Latter-day Saints in Fairview Philippines joined the 32nd National Family Week, themed “Building Forever Families: Pamilyang Tumutugon sa Pagbabago ng Panahon” (Families Responding to the Changing Times). This event is a sequel to the #BFF2024FamilyRunPlus1 at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Concert Grounds, which gathered participants of all ages with their families.
Fun Parade
Hundreds joined the parade, wearing colorful BFF shirts, and distributing pamphlets of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”
While some brought drums and xylophones, others brought portable music players to greet bystanders and nearby residents with the song, F.A.M. (Forevers Are Made), the official anthem of the Building Forever Families BFF event.
Family Banners
Each family brought a banner featuring unique and carefully thought shapes and symbols that best represent their family.
Michelle Mausisa, a 27-year-old Single Adult from Fairview, proudly showcased the banner she and her sister, Farrah, created over hours of hard work the night before the parade.
“M - is a mountain where the temple lies. It signifies our goal to look to the temple as a family. A - looks like a road with a red car on the top. It signified our road trips when we were young, using our 25-year-old red car. U - has an arrow that points to the top, which signifies our goal of exaltation. S - shows animal paws, connected by the names of the pets that have been the family's companions over the years. This is my favorite part because we were reminded of the memories that we had with each of them. We truly love and miss all of them so much. I - is Burj Khalifa, symbolizing the United Arab Emirates, where our mother works as an overseas worker (OFW). S - shows a flight path of an airplane, as it pretty much explains our family's situation as our ate Kit and Mom work abroad. A - is a speaker with a mic. It signifies our favorite bonding as a family- to sing karaoke.”
The Mausisa family is among the many believers that family ties are forever. Although her mom, Geraldine, currently resides in the United Arab Emirates as a Nurse Supervisor, and Keith, her older sister, is in New York, working as a Physical Therapist, they maintain a close-knit family bond through regular communication and annual family reunions.
“Super hard actually po dahil sa distance and time difference, but isa po sa ginagawa namin is through video calls minsan nag-gi-games kami sa messenger to bond and minsan po updating each other and sharing some spiritual experiences po sometimes separately with Ate Keith or mama or as a family. If not possible yung video calls, we do it through chat po. We tried to maintain a good bond. There are times na nags-send kami ng reels to remind everyone we remembered them. Mama tries to come home once or twice a year, then pag umuuwi siya nagroroadtrip po kami. Isa siya sa bonding kasi namin,” 25-year-old Farrah Mausisa shares.
Family-Centered Activities
Family day would not be complete without Zumba. One of the very energetic mothers of Fairview, including the 40-year-old Juvie Rodriguez, shared that some of their family hobbies are playing volleyball and dancing to Salamin by the Filipino girl group Bini.
When asked why they like to do things together as a family, Juvie expressed, “Kasi ito ang bonding namin at mas enjoy siya gawin ng magkakasama.”
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The activity also highlights ancestral connections through the Family Search initiative, where families shared old photos and valuable family items of deceased relatives, which provided a meaningful perspective on the Family Week program.
Family Talent Show
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Music is a favorite hobby for many Fairview families, evident during the special presentation segment featuring family performances – from singing tributes to parents to dancing with grandparents.
Hailing originally from Bicol, the Era family enjoys spending quality time together through movie marathons, doing household chores, strolling in parks, and sharing their talents through dancing.
“Celebrating family day po ay napakaganda. It reminds us of kung gaano kahalaga ang family time at happy family palagi. It shows me how especial and blessed po na may kumpleto akong family. Sobrang happy sumali sa mga activity at nakaka-relax makipag-socialize sa church,” Abi Era said.
The event was even more memorable for the Era family because their son, Noa, turned three that day. The crowd joined in singing Noa a Happy Birthday.
“Napakasaya po, especially wala kaming kamag-anak at ibang friends dito sa Manila. Masaya si Noa kapag nasa simbahan kaya happy kami na doon nag-celebrate si Noa,” Abi added.
After all the festivities, the program ended with a salu-salo, a Filipino term for feast, where families get together and share fun times and memories over good food.
As Bishop Clemente Valenzuela Jr. emphasizes, “The adversary will do everything in its power to misdirect our focus to things that are of less importance. Let us make time for the Lord as Pres. Russel Nelson pleaded and let us make time for our family. Celebrating Family Week refocuses our lenses on our families and greatly value them. If families are given the utmost importance and are founded in the eternal principles of the gospel such as faith, love, prayer, respect, and forgiveness, then a home can be a place of refuge, where peace and joy can be found.”
The National Family Week program is a nationwide event aligned to the Presidential Proclamation No. 60, issued on September 28, 1992, which declared the 4th week of September every year as Family Week.