"Ako'y isinilang sa isang bayan ng Cotabato,
Kasing gulo ng tao, Kasing gulo ng mundo
Dahil di magkasundo sa relihiyon at prinsipiyo
Nagkagulo..."
I was born in a town in Cotabato
Which is so troublesome, like people
Which is so troublesome, like the world
Because they don't agree on religion
And principles
Now there is trouble...
(translation by the editor)
I am sorry to hear that the singer of the group is already gone, one of the things I did not hear about while I am here in Canada earning for a living. I have that song in a CD BEST OF PINOY FOLK SONG featuring songs by Freddie Aguilar and the group ASIN. Now I can never hear the song the same way again. It is a plaintive cry about the mess which is going on, not only in the Philippines but in the whole world as well. It reverberates the same sentiment in another folk singer's work (Bob Dylan ) when he wrote "When will it ever end? When will it ever end.."
When I went home for the first time after 12 years, one of the first joints I hit was National's at Avenida. I was nostalgic for this place because I used to visit it to browse through their books ( and to enjoy their air conditioning ) especially after school. They had a music section selling audio tapes ( no CDs yet in 1988 ) and when I approached the counter, a pretty salesgirl asked me what songs I wanted.I guessed the local sales girls here are able to spot a balikbayan even at 40 paces. She placed a pile of audio tapes on the counter: all performed by old timers like Ruben Tagalog, Sylvia la Torre, etc. ASIN'S MGA AWITIN NG BAYAN KONG PILIPINAS * was one of them. Undoubtedly, I included the title with the rest of the 15 tapes I bought that afternoon. The salesgirl smiled so nicely asking me to come back. I wanted to, but then "I still have miles to go and promises to keep.." But I did promise her I will be back.
That afternoon, I was a College student all over again. I dropped by Alemar's, Goodwill, then crossed the Avenida to visit Raon ( one favorite spot because of the stereos and records ). I was looking for those LUMPIA** STANDS that sold the rolls for 50 centavos and a glass of coke for 25 centavos..I know there were lots of them in the intersection of Raon and Quezon Blvd. But..didn't see them. I also wanted to visit those surplus stores ( there were a couple at Quezon Blvd when I was a students ).. I loved looking at the titles of those 78 rpm records which were stacked so high and sold so cheap. I enjoyed checking the titles under a light bulb unmindful of the pedestrians and people checking out what's available in those stores..Alas, those stores were gone too.
What can we do? Things change. There is one unchanging law, according to one writer. And that is "things will always change."---#
* SONGS OF MY COUNTRY, THE PHILIPPINES
** EGG ROLLS
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3 comments:
Thank you for bringing back memories of Manila, and the good news Mindanao. Matanog, Datu Sinsuat, Maslog-now those proper names really ring a bell to me. Maslog is definitely a Cotabato-area family name. I remember a Maslog during high school.
There are also areas there, I cant remember but surely Id recognize it when I hear it. And during those times, they were a no man's land. Not only because of the firefights, but of bandits, and you know of the never ending chicken thing? When you run over a chicken, and you because you are a good man, stop and offer to pay for it, the reply would be a million pesos. Why? because that chicken will lay eggs, the eggs will grow to chickens, then so on, till the value would be 1 million, suwerte ka pa dahil hanggang nth generation lang singil nila. It was true in those days. For laughing out loud.
But all in all, Mindanao was a very happy memorable place for me, along with friends and classmates, both muslims and christians. I left it when I went to manila for college. And Ive never again lived there for more than 4 months straight. But with the cellfones nowadays, it's just like a walk to downtown.
Another national figure to come from the same town as with Saro Banares is Alvin patrimonio. He comes from an Ilonggo clan there in Koronadal, we called it Marbel in those days.
But I think he grew up in Manila.
Avenida is undergoing clean-up these days, but of course it's never the same. I would always "see" Avenida, manila as a whole,the same way when I was there during college.
I really wish time will slow down, or rewind a little bit. Funny how we live in our memories, usually the childhood peaking at college, and the time after that are not as striking and exciting. The worries of family and responsibility?
Yes i do feel a certain pride when Timog cotabato is played, and I am even prouder when I can sing it in the Ilonggo version, Ilonggo being the major language in Koronadal.
And tears would be forming in my eyes, as I walk Luneta, Sta Cruz, the ermita, malate area, and really, as Jose Mari Chan's song goes (two of them) There's no rewinding, no replay....Life's a constant change, the friends we know, we meet along the way....too soon the times we share form part of yesterday...
I want to be buried where i live right now, my adopted hometown, for the reason that I have taken my roots here. But I will always be a son of Mindanao. Cotabato will always be my hometown. And Manila, my favorite and beloved place of youth and idealism.
Have you thought of your funeral? Just being sentimental...
Would you live the last days of your life in canada?
I thought of living and retiring in the US too. And I have a very good lady friend there, in the southern part, one that Im very fond of, we almost became lovers, but since I was raised in a monogamous culture, it didnt feel right to be having two loved ones of the heart. We were the best of friends. When my wife died, I could have married her, but our friendship had become so deep it was too precious to change.
God i miss her. she is a typical lady of the Bible-belt area, vocally christian, but not that fanatic. she couldnt convert me. Hehe
I feel guilty, because she never married. But she will always be that busy woman, always helping at her church, tending her flowers at home, and drinking sweet tea, a tea which is nothing but super sugar-saturated tea.
I wish we never die....
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