after visiting Bugo San remigio, i was touched to penned something!

Frank Typhoon

The cold of the night passed reluctantly, leaving its houses in shivering, and the rain permissively swept through its bamboo wall, rushing towards the ground while the rays struggling to passed through in between its plate, revealing that it’s new morning and the rain is happily gone.

It was about 5:40 in the morning that I woke up sweetly from the busy night, listening to the whistles of the winds and unstoppable firing of rains all over baranggay Bugo.  As I noticed the fresh air of the rice field exchanges to the forest air, I was eager to push my body from the mat while mama kissed me, for she will be leaving, going to San Jose. To see uncle Peryong and borrow money for the triple 14 fertilizer to recover the lost fertilizer that did the heavy rains carry. Papa was already in the fields, I saw him very early checking, holding a stick and making holes to let the water flow to the lower fields. Mama told me that I have to take few camote for the breakfast. She raises up the “kararaw” showing where she hides them and told me to get some in “dapog” if ever I need more. She told me also not to leave papa alone and I need to watch him, and simply nodded my head. I know mama at her 38 still thinking that papa is making love with Aleth our neighbor “laon”, for papa would often like to stay in the little “payag” and he let me play with my playmates Rayr, Jella, Emo and Gigi in the “balsahan”. I saw once, papa was with Aleth in heavy conversation. I know that they were good friends and nothing bad happen of which mama falsely thought. I was awaken onetime from their arguments the other day about Aleth and him, mama believed Papa was with her the other two nights together with Stephen, and papa was drunk with tuba. Mama afraid at first to be with Stephen, for he is “babaero” and I agreed with mama for I saw Stephen one time with Izay making love and I wonder for it because he is married with Prettylee.
Papa was still very busy; he removed few unwanted branch that fell in the mud which blocked the growing greens, he felt sorry for what he saw, few greens where drowned and flunked in the mud and looked very pensive to his two block rice- field.
I did not stop looking papa through the small holes from my sleeping mat, until his image is blocked with the bamboo. I feel lonely again for mama is gone very early and I’m eager that the hour would run very fast so I will have mama at lunchtime. I looked at the clock, 6:18 am, and I heard of noise like a running thunder. At first it sounds like water falls and suddenly people where shouting. Calling names, calling their love ones name, calling at distance, shouting at a distance.
“Hurry we need to move”…shouting all over and over and I heard people crying. I moved very quick to look for papa, and at the back of my mind I was thinking of mama was still near the bridge crossing toward Bagumbayan. I saw papa running very fast towards me, and he grabs my belly, we moved to our house and put me near the door.  He said to look if the danger is very close to us. The water is already in my feet, they are very cold and dirty. Papa was looking around for the things he could put to safe. He moved the box, with Tanduay print on it, I saw him rolling pieces of paper and put some on it in his belly under his cloth. He took also a plastic bag and put some clothes on it. I was shaking and was very afraid, I know now that there is flood coming in the baranggay. People where very busy, running, starring and staring around. Some would seems moving up to a higher place, some where in the roof, and suddenly went down.
Water is leveling very fast from my feet to my hips and it’s very cold and dirty. I saw few things floating and I saw the kararaw start moving towards me from its place. I shout papa we are in danger, and he grabs me to his shoulder we move very quickly holding one piece of camote in my right arm. Papa was able to manage getting away from the water, which was in his knee level. Papa runs very fast and I saw people all around running too very fast, towards the mountain. Papa knew that we would be safe in the mountain. Some families and I saw Gigi and Emo where already ahead of us near the mountain. The rains start pouring down. Painstakingly, people where able to manage and were able to climb to the safest peak of the mountain. I saw the water covering the roof of our house, the floods running very furiously, without thinking of any direction, as long as he could freely runs, smashing the trees and rocks, roaring and roaring, and curling down to the bridge. I saw the floods where leveling so high and getting stronger and stronger and engulfing any object he passed. I saw papa was crying, but I could not see his tears, which was mixed from the water of the rain. I know and I feel he was, I’m sure he was thinking of mama, he embraced me and make sure I’m comfortable, his body give me little warms as I started to eat the camote. I share it to papa but he smiles, he has sad face of which I could see in those people near with us. The trees alone gave as the shades from the rains, of which leaves where already blown by the heavy winds last night. The old woman near us was crying, complaining the roots of all these, was cause by Typhoon. Frank. We were watching how the floods destroyed the bridges, houses, and anything he could hit. I saw people weeping, every single minute, their houses were sunken to the floods and badly the floods eat it completely, breaking it into smaller parts.
Papa put me under the big branch and he let me sit. He told me to hold in the wood. He was near to Tumandok and start conversing. They relationship was in distance before and I know papa hates Tumandok and now I was surprised, it seems they were very close friends.
Papa was worried of mama, he was trying to reach a very fresh news from the other sides, making sure if mama was safe and alive. There was news of woman carried by the floods near the bridge. Some where crying again, and looking for there missing love one.
Almost hours of staring around, staring in different direction, staring down, looking at the other side of the mountain. Suddenly the water gone and leaving the entire place empty, the rice fields where gone and transform into river, as if a hundred years river was formed there.
People started to move back from their house but they could not find, surely one could not point out, the exact place without thorough investigation or by simply estimation.

People busy clearing out there own house, logs scattered all around, and that house remains and had survived like bones in the mud.
Papa was crying a loud, we could not find our home our rice fields, but a river in it already. I was looking at him silently and sitting in the wood that crushed into where my sleeping room was located. I complain to papa, asking where is mama now? Would she be back and so we could eat our lunch together?
Papa was hopeless and feel so frustrated, he look at the sky and pointing his finger up in the heaven, and knelt down.
I run and weep silently, moving closer to the river, shouted “Please return my mama, why did you took her away”. Then papa draws me away from the river, we walk around and papa was still hopeful that mama was in Bagumbayan and that she was a safe refugee in San Rafael. A confirms news about a woman that carried by the flood near the bridge was true. Papa and I believed it was mama, that it was mama near the bridge. The Baranggay captain called us to stay in Bugo Elementary School as refugee’s center. We move there merging with other hundred families. They provide little foods and water including cloth. We slept in the floor, no mosquito net, no pillow, but an old wet rug we found scattered around. A day passed, papa proclaim mama is in the list of missing. It was very sad moment, but I’d learn at my age to be strong. I’m going to ten of July 13, and so I need to be strong and be able to live in normal way like any other boys around, whom had suffer same from this tragedy.  I meet other young from the same baraggay but have not seen them before. They are so sweet and friendly. I meet Theresa and she is as beautiful as Gigi, she is so sweet and friendly, she offers me a piece of bread. Mama would prefer me to stay at home and just play with my regular friends so I have not discovered that a beautiful Theresa existed in our baranggay.
    We play around and building castle from the mud, together with other friends. But I prefer to be with Gigi, not because she is beautiful and true friend, it is because I love her.
Two days later Gidi and Emo was taken by there relative and they move to San Jose, there they will live a new lifestyle, away from this hopeless and hungry land. I felt very sad but still I had no reason to hold them, especially Gigi At first I was so selfish to let go of her, but I look at her future would be much fruitful than living in the way we looked at.
   More than a week passed, I used to stay in the refugee center. The way of living was not just an ordinary, it was a common, seeing same friends, people, and all are almost hungry, having difficulty of seeking and finding new house, asking for donation and waiting for people who bring us foods and cloths. Lucky for Papa was industrious and innovative. He built a bamboo raft, as the only means of transferring to other mainland if the flood is so strong. He earned money in to it. He stays often at the rivers managing his raft together with Civjun and Tonzie.
    I don’t have mama anymore, and that I have to be innovative as papa, I must live and learn to love normally in spite of what had happened. Though days are so fast and today is a new day of my life. Today is my birthday, and I’m ten. The crowds where very busy, I’m sure special things came in for us. A hope is shining and glimmerings in to my horizon that we will have new and better place to live, more foods and clothing came through my mind. I use to count the goods and blessing of which people in our baranggay received. Now I was thinking ahead of same goods.
    Finally a group of generous guys came wearing black t-shirt with big letter K. They are so friendly and seems caring guys. They brought plenty sacks of goods. They are stranger to me, and I remember mama said to be always away with stranger people. People whom tent to be good to you and that he has bad intention, I should be much careful to it. Perhaps these would be true as what mama said to me. One guy from them was looking at me and wanted to take a picture. He took a few shot to other kids around and is very much friendly to them. I hate him for he wants to shot a Picture to Theresa. I don’t want my friend to be put in newspaper or somewhere in a magazine like what my mama use to read.
He turned his back and I can hardly read the print of his t-shirt. www. Kinaray-a.com, ….reuniting all antiqueño all over the world……

  He wanted to take a few pictures for me but I hide. I kept my self away from
Them and in the corner I sat in the broken chair. I was watchful to their actions, I fear at first for I thought they would drive us all away from our land. It took them an hour to distribute the goods equally. I heard of the captain said there are more than five hundred families that in needs and the group feel sorry, for they can provide only two hundreds plus. Their team leader decided to distribute it to everybody, one pack will be divided to two families as to catered. Every body was happy in our baranggay and that the group too was very glad to see our situation.
   After lunch the Kinaray-a group went home. I followed slowly at their back, slowly they walk in the dried river, a weeks day old. Papa was happy manipulating the raft, and the group landed to the other corner of the river safely. I was happy, very happy looking at them, while they enjoy much of my papa’s invention.  
    I’m sure as its member disappear from the river, www.kinaray-a.com would remain forever, not just in my mind and heart but to those people whom he make them happy whatever typhoon may come in their life. Frank is just one which make me strong. Life is full of adventure and its sweets and sad memories nourish its maturity.
    Then minutes of waiting, while the group finally disappears, I saw mama coming closer. I was very happy to see mama alive as well as papa.

	1. 18-07-2008 11:39
	abuh dong nami nami imo story ba ... weeeeee ... ra tana ... hahahahahahaha... Registered Report

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