More than two weeks after we welcomed the coming of 2007, Islamic communities all over the world will observe their own New Year's Day commemoration but unlike in non-Muslim countries where the occasion to usher the New Year marked with a boisterous and bacchanalian spirit, this one will be observed more quietly on Saturday. In our op-ed page feature, we are reminded of Martin Luther King Jr., the Black civil rights champion, whose day will be commemorated tomorrow. Across the globe, festivals of various kinds are being held this week - the Busters in Christchurch, New Zealand and the colorful international kite festival in Jaipur, India.

It will be a weekend of bacchanalia also in the country as the two biggest festival rites - Ati-atihan and Sinulog - reach their climax in Kalibo and Cebu, amid chants of Viva! and Hala Bira! respectively on Saturday and Sunday. The two festivals apparently usher the year-round cultural extravaganza in this country of festivals.

The country is getting ready for the National Arts Month celebration in February. Rudy Reveche, the regional official of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts gives us a preview of the month-long celebration which will be highlighted by two major cultural occasions in Western Visayas.

A Negrense, who migrated to Canada almost a decade ago, contributed a two-part article which is featured in our centerspread. In his article, Elmer Jalea writes about the challenges Filipino immigrants encounter in that north Ame-rican country, particularly in Calgary, where he lives with his wife.

On our back-page focus, we take you to the sea and other treasures of Isla Verde, an island located off Batangas City and the northern tip of Mindoro Island. At Isla Verde, site of a recent conference on biodiversity, the eco-tourism mood is rising, along with foreign and local investments of a resort complex expected to become a major destination for leisure and nature lovers just a few hours from the hustle bustle of Metro Manila. Viva!