By the Jal-o River

Answering questions leads to more questions. That is a fact. A fact that only proves that man is a rational being. No other animate being on Earth is capable of that. A few creatures shows retention. But they are not historical being for historicity is not one of their endowed faculties. Only man is capable of retrospection and of getting in touch with his past. Aided by his tools, he can easily go back into yesterdays, at least for the time being, in virtuality. Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity though is a tease for him to attempt at going back into time in his existential form. Be that as it may, let us be content with delving into the Baleten-on's historic past, perhaps to get insights in approximating that better Balete than yesterdays. Herewith then is my additional entry, a follow up to my initial timeline for those who want an airplane grasp of Balete's historic past. My other entries on local history are spread out in the pages of this blog indexed as &q

I found it difficult to decide which is the appropriate title of this article. Initially, I jot down, "Five Stupid Questions a Baleten-on Asks". My better judgment however suggested that it should be in Inakeanon, " Mga Pangutana Nga Masami Naton Habati-an sa Daeanon ". However one takes it, the gist of this entry is the culling of some of the funny bordering to irritating questions we raised up just to strike up a conversation with an acquaintance.    Pa-Kalibo ka? You strike up a conversation with your fellow commuters riding a Kalibo bound jeepney by raising the obvious.   Nanindahan ka? On my way out of the public market one Saturday morning, already burdened by the load of goods I just purchased, an acquaintance approached me with the question, “ Nanindahan ka? ” Automatically, which is equally stupid, out of the lips come the reply, “ Huo .”    ¼ ma’am? A teacher commanded her students to produce ¼ piece of paper for the day’s test. The students chorus

May haeambaeon ro mga katigueangan—nga na-anaran man naton—nga kuno hay owa man kimo it maduea kon magpati ka. Masami ta ra nga hababati-an sa mga higayon kon siin ro pila katon hay guina-pangutana ro rason ku atong pagbinatasan kapin pa ro mga talimad-on.   Guinahambae naton ra masami kon ro isaea katon hay indi magpati sa mga karan-on pareho abi ku pagpatay it manok kon siin ro anang dugo hay atong ipalhit sa bag-ong obra nga baeay. Guinapatihan ta nga ro dugo ngara hay magaserbe nga haead sa mga engkanto o kon sa ano pa rona nga espiritu agod sa rato hay indi nanda pagmalitan ro atong baeay o agod indi mahalitan ro kabuhi it atong mga pinalangga. Guinapatihan ta man nga dugang pa sa dugo nga guinahaead, dapat man nga may atong pangontra sa rayang mga elemento. Ngani nga nagadumog kita kaibahan sa iba agod makabu-oe it bisan sangka dahon it harden nga guin-dekorar sa Santo Intierro. Suma ay de-buenas kuno ron sa panguma, panagat ag negosyo. Magamayad ka man sa amulit kon may i

My attendance to a seminar on heritage conservation last week (March 5-7) in Ilocos called to mind my desire of detailing here the unique architectural design of a typical Benitinanon house. As usual, my excuse for the delay is "the exigencies of life". The workshop up north however afforded me the focus to draw the floor plan of that particular structure. One would be surprised to note that apart from the uniqueness of the house floor plan, many of the necessities therein and the words that described them are strange to the younger generation. Necessities/devices such as " eusong ", " sumwan ", " tadyaw " are now alien to the younger Baleten-on. Their uses in the postmodernized household are no longer required. Hence, the words associated with them die a natural death. Benitinan and some other upland sitios in Balete which by their remoteness remains unaffected by the changes brought about by Information Age play a very important role in bei

March is popularly known in the community as the Fire Prevention Month. Unknown to many, it is also Culture and Arts Awareness Month (NCCA sets in between February and March). SB Patrick and the MTDC have several school-based activities to observe the NCCA mandate. Earlier, I posted a "photo poem" in my FB Account, hoping to heighten local appreciation to the arts and culture preservation. Personally, it was a tacit greeting to a friend who is celebrating her birthday today. I was happy to note later on that some of those who affirmed or "like" the post came up with their Akeanon poems posted in their profile. Yes, it takes only a spark to get the fire going, as a song goes. " Amat-amat ro maberde nga kakahoyan Naeakayan it nanari-sari nga katalinghaga-an Puti nga Kamantigue, puea nga Katueanga Sa nagapamunga nga Bili, ro Pilago naga sinadya. Matin-aw nga sapa Espeso ku ma-silaw nga kapawa Ro gugma ro buot it kabuhi Huo, birthday mo abi Ngani ginaselebrar