HOW'S OUR HOUSE - Part 2

After a week wading at the beach, building sand castle, racing with the ghost crabs, and boating; Neil, my brother-in-law, suggested to try another venue like camping in the woods, river crossing, mountain climbing or any other activities like what he saw in the "Discovery Channel." But what he saw were all within our reach that Mother Nature is always making it available for us to enjoy her grace. But we opted to live in a polluted environment. In a crowded place we always raced to exceed and left behind the dirt of advancement for followers to embrace. We decided to go on a picnic at Pagbahan River. It was considered the clearest, cleanest, and freshest water along the rugged and neglected Mamburao-Sta. Cruz Highway and most accessible by van and light vehicles. This is the picnic site we frequented during our high school days, a silent witness of teenage romance and a nature's way to comport humans. We rolled on after buying some stuffs in the market together with our cousin, Lilian and her daughter, Sarah, who joined us in the hometown vacation -they were the subjects of my previous post, "Pagsanjan Falls: The Marvel of Nature." As the family tribe went down the ridge, there were disagreement as to the exact place where to set our tent and these wasted our time choosing the suitable site. We transferred to the other side of the bank and settled under the tree shaded enough to accommodate us. We started the bonfire and cooked the foods while others proceeded to the stream and bathed in a clear and crystalline water. They were shouting, laughing, and enjoying the current and this has been what they were craving for. Suddenly, Lilian heard a shrill sound or it's a mother instinct that something unusual is happening to her daughter. "Sarah? My daughter..." she cried! She turned her back and darted instantly to the stream. And there! Sarah and Nicole were being forced by the swirling current under the uprooted tree, deep enough to gobble them, disappear, and drown. Neil, who was swimming nearby tried to rescue but was also dragged by the swirl and they were three holding on the root branch and were unable to escape the danger. The current kept on agitating them as if they were being pulled down the bottom bed. Lilian did not lost her senses and was able to grab a long and slender tree-branch enough to reach the three from where she stood in the bank. Nicole was first rescued as she was too scared and hysterical for she don't know how to swim and ... then Sarah. Neil was bulky 220-pound and Lilian feared she might be dragged as well. She yelled for help. And that's the time we got to know the real danger they had experienced. After that incident we gathered under the shade and partook the foods. Others were still wading while we discussed how the three got into that entanglement and there was a saying, I recalled, that Pagbahan River takes life every year and now yearning to get one. Then another cried for help! Josephine accidentally stepped on a spiny fish called "Lupo" and she was distressfully in pain. She was hot and shivering.... and we rushed her to the hospital that ended our outing pleasure. Back in the house .... there were so many heroes. "I did this ..... to save her." "If not for me ...." "You were responsible ...." "Bla-bla-bla ...." But, Lilian was the real hero. She should have won a medal for her deeds. A message came in my cellphone: "Goat escaped from fence, crossed highway, sideswiped by speeding truck." It was my brother's goat in the farm. They brought it in the house, cut and cooked. They prepared "calderetta", "pinapaitan", and "kilawen", all native delicacies and said to be health enhancing foods. We devoured, drunk brandy and beer, and all the merriments we shared in our family house by the sea. Read more on this article...

THEY SHOULD NOT MINGLE WITH POLITICS

Priests and nuns are always in the front of conflict and rallies against the Pinoy government. They seldom raised the issue beneficial to the people but, in tandem with the "evil society", agitating the people to fight against the duly constituted authorities instead. But they are good in collecting contributions from their parishioners and reaping the profits of their business establishments without paying any tax to the government! They enjoyed all the benefits derived from the state including the rights to be a candidate and be voted into government offices. They are experts in manipulating and circumventing the rules on the separation of the church and the state. They should have been the one spearheading the campaign against drug addiction -which are the menace and the stumbling block of the people's growth particularly the youth- but never you will find or hear from them complaining or rallying in front of Communist Chinese Embassy to help stop the prolifirations of prohibitive drugs...but they are making it a bee hive, swarming, when it concerns the U.S. Embassy. It is time that the state should review the tax perpetual holiday given to the church to alleviate the impoverishment and the deteriorating effect to the people's lives. Read more on this article...

SENATORIAL HOPEFUL CLAIMS THE CENTER STAGE...

And he recited the stage rhetoric like "Hemingway's Robert Jordan, ..." with tears in his eyes and repeatedly clasping his hands on his face...: "I'm doing this for the sake of the people..." and Jordan's "for all the poor in the world, against all tyranny, for all the things that you believed, and for the new world you had been educated into," and he paused, exhausted, and seemingly grasping for breath; Rodolfo Lezado, Jr., former Pinoy Forest Corporation President, testified at the Senate -trying to outdo the state courts- denouncing the participation of a Comelec Chairman on the cancelled contract of government's National Broadband Network project and thereby implicating President Gloria Arroyo's husband in the aborted deal. With his unexpected appearance from political hibernation and resurfaced with the platoon of nuns and priests deserting their parishioners and leading political engagement, conflict, chaos, and rallies against the state; Lezado accused, with heroic posture, the government officials for fixing a deal, bribery, and corrupt practices. In view of his sponsored expose' and by discrediting the Arroyo administration, he was elevated to the political podium and was applauded by a group of presidential wannabees, religious organizations, leftist and communist parties, disgruntled elements, parties not given preferential treatment, and all ill-willed and paid audiences. He was asked whether his accusations was supported by evidence, he cannot produce and empty-handed. But the hearsay he has been expounding is being praised by his cohorts and given media mileage. When he was interviewed and confronted with whom he accused in front of the camera, ABS-CBN "Harapan," he complained he was just wearing t-shirt while the others were in 'barong' and well-dressed. Lezado's purported crusade culminated to oppositions' organized rally in Makati last Feb. l5, 2008, demanding Arroyo's ouster, chanting communist slogan, priest and nuns' prayers for delusion and political catastrophe, and enticing every Pinoy to junk the democratic institutions. But the oppositions' concerted efforts failed to muster the people power they had been mending for years to force their hidden agenda of power grabbing. They cannot wait any longer until 2010 election and submit theirselves for a pair people's scrutiny and selection processes. They have created so many issue and disinformation campaigns to force Arroyo's downfall and the Lezado's discordant, haughty, and obscured testimony were their latest clown. A ploy in exchange of a senatorial slating. Read more on this article...

HOW'S OUR HOUSE

Our family house was scheduled for blessing the other day, January 23, and I was obliged to join the family going to our hometown, Sta. Cruz, Occ. Mindoro. Since my two sisters, Myrna and Enor together with their husband have just arrived to Manila from abroad, they decided to proceed to our hometown in advance. They were accompanied by my brother, Noli, with his family and oversaw the preparations for a modest celebrations and thanksgiving. I was not able to join the party --my daughter, Myla, was scheduled to go to Singapore for a company meeting and I was to assist and drive for her to airport some 30 kilometers from our residence in Laguna-- so I followed the next day driving alone through the stretch of the highway going to Batangas Pier. At the pier entrance, I was required to observe the rules, pay the terminal fee, security check, and passenger registration --being a pier of international standard-- and got ready for boarding. I got in at 12:00 noon, Jan. 22, in a Montenegro Ro-Ro Ship (Roll-On, Roll-Off traveling by wheels) and securely parked the car to withstand the wave shaking and proceeded to passenger lounge for some snacks and a perfect view of the sea. After a light snack and sipping a hot cup of coffee, I positioned myself in an unobstructed view portion of the ship --with an aura of a Titanic experience-- and enjoyed the freshness of the sea, the breezes that engulfed my whole body inspite of the warm rays of the sun. With this reinvigorating experience extended by the warmth of the sea, I enjoyed every minute of my stay in the upper deck. We passed by the strait between Bonito Isle and Tingloy Island, the astonishing view of the islet, the coral reef or shoal with the variety of marine species visibly seen in a clear water near Tingloy shore. In not so far western isle was a lighthouse guiding the passing vessels during the night or cloudy weather --how I wished I could jump the sea and swim through the islet and stay in the lonely lighthouse for self-rediscovering, privacy, and retreat. As we negotiated the distance, we got the view of Mindoro Island; the Corregidor, the historic island where several battles were held during World War II; and the Lubang Island, where the last Japanese straggler Hiroo Onoda was found -he refused to surrender, believing the war is not yet over, and hid in the jungle for 29 years until l974. We passed by the row of flying fish and a group of 5 to 6 dolphins playfully leaping up and down in tandem with one another as we slowly left them behind the waves caused by the mild northeasterly winds. At 2:30 P.M., we moored at Abra de Ilog pier at the gateway town of Occ. Mindoro. The tide started to ebb and the level of the pier and the mooring bridge was quite high and I have to cross precisely as the ship is raised by the waves. At first, I dilly-dallied crossing the bridge fearing that I might miscalculate the rising waves unviewed from the garage deck and got stalled on the ramp. I requested the stevedore to watch the waves and give a signal for me to cross. After so many trials and attempts and the stevedore had been prodding me to go ahead, to the extent of him being irritated because of my indeciveness, I switched for the go. At the moment signal of go, I accelerated and successfully overcame my fears and passed the bridge right in synchronous with the rising waves. "Wew! and a sigh of relief." I have disembarked and trekked the land travel. Passed the well-cemented road lined-up with coconut trees and cutting through the ricefield. Sometimes you have to avoid the segments on the road as the farmers were using it to dry corn grain --a hazard on the road when you happened to run over the slippery seeds. I traversed the lowland where it used to be often eroded by flood, but now a well-paved road, then up the mountain passing the Mangyan Tribe Settlements, then slowed down at the capital town of Mamburao. Some ten kilometers after was the barrio Balansay and there starts the long-dusty-rough-road. I haven't remember that this road have tasted the asphalt since 1955 when it was cleared and declared farm-to-market road. No thanks to municipal and provincial officials for neglecting this road which the farmer-inhabitants use to ply their trade and agricultural produce to Manila. This province are now considered the food basket of Metro Manila displacing central Luzon. Maybe no one has brought this dilapidated and sorry-state road to the attention of the national leadership and the do-nothing Senate. I arrived in Sta. Cruz at about 5:00 in the afternoon and was greeted by the family members and closed relatives. All were busy preparing foods such as: "dinugoan, pork-adobo, and letchon" --all native delicacies. These were in preparation of the house warming, the birthday of Myrna"s husband, Niel, and looked like a family reunion, combined together forming a great celebration. The house was almost complete. Only the upper portion remained to be plastered-finished. It is situated facing east with a beautiful view on the roadside much more when the rays of the morning sun reflected from the glittering wall and the stainless roof-gutter. It was considered as the biggest in town and the best designed building presently existing in the area. Inside the house was a very roomy receiving and dining room and separate kitchen. In its ground floor were three bedrooms and a lanai area facing north with a grotto and artificial waterfalls. Going to the second floor was a two-phase stairs with a 3-inch diameter stainless pipe railings, a well-decorated landing, and an ambience of fresh air while ascending to the family room. On the hall leading east, was balcony/terrace with a 4-inch diameter stainless pipe railings and you can view the rising sun behind the silvery white mountain edges. At the back of the family room was also a balcony/terrace facing west where you can view the ever famous sunset along the horizon of the China Sea. You will also admire on this uncovered terrace a view of heavenly galaxies during the night or a crescent moon while savouring the scent of the refreshing sea breezes as well as listening to good music from radio stations directly from Manila. This second level floor consisted of four big rooms, complete with closets, toilets and bathroom each. While it was a vacation house in the countryside, we enjoyed the style of urban classy living in view of its amenities adaptable to ones environs. Just a few walks on the westside was the seashore where we took a jog, swim, and enjoyed the fresh air every morning. This beach is comparable to the white beach of Boracay and with a fine azure sands and clear blue waters. There were no cottage but there were small bancas of fishermen berthing from every night fishing. The complexities of this town's beach which astounded me more were the presence of gold panners mining on the sea banks. I was too curious on how the gold dust abound in the area. The mountains were kilometers away from the shore and in between was the townproper. The folks were saying that the main gold deposits laid beneath the sea and . . ."the gold dust is carried to the shore by big waves during stormy weather", as Mang Bert Salania, a gold panner, shyly attested the folks' claims. I asked how much he got in a day's panning: "I got 5 grams yesterday and a size of corn grain gold nugget the other day," Mang Bert proudly claimed as he continued shoveling the metallic sand to the seashore, a few meters away from our family house. No one has ever explored the shoals and coral grounds in the area and no one can testify the truth beneath the sea which abound the treasures men are obsessed ever since. Read more on this article...

After a quite long vacation I'm back again. So many e-mails have to be answered and read and pondered with. Soon I will be posting again a personal experience from traveling through the sea and it will be my first priority. Oh! I love the sea, breathing the fresh air throughout the day, and throwing my eyes as far as I can see; refreshing my whole inner world with an environment I perfectly not accustomed with. So, goes my life and keep going, my dear readers . . . if there are? Read more on this article...