan. (From top left: Mala Jean Luga, representing Col. Mateo Luga from Manila; Dolly Luga, representing the Lugas from Davao; Maria Luga Ramiro from Canada; Myrna Luga De Jesus, from Dumaguete, Negros Oriental. In the crowd Eugenda Surriga-Piansay with husband Ralph from Nashville; Mary Aileen Luga Sta Romana-Valera with husband Dr. Carl Valera with children Nina and Gene Rupert; and, Rene Luga-Canisares)

A Tense Beginning . . . Part I

(Pictures by: Joyce Gapuz in her Facebook Account)

We were tense as night falls during the scheduled registration for the 75^th Death Anniversary of General Mateo Noriel Luga around 6:00 in the afternoon on April 9, 2010, which falls on Araw ng Kagitingan. As darkness begins to eat up what remains the light of day - the sun slowly sets in the western part of Camp Samal, suddenly you can hear the crowds coming from afar by three . . . five, then by groups, children starts to appear from the dark into the lighted portion of the training center atop the hill where the main activity shall be held the following day. Little by little a group of crowd appears from all directions from all ages holding their hands together, excitedly walking, talking, smiling. You can see teary eyed faces of the older generations, many of them set foot for the first time in Tumauini, which was actually the home of their ancestors belonging to a tribe which once rules Cagayan Valley, the “Ybanag”, along with the Gaddangs and Itawis from Tuguegarao. The spirit of the Tribal Warriors return to a place where they once gather along with their families. TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Homestay in Ugad, Tumauini . . .

The Tumauini celebration was a lifetime experience for those who attended the 75th Death Anniversary of Gen. Mateo Noriel Luga right at the place where he was born. We stayed in a house believed to the ancestral home of General Mateo Noriel Luga's family who, according to the old people we interviewed, was considered the ruler of the Ibanag Tribe, the fierciest tribe in the entire Cagayan Valley, along with the Gaddangs and the Itawis. We were informed that some parts of the house like its wooden door dates back to 16th century. It has four (4) fully air-conditioned big rooms with 3 toilet and bath. Fully furnished furnitures made of Narra and solid wood ceilings personally designed and handcrafted by Ybanag craftsmen of Isabela. It has a mini bar and a spacious dining room and sala. You can relax and let the night pass by sipping aromatic native coffee from Cordillera at its veranda right besides a mini garden and a colorful aquarium with ornamental fish and a mini water falls. You can feel the aura of serenity away from the busy metropolis and experience the warm treatment of the Ybanags, the people of Ugad. You can spend a night at the place after visiting the 16th Century Tumauini Church, one of the Barroque Churches declared by UNESCO as a heritage site and the San Pablo Church, among other Barroque Churches within Isabela for your Bisita Iglesia on your Holy Week Pilgrimage or whenever you wanted to spend a night just to feel the aura of letting time passes by in a historic place dating back to 16th century, which was once the ancestral home of an influential Ybanag family. For reservations and inquiries you may contact: ROY R. LUGA @ mobile 09209835308 email address twinstar_phils@yahoo.com; or, HARRY BALAIS mobile: 09176274945 email address: harry.balais@gmail.com; ENGR. TONY LUGA; mobile: 09159350421.