Family Day
Christians celebrate “family day” today commemorating Joseph’s triumphant liberation of his family from King Herod’s “death squad”. The latter searched for Baby Jesus whom the oracle foretold to be the King of all Kings. Afraid of the awesome powers this “new-born” King may have, Herod ordered the killing of all infants on site, hoping to stop this infant-King from challenging his reign.
Acting like a good father of the family, Joseph saved his family, Jesus and Mary, from the onslaught of a desperate king.
It is from this heroic stand that Filipino families draw its inspiration in taking care of every member of its family. From Joseph’s example we came to regard fathers (or mothers) as the protector of the children who’s always concern is the welfare of the family. Thereafter, civilizations affectionately use the term “father or mother” to mean protector, inventor, provider, savior, succor, etc., etc., ad infinitum, whenever it refers to a person or a person’s act of benevolence.
Quite interestingly, tagaBulans refer to Mayor Baby De Castro, as “May” and to her first gentleman as, “Pay”, perhaps with so much hope that their chosen “surrogate parents” will deliver them from all hunger or at least tide them over to brighter future.
With the operation of the new bus terminal in Fabrica, however, De Castro’s “surrogate” children are reconsidering the use of this moniker. “Padusa ugang ini si Rosa”, says one disgruntled commuter who complained of the higher fare he had to pay a tricycle ride from the poblacion to the terminal.
A businessman who arrived from Manila expressed a similar gripe. After loading his luggage on the tricycle, its driver would not leave until there were at least four passengers, saying a single passenger’s fare could not pay for the gas a trip to the poblacion would consume. To the dismay of the businessman, he had to wait for another hour till another bus arrives so his (tricycle) driver could gather three more passengers.
Porters who live in the poblacion also complain of the added expense of paying for their daily trip to Fabrica and back home.
“Kada pagkadto mi sa terminal mapamasahe kami sin P14.00, iban ini sa kikitaon mi sa pag-baggage, kun may makontrata kami na pasahero. Kaso lang, kada naabot na bus, halos tulo o lima man lang an nagaarabot hale sa Manila, pagbabarahinon mi pa ini na mga baggage boys. Kun wara suwerte, mauli kami wara ngani kita, naggagastos pa kami sa pamasahe magdayo lang sin pag-baggage”, said one porter, “Samantalang san yadto lang sa poblacion an barabaan san pasahero, baklay lang nakatrabaho na kami”, he added.
“Hanggang alas-otso man lang an arabutan san hale si Manila, pagkatapos sini wara na biyahe, balik naman kami sa poblacion basi maka-baggage naman sin mga epektos na indidiskarga san mga trak sa mga panindahan”, another one explained, “Diyo-diyo na ngani an kita namo, iibanan pa sin pamasahe makaabot lang sa Fabrika, nano an luwas namo? Rutoy! Marasapa ini si Pay mao ni May kay inpapasakitan ugang kami. Padusa talaga ini si Rosa, an sadiri lang nira an iniisip”, he concluded.
In civil law, a person’s diligence is always equated to that of a “good father of the family”. Meaning, a good father of the family will always think of his children’s welfare over and above his own. But in the case of this controversial terminal, the conjugal concern of these “mother and father” of Bulan seems to be for their own family only, unmindful of the hardships their project has brought to the people especially to those who could barely survive their hand-to-mouth existence.
Bad enough that our local government could hardly provide new jobs and/or opportunites for the growing number of starving families in Bulan, Her Highness Marie-Antoinette would rather “give them cake” or worse an overpriced Centralized Bus Terminal the only discernible benefit of which is raising the real estate value of De Castro’s agricultural land.
And if you think that is all, this P80 million peso infrastructure project will soon be the exclusive private property of Geming and Rosa De Castro the moment they (Geming and Rosa) themselves decide to use this property for purposes OTHER than a bus terminal. A condition they so conveniently slipped right under the noses of our honorable members of the Sanguniang Bayan (with the exception of only one, Kagawad Roberto “Bobby” Que) providing for the reversion of the “donated” property to its original owners, the heirs of Manuel G. De Castro, foremost of whom is Geming and Mayor Rosa De Castro.
In the spirit of the season, I tried to desist from writing a “gloomy” piece like this.
However, we all know that Jesus Christ, who was sent by His Father, came not to sing praises to those who are comfortably entrenched in power, but to expose them as mere pretenders to the throne. His mission is to teach them that real power comes not from exploiting the weak, but in serving the needy. In giving rather than receiving. In making us all realize, that a good father of the family does not “abuse his children so as not to demoralize them”.
May we all have a meaningful new year!
January 1, 2008 at 4:29 pm
A Powerful New Year To All!
Mr. De Castro is divided within himself. On one side, he wants to be remembered as the good Samaritan, on the other side he is the Iscariot who thinks only of profiting from the one he is serving. Such a person is unhappy and he ends up violently. History tells us that the higher principles always win in the end.That Judas hanged himself is a manifestation of a crime against higher principles. He ended violently and shamefully.We can not blame Mr. De Castro for his innocence about history- he did not study. He was in effect also innocent about his family’s noble traditions, betrayed even his very own ancestors shamefully. It was his family’s tradition that helped him to the top and made people believe nobility runs in the blood, with or without formal education, and that nobility was on it’s way to Bulan again. But to the town’s disbelief, he had chosen superficiality, cosmetic programs that did not put the town forward in any deeper sense. He can not hide from his ancestors even behind or within his concreted bus terminal or in awards for sweeping the town the cleanest three times in a row. No way, for nobility follows always the same simple principle- selflessness and honesty. No bargain. If your dirt is from within, you would never win being noble three times in a row. So people of Bulan don’t give up shaping our own town, good times are coming.
jun asuncion
Bulan Observer
January 3, 2008 at 3:05 am
Mabikol lang tabi ako Mr Guyala:
Maogma an New Year kun may diyo na pag asa an bulan. Pag asa kay diri kamo tabi nagpapahadok sa pagiging honesto sa pagbatikos.
aram niyo tabi na kun diri saimo pagmalasakit saamo na mga tagabulan na haradukon magsipat sa kingdom nira game-ming nyan tunok sa burak na si rosa, wara man sin makusog an buot sa banwa na macriticize sa kanira pagpapadalagan san bulan town?
Dako dako na pasasalamat saimo kay namuklat an amo mga mata maski diyo pa lang kami na naka-internet- dati pan o butahonon man karami kay daghan an BEAUTIFICATION projects san mga DC urrgghh. An40/80 Milyun na Bus Terminal an pinakamagayun- pinakamahal –
PERO sa mga tagabulan, tama ka tabi wha2 “padusa”!
Haen an danon sini sa mga pobrehon na kaipuhan trabaho para may makaon sa uruadlaw?
Nano an danon sini or CONVENIENCE sa mga naarabot hali sa manila? an magtariya pa sin harayo bag u makaabot sa sentro, mabayad pa sin daghan? Pagharayo sa poblasyon, diri ini convenient. Pag nagdako an terminal, dapat functional man sa
katunayan na buhay baga diri kay danyus o dagdag sa inconvenience, sa pagbiyahe na oras o gastos!
Mao nag-asenso na an lugar (sabi ni Game-ing) kasabay san mas nagbackward an populasyon
(drug addicts, killers, illegal gamblers, kutung-PNPgangs, etc) nyan sayo pa san pagpobrehon san mga tawo na dati na pobre ngani baga..urrghh.
Nano na tabi an mangyayari sa mga pobrehon na ini sa 2008 nyan sa maabot pa na panahon mentras nasa poder ini na mga taktikas DC?
Para Saiyu Pay or May (kunbaga INA or AMA kamo tabi san bulan):
Haen na an mga EMPLOYMENT projects sa mga wara trabaho
insted of FEEDING “cosmetic or aguy” projektos sa mga tawo??
Kulang na sin trabaho (Livelihood sources), hinale pa an pier terminal sa mga isang kahig, isang tuka.
haen tabi an justice didi san amo pagbuhay sa poblasyon. atamana kami PayMay. Amen.
Haen na an mga pulis na nagdadakop (prodebate4 posting didi)
sa illegal WETENG? dakupa tabi PayMay.Amen.
HAEN NA TABI AN MGA GULAY NYAN MGA ISDA san bulan maam? wara na lawlaw, wara na mga isda sa wet market. atug kay pobrehon na an mga pobre, mas nagmahalon pa an mga bakalon sa relanse kay nagkawarara na an mga isda na nagkaralawod san mga paraisda. papan u pa an mga pobrehon makabakal sin sayu na pidaso san isda, Pay May?
PS: diri po kami tanga kun nano kay wara na sin isda sa wet market ,maam.
ayuda na an kaipuhan namo, PayMay. Amen.
May, sabi niyo sa Bandillo RADYO ipapahiwas niyo an wet market sa january? whahaha pls.stop jokinnggg po May.
AANUHON PA NAMO AN MAGAYUN NA WET MARKET KUN WRA NA SIN ISDA SA BULAN? Ayy sus patawada kita sini mahal na diyos. Pls hear our prayers PayMay DC,Amen.
im concerned Bulanon. Nakaimud san daghanon na nagkakagurutom sa bulan.
pls hear our prayers.Amen
January 4, 2008 at 1:56 pm
HAPI NEW YEAR T O ALL
AW MAO, SI PAY NYAN SI MAY PATI ISDA, GULAY SAN DAGAT PINAKIARAMAN? MAPANGADYE NA LANG TALAGA AKO. CONCERNED BULANON BINATI KO NA AN DWBSFM BULAN RADYO.
SINABI MAN NANGAD NI MAYORA ADTO NA PAGPAHIWAS SAN
WET MARKET. NACHECK KO INI NA MGA RADIO PODCASTS SA:
http//dwbsfm.tripod.com. Salamatonon kan Mendoza&Co.
YAHALA, MAOBRA NA LANG KITA PARA MAKABAYAD SAN UTANG NI DECASTRO SA MAABOT NA PANAHON. MS. UNIVERSE NANO SA IMUD MO?
MAUGONG NA PAGSURAT NONONG! SLAMUTONON!
January 12, 2008 at 9:07 pm
atog ka salve fuerte an mahal san mga isda sa relanse. diri na kaya bakalon. nagaaribada na an mga kabungto. baad pa mabati man nira an ato agrangay. salamatonon sa boses ni ka radyo patrol embing kaynaapela ini sa mga opisyales. hahaputon namo an mga dakop na isda kun haraen na an kaurupod nira natigwwara made salve.
March 29, 2008 at 3:32 am
To concernedbulanon:
I agree with you na nagmag-aragrangay na an mga tawo sa bulan dahil grabe na an presyo san mga isda sa Relanse, (sabi sa isla san San Jacinto, “RENALSE” an relanse, hehehe) pero maniniwala ka tabi na an isda sa bulan kapag dinara sa manila san mga fish dealers pag-abot sa wet market mas barato pa an presyo, kaya kapag nag-babakasyon kami sa bulan deri na kami nagdadara sin isda pauli, kay sa paranaque wharf market (along coastal road sa may baclaran) nalang kami nagbabakal sin mga lab-as na buraw, turingan, kanase, sibubog, baraka, etc., atog ka mas baratuhon pa ugang dedi an isda, pero hali ine sa bulan, kay puro thermochest or banyera an insusuludan na may marka na bulan, so hali sa bulan an isda deri mao?….. baligtad ano po, an mga taga bulan nagbabakal sin isda mas mahal, pero an taga manila pagnagbabakal sin isda na hali sa bulan mas barato…. baligtad ano po….
hunahunaon mo baga yun…