Today is the first anniversary of Yolanda, internationally known as Typhoon Haiyan, which has been regarded as the strongest of those typhoons that ravaged communities all over the world. I intended to let it pass without so much ado, for after all, most of my trees have never recovered when she battered them last years. My neighbor is still without a decent house to live in--despite the reported many humanitarian aids coursed through either the government or the non-government organizations. But there are those who knocked on our doors today, inviting us to see through the bitter experience that we had last year and reflect on the way we chose as we tried to stand up from its havoc. Ms. Viel Aquino Dee, Vice Chair of Assisi Development Foundation and Mayor Bobby Calizo of Balete, Aklan surveyed the boats made by the fisher folks themselves. The callers are the volunteers of the Associate Missionaries of the Assumption or AMA for short. I know them not personally, but I met ...

Ro pilapil paadto sa Matalinhaga nga Daean Ano pa ron ha.   Bago pa man naka-obog rong mga conquestadores sa suba it Hae-o, rong katunggan nga makaron hay kilaea sa tawag nga Anao,  hay dati eon nga katilingban. Kato nga tiempo, ro katunggan hay baeay para sa mga nanari-sari nga tinuga, makita man o di makita it atong tawohanon mata. Para sa ratong mga tinuga, rong katunggan hay bukon eang it andang ueoli-an, bukon eang it andang daeangpan. Ro katunggan hay tawaya, bugana para sa pang-adlaw adlaw nga kinahang-ean, matawhay nga paeahuwayan, bunayag nga katilingban it tanan nga tinuga kung Makaako nga Kagamhanan. Sa ratong may mga galing—mga pinasahi nga nakig-angot sa Tuburan it Makaako, sayod nanda rong himaya nga nakatago sa katunggan. Naka-intiende sanda ko matalinhaga nga pagsinaeayo ku tanang bagay nga una sa tawaya. Ro tanan, makita man o indi, nagahueag man o nakatanum, tag-lugar man o mortal, sanda ron hay may bugay nga kina-iya para sa padayon nga p...

KANTA KU JAE-O Naga-eumpat ako sa bueogsukan kung Aeatubang Sa ilaya nga akon ginhalinan Sa kabukiran sa unhan pa it Benitinan Kun siin may maberde pang kagueangan. Iba eon ako makaron Ilig ko bukon eon it masueog Kon amat matin-aw pero eaban hay maeobog Bisan pa ako mat a ra sa gihapon. Naga-ilig ako sa dagasanan sa Kipot Sub-eangon ku rong sili pati sa kahoy rong siga ku mga aninipot Iya eon lang sanda mapabilin kumo ginahingabot Sa ilawod nga anay anda man nga palibot. Iba eon ako makaron Ilig ko bukon eon it masueog Kon amat matin-aw pero eaban hay maeobog Bisan pa ako mat a ra sa gihapon. Padayon rong haganas bisan pa sa tig-ilinit Sa kurbada sa may Takasan ni Ambit Sa balsa makaron ag ku baroto anay ni ‘lo Pantit Sa akon nga sueog naga-eupsi ro imo nga panit. Iba eon ako makaron Ilig ko bukon eon it masueog Kon amat matin-aw pero eaban hay maeobog Bisan pa ako mat a ra sa gihapon. Dag-onan ku nga ginadags...

An elementary pupil was tasked by her teacher of interviewing the chieftain ( Punong Barangay ) of a barangay (village). Such is a hard tasked for a toddler in primary education, I reckoned.  But the child was adamant to oblige the wishes of her mentor. She asked her parents for help, who in turn, asked for my intervention. So one fine day, I arranged the meeting of the child and the village official. Their conversation went this way (in vernacular): Q – What is your name, sir? A – I am Roberto A. Cuare. I am the Punong Barangay of Barangay Morales. Q – What is the nature of your job, you being the Punong Barangay of Morales? A – As Punong Barangay, I perform the three-fold functions of the government. First, I am the chief executive of the barangay government. Second, I am the presiding officer of the legislative council, locally known as the Sangguniang Barangay. And third, I sit as the chairman of the Lupong Tapapamayapa, previously known as Barangay Justice, which...

    So that we may believe that God the Father has sent you to shepherd us, we pray for your oneness in mind and heart. We pray that you lead us away from the encircling gloom with your staff and protect us by your strong arms from the malaise that prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.     We pray to Jesus, our Lord, that you parry the confusion out of our tired hearts and that you may win the trust and confidence of those that you pasture.     We pray that the Holy Spirit inspires you to break bread with your brethren and show us the example of how good and pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity.     With Mary, our mother, we pray for all to be sympathetic, to be compassionate and humble in dealing with one another whom we see Jesus in each of them, more so in the poor and the least among us.     Amen.

        O, Ginuo, amon nga Diyos nga Amay, ano kanami tan-awon ro imong mga tawo nga nagakabuhi sa gugma ag pag-ambitanay. Ano ka sadya pamatian ro andang kanta it pag-iegmanghuran ag pagbueuligan sa oras it pagtilaw!       Ikaw ro amon nga ginadayaw sa tiempo ngara it pagbag-o. Kabay, nga sa rayang panahon padayon kami nga ibhan ni San Rafael nga Arcangel sa among nga pagpamanawon sa daean it pag-eigmanghuran kay Kristo-Hesus. Ro imong presensya hay magtao kamon it inspirasyon nga panestigusan rong kamatuuran sa pihak kung pagtilaw it kapurilan. Ikaw ro among kaisog sa pagbag-o ku dapat bag-uhon, rong kaaeam nga nagagiya kamon sa paghimo it tama ag matarong nga desisyon.         Ro Imong Espiritu ro among manuglipay ag kabulig sa pag-abaga ku mga paeas-anon daea ku among responsibilidad bilang mga lideres ag miembro kung Kristianong Katilingban. Kabay, nga padayon imaw nga mag-tao it kaaeam ka...

Anu pa ron ha. Si Baeägtingaw hay namunit sa sapa. "Sin-o ro nagapamunit sa a'ng sapa?" Ro Muwa nangutana. "Ako, si  Baeägtingaw!" sabat ku mamumunit. "Adtunan ko ag itikon si Inang mo." paandam ku Muwa. "Adtuni." sabat ni  Baeägtingaw. Ro bantay it sapa hay tumakas paadto sa baeay ni  Baeägtingaw. Idto sa balkon haabutan na si Inang. Dayon anang gin-itik nga nagahambae, "Itik Inang! Itik Inang!......" Si Inang nagligid sa saeog nga nagahinibayad. Nag-ilihi. "Man-o pa ing pagginhawa, Inang?" pangutana ku Muwa sa ina ni  Baeägtingaw. "Makitid eon lang kay sa pasok." sabat ni Inang. Masunod nga adlaw, namunit eon man si  Baeägtingaw. Pero bago pa pumanaw, si Inang anang ginhab-on sa taeägbasan. "Sin-o ro nagapamunit sa a'ng sapa?" Ro Muwa nangutana. "Ako, si  Baeägtingaw!" sabat ku mamumunit. "Adtunan ko ag itikon si Inang mo." paandam ku Muwa. "Adtuni." s...

High tide. Debris of all sort float upriver. Pag-asa refuses to declare that the summer ends today. It promises though that maybe next week--the first week of June--summer departs. The Jal-o at Bag-ot High tide. And the rain pours shower on the arid land. How I wish it is already weekend and I can transplant those three seedlings given to me by the fair elfin lady. The orchard is still a mess though. The weeds are tall and the black-brown coucals (kokok) are still nesting on the thickets. Kokok (Photo credit: Alex Loinaz @ birdwatch ) High Tide. I will remember your time this weekend. My old folks believe that fruit trees planted at your heights bear fruits in abundance. My friend's gifts will have to be replaced on a fertile damped ground at your hour that they may yield great in their appointed time. But I want to be sure. Hence, I shall harvest a few vermicast and spread it out around the holes where they shall be planted. Yes. On high tide this w...

The conclusion of the Corona Impeachment Trial reminded me of a couple of stories told down the Jal-o. These stories illustrate two survival techniques espoused by those who refused any of the principles of life being taught by those great minds that have had walked the earth: Harvesting the produce of the pond Deny Even if You Got Caught.      The fishpond operator is suspicious that some of his harvest are being stolen by an insider. He spoke out his mind in a threatening voice before his turf: Sin-o kinyo ro kumupit it alimago? (Who among you took interest in my crabs?)  Knowing that the operator is a mean man, the honest thief volunteered: Sang saga man lang, Maninoy, ang ginbuoe  (I only took about a kilo of them, my dear Godfather.) The condescending operator thus responded: Gago! Sayod mong saea, akoon mo! (Stupid! You knew beforehand that it is wrong and you dare admitting it!) The produced of the brackish Jal-o ...

My mother used to tell us the legend of Kagiyaw during our tender years. Kagiyaw was a fisherman who made his living down the brackish portion of the Jal-o during his days. By his days, she meant the time when the Spanish colonizers were still arguing whether the world is round or not. Giant Grouper (photo credit: Wikipedia) The story started with a decision. Kagiyaw decided to fish down the Jal-o one morning in summer despite the threat of a dreaded river monster called Kugtong. Soon enough as he was rowing his boat downstream the river, the giant grouper swallowed him--and perhaps his boat. Wow, that's a really huge fish if it can swallow a boat! But Kagiyaw is a hero. So he did not instantly die, otherwise the story would not go further than that. Besides, my mother's story was not a tragedy. It was meant to inspire us despite the apparent tribulations life gives us from time to time. So while in the belly of the giant grouper, Kagiyaw heard a voice of a fairy or a b...

The water is silent. Deep. It betrays movement. It hides the strong current that runs underneath the aquamarine surface. Life sometimes is the water that runs silently. It is a movement; a jibing and tacking of some exiled souls. Tonight, the angel announces: Be at peace, sojourner. Your boat is approaching a bend. For awhile, your are no longer exiled, rowing alone in the river of life. The dawn is about to break. I got for you a boatman who will journey with you to the next embankment. While on your own, follow the North Star. She will guide you in the pitch black of the night as you navigate the shoals and the sandbars. Then on the sixth month of the year, you will be reunited with the boatman of your soul. You shall once again row along with the Katilingban and the boatman will lead you home to your community.

Binakoe is definitely an Akeanon dish popularly known throughout the Philippines as "binakol". The net is rich with information on how it is done but always falls short of its spirit. Most surfers encounter clones which definitely alienate them farther off from its true nature and deprive them of the chance of feasting on this rare delicacy the way Datu Puti had it in his time. Nemo dat quod non habet . That's the rule. Nature without spirit is ironically unnatural. Factual but not real. Bereft of its true essence. Artificial. An imitation. Preparing 'binakoe' without understanding its philosophy is deception. You cannot cook something which in the first place you do not understand. Binakoe dates back to the pre-Spanish Panay settlers when cauldron was a very rare commodity. It has been handed to us by the Ilayanons who introduced us to a couple of variety of preparing it. I for myself witnessed and feasted on them during my visits in upstream Jal-o, not...

I SAW myself by the Jal-o River--or was it the Jal-o? I was into a tribal village where the people that populated the area were skeletal. I wondered what became of them for they seemed lifeless. I sensed though that they're all alive and that something evil ruled over them. So sensing the danger, I fled from their place and continued with my rafting into another place. As I reached my destination, the milieu presented itself as familiar. The place was abandoned for quite a long time. As I surveyed it though, a feeling of déjà vu overwhelmed me. I seemed to recall that I'd been there. Tried as I must, I couldn't figure out when and how. I was awaken by some noise when I was almost grasping that sense of familiarity.  

 THERE have been some animated discussions concerning the effect in the biodiversity of our environment vis-a-vis the introduction of genetically altered rice to supplement the staple food in the impoverished and Vitamin-A deficient countries such as the Philippines.  Its repercussion reached the far flung mountainous sitios of Benitinan and Dayas when then parish priest of Balete, the Rev. Msgr. Pedro C. Frac collaborated with Prof. Dr. Klaus Becker of the University of Hohenheim sometime in 2000. The collaboration brought forth some developments that benefited the people of Balete and the academe, among others was a thorough and insightful look into the aspects of nutritional values of indigenous upland rice varieties grown in Balete and Libacao. Several scholars came over to help out the collaboration. One of them was Michael Frie, a German national who managed to come up with his diploma thesis on the subject at hand. The chemical composition of rice grain identified...