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Monday, September 27, 2010

Accolade to the Young Ladies

SEPTEMBER 10 marked the end of the Ramadan of our Islam friends. The Abdullah family invited me to be with them. They had a little feast similar to our Christian sharing.
I was able to have a longer chat with the ladies there and it opened my eyes to how fortunate Filipinas are despite our different religious affiliations, status in life and educational attainment. We always have choices here – to be just an ordinary woman or a well-loved lady that we can be.
Definitely, I mean the ladies which cannot include all women. How are they differentiated?
Women are those in the female gender. They are free to be without much thought of culture and ethics nor refinement and respect.
Ladies, on the other hand, are those who possess refined manners, show a cultured behavior, and a considerable compassion to their kind as they deal with others in the different strata of society.

Above all, they know what they want and what they can do to effect better change. They have in mind to serve their people as they have great faith in the Almighty.
These definitions bring to my mind two young ladies who may not be so popular like the teen idols on TV, yet there are noteworthy things I saw in them.
***
Our first young lady is petite and charming Joanne Matutino Agregado from Brgy. Dangula-an, Anilao, Iloilo.
Recently, she’s with the winning choir of the Nursing Department of the Central Philippines University. Well, coming out to be the best singing choir needs team players. These are people who have the determination to be on top. They are never afraid to face obstacles because they are willing to work hard together for their goal. We are referring to the rigid rehearsals even after the tiresome hours in class and the possibility of braving the rains after the late evening practice.
For Joanne, it seems like the world is a playground. She views life as an adventure whereby you have to keep moving as you stand by your choices. An adventurer at heart! Imagine little Joanne moving about the National Boy/Girl Scouts’ Encampment. She was only in Grade II then.
“That early,” she says, “I lost some personal things there that the experience taught me to take care of items that are important. I have learned to be careful with my things that may be needed in the future.”
She’s not easily irritated by jokes and circumstances, I observed. Being a positive thinker makes her on top of the trying situations; her good sense of humor makes her cool under fire. How does she enjoy schooling?
“In school, there will always be better students than I can be and also less gifted ones than I am. I have realized that awards and positions are not given to you unless you prove to others that you are worthy of having it. We simply have to strive and do the best we can to achieve our dreams.” Well said.
Call it adaptability but this young lady is out to enjoy her teenage life. She stresses that any teenager is free to have fun; however, they have to remember their responsibilities to their family, the community, and their own selves. Besides, she believes that there is Someone up there who sees everything done here below.
Presently, Joanne is a freshman in the College of Nursing. She still has to prove herself in the course but she looks forward to that day when she becomes a registered nurse. Ten years from now, she imagines sharing her expertise in the field with those in need of skillful caring.
Where, Joanne?
“Anywhere where a nurse is needed to give expert care,” she quipped. Hahaha!
By the way, she is the youngest among the children of Engineer Jose Agregado and wife, Neonita. The others are Jerson (now a registered nurse), Janette (she just graduated and is still preparing for the nursing board), and Jefferson who’s now in his junior year in the College of Nursing too.
Asked about youth leadership, she replied, “It’s being aware of the needs and finding solutions to it or proposing an alternative to bring about a change for the better.”
She invites all her contemporaries, especially in Anilao, to cooperate with each other in the promotion of sports events.
Why so? Sports, according to her, is the best venue whereby the in-school and the out-of-school youth can merge and develop friendship in a concerted effort that will make sportsmanship, leadership, and teamwork the focal point while building an improved community.
TRIVIA knows a potential leader if it sees one. I asked her what youth problem she will address first if she is given a chance to be the representative of the youth in her locality. “The biggest problem of society in general is drug addiction. On a positive note, we can deal with it by introducing interesting projects and programs plus giving several workshops to tap their capabilities and enhance their talents. I would opt for giving them the activities that will focus their attention towards the rediscovering of their lost selves. Enhancing activities may challenge them to be responsible and productive youth members of the community.” Wow! Truly, this lady in a 4’9”frame has bright ideas inside her head.
See what I mean? I hope she will also be interested with becoming a youth leader in her locality. You still have a long way to go, girl. Good luck …the ailing world is at your feet.
***
Nur Suhailah Abdullah is a nine-year-old girl who’s so much a lady in the making. She’s a Grade IV pupil of the Great International School and in the top echelon of her class.
A girl who’s so observant as Nur will always be filled with questions; she tends to be inquisitive about many things around her. So, what does she want to be when she grows up? Without batting an eyelash she’d answer, “Inshaallah, I want to be a nurse.”
Ask her why and she’d answer, “I want to help lessen the suffering of the sick children and heal them with my touch.” These are touching statements from a young girl who’s having a good life and is loved by many.
You’ll see that Nur is just like anyone in the campus who loves playing hide and seek. She goes biking around with her brothers, Bon-bon, and AJ but she confesses that she enjoys it much if she is pillow fighting with her brothers.
Nur loves Math because, she says, “there’s always only one answer to the problem without so many explanations.” She’s peeved with Science and Social Studies because of, according to her, “Words… words… and more words.” Hahaha! Moreover, she loves her school and she likes the teachers because they’re just as caring as real mothers.
She’s a girl of a few words with an infectious laughter, but you’ll be impressed by her English vocabulary. In fact, learning Arabic and French is interesting for her, too, because of the challenge. She has gone to other places here and abroad but Nur wishes to stay and serve the Philippines in the future.
“Nowhere can you find loving folks more than ours,” she whispered with a sweet smile. Dream on, child. May you find beauty and joy all along.
Ladies may be popular or not but they’re existing out there. In any age, they exude greatness… they are a delight to be with, a treasure to find because they have a heart that feels, the courage to propose change to redeem a social condition, and the humor that can turn an otherwise dull situation into a rich experience.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Tubaan and Tino - tino


500 meters away from the highway spanning the towns of Pototan and Mina is Suage River. It snakes its way through this hilly barangay named Lumbo. There were many coconut trees planted here parallel to its riverbank. From the heart of the town of Pototan, one goes down the vehicle in front of the Barangay Chapel. So far, this is one of the very improved chapels outside the poblacion.  You just have to follow the shaded feeder road towards the river. The road is intermittently lined with bamboos and some mango trees that stood along the road like unmoving sentinels.
Lola Pauk  used to pass this way everytime she goes to her farm across the Suage River. She goes through the other longer route when the river rises. Each time she prepared to go to the farm via this way, my brother and I would ask her to take us along. Often she’d go alone because we walked slower. At times when we were allowed to go with her, she’ll require us to take extra clothes because the ones we wear get so dirty even before half of the time of our stay.
The moment we leave the chapel we’d sing our way through with nursery rhymes and children’s songs until we reached the ‘payag-payag.’  It’s a small hut made of: bamboo slots for the floor, matted coconut leaves for the four walls and roofing. This   payag-payag is owned by Nong Imon, a ‘mananguete, (tuba gatherer). He climbs up the coconut trees starting at about 5:00 up  to 7:30 in the morning. By this time there will be several customers already in his hut waiting to buy the tuba he gathered. They’d put it inside the ‘balading’ or a wooden cask and carry it to town or anywhere else to sell. Some of them though would rather drink it right there under the coconut trees where makeshift tables were made and the measure would have been the crystal bottle looking so much like a bowl. Usually, he’d start out gathering tuba with the farthest coconut trees and leave the nearest ones to his hut to be the last.
There were times when we’d see him up there when we pass. However, we enjoyed it more when he’d give us both half a glass each of tuba. The sweet, tangy taste of the beverage was great in our palate. Most of the time too, Lola Pauk would buy a balading full of tuba and make it into the best vinegar. According to her, “Manami ran tana ang langgaw nga tuba hay waay it halit sa lawas…. Man-an mo natural.” (Tuba vinegar is good because it can’t harm the body… you know, its natural.”
After passing through the tuba-an, we will go through the ‘balud’ or the sandy part of the riverbank about 50 meters wide from the cliff of the river. This area is planted with corn each season or other root crops like camote and others. At other times, the balud will be full of weeds and tinỏ-tinỏ, also called lupok-lupok. This is a weed but some gardeners intentionally plant this in their area because this is good in balancing the fertility of the soil they say. Seeing these particular weed in numbers bearing fruits fill our hearts with delight. We would simply race ahead of Lola Paok and gather as much of its yellow fruits. Always, we used our shirts or our hats to hold all the tinỏ-tinỏ that we have picked.
We really loved the sweet-sour taste of it. The brownish, yellow ones were sweeter though. At the end of the trail is the river cliff. There is a way descending softly to the river though. We’d often take a short swim in the shallow parts. It was fun seeing the housewives living in the vicinity, wash their soiled clothes in the river flow and rinse them in the temporary well they dug  several feet outside the flow area. They addressed our Lola as iyay (auntie). They were mother’s distant cousins. There were times when some of these women would ask us to stay and play with their children in the water. Always, there would follow a lunch right there in the river as in a picnic. We liked it best when they served ‘hinanggup nga taroy’ or hinanggup nga manok’ for viand.
Hinanggup is cooked by shredding broiled fish or chicken. It is mixed with sliced tomatoes, onions, quartered kutitot na katumbal (pepper), seasoning (optional), and salt to taste. The broth is boiling water put to a bowl with all the mixture. That was 30 to 40 years ago when the river yielded yet fish for a farmer’s meal. Water taken from the wells that housewives dug contain potable water too. Life was that simple then.
Today the river is changed by erosions and quarrying. We still pass this route in going to the farm. There are coconut trees as before and there are still sanggutans (where tuba is taken) and tubaan but tuba is not so sweet like it was in the past. No, it’s not sour either. It’s just that it’s not Nong Imon’s tubaan anymore.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

“KARGADA”

“KARGADA”
It is an Ilongo term that may mean weapon.  It could mean a gun, a knife, or instrument carried by a human male for use against an opponent.  Yes, the word usually refers to weapons, but it could mean something else—depending on whom you ask and how one propounds the question.
If you were asked the question: “May kargada ka?” (Do you have a “kargada?”) — more likely, you will understand it that he wants to know whether you are armed or not.  In such a case, you have to answer with either a “Yes” or a “No.”  However, if somebody would ask you: “Sa diin ang kargada?” (Where is the “kargada?”) – I’m sure you will be confused how to answer such an unusual question.  
When we were in the elementary grades, the location of the kargada was the most important information that we children should not forget especially when we were given the chore to bring Tatay’s clothing material to the tailor.  Before going to the tailoring shop, Tatay would repeat the question that is sure to be asked by Manong Gil Teruel (his personal tailor): “Diin ang kargada na ka dya?”  To which, I was expected to answer: “Sa wala” (“On the left”).  I am sure I’ll never be able to hear that dialogue again.  First—because Tatay has long gone by now:  Second: because of the invention of the gartered Brief.
Yes, that brief—or jockey—or whatever you call it — that thing finished off the kargada question.  In the days before the onset of the Brief, the males had to be content with wearing the carsoncillo.  As we now know, the brief has the capacity to hold that THING in place no matter how the body moves or no matter how excited IT gets.  When wearing the brief, the Thing has no other option but to be always entrenched in the center, slightly upward, and always pointing upwards.
During the time of the carsoncillo, the THING had more freedom: IT can position itself wherever it wanted.  It can choose to go LEFT, RIGHT, or even UP or DOWN depending on the smells, sights and sounds monitored by the nose, the eyes, and the ears, respectively.  One thing about the carsoncillo—it cannot hold the Thing in the center because of its nature and shape.  It is only intended to provide cover and concealment. So, the choice has to be made to go either Left or Right.
One might wonder how our males may have appeared to an interested observer under the circumstances.  What if HE got excited while his Thing happened to be in a very awkward position, will IT not bulge up?  Well, it seemed that that question was not much of a worry.  The tailors took care of that concern.  And all they needed was that they be informed of where the KARGADA was.
When the tailor asked about the kargada, he was actually asking which side his client prefers his Thing to be positioned.  With that info, special adjustments will be made such that the bulge (in case it shows itself) is hidden and made to look as if it were just a protrusion of some sort.  Some call it tailor’s magic. Probably it has something to do with illusion that would make any bulge appear negligible, however big it actually is.  If you have watched a magic show, try to figure out how many pigeons or rabbits the magician placed inside his suit.  These did not cause any noticeable bulge, did it?  If a tailor can hide a bulge made by several moving rabbits and pigeons, there is no reason that he cannot manage to hide a single bird that does nothing but sit and stay on its Left and Right eggs.   Indeed, tailors are magicians, too.
In this age of mass production, the kargada-adjusted pants have become almost obsolete.  The tailor no longer asks you about your kargada.  Maybe he presumes that all his customers have long ago disposed that cool, comfortable, and good old-fashioned carsoncillo in favor of the modern, tight-fitting, and sexier-looking brief that firmly holds a man’s most important ‘package’ in place and in position come what may.  With this modern garment, the kargada is sure to be up front… boldly, in the center and always pointing UP! Hahaha!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

THIRTEEN AND A HALF INCHES

In his campaign sorties, Senator Juan Flavier never forgot to use his height (or lack of it) advantage which never failed to get the audience’s attention.  When it was his time on the microphone, he would make it a point to stand beside the tallest person onstage before firing his antics.  In provincial rallies, he stood beside fellow candidate Rodolfo Biazon and said,  “General Biazon is 6 feet but has only 2 inches,  I am only 4 feet but has 11 inches”.  He then would ask the audience: “Alin ba ang mas mahalaga sa mga lalaki, ang feet ba? O ang inches?”  Always, the audience would loudly roar: “INCHES!!” Then Sen. Flavier would add, “That is how important the “inches” is.”
The most talked about character with the most inches was an American actor who was reputed to be endowed with a very long 13.5-inch instrument which made him a celebrity during the era of the “fighting fish” films.
John Holmes started his career when a female neighbor who was making short porno films knew about his very unusual characteristic.  She advised him to try the trade where he could make much money.  With his tall, slim build with curly light brown hair, a light mustache, and bright blue eyes, Holmes became an instant sensation.
Everybody soon became curious about his legendary endowment which became more controversial because magazines had conflicting descriptions as to the length of the ‘manoy’.  One women’s magazine put it at 12.5/8 inches long while other publications put it at 13 ½ inches.  In some cases there were accompanying life sized pictures of John Holmes’ penis for the curious to measure
Holmes got starring roles in over 2,000 full length films, stag films, and adult features in a career that spanned nearly 20 years.  In some of this period, he earned an average salary of 3,000 Dollars a day.  In addition to starring in films, he also did a ‘penis-for-hire’ business which became lucrative as his services were flooded with requests from clients all over the world.
His most famous character is probably Johnny Wadd, a lusty, always on-the-make detective he played in several crude porno films like 'China Cat' (1978), 'Liquid Lips' (1976), and 'Blond Fire' (1978), which is considered the best of the so-called 'Wadd Films'. He also did big-budget pictures which co-starred big names like Marilyn Chambers, Annete Haven, Seka, and Traci Lords.
In late 1970s, John Holmes fell victim to cocaine abuse which prevented him from performing in the on-screen sex, making him drop out of the adult film business. By late 1980, he was broke with all of his millions spent on drugs because he never fully got over his addiction. He made money by robbing people’s houses and cars, as well as delivering drugs for the local gangsters.
The lowest point in his life was when he was implicated in grisly, drug-related murders on July 1, 1981. William Deverell, Ronald Launius, Joy Miller, and Barbara Richardson were murdered by a gang of unknown henchmen sent by a powerful gangster, named Eddie Nash.  John Holmes was indicted when investigators presented circumstances that pointed to his presence when the murders were being committed.  The bloody crime made lurid headlines throughout southern California and became known as The Wonderland Murders, named after the street in the wooded Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles where the killings took place. Holmes refused to cooperate with police and went on the run for nearly six months before he was taken into custody.
The authorities were angered by John's refusal to co-operate in the investigation.  They put him on trial for all four murders. After a three-month, semi-public trial, John was finally acquitted on June 26, 1982. Although found not guilty of the murders, he remained in jail for burglary and contempt-of-court.  He was released in November, 1982.
After his imprisonment, John Holms tried to continue his porn career but his addiction hounded him.  In 1985 he was diagnosed to have AIDS.  Despite this, he continued working and copulating with women on and off screen without letting them know that he was afflicted with the dreaded disease. John died at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in California on March 13, 1988.
Holmes lived a short life of 44 years but he claimed to have made sex with 14,000 women since he reached the age of 12 when he lost his innocence to a 36-year old friend of his mother and he appeared in more than 2,000 pornographic films.  Surely this record would not have been possible had John Holmes not been “blessed” with this 13.5-inch length.

Quick facts on John Holmes:

Name    JOHN HOLMES
Real Name    John Curtis Estes
Nationality    American
Date of Birth    August 8, 1944
Nicknames    King of Porn
Sultan of Smut
Johnny Wadd
Height    6’2”
Unique Characteristic    Legendary endowment (12 5/8" long according to a Screw Magazine interview while other conflicting stories put it at 13 1/2" long)
Notoriety    Alleged that he had sex with over 14,000 women (on and off screen)
Date of Death    March 13, 1988
Cause of Death    AIDS-Related illness

Thursday, July 8, 2010

PRINSESA OLAYRA

-
In reply to our reader’s request to write about Princess Olayra, here is the story from the files in our Antique fairyland  folder:
    Long ago, in Barangay  Carit-an in the Municipality of Patnongon, Antique lived a man named Akoy and his wife Mengay.  Near their house was a big bubog tree.  It was believed that the tree was enchanted for beneath it was a palace where fairies lived. 
    In the enchanted palace lived the fairy king and queen who ruled the realm.  Fairies have kingdoms of their own.  They can mingle with humans and may choose not to be visible to us.  They possess powers that humans do not have.  However, they are said to envy ordinary mortals because fairies do not have souls.  When they die, they could not aspire for a second life.  The reason why they want to marry ordinary people is that they want their children to have souls.
    The fairy king and queen who lived beneath the bubog tree wanted their children to someday marry an ordinary mortal.  And so when the queen got pregnant, they wanted the best in every aspects of their child.  In the choice of a name, the royal couple gathered their friends in fairyland for some suggestions and decided on the name “Olayra.”
    At about the same time that the fairy king and queen was expecting a child, so were Akoy and Mengay.  The mortal child was named Natalie; the royal baby was named Olayra.
    One day, Mengay took baby Natalie in her arms to have a stroll on the beach.  Suddenly, a big wave struck them which made her let go of her child.  Natalie was nowhere to be found.  And Mengay grieved.
     At the fairyland kingdom, the couple now wanted to bring their child to the mortal world.  They wrapped the baby in a diaper with the name “Olayra” and had her placed under the big bubog tree.  When Akoy and Mengay woke up that morning, they heard a baby crying.  They hurried down to find the baby girl.
     Akoy and Mengay took care of the baby as if she were their own child.  Every now and then, the king and queen would visit Olayra without being seen by the human couple.  They gave the child everything she needed without the knowledge of Akoy and Mengay.  Sometimes they would take the child to their kingdom. 
    When Olayra was of school age, she was sent to Patnongon, Antique to attend classes in the elementary grades.  She went to school with Celina.  The latter was also a child of fairies.  It was she who suggested the name “Olayra” to the royal couple when the queen was still pregnant.  When they were in college, Celina and Olayra were sent to the Central Philippine University in Iloilo to take up college courses.  The king and queen even gifted their daughter with a ship made of gold on which to ride whenever she is on a cruise to other kingdoms. Up to this time, Akoy and Mengay had no idea that their adopted daughter was a fairy.  Olayra grew up to be a beautiful lady.  Her foster parents loved her so much.  She had many suitors, but all were rejected. 
    Olayra’s love interest was a foreigner named Fitzgerald, a young man of Italian parentage who was fond of going places for adventure.  He had a luxurious yacht to take him on a cruise with his friends.  One day a storm broke his yacht to pieces.  All of his friends were thrown into the raging ocean and got drowned.  Fitzgerald was the only survivor.  He was found near the bubog tree.  A couple found him and nursed him back to health.  One day, while Fitzgerald was sitting near the beach, he met Olayra.  More meetings followed that soon he fell in love with the young lady.
    Olayra came to be noticed by the community.  People wondered and began to ask who she really was.  They remembered Natalie.  Unknown to Akoy and Mengay, Natalie was found by a couple in a beach where the big wave took her.  The couple found the name “Natalie” embroidered in the diaper which wrapped around her.  They asked:  If Natalie was Mengay’s daughter, then who is Olayra? Hushed talks and gossips about her origin hounded her.   
    The fairy princess also fell in love with Fitzgerald and they set a date for their wedding.  The ceremony took place in Patnongon.  Soon after, Fitzgerald found out that his wife was not the daughter of Akoy and Mengay.  He confronted her about who she really was and where she really came from.  Olayra merely ignored him and because of this he grew so impatient that he slapped her.  When her real parents knew about the incident, they got so angry.  One day, Fitzgerald could no longer be found.  A search was made but to no avail.  Only the king, the queen, and Olayra knew what really happened.
    Olayra finally revealed to her foster parents who and what she really was.   She told them that her real parents wanted her to live with them in their kingdom.  As for Natalie, Akoy and Mengay finally got to know where the big wave took her.  They brought her home from the people who adopted her.
    Olayra and Natalie must have lived happily ever after.
(Our research tells us that the Story of Olayra was written by Russel O. Tordesillas.  It was serialized in a local radio station.  Tordesillas is a respected writer and is known as the grand old man of Kinaray-a literature.)

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

MESSALINA

When we were children we associated the Romans with centurions, chariots, and gladiators.  In high school, we learned that Law and Engineering were their contributions to civilization.  We came to know that Rome also contributed orgies and sex in high places. Indeed, the grandeur… that was Rome.
The now familiar name Messalina was also the name of the wife of an emperor in ancient Rome. She was best known for challenging—and defeating—a notorious prostitute to a sex competition. 
Valeria Messalina was the wife of Emperor Claudius who ruled Rome in the 1st Century AD.  History sources portray Messalina as scheming, avaricious, and a nymphomaniac.  She participated much in politics and used sex to strengthen her power and control over politicians.  She maintained a brothel and organized orgies participated by men and women in high places.
One account of her tells that the moment she hears her husband snores, she will then slip out of their royal bed wearing a hooded night gown and go straight to her brothel.  She then places herself in one of the cubicles to offer her body to customers of the night.  The story goes that Messalina absorbs all the jug-jug with gusto and continues her trade into dawn long after all the other girls have already been done and have gone home.  She ends the night by slipping back to Emperor Claudius’ side in their royal bed.
The most widely reported tale about Messalina was her challenge to a prostitute named Scylla to an all-night sex competition.  Each of them was to take as many lovers in one single sex act.  Whoever took the more number of lovers will win the contest.  Scylla gave up when each of them had taken 25 lovers, but Messalina saw no reason to stop copulating and went on well into the morning.  It was told that she stopped only because of exhaustion  but she was never satisfied.
Here are some lines dedicated to Messalina’ exploits by a Roman writer Juvenal translated in English:


Then consider the God's rivals, hear what Claudius
had to put up with. The minute she heard him snoring
his wife - that whore-empress - who¬ dared to prefer the mattress
of a stews to her couch in the Palace, called for her hooded
night-cloak and hastened forth, with a single attendant.
Then, her black hair hidden under an ash-blonde wig,
she'd make straight for her brothel, with its stale, warm coverlets,
and her empty reserved cell. Here, naked, with gilded
nipples, she plied her trade, under the name of 'The Wolf-Girl',
parading the belly that once housed a prince of the blood.
She would greet each client sweetly, demand cash payment,
and absorb all their battering - without ever getting up.
Too soon the brothel-keeper dismissed his girls:
she stayed right till the end, always last to go,
then trailed away sadly, still | with burning, rigid vulva,
exhausted by men, yet a long way from satisfied,
cheeks grimed with lamp-smoke, filthy, carrying home
to her Imperial couch the stink of the whorehouse.

Friday, July 2, 2010

One Act of Kindness

It was a rush hour on a Friday afternoon. I received a message on my mobile phone that the information I had been dying to know for days had already been emailed to me. I cannot wait to be home so my son and I dropped by the nearest computer café in front of the West Visayas State University.

We must have stayed there for over an hour because when we decided to leave it was already dark. My son wanted to take something hot before we finally go home so we walked to the refreshment parlor about 50 meters from the café.

There were little pools of water on the sidewalk so there must have been a drizzle of sort while we were inside. We have not walked farther when we saw a group of high school boys from the university clustered around something as they cheered. There was excitement in the air that my son held me back to walk behind him. However, we have to move aside as another group of teen-age boys from the Iloilo National High School ran past us. Still inching our way forward, curious about it, we heard one of the university boys cheer, “Strong! Sipa!(kick!)” We thought it was a rumble of some gangs but on closer look, it was not.

Amidst them was a badjao, a beggar lying on the pavement. I can’t tell if he fainted or if he was asleep but I saw one lean boy kick his left arm and it went flying from the pavement to his torso. Two of the three boys from the national high school reached the circle ahead of the others and one tried to talk to them to stop. They stopped… but they left in a noisy, jovial mood.

When they left, one of the boys felt for the pulse of the badjao and nodded to his companions. Two of them lifted him and moved him near the wall where the pavement was dry while the last to arrive placed a plastic bag with pan-de-sal beside him.

My son clicked his tongue at their brusqueness but I said a little prayer blessing the kind boys. Really, it doesn’t matter much where you are stationed in life, what matters is how big your heart is towards the small people around. Whatever happened to those university boys to have acted that condemnable way was something I cannot imagine; but, whatever drove those other boys to help that beggar made them very commendable.

Indeed, heartless acts make a person so small that they do not deserve to be given attention whereas little acts of kindness bring in more blessings to a soul.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

‘Detector’

“Ginatawag ang igtalupangud sang tanan nga nagahupot sang armas nga nagalupok nga wala sang lisensiya nga inyo ini iga surrender sa pinakamalapit nga police o constabulary headquarters.  Ang indi magpati sang amu nga mandu pagasilutan sang KAMATAYON!”
These radio plugs were repeatedly broadcast in all stations from September – December 1972 when Martial Law was declared.  The plug did not stop at the kamatayon. There followed a presentation of how the military was able to know where rifles, pistols, grenades, and pugakhangs were kept—no matter where you put it.
Against this background was born the urban myth that the military and the police had a modern gun detector capable of finding out where guns are kept.  The detector is said to look like a miniature radar station complete with an odd-looking dish antenna as big as a labador.  All the operator has to do is to focus the antenna towards the direction where the firearm is suspected to be hidden.
The detector works by emitting a signal which bounces back as it reaches the suspected object.  The signal is then processed inside the box where the signals from a firearm can be distinguished from the signal of any other metal object. The signal from the device can penetrate through solid obstructions like concrete, stones, rocks, soils, and coconut leaves. Once identification is made, the detector emits a distinct beeping sound and presto … a suspect is caught!
Many believed this urban fairy tale as true.  The most telling proof of this is the several tons of surrendered firearms then stockpiled at the grounds of what is now Camp Delgado.  The myth, however, just dwelt on the capabilities of the gun detector.  It did not touch on what happened to the BARs, the M2 carbines, and the Thompson submachine guns that were surrendered. The post Marcos joke goes: The tamawo kept the high-powered ones except the pugakhangs.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Poetry

(The Language of the Soul Expressed)

The most moving poem conveys of joys and feelings of grief profound; the most sublime tells of values and heroism; the most ridiculous needs yet to be found…
Poems cover as much as anything there is in life as it speaks of happiness and humor; pains and pathos in sufferings; wonders and discoveries; death and birth; creation and destruction… even dreams and realities. Some meanings are obvious in the words but often

Sunday, June 13, 2010

KURBA

At Brgy. BOLONG in the municipality of Santa Barbara, Iloilo is a curved segment of the railroad tracks which residents call the kurba or curve.

Here’s the popular version on why the tracks were so constructed:

During the construction of the Iloilo-Capiz railroad in the 1900’s, an enchanted Salay tree happened to stand in the way where the tracks were to be constructed.  Workmen refused to cut the tree and did not even go near it.  It came to a point when the construction engineers had to decide on what to do with the obstruction.  They went to the site and as they neared the tree, a strange old man appeared and told them not to violate his “kingdom.”

The engineers could not do otherwise but offered to compensate the impending disturbance and told the man that the railroad company was willing to pay a large amount just to have the construction pushed through. In retort, the strange man told them that he was not in need of money as he had enough of it—enough even to buy the whole of America itself! 

And so the enchanted tree was spared.  The railroad tracks were constructed some distance from it.  Instead of the usual straight line, the railway company made a curved one.

With the demise of the Panay Railways, the official version of how the kurba came about may never be known.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Poloy

In either of his hands was a missing finger which his enemies said was the result of an accident during World War II.  He had nine instead of ten.  His detractors said that a Garand rifle he was carrying went off because he was carrying it as if it were a walking cane.  It blew one of his fingers off.  But it gained him an entitlement to a veteran’s pension for the rest of his life.

Sometime in the 1970’s at around 8:00 in the evening, he came knocking at a relative’s house in Santa Barbara.  He had bruises on his face and other parts of his body.  He had walked cross country all the way from Alimodian because he was so afraid that the Mayor will again maul or even kill him.  He was trembling in fear.

Upon opening the gate, his relative was so surprised by what he saw.  About 25 years ago, this guy was a feared man.  He was a gun-carrying member of an armed group that presented themselves as gerilyeros in the war against the Japanese.  Instead of fighting the enemy, this group went around commandeering properties, animals, bull carts, and valuables from kababayans for their own personal benefit.  Not contented with that—it was said that they took women too.  That is what many people said about Poloy.

On Sundays, Poloy would go to the cockfights.  Yes, there were cockfights even when there was war!  He would bet on his favored cock signaling with his two hands.  If he won, it is expected that the losing bettor would pay him ten pesos.  But if he lost, expect him to only pay nine pesos.  Why?  Because he will insist that the other bettor look closely at his hand and count carefully his fingers—for he will immediately learn that he has just nine of it.  Waay pagturuka kon pira tudlo ko hay.  (You don’t look to see how many fingers I have.)

If Poloy wins, he makes sure that he gets the ten pesos.  He says: Intiendido du da nga pulo pusta ko hay tanan nga tudlo ubos ko bayaw! (That is supposed to be understood as ten pesos because I had all my fingers raised!)  If the losing bettor fails to pay him his ten pesos, he gets threatened with the ever available Garand rifle that Poloy always carried. 

Now, here is this character—so afraid, trembling, and smelling like a prisoner.  He had been beaten black and blue.  Seeking refuge for the night, he was let in and he was served supper.  His relative’s house was near the main road so that the noise of passing vehicles could be heard.  This made Poloy very uneasy and he would tiptoe to the nearest window and steal a look at the gate whenever he heard a stopping vehicle.  He needed to see if there is somebody entering to get him.

Life had come full circle for Poloy that night.  No, I wouldn’t dare to mention his full name, where he now lives, or the name of his relative where he took refuge.  I am just sharing this story for the reader to have a glimpse of what the pre-martial law elections were.  The bruises that he had were not for what he did during the last war.  It was the result of his supporting the candidate the Mayor was running against.  Go ask your fathers or grandfathers about the 1969 elections.  If they say its bloodier then than now, believe them.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

LINE AGENCIES

Based on the number of people who form a line in order to transact with a government agency, the NSO (National Statistics Office) at corner J.M. Basa and Rizal streets in Iloilo City would naturally fall in the No. 1 place.  No. 2 would most likely be the PRC (Professional Regulation Commission)

Sunday, May 23, 2010

TRACE

Situation 1.

    You just won the governorship position in the May 10 election.  A person who claims to have supported you comes asking you to return the favor.  He files his application for a position at the provincial capitol.  He says that because of his help, you won by a big margin in his precinct.  You want to test the veracity of his claim.  And you want it done fast

Friday, May 21, 2010

Barangay of Tigbanaba

(Geo-hazardous Location)

Brgy. Tigbanaba is an inland barangay in the Municipality of Igbaras, Iloilo.  It featured prominently in the news in the later part of 2009 because of an encounter between troops from the Army’s 82nd Battalion and members of the NPA’s Napoleon Tumagtang Command.  Reports have it that the Army had overrun a rebel command post where they recovered

Monday, May 17, 2010

KEEP MOVING ON



May 2010 election has come and gone leaving a paper trail where it came around. Piles and piles of campaign materials made of tarpaulins and paper were taken down from the common poster areas while those hanging along the highways were still flying high and proud. Oh, the smiling faces of the candidates on the posters pasted on tree trunks were just as radiant as

Thursday, May 13, 2010

High up there…

(Last night we were discussing about how the Mountain Province was so ideal for the summer vacations that Filipino families always look forward to. I'd like to share this little glimpse on the history of the place.)

Like gigantic stairways extending up over a thousand feet to the mountain sides are the rice terraces. Reportedly, when these are placed end to end, it is estimated to go halfway around the world at

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Quintos

A Spanish word ‘quintos’… the fifth!

Many years ago the word ‘quintos’ was most feared by Filipino families. Why so? Fear for this ordinal number emanated from the Spanish military draft. We were under Spain that time. The recruitment was their means to beef up their naval forces.

It was then when sailing the uncharted seas as a fighter of the big powers such as Spain was tantamount to committing a suicide because during that time, it was not a profession but it was some kind of

Monday, May 10, 2010

LINTI

Cuss word? Oh, depends on how the word is used and who uses the term … that includes the situation too. Do you know that ‘linti’ can replace any other hiligaynon word of anger, surprise or even praise? Just listen to the accent… you’ll know.
It’s very Ilongo. Linti has no word equivalent anywhere in the world; yet, it has countless meanings to us Ilong-Ilonganons. Unlike the word idiot in English (meaning someone stupid or someone with very low IQ) which can be translated to other Asian languages such as

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Oldest Philippine Golf Course, Asia's First


The natural layout of hilly and rolling terrain interspersed with mature trees and natural obstacles attracted the Scottish railway engineers to build the country’s first golf course in Barangay San Sebastian, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo.

 Established in 1907, the Iloilo Golf and Country Club golf course started with only 9 holes.   Today, it has become a challenging 18-hole course (6,056 yardage) and plays to a par 70. No two holes are ever similar, as it was designed on its natural state. 

 Barangay San Sebastian is just some distance from the new Iloilo Airport. Certainly the sight of the greens and fairways is something to behold from up in the air before the plane touches down or when it lifts up way above the town.

The picture above shows one of the natural obstacles in the golf course of Santa Barbara.

Taken from Google Home Images.

CRUCIFIXION

People of the Western Visayas Region are divided in varied principles and clichés of social categories - modern, yet religious; devout, but superstitious…
The last time my friends and I went to the different places of the provinces of the region, I realized how nationalistic our brothers and sisters in the area are. Most places in all the Provinces of Region VI have many barangays named in honor of one or more heroes. Their birthplace? No. It must be because the folks here admire the hero as a brave man who fought for Filipino freedom. That is either through the pen like Jose Rizal, Graciano Lopez- Jaena, Marcelo del Pilar, and Apolinario Mabini, et al or the bolo and gun with the caliber of Andres Bonifacio, Gen. Miguel Malvar, and Gen. Martin Delgado; through their brilliance in leadership like the kinds of Roxas, Quezon,Aguinaldo and Magsaysay; their deep faith to walk towards martyrdom as was shown by Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora; or whatever good societal changes they may have made in the past that made them heroes in their own right.
Great! Out of the four thousand and fifty one (4,051) barangays of our region, it was noted that four barangays have names outstandingly different. They are named after the places mentioned in the Christian Bible – holy and historic. What more? Only one barangay of these four bears a name equated with pain and selfless sacrifices that are synonymous with the profound love of the Divine and selflessness of heroes. Common to the Provinces of Guimaras, Aklan and Antique is the name “Barangay Nazareth” found in Buenavista, Guimaras; Buruanga, Aklan and Sibalom, Antique. Why this barangay is named such in these towns is something only ‘they’ can tell us.
Iloilo has one unique name for one of the barangays of the municipality of Janiuay. Right at the poblacion, they have “Barangay Golgotha.”  Why the name? We’ve gone to the place itself and discovered that it is on top of the very high place of the town. The rise is a bit steep and like the hill named Golgotha mentioned in the new testament of the Holy Bible needs more effort to climb… for a newcomer to the place.
Lest we forget, Golgotha was where the Lord and redeemer, Jesus Christ was crucified. Here, they don’t crucify anyone, I bet.

Picture on top is from iloiloonline.blogspot.com

The Aristocratic City of the South

A quiet, refined and cultured place –this is how Iloilo City is referred to by other places. At other times it is
also called the “Aristocratic City of the South.”

One of the finest harbors in the country is found in Iloilo City. On September 29, 1855, a Royal Order authorized the opening of the Port of Iloilo upon the request of the government of the Philippines. Foreign trade in Iloilo, however, was opened in 1856. The Iloilo ports also provides safe anchorage because its winding waterfront and the island Province of Guimaras protect the ships in it. The winding waterfront called Muelle Loney is named after Nicholas Loney, a philanthropist.

Formerly known as ‘Ilong-ilong’ or spelled as ‘Ylong-ylong’, the place is finally called ILOILO. Some historians say that the word is meaningless in Spanish but in Ilongo it may mean “orphan” while in the Malayan language, it refers to the “nose.” The Malayan interpretation is believed to have the nearest meaning to it because if you look at the map of the island of Panay and trace the boundaries of the Province of Iloilo, you will clearly see that it closely resembles the form of a nose.

The city, according to historians, is believed to have begun as a Malayan settlement around Batiano River then
and is called the Iloilo River today.

After Miguel Lopez de Legazpi has settled in Cebu in 1565, he sent advance parties to the old Iloilo towns of
Halawod (now called Dumangas) and Ogtong (now called Oton). Legazpi moved to Panay in 1569 due to acute food shortage and the threat to the Portuguese there. It was yet in 1581 when Gonzalo Ronquillo established the first settlement in the town of Arevalo.The Spaniards erected several forts in Oton, Arevalo, and Iloilo between the 16th and the 17th centuries. It was also when Iloilo suffered greatly from the Muslim raids and the Dutch incursions. Governor General Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera ordered the residents of Molo, Arevalo and Oton to evacuate to La Punta for their safety.

On February 7, 1890, the city government of Iloilo established under the Becera Law of 1889. It was but in 1896 that the city was authorized to have a coat-of-arms though. Inscribed in the coat-of-arms were the words, “La Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad de Iloilo.”

On December 28, 1898, when General Marcus Miller came to Iloilo during the Philippine- American War, the Spanish garrison has already surrendered to General Martin Delgado; The Ilongo revolucionarios strengthened the harbor and the San Pedro Fort. They blocked the entrance of the river and barricaded the streets. When the American warships came on February 11, 1899, they bombarded the city defense. Delgado’s troops set fire to the city and withdrew to the outskirts when the enemy forces landed.

In 1901, April 11th – Iloilo City was returned to the status of a municipality; however, on November 8, 1936,
Commonwealth Act No. 158 amended C.A. No. 57 (dated October 20, 1936)… this established the CITY OF ILOILO that incorporated the towns of Lapaz, Jaro, Mandurriao, Molo, and Arevalo into it. The city was inaugurated on August 25, 1937.

Again, the Japanese Imperial Forces bombed, attacked, and occupied Iloilo. On April 16, 1942, they established a military government here.

President Ramon Magsaysay signed into law Republic Act No. 1209 on April 29, 1955 providing that the executive and legislative members of the city be elected. The bill was authored by Rodolfo T. Ganzon. He became the first elected mayor of Iloilo City too.

The City of Iloilo is in Region VI, Philippines.The boundaries around it are:North-Municipality of Pavia;
South and East - Iloilo Strait; West - Municipality of Oton. As of 2008, the Internal Revenue Allotment is
395,629,242.00. Given the wide area, the city is divided into six districts namely, City Proper, Jaro, Mandurriao, Molo,Lapaz, and Arevalo (to some: La Villa de Arevalo)


The picture above is from Google Home Images.


Thursday, May 6, 2010

Bángag (Parched Earth)




The accent is in the first syllable (BÁ – ngag) to distinguish it from the bangág (ba – NGÁG) that is used to describe a euphoric feeling when one has sniffed shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride). Bángag is the term we use in describing the cracking of parched rice fields due to the onset of dry season.

I remember my late father pointing to our damaged rice field when I was still a small child and say, "When the summer season is long, the rice fields go cracked and dry." When Tatay let go of my hand, I ran forward as I always used to and touch whatever grew in the taramnan (rice field). Hardly had I gotten 20 meters when I felt my foot got trapped in the soil crack making me fall and unable to make another step forward. I had stepped on a large one. My ankle got cut and it hurt so much. That was how I came to know the word bángag.

I hated the bángag not only because it hurt me and blemished my skin. I came to connect it with pain. I associated it also with the wilting of our garden plants, the drying of the creek, and the dusty condition of the feeder road leading to the farm. Whenever I noticed there were bángag in the fields, I became concerned about the rainless months because it would mean no water for the rice plants. How I wished that there is somebody in control of the weather. How I wished, too, there will always be rains to prevent the bángag from forming.

It was only lately that I learned that contrary to what I believed when I was a child the bángag should be associated with something good. Thanks to this El Niño thing. It was in one of the meetings of some government agencies that I heard how we should not be so alarmed or worried if we see parched rice fields—for the cracking up of the land is a very natural process for the maintenance of soil fertility—Mother Nature willed it that way.

A regular guy from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) talked about aeration and nitrogenization. Here’s what I got from him:

Aeration destroys the harmful bacteria and helps eradicate plant diseases like tungro. It is nature’s way of cleansing the earth of unwanted particles such as disease-causing bacteria. The air that we breathe is composed of 70% nitrogen. Nitrogen is an element needed by plants. Efforts should be made to help nitrogen be embedded in the soil to reach the roots of the plants. Free nitrogen in the air could not penetrate the soil if it is still wet. Free nitrogen can effectively penetrate the soil if the water in it goes scarce.

Natural aeration and nitrogenization occurs when the season is dry. The cracks in the field are where the friendly elements in the air pass through to seek and destroy the bad ones embedded in the soil. Through these cracks also pass the nitrogen that embeds itself in the soil to become food for our rice plants.

We tend to view the long dry season that comes with the el niño phenomenon as a very negative occurrence due to the shortage of water. But we should understand the ways of Mother Nature and view it from the other angle. Some agricultural enthusiasts even advice that people should prepare to deal with the bumper harvest of rice after the El Nino. Mother Earth will be kinder after resting by then, so there will expectantly be a better turn over of crops.

The El Nino also brings good things in as far as farmers are concerned. In the urban areas, however, the phenomenon is sure to bring in problems and diseases brought about by the shortage of water. It is unfortunate that the long dry spell timed itself with the election season and major decisions that have to deal with addressing a potentially calamitous situation should fall on the hands of our politicos. To those of them who believe that there is an impending calamity, no explanation appears to be necessary; and to those who do not, no explanation appears to be possible.

I wish our government agencies involved in agriculture should do more to enlighten us not only about the NEGATIVE but also on the POSITIVE effects of the El Nino phenomenon.

Contemplating on the long, deep cracks that are there in the rice fields during summer, I now understand the more profound reasons why the bángag appears again and again.

The picture above is from Google Home Images.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Perfect Harmony

“If music thus carries us to heaven, it is because music is harmony… Harmony is perfection. Perfection is our dream… Our dream is heaven.” – Author unknown

Music touches us with a magic we cannot explain. Since time immemorial people have used music hoping to make conquests victorious – whether to win hearts, to expand a territory or to entertain themselves. Music softens the pangs of defeat but it intensifies the joys or the pains that may be felt when one is attuned to it.

In those days when wars were fought face to face in designated battlefields, the warring parties used to have with them their own musicians, rather, young boys who beat the drums according to the tempo that informs about the heat of the battle; those who blow the bagpipes to arouse or accentuate the courage of the fighters, and those with the trumpets to announce the attacks or it signals their distressing retreat.

In the Holy Bible even God taught His people a song through Moses that will, in the future, be easy to remind them of their only Lord that they must not forget to honor and love when they reach the Promised Land. Revolutionary movements have their song of encouragement as much as nations have their national anthems and lovers have their own theme songs too. Often these express the feelings and sentiments in them.

I remembered Mama Paok, a gay old woman I knew who always hummed a tune - while playing the solitaire or on her way to the farm. She chided the helper once who went about her chore of cleaning the broken pots and soil in the terrace thus: “So, what has your anger done to the dog? That will just increase your headache and makes your work heavier. If you whistled instead, you’d have found it lighter as it lightens your heart too.” Right! However you sing your tune or how you interpret your song, the face brightens when you hum.

Three months ago, someone in the neighborhood played the ‘Internationale’ over and over in one day alone that I can almost memorize it when the evening came. Later that night, I suffered the ‘last song syndrome’ so I hummed it too. The day after a neighbor told me that her friend’s son was rebellious when both parents won’t allow him to attend the high school JS Prom that he kept playing the Internationale so loud as he grieved the day. What happened next? Well, he’ll be attending the Prom that February 14th. Hahaha! Hans Christian Andersen states, “Where words fail, music speaks.”

There was a time when I had to leave the house for work so early before my girls were up and come home late from work when they were almost ready for bed because of the traffic and the distance from our place. One week-end, the eldest was carrying a small bag with biscuits and choco drinks while the younger one was hugging two dolls. They pulled me to a chair and they sang me an old folk song, Dandansoy. They never knew that it opened my eyes to the fact that children need their mothers more than mothers need to spend more time in the workplace. Music power… indeed!

Here’s the part of the song in Hiligaynon that they sang haltingly as pre-schoolers could:

DANDANSOY

Dandansoy bayaan ta ikaw
(Dandansoy, I’m leaving you)
Pauli ako sa Payao
(I’m going home to Payao)
Kon ikaw gani ang hidlawon
(If you should ever miss me)
Ang Payao imo lang lantawon.
(Just look towards Payao.)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

From the Heart


The AM- radio was playing their station ID when I woke up this morning and the voice of the man rattled on to give the names of the technical staff of the station until it aired a tape recorded Morning Prayer. It sounded so perfect yet so distant; well written but it doesn’t seem to touch me. In the middle of enjoying my coffee, it jolted my consciousness to think how we can all be like tape recorded voices calling out to the Almighty. Then, I knew why there was no echo in me. It was not my prayer… it didn’t come from my heart. Weird but I felt funny inside. Later, I just found myself groping for a pen in my bag. Soon I was intently writing on a scrap of scratch paper. Hahaha! Below is the voice that wants to be heard from the heart…

The Prayer
Yani P. Cordero

Lord, God, Heavenly Father,
We come before you with confidence in your love and merciful graces.
We adore You in Your great holiness,We glorify You even as we ask pardon
for all the wrongs we have done…

All-knowing Father,You know us as we are… the motives in our plans,
Our righteousness and inequities;And our thoughts and deeds,
Be they sublime or ridiculous.
You know our needs and You have always provided us –
even those that, in our narrow understanding, we discard.
Grant us the grace to see Your hand in the events of our lives,
To see Your face in the people that we meet;
Allow us to hear Your voice as it speaks softly into our hearts…
Let us have the courage to respond to Your call when it demands more
than what we can apparently give…
Let our weaknesses be our strength in clinging to You Lord
because in our limited faculties, we can never be good without Your guiding spirit.

Father,We aspire for big things but we fail to appreciate greater things You give,
We desire to improve the widest expanse of our place; yet, we do not lift a finger
to clean out the dust that gathers ‘round our feet.
We want to be praised for the little good we do
but we seldom praise Your goodness through which we live –
We have conquered the space beyond the atmosphere, Lord…
but we are hypocrites refusing to peep into our inner place where we may hear your soft instructions;
We have gone to conquer the moon,
but we do not have the graciousness to cross the street
to welcome a neighbor with a smile and nary a handshake;
We have progressed far in science and technology,
but we are so proud that we cannot advance a step in our faith;
We have seen through an atom
but we decline to examine the molecules of our prejudices to correct them –
We can openly give to people in high and mighty places
but it seems too painful to give to those who cannot give back the favor;
We are fast in criticizing policies in the government and politicians in our land;
yet, we do not look into our own selves that we might shed off the undesirable traits
to start that needed social change of heart.
Lord, we wear layers of masks so that it pains to pull them off our faces,
We always fall short of Your righteousness…
Help us change for the better because we are weak.
Increase our trust in Your love that we may not fear to go on in this pilgrimage of life;
Help us remember that You are our God and we are Your people.

We know that You are with us all the way –
through highs and lows, through hell and high water.
Please give us faith to believe, Lord,
that the best will come out of every experience in our lives,
That they are happening already even as we pray to You today.

Bless us all Father through our savior, Jesus Christ – Your son who suffered for us that we may have life eternal,
May our lives give pleasure to You
despite its imperfections when our day is done.
Your will be done in us… Amen.

The picture above is taken from Google Home Images.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Songs of Life



Rock bands’ concerts gathering folks from all walks of life; young boys singing rock and roll with their acoustic guitars jamming under the trees; original upbeat Pilipino music (OPM) played on the airwaves; kids singing a Korean pop song; young girls pouring their hearts out through a song; housewives humming a tune as they go about their daily household chores; office workers taking a break to sing a line of a favorite song… Oh, my goodness! Where words fail, music says it best. Truly, music transcends time, ages, languages and status in life.

When my son was about three to four years old, he slept well with music. Whether it was nursery rhymes or folk music, we found it so effective to allow music to take him to the dreamland. However, among the many songs in the tape, I noticed that three particular songs made him sing as it played regardless of how tired he was. These had different effects on him. "Billy Boy" made him look sad while "She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountains" made him want to get up and clap his hands, otherwise, he marched to the tune. The song "Words" made him run near the radio or the tape recorder and sing with the singer even if his words were not as that of the lyrics. He may not have understood what the songs meant but it surely touched him.

Lately, other than the English songs that spread through the airwaves came the Japanese and the Korean songs too. Moreover, original Pilipino music were safe in their niche in the heart of its followers with the coming of those Filipino folk singers as Freddie Aguilar, Florante, Celeste Legazpi and the recent others. Pop and rock Pilipino music were elevated to a higher level of public acceptance then as new younger singers came to the field. The Filipino folk/rock bands soon gained followers that its influence to the teeners cannot be overlooked. Pepe Smith of Juan de la Cruz Band paved the way for our original OPM rock to penetrate the international crowd. Their songs had a blend of the western influence and the local touch. Well we cannot forget the group of the nationalistic Asin; the wacky Tito, Vic, and Joey; the music-revolutionary Eraserheads, and the others that followed, such that some of the OPM compositions won in the international competitions.

Hiligaynon songs, on the other hand, seemed to have stopped growing in number but Kinaray-a compositions have become a fad lately. Does it mean something? Are we lacking in Ilongo songwriters today? A friend defended this with a vehement, “No! No, there are so many talented young minds around here. We just need an inspiration.” Well said.

It’s alright; stimulation of ideas can come about with one’s intense feelings, amazing visions and fantastic experiences. With the myriad possibilities in the daily life of men… who knows? One Ilongo will rise to write another Hiligaynon song that will make us sing and dance with joviality through the next years... The type of Iloilo Ang Banwa Ko or the Ang Alibangbang will, definitely, not be lost but we do hope to hear a new, ‘to-be-classic’ Hiligaynon song again… soon.

Thanks for the inspiring messages sent to va_wiley50@yahoo.com.ph. It’s nice to hear from you guys: Jose Agregado, Tirso Lou Osano, Willy Zamoro, Helen Jamilarin-Nabor, Rose Giergos-Acosta, May Guinunsan, Mitch Fernandez, and all Trivia readers in the global and the local circle.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Fairy Tales



(How Stories Affect your Children)

When my eldest daughter was a little girl of three years, she asked so many questions about almost anything around her. One day, she cried in one corner of the house which made us all wonder why she was crying so bitterly. I took her outside the house for a walk. As I carried her in my arms she was hugging me tight that it puzzled me. However, with gentle persuasions she opened up and I learned why. She feared for our lives. It alarmed me until she asked if there is something we can do to ‘stop the mill under the sea from grinding more salt,’ I was relieved.

Bedtime is story time for our kids when they were small. The night before, their father told them a story about how the sea became salt. We never thought the story will bother her. So, we went under the Palawan Cherry as I answered her many queries related to the ‘mill’ in question. She kept saying, “Ahh.” while we talked until she suddenly asked, “Ma, where do all those water come from? They keep on running… they’re crying!” Interesting! I beamed at the girl and she pointed to me the flowing canal water with eyes so sad as if sympathizing with however she conceived it to be.

Definitely, we know that these canals are the wider passageways of the dirty waters that come from the little gutters of every home, establishments, offices and other areas within the locality. When these canals are well placed and without obstacles for the water, the water will have moved on fast as it drains itself towards the rivers or another bigger and much wider duct. The continuous flow of the water in the canal makes it appear to be like tears for the little children. How is it so? Hahaha! Only these little children can make up imageries out of the ordinary stories similar to the fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers or that equally touching for them as those written by Hans Christian Andersen. However, fantasy (romanticism) and reality are poles apart.

I smiled at her allegory even as I explained where all the flowing water came before they reached us. I also told her where the water will ultimately go. She listened wide-eyed and without interruptions.

Yet, children are children. Their simple hearts need only love and an anchor. This I saw when she countered thus, “Ahh, so the river is the mommy of all these waters? That’s why they’re crying because they miss their mommy.” I just hugged her as she expressed her childish sympathy to the dirty waters. Soon, she asked for milk and reality took over. While I washed the glass she used she tugged at my skirt and said, “Ma, do we also have the duct that drains the water towards that canal?” I smiled and her laughter rang… She has been listening to my explanations, after all.

The bedtime stories we choose for our children affect their behavioral growth. Whether we like it or not the belief that ‘children grow up with the bedtime stories they hear’ is true. When I asked my daughter lately how she was affected by that story about the mill she laughed and said, “Wow, of all the tales that you and Daddy ever told us, that made me remember to be considerate with others because… Hahaha! The selfishness of that one person made everyone in the village suffer too. Did you know that I spent some nights sleeping late for that because I was so afraid that the whole earth will be covered with salt? Thanks to you and that canal… It blew out my fear… remember?”

That was that! There are groups who say that children exposed to bedtime stories are easier to discipline. Moreover, paying attention to the tales develop their listening skills and creative faculties. Above all, the message in the stories of the parents (popular or thought up as the case demands) easily reaches the heart of the kids… they will understand the lessons easily than that taught with a stick or a pound of sarcasm.

Keep on with the storytelling time. The children will love to reminisce the times when you took them to the far away lands of beautiful princesses, handsome princes, dainty fairies, noble knights, and vicious goblins. Let them keep it in their heart as you both treasure your time together.

The picture above is from Google Home Images.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Casino Español de Iloilo


(Brgy. Sto. Rosario-Duran)

At the corner of Sto. Rosario and Duran Streets at the City Proper District in Iloilo City now stands in ruins what used to be the Casino Español de Iloilo. It was a private club whose patrons were often the aristocratic and wealthy members of the Spanish community in the city and province of Iloilo. The rich and the famous went there to socialize and hangout. They went there for the latest talk and to transact business. The language was, of course, Español. During its heydays, the casino must have been always full of damas, caballeros, y aleporezes. The picture on the upper right potion of this page is taken from the Google Images.

Ten years ago, the rooftop of the casino could still be seen as one passes the place on board a jeepney. All that remained of that grand place was a rounded concrete canopy which must have been its main entrance. Entrance to the main door was elevated four steps higher than the driveway. At its sides were concrete walls and posts now covered with vines and grasses. Atop one of the posts was a lunok tree whose roots wrapped half of it.

The area was later made as a parking lot for trailer trucks by a cargo-delivery company. The ruins are now completely out of view as there was constructed a high fence around it. What can now be seen at the place is a tanod/police outpost and an uninhabited barangay hall of Brgy. Sto. Rosario-Duran.

Sto. Rosario and Duran Streets are within the Fort San Pedro area in the city of Iloilo. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the area was the night life capital of Iloilo City. In the mornings, presently, the Fort area is the best place to do stretching exercises with a bonus—a very refreshing view of the beautiful island of Guimaras. In the late afternoons, it is the best place to view the sunset—one could see the sun as it kisses the sea. Peace and order is not much of a problem—the headquarters of the Philippine Army is just a stone’s throw away. The Casino Español sat very near the Gen. Hughes Street—then considered the “high street” where the rich Ilongos had constructed their seaside villas and rest houses.

The city of Iloilo is among the very few places where the Spanish had established strong communities. The other cities are Manila and Cebu. In each of these cities, the Spanish settlers established a place where they could gather, socialize, and talk about business transactions. In Manila there is the Casino Espanol de Manila. In Cebu, there is the Casino Espanol de Cebu. These two casinos are still in existence today.

The Casino Español de Iloilo was not a gambling casino though. It was a private club established by members of the Spanish community to gather, socialize, and talk about business transactions. It was a club where members, their spouses, and their children enjoyed social, recreational, sports and cultural facilities and activities. The club was organized to foment unity among its members. The existence of the club solely indicated the vibrancy of the Spanish Community in the City of Iloilo.

The Casino Español (or what remains of it) stands within the territorial jurisdiction of Brgy. Sto. Rosario and Duran Street in the City Proper District of Iloilo City. The barangay was, once upon a time, a playground and entertainment place of the rich and famous Ilongos. Here’s the bird’s eye view of the barangay -Brgy. STO. ROSARIO-DURAN (City Proper District, Iloilo City): Population (2007): 1,851; Land Area: 8.12 Hectares; Income (IRA 2009): 847,355.04; Development Fund: 169,471.01; Calamity Fund: 42,367.75; Per Capita Income: P 458.00;No. of Households: 370.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

“BUBON”


In the Ilongo dialect, bubon is a deep well where we get water. Once upon a time, there was one located within the campus of the Iloilo High School. It was near its Main Building, a protruding cylindrical cemented structure with a concrete cover on top. In our time, the bubon was already covered and not in use. Why was it covered? Why?

As High School kids, we were a bit curious. Some classmates “knew” about why the bubon got covered. They said that during the Tiempo Giyera, Iloilo High School was made into a command center of the Japanese military, the Japanese Army Headquarters. It had an interrogation and torture chambers. Definitely, it had to have a place as disposal for prisoners killed whom they did not want the civilians to know. They said that the enemy dumped the dead in that well. Our classmates further said that some of those thrown there were still alive. We imagined that the eerie sounds that others claimed to hear when going near the place were actually the screams of ghosts from the victims during the Great World War II. So we concluded that this must be the reason why they covered the bubon with concrete—to stifle the sounds.

After graduating from high school, I haven’t heard a tale about that covered well anymore - until Tiyoy Ading told me the story of Emong, their family helper. Melquiades ‘Ading” Cabarles is one of the resource persons in my compilation of stories about the Second World War. He is a native of Barangay Agboy, Leon, Iloilo and was about 16 years old when war broke out. He narrated thus:

“There was no mechanized transportation to haul farm products to the city then. In our case, we had a cart (karo). It was pulled by a white bull - a big strong bull. We load the cart with farm products the evening before. Very early the next day, we will take off for the Iloilo Central Market.

One day, we took the karo to the city. There were 3 of us: my brother Carlos, our helper Emong and me. When we reached the checkpoint located along the way, the Japanese soldiers apprehended Emong. They must have suspected him of being a gerilya. Emong was wearing maong short pants.

During that time, we were admonished by our parents against wearing either maong or khaki pants because these were supplied only to soldiers and guerillas. Wearing a maong or khaki will arouse the suspicion of the Japanese. Emong was 25 years old. I was only 16 years old. My brother Carlos was slightly older than me. The Japanese did not suspect the both of us. But they suspected Emong—probably because of his age and his maong pants.

After they took Emong, we proceeded to the Central Market and delivered the goods. Afterwards, we went home to Leon without Emong. At that time, when a family received news about someone being picked up by an armed group, they can do nothing. All they did is - keep quiet and cry their anguish in silence knowing that they have nobody to report the incident to. So if someone you knew was picked up by the Japanese, by the guerillas, or by the EPG (Emergency Provincial Guards of Governor Tomas Confesor), they are often given up for dead.

It was at the Japanese checkpoint that we last saw Emong. When we asked around, people told us that he was taken to the Iloilo High School. In 1942, the Japanese made the Iloilo High School as their main garrison. It was there where prisoners picked up from their checkpoints were brought to be interrogated, tortured, and sometimes killed. We heard that those they killed were dumped in the well located a stone's throw away from the bola-bola. Emong must have died there.”

The Iloilo National High School (INHS) Alumni Building allegedly stands near the place where that covered well used to be. I never heard of a story about some exhumation conducted to establish the veracity of accounts about those who died and been dumped there though. I’d rather not dare to know. If it were true however – let’s pray that in exchange of their painful death, they’ll be rewarded with eternal peace in the afterlife. The picture above was taken from google images.

Monday, April 26, 2010

San Antonio in San Enrique, Iloilo

“March winds and April showers…” goes the kids’ rhyme “bring in sweet May flowers…” Meaning there is fun in summer. Everyone’s excited making plans about vacations at the onset of summer, country hikings, outdoor campings, beach adventures, mountaineering and many other summer activities. As we grow older however, our activities become more subdued and mellow. Otherwise, we content ourselves with just sitting in one corner and relive the days of old to the kids. Think about this, when we are labeled ‘young once’ we still enjoy sharing the things that used to fascinate us and those that we have enjoyed as well. Oh come on, most young ones love listening to older generations too as long as they don’t keep repeating it so often, you know.

My kids were planning about their summer activities as my husband and I listened passively. Sounds familiar? Right, every couple with already grown up children will understand. Anyway, the eldest asked, “What activities have you enjoyed much when you were younger, by the way?” Without batting an eyelash their dad and I answered almost in chorus – country hiking or mountain trekking.

My husband was once assigned in the town of San Enrique. In his every assignment he made it a point to reach out to the youth and barangay leaders and see them in their local habitat. To achieve this end there were week-ends when he goes to the far flung barangays to visit these guys… a task he can’t do on the working days since many other important things need to be done too in the office. Whenever he went to these areas, he’d take me with him (when I am free of commitments) and we’d go on his motorcycle. Sometimes he’d leave his motorcycle in the office since some of these places cannot be traversed by any vehicle except by foot. Hence, one of the last mountain hikes we had was with the youth leaders of this town. They were members of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of the municipality.

The hiking party was composed of six SK chairmen from the different barangays, the two of us, and one barangay resident of our place of destination. We started off at 7:00 in the morning with our backpacks containing packed lunch and things we found handy to eat as we hiked. Those were merely corn chips, some candies, a little salt, and gelatins. No, we didn’t take bottled water because along the way there were springs and wells where water is potable and sweet tasting. Our purpose was to see the waterfalls of Barangay San Antonio which the SK chairman said their team hopes to develop as a local attraction of the place. From the dusty national road, we turned and passed through the feeder road until we reached the spot where we have to cross a river for the first time. I thought it was some sort of a joke they told to confuse me but it’s true. Hahaha! We crossed the same river seven times as we walked for about three hours… all pathways were going up passing the narrow trails at the side of the hills, climbing up the boulders as huge as dining tables or more, and going by about three little falls whose source is the one we wanted to see. Each of the waterfalls has its own natural beauty to boast. We reached our target at exactly one hour before 12:00 noon. Up there was all the embodiment of what “peace’ is. You’ll hear nothing but the rushing water cascading down the big rocky side of the drop and the sound of the birds that are not heard anymore in the lowlands

We enjoyed the swim in the cool water of the naturally curved pool below the falls with the diameter of about 10 to 12 meters and the depth of about up to over five to six feet. The big trees surrounding the area provided the shade that the welcoming coolness can warm the heart of anyone. Some of the guys went up to the source of the water yet. . More or less, the ascent towards the water source was about 30 feet high. They climbed up there through the huge, tall boulder itself where the water spills. Most of us though, enjoyed the time taking in the view of the water that drops down as much as we loved to see the places in lower grounds and the fresh breeze that carried the sweet teasing aroma of some wild flowers that may have been blooming somewhere in the area.

We descended at 1:30 in the afternoon passing another route. This time it was through the ravines, rice fields, coffee and coconut plantations and the rivers. The sceneries here were rustic and idyllic but so relaxing. About 3:00 in the afternoon we passed by several groups of houses. In one household, we were treated to a party of boiled camote and young buko meat with its sweet water. They offered their special menu too - chicken binakol cooked in a real bamboo. According to the man of the house they saw us coming down the slope and he knew we were heading in their direction so they prepared the meal to refresh us. He said they offer anything to eat to everyone passing their place because it will take them a long walk yet to reach the highway. This seldom happens too because no one seems interested to be in the mountains. We reached the town at about 4:30 that afternoon… tired but enriched with beautiful memories.