God Heeds the Call

Several days after the typhoon Yolanda (the strongest typhoon to hit our country, Philippines, in 2013) made a grand landfall in the north-eastern Visayas and the northern tip of Panay island, body counting of the dead victims never seem to stop every day; a staggering cost estimate of destroyed properties just kept growing to the nth digit as queues in the relief operations also lengthened. Help keeps pouring in from both the Filipinos and other nations but everyone knows that these are all temporary. It is expected of everybody to be able to stand again after sometime and move on their own. As of press time, the victims who lost their loved ones and homes are all busy trying to accept and cope with. Yet life has to go on and they have no choice but to get going even if they have a heavy heart.

A week after the calamity, people expressed grief deeply as they suffer their bereavements, damages and hunger. Added to those were the delays of relief goods, clothes and transportation that may take them to safer grounds where some relatives and friends may help in their predicament. It was a sad picture to see but it was truth highlighted to all. Some sprung up right after the storm surge, others kept cursing nature, more were blaspheming the government and faithful believers prayed the more ardently.

On the other side of the disaster in the northern town of Iloilo, many failed to see that the storm surge has also brought about a solution to the problem that has remained hanging like a sword of Damocles above them. In Estancia, the good mothers worry over the increasing number of the videoke bars and the trafficking of young women. Allegedly, these young women were taken to the area at dusk to the bars where they serve as entertainers cum prostitutes for the good part of the night. Again, so early at daybreak they are taken out of the area to another town. Wives worry over the proliferation of those notorious recreational places for obvious reasons as well as for the influence it brings to their young. 

One other big concern of fisher folks in the fifth district was about trawl fishing in their areas. There were allegations that some fishermen resort to this method to have a better catch for the period; however, this destroys the seabed itself and the corrals that serve as the habitat of these fishes. In one of the boating exploration to the islands, a resident-guide pointed to us the corrals underwater that have died. It was such a waste. Seeing from the surface how they have remained immobile as they have changed colors we can only wonder about the extent of the loss.  Some of these boats with fish scare lines used for this purpose were lining the ports of Estancia when we last saw them. Having seen the effects, we agreed to our guide that these people are heartless. Further, he expressed that they are praying that one day the Bantay Dagat (sea patrol) will really do their duty and sack these illegal fishers. He alleged that some of these crews in the fishing vessels come from the island of Masbate. That was barely five months ago.

Day 10 from the landing of typhoon Yolanda, I saw the pictures of the town of Estancia from the social media site. It has a changed landscape as much as the coastal areas near the marketplace looked so devastated – a presentation of an aftermath of the distressing experience. I tried to get in touch with somebody from Estancia who said that even as they are pained by the losses, they also see the silver lining. She stated thus - “God answered our prayers for all these bad stimuli to depart from our place. He cleaned our town and He touched us all intensely regardless of social status and rank. Definitely there is a message for all of us in the northern communities. It is just in how sensitive we are to the movement of the Spirit inside our heart. I hope all of us here will see it from that positive angle.”  Well said.

That simple statement astounded me. I was speechless… I thought that if most of them have that belief too; then, the same God will heal their land as He binds them again to do better with their communities. Indeed He listens to our call, so let’s be careful how we ask of them.

I have included in this blog the pictures of some interesting islands from Estancia before the onslaught of the typhoon. Included too were some taken from the island exploration we had over four months ago.

      The road to the market of Estancia before the storm… to the right is the  Catholic Church wall while down under is the way to the          Fishing Port and the market.

                        The passenger pump boats going to the islands of Carles, Estancia and Pilar, Capiz..

  Fishing boats with scare ropes and passenger boats are side by side in the Estancia port.  The one full of passengers is leaving for the     island of Masbate.

                                           At the fish brokers corner in Estancia Fishing Port

                                      The fish pens at sea. These are reached about 10minutes from the port.

 

   The islands of Carles as we saw them from the port of Estancia. It took us over an hour  to reach some of the
                        nearest island barangays but the sight from the sea was so beautiful.

                                             little jumping fishes that tease the passengers...

                                           the graveyard hours in Estancia port.

                                         a fishing vessel that was about to embark...

                                          The beautiful Sicogon Village. An island of the Municipality of Carles.

A Day in Barangay Dalid

The Province of Iloilo has several municipalities with a barangay named ‘Dalid’. The word dalid refers to a fruit-vegetable of a gourd family. The skin covering hardens as the fruit matures so that in some areas, the folks scrape out the inside soft parts and use the outer covering as a container of seeds or even water. This time, I am referring to Barangay Dalid in the town of Alimodian.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barangay-Dalid-Alimodian/181197161913015?ref=ts&sk=wall#!/pages/Barangay-Dalid-Alimodian/181197161913015?sk=photos

We left Iloilo City at 10:30 in the morning of January 15, 2011. The sun shone so brightly in the city and we were so confident that we will be enjoying the adventure.

Everything went smoothly on the way to the Municipality of Alimodian. Lunch was at the small eatery beside the jeepney terminal. The servers were friendly and the owner was just as accommodating despite the hot and humid atmosphere inside the small restaurant. There was no electric fan inside.

We dropped by the police station at 12:45 in the afternoon to inform them of our desire to visit, take pictures and interview folks in the target barangay. An SOP for safe travel. By 1:00 in the afternoon we were moving out towards Barangay Dalid on a single motorcycle passing Barangay Bagumbayan. It was to say hello to Mrs. Lourdes Aguirre – Jaleco, a very good friend in college and her sister, Vilma who owns a dress shop located in the Alimodian Public Market. Based on the time spent travelling on the road going to Barangay Dalid, it seemed too far; but, based in the actual distance measure – it was quite near. 

The tricycle driver, Rodel, informed us that there are two routes to reach the barangay. We chose to pass through the shallow river with those unfinished beams of the supposedly concrete bridge that stood proudly like sentinels lining from one bank to the other. They’re partly covered with moss now. The project was constructed in the 1990s through the 2nd District Representative, Augusto ‘Boboy’ Syjuco, but was never finished due to sub-standard materials used that were found out when it was audited. What a waste of people’s money!

From there, we travelled through the intermittently rough roads with loose stones and some cemented parts. The cemented areas, the driver said, were done by the former members of the Army Company assigned there. Each covered about a 50-meter span.

So far, the trip was fun. The idyllic scenes were nice as if painted in a canvass until we reached another creek with a bridge that was a combination of steel beams and wooden floor. According to the driver, this was constructed by the Philippine Army engineering unit decades ago. It was noticeable that the long stretches of the banana plantations, often told by the older folks in the city, for which Barangay Dalid was famous, have become mere patches alongside the road.

I asked the driver why there seem to be a sparse banana patch all along when Dalid is known to be a big supplier of banana in the province. He said that most of the damage on the banana plantations were brought about by the typhoons especially that one two years ago – Typhoon Frank. Other than this the marketable varieties seem to have reverted to the smaller versions of it when it has reached so much number of years. “Even the coconut trees have decreased in number that only a few were sighted to be their sanggutan. (That means the coconut tree as a source of tuba.).” declared Rodel.

We reached the 3rd and last creek to cross before we reached the very heart of the barangay. The creek is a convergence for two smaller ones. Here, the motorcycle has to descend slowly because of its 55 degrees fall from the bank and about 45 degrees on the other side.

It was good to note that the barangay has one elementary school named Paaralang Elementarya ng Dalid. It’s playground appeared to be so well cared and it has a little canteen between its two buildings. In fact it was near the school principal’s office. At that time of our visit, the school administrator was out on an official business to the city, we were told.

For years, the problem there was the far secondary schools. Luckily, the Alimodian National Comprehensive High School has opened a secondary school extension in the barangay too. That makes more children  even luckier to be able to attain the secondary education with less expenditures incurred compared to those who still have to attend it in town. Alimodian National Comprehensive High School – Dalid Extension (ANCHS – DaExt) is temporarily located adjacent to the elementary school.

We were able to meet Mrs. Ma Riza S Lasquite, the officer-in-charge of the high school. Over a bottle of soda, she told us that the two buildings they’re occupying actually belong to the elementary school. She commended her teaching staff who worked so hard as actively as regular teachers do even if they receive less because they’re only receiving allowances from the LGU. Her staff were composed of: Mr. Kiev Almira, Mrs. Remalota Reteracion, Miss Vanessa Alla, and Mr. Hanzel Rey Aguidado. Truly, teaching is a noble vocation that's beyond monetary equivalent.

Dynamic leadership involves commitment, selfless service, far-reaching vision, and untiring support to the needs of the students to enhance the learning process. In one side of the wall of the administrator’s office, we observed some reference books and science-laboratory equipment that were neatly placed. “I have solicited these from friends abroad, they’re alumni of the ANCHS main campus,” Mrs. Lasquite declared. Her office also doubles as a small library. 

She hopes that next year they’ll be able to have their own buildings that will be erected on the vacant lots at the back of the building they’re in today. In warm candor she related to us the many difficulties that a student must hurdle from that barangay just to finish the years in high school if an extension high school was not opened in the locality. She narrated the hardships that she personally had undergone every day as a high school student, from this barangay to the town and back. Interesting! We learned that she grew up in this barangay and was the first SK chairman elected. Later, she became Alimodian’s first SK Federation President by virtue of succession when the elected SK President passed away in an accident soon after the election.

We had a nice time taking pictures of important structures and areas around the barangay until it rained. Truly, one firsthand experience is more than enough to prove what a day of conversation nor wordy descriptions cannot express.

After almost an hour of not even a moderate rainfall, school grounds were flooded. Mrs. Lasquite ordered that students be allowed to go home. Some students left their bags and books inside her office cum library. The teachers wrapped their things in plastic bags in preparation for the rainy trip to town. Most of the teachers were from the town and they said, “It is best that we all have to leave early.”

Despite the rains, we went our way back. The motorcycle has to go slower because the road got slippery and soft. To our right, the river has already risen to a height that covered the rice fields (or was it kabaludan?) To our left, some houses were knee-deep in water too. It must have been the inefficient drainage system. We  saw that the road maintenance was not even good. Water from the higher grounds flowed through the middle of the ill-maintained road.

The worst part was when we reached the Siwalo (3rd) Creek. Several folks were already there looking on the creek. Then I saw that they were not mere bystanders but they were travelers stranded because the creek has become impassable. Water rose and the current got stronger making it dangerous to cross. Someone explained that the water of this Siwalo Creek is the convergence of two smaller creeks from the town of Maasin.

We all have to wait for over an hour for the water to go down before someone took the courage to feel the waters. When, finally we did cross, we have to take another route. This time it’s longer because it wound through the areas near the Municipality of Maasin towards the town of Alimodian.

Looking back, visitors may view Barangay Dalid either way as a growing local government unit with many potential professionals that may bring progress, or, as a place so hampered by many obstacles that growth comes in so slow.

I remember the times when my daughter was faced with difficult choices where she will declare: “There are two Chinese characters that mean opposing situations. It can be read sa ‘trouble’ or it can be taken to mean ‘opportunity’. Today, it’s my choice that that will matter."

So the place may be far but the people in that place have always an option. That is, to let it stay as it is now or to let it move forward to progress. Their choice will really matter

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.

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.

“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!

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

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.)

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.

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.

‘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.

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

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.

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.

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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