Cecille Mejia, 7th in the 2007 Bar Exams

Congratulations to Cecille L. Mejia, SYLLF Fellow, for successfully passing, and ranking 7th out of 1,289 passers in, the 2007 Philippine Bar Examinations. We at SYLFF@ADMU are very proud of you!

Wellness Defined, Wellness Lived

We at SYLFF@ADMU started the year 2008 right with our first ever wellness activity at Miriam College's Integrated Lifestyle and Wellness (ILAW) Center last January 5 (Saturday). The ILAW Center boasts of a well-equipped gym, dance/yoga room, massage room, videoke room, counselling rooms, and badminton and table tennis areas. ILAW Center is Miriam College's concrete response to promoting work-life balance amongst its employees.

We began the afternoon with the yoga practice led by instructor Jessy Perez. As this was the first time for almost all the participants to do yoga, Jessy led us through the basics of relaxation, focusing on the breath, and simple but rejuvinating asanas (yoga poses). She also explained the benefits of each pose. After the session, the participants articulated the immediate effects of yoga. There's less pain in the hips (where there was pain before the session) and more energy. We realized our challenges in terms of flexibility. We also appreciated how the slowness of yoga grounds and centers us, and can actually be a very spiritual experience, especially when Jessy invited us to put our hands together near the chest and to bow our heads down at the end of the practice.

Jessy gives an introduction to Hatha (Classical) Yoga and the benefits of the practice

SYLFF Fellows executing the "cobra" pose. Wonderful stretch on the entire spine!

The "bow" poses eases dysmenorrhea and massages the abdomen area

Next, we were ushered into the videoke room where Dr. Ronnie Motilla, Director of the ILAW Center, facilitated a workshop entitled "Achieving Holistic Health." Dr. Motilla, or "Sir Mot" as he is fondly called by his students and colleagues alike, began the workshop with an amusing introduction activity (i.e., "I taste like___. I smell like ___.") that had all of us laughing. Sir Mot shared from his extensive clinical and counseling experience. He stressed that intelligence does not guarantee well-being, and he has had intellectually brilliant clients who made poor choices socially and emotionally. He shared helpful coping skills, such as reporting our own feelings and experiences rather than judging other people's motives and actions, and providing venues to release emotional energies. Sir Mot administered a self-assessment of how well we balanced all aspects of holistic health. It was a revealing moment. Most of us realized how much we have neglected physical wellness by not exercising, not eating from all food groups, and by smoking. We also saw how we have failed to prioritize environmental wellness. Sir Mot challenged us to work on these specific areas for the new year.

Sir Mot discussing each aspect of holistic health

SYLFF@ADMU Fellows considering Sir Mot's input

Holistic health is the ability to strike a balance on all aspects of life. Ultimately, wellbeing is a CHOICE.

After Sir Mot's thought-provoking input, the participants were treated to a half-hour massage by ILAW Center's massage therapists Ate Belen and Ate Rose. We were relaxed with dim lights, soothing lavender oil, and smooth instrumental music. We also enjoyed a pajama-party style dinner (that is, pizza, chips, chicken, salad, and pasta) and kuwentuhan.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Miriam College, especially to Dr. Ronnie Motilla and his assistant Ms. Rem, for warmly welcoming and accommodating our group. Thank you too to Ms. Jessy Perez, and our massage therapists Ate Belen and Ate Rose, for making time for us on a Saturday!

Gawad Kalinga's Ambassador in Germany

SYLFF@ADMU Fellows had the privelege of meeting Dr. Peter Scheid last November 9, 2007 in an informal dinner at Lasa Restaurant at the Podium. Dr. Scheid is affiliated with the SYLFF Institution Ruhr-Universität Bochum, and also serves as a member of the SYLFF Program Advisory Board (SPAB) at The Tokyo Foundation. Dr. Scheid came to the Philippines to learn more about the Gawad Kalinga movement and coordinate ways for interested parties in Germany who want to help and contribute. Aside from learning that Dr. Scheid loves seafood (especially crispy shrimps!), we were enriched by the stories that he shared from the wealth of his experiences, as well as his enthusiasm for the SYLFF network.

Dr. Peter Scheid (L) sharing some stories.

(Left column): Sherilyn, Dr. Scheid, Richie, and Jun; (Right column) Ms. Milet Tendero, Judith, Gigi, and Cecille

3rd General Assembly: Taking Stock and Looking Forward

We held our 3rd General Assembly last October 27, 2007 (Saturday) at Penang Hill restaurant in Greenhills. It was also our first formal welcome to Judith, the newest addition to the SYLFF@ADMU family. We had an orientation into the history of SYLFF at the Ateneo de Manila University, and a discussion on the different SYLFF programs. We reviewed our budget as well as the immediate upcoming activities of our local association. Any SYLFF@ADMU gathering would not be complete without animated updates on our personal and professional lives.

Seated (L-R): Kate, GJ, Judith, and Gigi; Standing (L-R): Sherilyn, Cecille, Richie, and Pau

Budi Setiawan, UI SYLFF Fellow Visits Manila

Manila has been experiencing a dry spell... until Budi Setiawan arrived and brought the rains with him. :-) Budi visited Manila to learn about the PhilHealth system as part of his work with ASKES, a Health Insurance Specialist in Indonesia. He was also personally interested in the Gawad Kalinga project. Fortunately, he was able to visit Brookside, a Gawad Kalinga Village managed by Ateneo. We invited him for dinner on a Wednesday, August 8, 2007 but we had to cancel due to heavy rains and floods. That Friday (Budi's last evening in Manila), we met up at Gateway Mall. Budi presented each of us with his work calling card and, to our surprise, a SYLFF calling card (alert: Great Idea!). Budi serves as the General Secretary of the SYLFF Local Assocation of the University of Indonesia. Over dinner, we exchanged stories as long-time friends would. Budi shared his impressions and experiences of SYLFF with us. Budi and Kate will be meeting each other again at the Building a Better Asia Retreat in Beijing this September 2007.

Budi together with Sherilyn, Kate, and Pau at Gateway Mall

SYLFF@ADMU Welcomes Sandra Ezquerra

Last May 24, 2007, SYLFF@ADMU welcomed Sandra Ezquerra with a dinner at Cafe Adriatico, Gateway Mall. Kate Lacson, Cecille Mejia, Sherilyn Siy, Anna Su, Milet Tendero, and Beth Villamor joined in the merrymaking. This dinner was also in celebration of Cecille's success at moot court in the U.S.

Sandra, a SYLFF Fellow of the University of Oregon in the United States, arrived last April and stayed on campus as a guest fellow researcher under the SYLFF Fellows Mobility Program (FMP). She was the first fellow that the Ateneo received under the FMP. Her PhD research is on the migration of Filipino women. She worked with Ateneo's Department of Sociology & Anthropology.

Congratulations to Our New Lawyers!

Congratulations to Richie Avigale Ramos and Marie Grace Santos for passing the bar exams! Results were released this April 2007. Congratulations are also in order to Jun, Richie's husband and a friend of SYLFF@ADMU for placing second in the bar. We wish you all the best, and as Ms. Milet Tendero said, "keep the fight for justice, freedom, and peace".