litratong pinoy#52: misyon (mission)

"THIS...IS...SPARTA!!!"

(p.s. there is a town in new jersey called sparta!)

gladiator sandals seem to be all the rage this summer, especially in puerto rico (according to my sister), where this pair i'm wearing came from. but these sandals are on a mission: i was at the fund-raising party for the philippine nurses' association-new jersey (morris county chapter) last saturday....to sing the philippine national anthem!

it's the second year in a row they tapped me for this "gig." i made sure i didn't do anything unusual the way martin nievera did at manny pacquiao's fight. sang it right, and that's all that matters.

but more important was the fundraiser's mission: to help a filipina nurse in legal trouble. she was a victim of illegal recruitment and an incompetent immigration lawyer here in the states. one of the aims of the association is to look after the welfare of filipino nurses and this is their way of helping her. a worthy mission, since filipino nurses are among the best in the world.

sikat yata ngayong summer ang gladiator sandals, lalo na sa puerto rico, sabi ng kapatid ko na kagagaling lang doon at kung saan binili itong suot kong pares. may misyon ito: ang samahan akong umawit ng pambansang awit ng pilipinas sa philippine nurses' association party noong sabado.

pangalawang beses ko nang umawit para sa kanila, at siempre, siniguro kong tama ang pag-awit ko, di gaya ng kakaibang pagkanta ni martin nievera sa laban ni pacquiao.

pero mas mahalaga ang misyon ng asosasyon: ang matulungan ang isang kapwa nurse na may problemang legal dahil sa illegal recruitment at isang walang kwentang abogado. layunin ng samahang ito ang isulong ang kapakanan ng mga nurse dito sa amerika, kung kaya't nagtatag sila ng fundraiser event na ito.