last APE, I have exerted more effort to do physical exercises. I do
jogging during week days and do long - ride mountain biking every
Sunday.
But this Sunday is a special Sunday to me. While I was on my way to the
mountains of Busay (Cebu) hoping to strengthened my heart by this
exercise, instead, I personally encountered a heart-breaking scene that
changed me.
I already passed the Marco Polo Plaza (formerly Cebu Plaza Hotel) when I
decided to stop to buy bananas at a small carenderia (local fastfood)
located along the road. I haven't taken any solid food that morning so
I need fruits to have the needed energy to get to my destination -
the mountain top.
I am almost done eating with the second banana when I noticed two
children across the street busily searching the garbage area.
"Basureros" (scavengers) I said to myself and quickly turn my attention
away from them to sip a small amount of water. I cared less for these kind
of children actually; to make it straight, I do not like them, and I do not
trust them even more.
You see, several times I have been a victim to these kind of children
who are pretending to be basureros looking for empty bottles and cans
when in fact the 'palangganas' (wash basin) , 'kalderos' (cooking pots),
and 'hinayhays' (hanging clothes) are their favorites.
I remembered one afternoon while I was watching a Mike Tyson fight when
I noticed that the TV screen suddenly became blurred. I checked outside
and saw two young basureros running away with my newly installed
antenna.
Hatred may be a little bit stronger word to describe my feeling towards
these basureros, but I do not like them honestly not till I met these
three children.
I was about to embark on my bike again when I heard one of the two
children, a girl of about 7 or 8 of age saying aloud to the other , a
12-yr old boy , " kuya (older brother) si dodong kuha-a kay nag-sige'g
tan-aw sa mga nagkaon, mauwaw ta" (kuya get dodong coz he is staring at
those who are eating, it's embarassing), only then that I noticed a small
boy standing near to me biting slightly his finger. He's a few inches
shorter if compared to my 5 years old son (but I knew later that he's also
5 yrs. Old). Though he did not ask for food to anyone in the carenderia,
the way he looked at the customers who were eating, enough to convince me
that he intensely craving for it. The older boy then quickly crossed the
street and gently pulled out the little one who politely obeyed. As I
watched the two crossing back the street to the garbage area, I heard the
tindera saying " Lo-oy kayo nang mga bataa uy, mga buotan ra ba na"
(it's pity, those are good & well mannered kids). I learned further from
the carenderia owner that the children are from a good family , both
parents were working before , and that their father got a stroke 3 years
ago and became partially paralyzed and their mother died of heart attack
while their father was still confined at the hospital. The parents were
still in their early forties when the catastrophe happened , and the
children became basureros since then to meet their daily needs and for
their father's medication.
Deeply moved by what I heard, I went to a nearby bakery and bought pesos
worth of bread and gave it to the children who initially refused
including the little boy. " Sige lang noy, salamat na lang, magpalit
lang nya mi kung mahalinan na mi" (its ok, thank you anyway, we'll buy
later once we sold our scavenged wares) the girl said to me.
I explained that they need to go home because it started to rain . "
Naanad na man mi ani " (we're used to this) the girl answered again.
Again, I explained that the rain can make them sick and if they'll
become sick there's no one to take care of their father. Upon
mentioning their father,they nodded and accept the bread but I noticed
that the older boy did not eat.
When I asked him if he does not like the kind of bread I bought for them
he smiled but as he's about to explain, the little girl, who is the more
talker of them interrupted, "Domingo man gud ron ,noy, basta Sabado ug
Domingo hapon ra siya mokaon kami ra ang mokaon ug pamahaw pero dili na
pod mi mokaon inig hapon,si kuya ra. Pero basta Lunes ngadto sa
Biyernes, kay klase man, si kuya ra sad ang seguro-on ug papamahaw, kami
hapon na sad mi moka-on Pero kung daghan mi ug halin mokaon mi tanan."
(Today is sunday, on saturdays and sundays, only on the afternoon does he
eat, we're the one who eats at breakfast, but afternoons, only he eats.
But from monday to friday, he's the one eating breakfast because he goes
to school, and we eat only at dinner but if we can sell many of our
scavenged wares, we all eat) she continued. "Ngano man diay ug mokaon mong
tanan, bahinon ninyo bisan ug unsa ka gamay?" (What if you all eat,
just share what you have?) I countered.
The young girl reasoned out that their father wanted that her older brother
to come to school with full stomach so he can easily catch up the teacher's
lessons. "Inig ka trabaho ni kuya mo undang na man mi ug pamasura, first honor
baya na siya" (If he (referring to his older brother) gets a job, we will stop scavenging, he is first honor in his class) the little boy added proudly.
Maybe I was caught by surprise or I am just overly emotional that my tears
started to fall. I then quickly turned my back from them to hide my tears and pretended to pick up my bike from the carenderia where I left it.
I don't know how many seconds or minutes I spent just to compose myself;
pretending again this time that I was mending by bike.
Finally I get on to my bike and approached the three children to bid
goodbye to them who in turn cast their grateful smiles at me. I then took
a good look at all of them specially to the small boy and pat his head
with a pinch in my heart. Though I believe that their positive look at
life can easily change their present situation, there is one thing that
they can never change; that is , their being motherless. That little boy
can no longer taste the sweet embrace, care, and most of all , the love
of his mother forever. Nobody can refill the empty gap created by that
sudden and untimely death of their mother. Every big events that will
happen to their lives will only remind them and make them wish of their
mother's presence.
I reached to my pocket and handed to them my last 100 peso bill which I
reserved for our department's bowling tournament. This time they refused
strongly but I jokingly said to the girl " sumbagon taka ron kung di
nimo dawaton" (I'll punch you if you do not accept this). She
smiled as she extended her hand to take the money. " Salamat noy
makapalit gyud me ron ug tambal ni papa " (Thank you so much sir, we can
now buy papa's medicine) she uttered. I then turned to the small boy and
though he's a few feet away from me, I still noticed that while his
right hand was holding the half - filled sack , his left hand was
holding a toy ? a worn out toy car. I waved my hands and said bye bye to
him as I drove towards the mountains again. Did he find the toy in the
garbage area or the toy was originally his - when the misfortune did not
take place yet? - I did not bother to ask. But one thing is crystal
clear to me, that inspite of the boy's abnormal life,he did not give up
his childhood completely. I can sense it that way he hold and stare at
his toy.
My meeting with that young basureros made me poorer by 100 pesos. But
they changed me and made me more richer as to lessons of life are
concerned.
In them, I learned that life can changed suddenly and may caught me flat
footed. In them, I've learned that even the darkest side of life, cannot
change the beauty of one's heart. Those three children, who sometimes
cannot eat three times a day, still able to hold on to what they believe
was right. And what a contrast to most of us who are quick to point out
to our misfortunes when caught with our mistakes. In them, I've learned
to hope for things when things seem to go the other way.
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