IT’S PROVIDENTIAL that my birthday falls on a Friday, the day my column appears in this paper. What are the chances of that happening, huh! Some dates and days are too darn special; the stars couldn’t help but align!
Let’s see why June 6 is astonishingly exceptional.
On June 6, 1944, the Allied Forces invaded the shores of Normandy in northern France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control during World War II. Today, we remember it as D-Day.
On June 6, 1912, the largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century exploded from a new volcano, called Novarupta. Raging for three days, this explosion formed the Katmai caldera and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
From June 5-10, 1967, the Six-Day War took place, signifying the third of the Arab-Israeli conflicts. Israel emerged victorious, gaining control of the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem, and Golan Heights. The status of these territories has become central to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Being born on June 6th is quite historic. The day is packed with drama, conflict, war, and a volcanic eruption!
Sprinkle of inspiration
For a sprinkle of inspiration, I’m giving space to close friends and family who have been there for me in the pursuit of my causes.
“I first encountered Bebett and felt her existence when I chanced upon her column in one of the local newspapers in General Santos City. I forgot what she wrote about, but I could not forget the quality of her piece, the words used, and the emotions that were evoked. I followed her column. She wrote, and still writes, good. Her articles were refreshing. Immediately, my favorite columnists, the late Max Soliven and Conrado De Quiros, came to mind. I had wanted to meet her in person.
That opportunity came when she asked me for an interview to be aired at a local radio station on a subject I could not remember now. What I could not forget was the beauty in front of me, doing the interview. It was a pleasant experience. I realized she was not only an excellent writer but a superb TV host as well. (Of course, she still is.)
I followed her Woman Talk with Belinda Sales on a local TV/radio station, even when she and her program relocated to Tagbilaran City. I watched her fight for the Narra trees lining the General Santos City highway, as she had fought for the Acacia trees in Taloto. Before the Acacia trees gave way to a gas station, she fought against the reclamation project in Tagbilaran City.
Bebett is an activist. And I love activists. Because I, too, am an activist, have been an activist, be it in the academe, in poverty alleviation, or the administration of justice. With a clenched fist, I greet my fellow activist on her natal day. Happy birthday, Bebett!” – Atty. Virgilio P. Alconera, General Santos City
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“Belinda exudes a special blend of genes inherited from her parents – Jun, a lawyer-journalist-politician father, and Linda, a well-known educator mother. She swims in the broadcast and print media like a fish in her natural milieu. A loyal friend and fearless in advocacy, she knows where she stands.” – Mons. Boy Nunag, Tagbilaran City
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“It is common for friends to have different perspectives and ways of understanding things. Those differences can often enrich a friendship and offer new insights. This adds another dimension to our unique bond. I see my friend, Belinda Sales, in that light. I admire her way of standing up for her causes and advocacy. She puts it on paper in a way that her writing is a powerful expression of her inner self. I wish I could be that powerful, too. Happy birthday, my dear Bebett.” – Ivie Datahan, friend/schoolmate, Holy Spirit School, High School
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“Bebett and I shared a room when I studied medicine, and she worked for the National Power Corporation-Visayas Regional Center (NPC-VRC) in Cebu City. In those early years, I saw her rare gift for speaking. Once, she brought me to an NPC-VRC Toastmasters Club meeting and asked me to talk in front of an audience! I was so scared and tachycardic with cold, clammy skin! I considered it an achievement that I even finished my “little speech.”
Like any young professional, she would talk about her dreams in life, both in love and career. I always knew then that she was cut for something, not out of the ordinary. Even when we parted ways, as she pursued her life adventure, we kept our communication lines open.
Admiring her knack for writing, I always pitched my idea to her whenever I needed to compose something. I know she can turn an ordinary story into something extraordinary.
A passionate advocate, she tackles her causes with grit even in the face of opposition. She is strong-willed and independent-minded, and as she repeatedly declared, “a millennial born in the wrong era.”
We may disagree at times, but we keep a common bond – love between cousins who are like sisters. Bebett and her sisters have become the Pizarras sisters. Lest I forget, her mother and my mother were first cousins and the best of friends.” – Dr. Jocelyn Pizarras Tuñacao, Lungay cousin
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The writer hosts Woman Talk with Belinda Sales every Saturday, 10 a.m., at 91.1 Balita FM Tagbilaran City. Email at belindabelsales@gmail.com. X @ShilohRuthie./PN
