How to Know When It’s Time to Retire by John Maxfield/The Motley Fool

I’ve long argued that one’s quality of life should be a principal factor in deciding when to retire. At the same time, however, financial considerations can’t be ignored. With this in mind, here are three rules of thumb to help you decide whether you’ve reached the perfect age to retire.

1. Have you saved enough money?

The “multiply by-25″ rule is a popular tool that retirement experts encourage people to use to estimate whether they’ve saved enough money to stop working and, at least hopefully, begin a life of leisure.

Here’s how it works: Multiply your desired annual income in retirement, less projected annual Social Security benefits, by 25. If your savings are greater than that, then you’re in good shape. If not, then you may not be financially ready to retire.

For example, let’s say that Bob and Mary Jane estimate they’ll spend $40,000 a year in retirement. Using the rule of 25, they’ll need savings of $1 million.

A slightly different iteration of this is the “multiply by-300″ rule. This is the same thing, but it focuses on months instead of years — that is, take your average monthly expenditures, minus your monthly Social Security check, and multiply that by 300.

If your savings are greater than that, then you’re all set. If not, then you might want to continue working for a few more years.

2. Will you have enough income?

This question is related to the first one, but it attacks the issue from a slightly different angle. As such, it also has its own rule of thumb: the 4% rule.

This rule holds that you can safely withdraw 4% from your portfolio every year and still be confident it will last through retirement. Thus, to determine if you’ll have enough income in retirement, multiply your portfolio by 4% and then add in your projected annual Social Security benefits — to learn one potential problem with this rule:

If the sum of these two numbers is enough to cover your expenses, then you’re ready to retire. If not, then it may behove you to put off retirement for a while longer, as doing so should allow your portfolio to continue growing. It will also give your Social Security benefits time to accrue delayed retirement credits.

3. Is your portfolio properly allocated?

Finally, determining if you’re ready to retire isn’t just about how much you’ve saved, it’s also about how your savings are allocated into various asset classes — namely, stocks and bonds.

To be ready for retirement, you want to make sure that your assets are invested in as safe of a way as possible. To do so, it’s smart to steer your portfolio increasingly toward fixed-income investments like bonds as you approach your desired retirement age.

Experts use the following rule to determine the proper allocation: “The percentage of your portfolio invested in bonds should equal your age.” Thus, if you’re 60 years old, then 60% of your portfolio should be in bonds and 40% in stocks. If you’re 55, then the split is 55% to 45%, respectively.

While this may seem like it has less to do with the timing of retirement than the former two rules, the reality is that it’s of equal importance. As my colleague Morgan Housel has discussed in the past, one of investors’ biggest mistakes is to underestimate the volatility in the stock market. According to Morgan’s research, stocks fall by an average of 10% once every 11 months.

Suffice it to say, a drop of this magnitude would have a material impact on both of the preceding rules, as a 10% decline in your stock holdings would equate to a much smaller income under the 4% rule and, as a corollary, it would call for a delayed retirement date under the multiply by-25 rule.

And the impact of this would be even more exaggerated if the lions’ share of your assets were still in stocks as opposed to bonds. Consequently, the culmination of your strategy to bring your portfolio into accord with this final rule is a key step in determining the perfect age at which you’re ready to pull the trigger and actually retire

 

How to Help OFWs Make Hard-Earned Money Grow (By ellen | VERA Files – Sun, Jan 19, 2014)

It is a question that has perplexed government policymakers and academics for years: where has the money been going? Since 2006, Alvin Ang, an economics professor at the University of the Philippines, has been conducting research into the Filipino migrant worker diaspora for aid agencies, the World Bank, the International Labor Organization and other institutions. “All these years we’ve been receiving a lot of money, but how come nothing is happening. In general, lots are happening in the economy. It has pushed everything up. It has encouraged a lot of investors to come in,” says Ang. “But for the ordinary person who has a family — who is working abroad — not much has changed in his life.” It is an all-too-familiar story line for generations of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs): a member of the family leaves for better pay abroad, hoping to build a better life for those left behind — only to come home years later with little or no savings. An estimated 10 percent of the Philippines’ nearly 100 million population work abroad and they are often hailed by the country as heroes. Nearly everyone has a family member or relative abroad. Over 3,000 leave daily for jobs overseas. In 2012, OFW remittances totaled over $21 billion — forming 8.5 percent of the Philippines’ economic output — according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. That was expected to rise by at least six percent last year. To get a perspective of how much money Filipinos abroad have been sending home, imagine this: the 102,000-ton, 1,092-foot long Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush cost $6.2 billion when it was completed in 2006. The Philippine government’s defense budget for 2014 is $1.9 billion. Ang partly blames the failed attempts of Filipino migrant workers to escape poverty on their lack of financial literacy. “OFWs are entrepreneurs, in a way, because they are willing to take a risk much larger than a businessman would take. They are risking their families,” says Ang, who uses his spare time as president of the Philippine Economics Society to give lectures and enlighten OFWs and their families on the need to make intelligent decisions on money matters. “A businessman will take a risk if he knows the full valuation around him. But an OFW is willing to take a risk without any information at all,” says Ang. He tells of a trip that he made last year to Jordan, where he met with Filipinas working as maids for a mere $200 in salaries. “That is just 8,000 pesos and you are leaving your family for that,” relates Ang, shocked. He added that it may have been better for them to find work as maids here, where they are guaranteed rights and benefits by the Kasambahay Law, which was enacted last year to improve the lot of domestic helpers. “What do you lose by working abroad? The social cost is so huge. You may no longer have a spouse when you get back, or your child may no longer recognize you,” Ang says. The government relies on the money they send home to prop up the fragile economy. Countries that host Filipino migrant workers know that. Last year, Taiwan froze the hiring of Filipinos to force Manila to apologize over the May 9 shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman caught poaching by the Philippine Coast Guard. The sanction was lifted after three months. In early 2010, the Arroyo administration offered so-called “OFW bonds” worth $500 million in an attempt to directly tap into the remittances. Much of the money Filipino migrant workers send home go to education, household expenses and consumer goods. Commission on Filipinos Overseas Chairperson Imelda Nicolas argues, however, that the economy can get a further boost if Filipino migrant workers plow some of their hard-earned money into investments instead of just buying stuff. The agency has several programs teaching financial literacy, but very few take them up because of various reasons. “Our culture is that we tend to get frightened when it comes to money matters. That is why very few people put money in banks,” explains CFO program manager Nico Herrera. He emphasizes that there are people who do have money and they want to go into business, but they do not have the business acumen. “They don’t have anyone to advise them,” says Herrera. “Many think of what they are most familiar with, such as computer repair shops or sari-sari stores. But these can only earn so much. They also don’t look around, so they don’t realize that there is plenty of competition.” Since the start of the Filipino exodus in the 1970s, the government has focused on protecting the rights and safeguarding the welfare of Filipino migrant workers following horror stories of abuse by employers and crimes by human traffickers. But clearly the numbers show that that is no longer enough. For Ang, he feels that it is his civic duty to teach financial literacy. He says,“Someone has to go there and talk to them and explain to them these things.”

THE TRUTH ABOUT HAPPINESS

            The pursuit of happiness is a global obsession. New research by Richard Davidson, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin found that humans have more control over their happiness than previously believed.  Years back, it was thought that people's happiness usually depended on the happiness of others to whom they are connected.  This provided justification for seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon.

            But Davidson asserts that the “joy level” or the ability to feel happiness is already set at birth, and that a person's current level of happiness depends on how their brain controls it. By attaching hundreds of sensors to detect brain activity, Davidson's team tested this theory on monks---all of whom spent at least three years in a solitary, meditative retreat to master their emotions.  The team showed them a series of photographs---some pleasant, some distressing---to see how their brains would react.

            They found that, when shown a pleasant picture, the brain produces normal levels of dopamine, a chemical that is commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain and is naturally released when experiencing rewarding and happy experiences.  But when shown a distressing picture, the brain secretes more dopamine than normal in order to curtail the negative emotion---almost forcing the brain to think happy thoughts.

            The amount of dopamine the brain can secrete is relative from person to person, which explains why some people get over their sadness much faster than others.  At the end of the study, Davidson and his team concluded that people actually have more control over their happiness than normally assumed.  The mind has the ability to influence emotion for the positive.

            This does not mean that people do not have episodes of negative emotion, but that people have the ability to prevent those negative emotions from lingering.  This may be the reason why Filipinos, despite challenging times, remain the happiest worldwide according to the New Economics Foundation---an independent global think tank.  This new record makes the Philippines the only Asian country to be ranked in the survey's top 20---with more developed countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom ranking 114 and 74, respectively.

            In the most recent survey conducted by the social Weather Station, 79 percent of Filipinos say that they are very or fairly happy with their family, religion, friends, love life and health.  Only 21 percent said that they were unhappy---making Filipinos a generally optimistic lot.

            It also showed that the youth, people aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 34, are the happiest groups in Filipino society, at 87 percent and 83 percent respectively.  And most people think that money is necessary for happiness, Filipinos who belong to the Class D income bracket also belong to the happiest income bracket despite their lack of material riches.

            Based on the SWS survey, one reason why Filipinos think they are happy is their religion.  Interestingly, the happiest region in the Philippines the is Visayas, at 82 percent and the region has numerous religious festivals such as the Sto. Niño and Sinulog Festivals in Cebu City, and the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City.  And to further emphasize their joyful disposition, they dubbed Bacolod City, one of their major cities, as the City of Smiles.  So, what could be the reason behind these numbers?  This may substantiate Davidson's claim that happiness stems from within---often regardless of external factors. (Cebu Daily News, Monday, 8 March 2010, p. 17-)

 

An excerpt from An Enemy Called Average by John Mason

All successful people are faithful in the small things. There is power in taking small steps. Many people are not moving forward today simply because they were not willing to take the small step placed before them. If you have a dream to go into any particular area, you should leap at the opportunity—no matter how small—to move in the direction of your dream. For example: if you dream of being a college basketball coach and are sitting at home waiting for an invitation from Roy Williams at North Carolina University, you should know that call will never come. You need to find an opportunity to coach somewhere, anywhere. Find a young person, a young team. Jump in and coach with all of your heart, like you would if you were coaching at the highest level. Don't be afraid to take small steps. There's something powerful about momentum...no matter how small. Many times the impossible is simply the untried. I can remember a time in my life when I was immobilized with fear, consumed with what I was supposed to do. It seemed so huge a task; I was unable to bring myself to face it. A friend came to me and spoke two words that broke that paralysis in my life. He said, "Do something!" I'll never forget that day...taking some small, seemingly insignificant steps. Momentum began to come into my life. If you are at a point of paralysis in your life because of what you feel you're supposed to do, the words today are, "Do something!" Don't worry about the long-term goal right now; just take the steps that take you past the starting point. Soon you'll get to a point of no return. As you climb higher, you'll be able to see much farther. As you begin, don't be afraid. Eric Hoffer said, "Fear of becoming a 'has-been' keeps some people from becoming anything." Every great idea is impossible from where you are starting today. But little goals add up, and they add up rapidly. Most people don't succeed because they are too afraid to even try. As incredible as it sounds, they decide in advance they're going to fail. Many times the final goal seems so unreachable we don't even make an effort. But once you've made your decision and have started, it's like you're halfway there. Start—no matter what your circumstances. Take that first step! It's simple. Grow wherever you're planted.

 

An excerpt from The Simple Blessings of Christmas by Mark Gilroy

Norman Vincent Peale, noted minister and author from the previous century, tells the story of a young girl from Sweden spending Christmas in big, bustling New York City. She was living with an American family and helping them around the house, and she didn't have much money. So she knew she couldn't get them a very nice Christmas present—besides, they already had so much, with new gifts arriving every day. With just a little money in her pocket, she went out and bought an outfit for a small baby, and then she set out on a journey to find the poorest part of town and the poorest baby she could find. At first, she received only strange looks from passersby when she asked them for help. But then a kind stranger, a Salvation Army bell-ringer, guided her to a poor part of town and helped her deliver her gift. On Christmas morning, instead of giving them a wrapped present, she told the family she served what she had done in their name. Everyone was speechless, and everyone was blessed—the girl for giving, the wealthy family for seeing others with new eyes, and the poor family for receiving an unexpected gift. All of us have opportunities both large and small to show kindness, especially at Christmastime. We can help strangers by delivering gifts to needy kids or serving homeless families at a soup kitchen. Or we can simply look for everyday ways to be kind, like allowing someone to go ahead of us in a lengthy line at the department store, or giving that bell-ringer a little change and a few encouraging words. Maybe it's because we're in gift-giving mode anyway that giving to others becomes so important at Christmas. Or because we're more aware of our families and friends and communities. Or maybe it's because two thousand years ago, the earth received the most perfect, most loving gift of all, helping us to understand true kindness. Whatever the reason, don't let Christmas pass you by without showing kindness to someone. Because it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.

THE BEST OF SUCCESS

The year was 1983. In Australia, the long-distance foot race from Sydney to Melbourne was about to begin, covering 875 kilometers, more than 500 miles! About 150 world-class athletes had entered, for what was planned as a six-day event. So, race officials were startled when a 61-year-old man approached and handed them his entry form. His name was Cliff Young, and his “racing attire” included overalls and galoshes over his work boots. At first, they refused to let him enter. So he explained that he'd grown up on a 2,000-acre farm, with thousands of sheep. His family could afford neither horses nor tractors so, when the storms came, his job was to round up the sheep. Sometimes, he said, it would take two or three days of running. Finally, they let Cliff enter, and the race began. The others quickly left him way behind, shuffling along in his galoshes. But he didn't know the plan included stopping each night to rest, so he kept going. By the fifth day, he had caught them all, won the race, and became a national hero. He continued to compete in long-distance races until well up in his seventies. He was an inspiration to millions and a great encourager of younger runners. In his honor and memory, in 2004, the year after his death at age 81, the organizers of the race where he first gained fame permanently changed its name to the Cliff Young Australian Six Day Race. What was the key to Cliff Young's success? It goes by various names: determination, perseverance, persistence, tenacity. It means keeping one's eye fixed steadfastly on a goal, and not stopping, no matter the difficulties or the obstacles, until that goal is achieved.

SA MGA NATAWO NIADTONG 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s UG 1980’s

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne and drank San Miguel Beer while they carried us. While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicine, ate linunod, balikutsa, bukayo and didn't worry about diabetes. Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, ang uban kay duyan nga habol gihigtan ug pisi nga inig tabyog ug kusog ma pakong intawon ta sa bongbong. We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang sa General Milling nga naa'y faded picture nga nag-salute), and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads, wala pa gyu'y brake ang bisikleta. As children, we would ride in hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats (Bisaya Bus nga pultahan puros ang kilid, Corominas Bus nga senimana ang brake), or cars with no airconditioning & no seat belts (karon kay Minibus na nga nindot kaayo ug sounds or Ceres Bus nga may bugnaw na nga aircon, may Wi-Fi pa gyod) Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (karon; ang mga bata wala na kaila ug Kabaw) We drank water from the garden hose and NOT bottled mineral water sa Nature Spring or Viva, or Absolute Mineral water (usahay gani, straight from the faucet or poso or Tabay!) We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this. Or contracted hepatitis B. We ate rice with star margarine, bahaw nga gibutangan ug asin ug mantika sa baboy, drank raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank softdrinks with real sugar in it (dili diet coke or Pepsi Max), but we weren't sick or overweight kay...... WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on. Syatong, Bato-Lata, Bagol, Dakop-Dakop, Tago-Tago, Ngita'g Kaka. No one was able to reach us all day ( wala pa'y uso ang cellphone) . And yes, we were O.K. We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (katong bearing ang ligid) or Karitong Kawayan nga karaang tsinilas ang giporma nga ligid and then ride down the street , wala ma'y gidungog nga naligsan atoh! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (sewage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cellphones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters. .......... ...WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents. The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words..sakit bai ? pero kung kontra gani nimo ang imong kadula,,,,singgitan lang dayon ug....Mayra,Gabaan! We played marbles (jolen) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate Pan Bahug-bahug & Bagumbayan (recycled bread man diay to kay wala mahalin!) We were not afraid of getting germs in our stomachs. We had to live with homemade guns (giporma nga kahoy, gihigtan ug garter ug lastiko) , saplong , tirador ug uban pa nga pwedeng magkasakitay. Pero lingaw gihapon kaayo ang tanan. We made up games with sticks ( syatong ), and cans ( Bato-Lata )and although we were told they were dangerous, wala man gyud to'y actual nga nabuta bah, bukol lang nuon sa agtang naa. We walked, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend's house and knocked on the door or batoon ug gagmay nga bato ang bungbong, or just yelled for them to jump out the window! Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala pa nang mga childhood depression ug damaged self-esteem ek-ek ra na. Ang maglagot, pildi. Ang mga Ginikanan naa ra sa daplin para motan-aw ra sa duwa sa mga bata, dili para manghilabot ug makig-away sa ubang parents. That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had failure, success, and responsibility. We learned from our mistakes the hard way. You might want to share this with others who've had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed. And if you like, forward it to your kids too, so they will know how brave their parents were. It kind of makes you wanna go out and climb a tree, doesn't it?!

Silliman's 50 years of cultural prominence

It’s almost impossible to live four years of your life at Silliman University and not become a hopeless romantic. Whichever career you choose to prepare yourself for — an engineer, a biologist, a nurse, a lawyer, a computer analyst — you have no choice but to swim in the works of Shakespeare and the Victorian literature and novelists, essayists and poets.

I was a willing victim of the sweet tyranny imposed on students in my time. To begin with, I loved literature, had topped my literature lessons in high school, and chosen early to become a writer, and be a Brenda Starr, the comic’s icon in the ’50s. (This dream became partially true when I was invited by the late Betty Go-Belmonte to join The Philippine STAR.) Like everyone else at Silliman, which was founded in 1901 by Presbyterian missionaries), I was exposed to Shakespeare plays, to Medea, and debaters and orators, hobnobbed with senior and junior poets, watched Broadway musicales, attended concerts at the gymnasium, at Silliman Hall, dormitory theaters and private homes and at the amphitheater facing the famous Silliman church edifice, and poetry reading at private homes. We listened to the carillon ringing anthems to God and goodness, and the fabulous church choir that rendered soul-lifting choral music. The campus radio station, DYSR, kept playing classical music. In short, we were being trained to be culture vultures.

Students lived in the glory of having icons in their midst if not visiting personalities such as the late National Artist in Literature Edith L. Tiempo, novelist Edilberto K. Tiempo, National Artist in Film Eddie Romero (all three were Silliman alumni), and the famous Renaissance man Albert Faurot who spent most of his adult life tutoring students at Silliman till he passed away.

The cultural reputation of Silliman improved further over the years, with performances by visiting music and dance artists, and the elevation of many of graduates as nationally known writers and novelists and artistic performers.

At a press conference last week, no less than the president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and pianist beyond compare Raul Sunico, described Silliman’s artistic projects as making Silliman “the most active cultural group outside of Metro Manila.” Raul had performed at Silliman in the ’70s, and saw the artistic fervor of organizers and local performers.

 Silliman President Ben S. Malayang III said at the same presscon that arts and culture “are an integral part of Silliman education, it is not residual or marginal, but deliberate.”

Yet it was only in 1962 — 50 years ago — that the Silliman University Cultural Affairs Committee was formally formed, with Miriam G. Palmore, then director of the School of Music and Fine Arts (now the College of Performing Arts) as the first chair. All cultural activities, from thence, were no longer individual departmental offerings, but parts of the university’s series of cultural presentations.

By 1975, Luce Auditorium, the largest fully functioning theater outside of Metro Manila, was built with funds from the Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. of New York and Silliman’s alumni, faculty, student body and the business community. Nearly all of the big cultural performances were held there, including those of invited artists outside of Silliman such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance Company, the Taipeh Children’s Choir, French concert pianist Nicole Delannoy, German Violinist Dense Zsigmondy, American soprano Julia Finch, Swiss pianist Nicole Wiekihalder, world famous Filipino pianist Cecile Licad, American violinist Stanley Plummer, and popular local singers like Pilita Corrales.

Silliman’s own artists have performed at Luce, among them the Men’s Glee Club under the baton of icon Albert Faurot, the Silliman Young Singers and the Luce Choral society under Isabel Dimaya Vista, the Silliman Dance Troupe (now the Kahayag Dance Company) under Lucy Jumawan, the Aldecoa family Ensemble, and the Portal Players under Amiel Y. Leonardia.

It must be mentioned that Luce is the venue for Miss Silliman pageants, commencement speakers, awarding of outstanding alumni, and theatrical presentations.

Last week, in celebration of CAC’s 50th anniversary and to launch this year’s cultural season in June 2012, the committee invited several media representatives from Manila and Dumaguete for a two-day look-see at Silliman’s artistic landscape and tour of Dumaguete, the city built by Silliman’s presence.

For openers, we were treated to a performance of local performing groups of Handulantaw at the Luce auditorium. The show, according to director Dessa Quesada Palm, is a “deliberate connection of handum/handumanan (“reminisce/keepsake”) and lantaw It was a mighty (“looking forward”). good show, showing the skills of university dancers, and on the huge stage screen, video shots of the late Tiempos and Faurot, and of filmmaker Romero. It is hoped that in time, the video screening at Luce could be improved.

The show featured fascinating renditions of ethnic music, professional-like dances, string numbers, and parts of Godspell, a stylized and localized innovation of the Broadway musical. (On the second evening of the media’s visit, the whole spellbinding production of Godspell was presented, in memory of its director, Prof. Evelyn Aldecoa of the famous Aldecoa singing family, who passed away a few days after the show’s presentation last December. Present at the show Jan. 28 was former Court of Appeals Justice and former Silliman president Venancio Aldecoa and Supreme Court Clerk of Court Jenny Lind Aldecoa Delorino.)

The CCA, under the leadership of Isabel Vista, Prof. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, Dr. Laurie Raymundo, Eva Rose Repollo, Prof. Joseph B. Basa, and Prof. Diomar Abrio, now the CCA chair, vows to continue its mission to bring to Silliman and the Dumaguete community various cultural presentations aimed at exposing students to all the arts, and performances of such national companies as Ballet Philippines, Philippine Educational Theater Association, the Manila Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Manila, Dulaang UP, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Repertory Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino, the Bayanihan National Dance Company, the Ramon Obusan National Dance Company, the New Voice Company, Philippine Opera Company, and            others.

The 50th anniversary season will celebrate the university’s contributions to the world of arts. To be recognized are the National Writers Workshop founded by the Tiempos, the Men’s Glee Club, the Kwerdas and the Campus Choristers founded by Priscilla Magdamo-Abraham and Emmy Luague and Ruth Imperial Pfeiffer, and Musika Sacra, founded by Elmo Makil.

Among the planned roster of artists and offerings in June are the composer beyond comparison Ryan Cayabyab, the Cinemalaya Film Festival, and contributions by the British Council and Japan Foundation.

A two-day tour of the campus’ and the city’s must-sees convinced me that if I were to move back the clock of time, I’d be enrolling at Silliman again.

 (A future column will be on Silliman’s anthropological museum and Dumaguete City’s tourist offerings, visual artists and inns and resorts and food fare.)

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Email: dominimt20002@yahoo.com