By the Jal-o River

My cousins treated me yesterday to a strange mix they called Beer-Brand. Yes, Beer-Brand as in beer mixed in brandy and not Bear Brand Full Cream milk . The concoction was made of a couple of chilled bottle of San Miguel Beer Pilsen emptied on a pitcher with a long necked Emperador Brandy Light (about 750ml). The taste is passable especially if your tongue have just feasted on fresh oysters (talaba, taeaba) and steamed angel wings (diwal, diwae). The oyster is grown down the Jal-o but the angel wings are long gone when people started felling and destroying the mangroves. My cousins were just resourceful in having angel wings and oysters for bar chow (pulutan, sumsuman). I seldom pay my parents' ancestral home a visit these days. I was prompted to trace my path there yesterday to pay my homage to my aunt who passed away at the age of 85 last January 25 in Hermosa, Bataan. Her remains was airlifted the other day and is set to be buried at the Calug-a Cemetery on Saturday, just a

My camera retires. And I don't have extra cash to buy me another. But I do have in my old journal some of my studies in pen and ink when I was still in the seminary. I suppose they would do to bring in variety into my blog. So I scanned some of them in my All-in-One HP Deskjet F4185 printer (which I just learned to be no longer available in the market) and edited their set up on Adobe Photoshop CS3. Of course, I learned the ropes through photoshopessentials.com 's tutorials and trainings for adobe photoshop. Those sketches, I did while having a retreat at Villa Consuelo somewhere in Novaliches sometime in April of 1992. The retreat house was being ran by Augustinian Nuns (Order of St. Augustine) and our Retreat Master was the former Rector of the University of Sto. Tomas, the Rev. Fr. Norberto M. Castillo, OP, Ph.D. One of the "mantra" (if that word is acceptable to my mentor) he gave us during the two-day

When I was researching about local history at the National Library of the Philippines and the Thomas Jefferson Cultural Center in Makati, I was particularly ferreting for those bundles of Executive Orders issued by then Gov. Gen. Francis Burton Harrison . That search led me to the National Historical Institute and the National Archives of the Philippines to no avail. It is a known fact that Balete was reverted back into a mere arabal of the newly created Municipality of New Washington in 1904 and was supposedly reestablished as a full municipality in 1920. Textual analyses will prove this assumption even without the support of documents factually stating the organization of my town. Nonetheless, I am intrigued of having a copy of such executive order to serve as reference point in coming up with executive proclamation marking the foundation of Balete as a municipality during the American period. Now, all of a sudden, by just tinkering on my laptop and by just "goggling" about

This morning is unique on its own: a cloudless bright blue sky, silent surroundings and a ceremony of black birds busy on the yellow berries growing beside the spring. On my own, I went about inspecting the orchard and notice a couple of overripe magnolia jackfruit rotting underneath their respective trunks. I took them one after the other as presents to Maurine and Presidia, my wife's pet swine. They were so excited gobbling them that they failed to thank me for my kindness.

Consider it a revolutionary perspective. It dawned on me that the data--the books, manuscripts, studies, etc. that I have been consulting vis-a-vis the reconstruction of local history are one sided, if not, ignorant of the real issue why there were sporadic revolts during the Spanish and American periods. For indeed, they are works of collaborators and sympathizers of the foreign occupants. They failed to see the sides of what they called " insurrectos", "bandidos", "tulisanes", "babaylanes" , etc. There could have been some skirmishes that took place in some hills of Balete. But definitely not against the guardia civiles or casadores . But rather against the Americans. The Pulahanes could have been the ones responsible--the so called " Remontados " who chose the hills rather than the lowlands. Maybe Gallardo and Maraingan as well as Bernaldo were part of those...maybe not.

A few moment ago, the solitary Kingfisher I always watch within the orchard area of my place was perching on the bench where I sit now. It flew away when it noticed my entrance. Perhaps it was afraid that I am out to do it harm. But no. I didn't and never will desire inflicting harm on such mystifying creature. Such speaks to me of meaning, of dream, of God. Besides, b aka may pipit na umiyak . Ah, there it again on the pylon wire passing across my place. Birds are symbol of freedom, of journey, of vision, of dream, of meaning. Their presence in this garden is a welcome treat to my curious mind. Questions? Yes, there are dozens of them stored in my head. Answers? Oh no, I doubt not a single one. Just more questions puffed up if I brave myself giving even a single answer. Opinions? That, I can assure you that I have lots of it.

The call to revive the Death Penalty is echoed on the marbled halls of congress once again. Somehow, the perceived resurgence of heinous crimes with the burning of a prominent lawyer's son being the example is made as springboard by advocates of Death Penalty. In some point, I can repeat the words uttered by one of the relatives of Evangelista (another victim whose death is similar to that of Lozano) and call the perpetrators, " Monstrous murderers ". Yet, deep in my heart, I don't have the guts to cast death on someone (Can't even disposed of a stray cat which has been stealing foods on our table, which I bet is doing great injustice to my family). While it is true that anyone can blow up on evil deeds brazenly done right in one's face and say with Frodo : " Now at any rate he is as bad as an Orc , and just an enemy. He deserves death. " There are those among us whose vision is wide and far and whose wisdom deserves due consideration. Take for ins

Love is gentle, love is quiet Like any distant star; In loving by which we approximate the nature of love, we do not coerce those we love—as much as possible we give room for freedom to grow and respect each other’s independence, i.e., each other’s time of searching. In loving, the lover is like the distant star, manifesting his presence and yet quietly, not trying to obstruct or block the path of the beloved. He stands besides quietly assuring her of his gentle presence and constant attention. Love is beauty, love is music Soothing as night winds are. Lovers are enchanted by the wonders of creation. One who is in loved would often quips that everything seems beautiful and that “ life has music, rhythm and rhyme” –which actually is. Somehow, love enables man and woman to see reality as God sees it. As even in times of trouble, loves comes like night winds, soothing our weary mind and aching heart.

There was a time when I was wishing Middle Earth is true. I dreamed a number of times that my place in that dimension is in a dale frequented by elves singing songs and dancing merrily one midsummer night when the moon was full. Wild flowers grow and in the stead of the highway cutting across it, a river flows. The dews on the leaves and the crystal water flowing on the rapids are reflected by the moonshine proclaiming a festive celebration of life intertwined with Mother Nature. In my pad, vines hang about forming a natural decoration among its corners and spaces. Even then, the green seems monotonous until the day you come along with your aura of freshness. Your eyes are stars and your lips are red roses. Your ethereal presence brings light into the shadowy corners of my life beckoning me to come out and dance with the glory of all creations.

The frenzy is on the streets of Kalibo again. And Balete is invited to join the revelry. The organizers have decided that for this year's Higante Parade , the theme delves on the fantastic and the mythical. Now, such theme is definitive of my town. We have long wanted to portray it as the Enchanting Balete and not as some dreadful, creepy town people feared about. Patrick (SB Patrick Lachica) has constructed a gargantuan elfin lady to symbolize the reinvention. She's not a white lady (the one often associated with Balete Drive and some other place where bad spirits reside). She's a Taglugar , an elemental who serves as guardian of our forest (much like Maria Makiling ). Thus, the loggers and those who chose to exploit our environment for selfish motives are forewarned:" Pagpanabi-tabi, basi hipamaskan ka ." Our standard would be, "Enchanting Balete" for henceforth even as we continue to rally our town, " Hala Bira, Balete !" And may I offer

I was once asked--no, was forced actually, to sing one of our songs in an international gathering (in the sense that with the group were a couple of Hispanic nationals, a Tanzanian and several Filipinos from all over the country-Bisaya, Bicolanos, Karay-as, Warays, Ilocanos, Tagalogs). The agreement was that each "race" was to sing a song that best describes his culture. Alas, I was the only Aklanon in the group and was compelled to raise the banner of Aklan high among those "kings and nobles". So when my slot came about, I stood up grabbed the microphone and touched their hearts (even if it irritated their ears) with the Ballad of the Mamumugon: Mamugon ako, mamugon Sa baeay it manggaranon Alas Dos ako pakan-on ay, ay Orasyon ako pauli-on. Pag-abot ko man sa baeay Dayon pangayu it humay Ginturo ako ni Tatay ay, ay Sa eusong una rong paeay. Alinon mo rong paeay Eawas ko karon ginabudlay Kon buhi kunta s

( The following was originally written for the Jal-O Agrarian Reform Community Development Plan which was issued on December 2003 although I wrote the article on May 30, 2003. I have it updated in view of the recent development on local history ) One cannot step on the same river twice . -Heraclitus The Municipality of Balete was approximately established in the year 1804 when it was ceded out of the Pueblo of Batang (now Batan). Earlier, it was part of the visitas of the Curate of Batang. By that time, historians referred to it not as Balete but as Jalo or the village near the river Jal-o. The name “ Jal-o ” is derived from the Aklanon word, “ Jae-o ,” a variation of the word, “ Hae-o .” Both mean “big pestle.” The river is named as such for two apparent reasons of which our forebears used to tell us. For a reason, the river is called Hae-o for the fact that viewed from a higher elevation, portion of it winding between the mouths of Panarga and Murao Creek

Antonio and Joy (not their real names)just bought an amplifier as a Christmas present for themselves. They are my neighbors. Theirs is a real big family of twelve and I suppose the amplifier is necessary for them to hear each other. Antonio operates the agricultural machineries of his landlord during planting and harvest season. In the long interval, he takes on some odd jobs in the neighborhood. He's a good and responsible father when he's sober, which is rare. His better half is an ambulant vendor. She sells fish which she takes on consignment from her fisherman brother down the Jal-o River. Those she hawks around early in the morning and hurries home around 10 to prepare lunch for her family. When Balete was identified as one of the first three municipalities in Aklan (this was later raised to 4 with Buruanga joining Balete, Libacao and Madalag) to implement the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program --popularly known as 4Ps ( Pantawid Pamilyan Pilipino Program during the