Letters to EWave: "Palangay sin Dayahan Mataas in Da-han pa Miskin"

TRUE STORY: "Palangay sin Dayahan Mataas in Da-han pa Miskin"

story by: Morning Flower
edited by: the EWave Team

Ha Manila sin Tahun 2009, nakalandu' in sigpit ku, amun pag iyanun in siyn hanggatus pilak patatasun misan hangkapitu. Sa' in di' hikatatas amun hipag sukay daying ha Dasmariñas Cavite harap madtu pa Ofis sin agency namu'...

Ha waktu yadtu waypa pangirab ku sin manga social networking yan, halung bahalung aku sambat sin magpamung.

Tiyahanan ku in katan, in hapdi' iban pasu' hasupaya sadja aku makatulak mari pa Saudi mangusaha.

Hambuuk adlaw tiyugun kami sin ha agency pakadtuun pa ofis sabab kunu' magkawa' NBI. In tiyugun duwa kami iban sin hambuuk applicant iban kura daying ha sug.

Mataud siyn niya, mahayang in kabuhi' niya ha Manila, hawpu'un tana sadja miyanaw na kami pa ofis iban kapag iyan niya siya na in magsukay kaku'.

Nakalandu' in kug ku sabab di'na karagdagan in siyn gigimut ku!

Aykaw na'a masuuk mayan kami pa Baclaran nakatabuk aku TEXT daying ha iban ku, miyukal in dugu' ku pagbassa ku sin text niya, sa' nag istigfar aku! Ya Allah mayta' niya aku kiyabissarahan sin di' mapatut sin way aku nag unu kaniya.

In halawm sin text niya "Kiyugan tuud dang in samal kangug ini nakakita' siyn ku mataud yarina nagpalibre sukay kaku' in luwa'an ini kangug ini!! Bang sadja bukun aku maulung di' ku tuud librehun in binatang ini! "

Apit aku laung makatangis, nangandu'-ngandu' aku pa ginhawa ku...

Bihadtu tuwi' in miskin pagpamung mungun sin awn alta'!

Nagtext aku kaniya balik sin di' na aku magpalibre kaniya! Nagtext aku kaniya sin magsukul kiyahatihan ku in addat niya!

Ampa ku diyuhal in sukay ku pa kungduktul sin jeep, nimaug aku nag us-us ganta' sumakat na jeep harap pa Mabini...

Iyapas niya aku iyasubu niya aku bang mayta' bihadtu in kulibahasa ku. Nakalandu' na in astul ku kaniya.. Mag apas siya kaku' halawm Manila wayra pakialam ku misan da siya madugtul sin jeep. Iyaasubu niya aku bang unu in kimugdan kaku'.

Di' ku mayan katahanan piyakita' ku kaniya in text niya kaku'.

In tagna' namaylu siya bukun aku in piyag-iyan niya ha text! Way aku nagkaiba' sa' tiyagaran ku sin dumatung kami balik pa bay didtu ku siya asubuhun bang mayta' siya nakaiyan bihadtu kaku'!

Nakabaus aku kaniya sin pagtapukan ku siya bang kami nagpapanaw sa' jiyajagahan kura isab siya maulung da isab aku.. Mabuga' aku malawa' siya.

Nakati'mus mayan kami ha NBI minuwi' na kami pa bay, ha lawang pa mabaya' kuna siya gawmutun sampakun amun kakahinang sin kangug pag bahasahun niya..

Ya Rabb panagnaan ku nakapang luray, daying ha kabata'-bata' ku aku in paglurayun pag puhingaun sin panaiban ku...

Hiyawiran kami sin iban namu' applicant nainu-inu bang mayta' aku nagbihadtu!

Piyabassa ku in text niya ha manga iban namu' tagna' namaylu siya sin bukun aku in limut niya, lugay sin lugay wayna siya nakapamung nagtangis na siya, nangayu' kamaapan kaku' asal bihadtu in addat niya manglilimut misan di' mag unu kaniya in tau.

Miyaap ku siya sa' way kuna biyalik in paghayak hayak ku kaniya.

POSTCRIPT: Pangindua ku kan inda' lingkatan yadtu muramurahan napinda na siya. Bukun na siya mangi' addat sabab awn waktu makadugtul siya pa umatu kaniya..Malingkat siya babai sa' mangi' in addat niya.

Reaching out to a forgotten school in the Jolo town

The KES' mentors, parents, and staff had a long get-together meeting before the long holidays last 18 December 2014. With them were the new principal (the previous one retired) and the President of Kasanyangan Association, Mr Rogelio.

Mr Rogelio renewed his commitment to support KES revival initiated by the concerned parents, who were trying to survive amid the onslaught of criticisms that KES was a Ghost School with ghost teachers, students, building, and what not.

And to top it all, KES was reported to have situated in a very dangerous place.

OMG, everything was a lie. The report was only a means to discredit effort to resurrect the school, which was long been neglected by almost everybody.

Can't we erase all the variables and concentrate more about the welfare of the 358 indigent pupils? Let us leave something before we die. Hubris, control, and greed we must forget.

It's not about us, let's remember that. It's about those 358 future leaders. We should not be showing them bad examples.

It's about Zafra who wanted to become a nurse despite her borrowing of pupud pencils from her classmates.

It's about Nurmiya who still goes to school regularly despite walking six kilometers from her home and back.

It's about Angelica who still attends her class despite her dirty and worn-off and torn school uniform.


And so, God bless everyone! Pakamdusun ta pa in pagkasilasa.

Alhamdulillah! Thanks to the One World Institute for the heartwarming promises for the school: a library, four rooms, and desks.

We're counting on that.

Thank you also to everyone, who responded kindly to improve the learning environment at KES. Allah bless po.

When we are done with this, maybe we can then crawl to some other schools who would also be needing a little lift like the Kasanyangan Elementary School (KES).

Inshaa Allah!

Why give when we have nothing?

If there is one thing that I want to achieve in my lifetime is to wake up all the goodness in a person's heart.

Almost daily, I posted in Facebook about things, people, and situations that may arouse people's interest to extend a helping hand. Some people will respond, but most of the times, they ignored.

The golden opportunities to take some actions may not come back to them again, and I am therefore thankful for people who respond positively every time.

For example, the overwhelming support for "Baby Diyang," the child who survived the Eid Massacre in Lumapid Talipao last July 28 this year, was heartwarming.

It proved that people had not gone so heartless that they would continually ignore opportunities to do good things for other people.



But, surely, persuading people to do good things for others is troublesome today, especially from someone who is not so good in public speaking. Whenever I am forced to talk in public, for example, I stammer, falter badly, and would seem to always forget what I would be saying next.



My speeches would always end in a matter of seconds, 30 seconds at most. Then, I'll go back to my seat, my eyes fixed on the floor, my cheeks colored with shyness, my forehead dotted with sweats.

Fortunately, it is not only speaking in public that we can share our love for people, especially those who are needy.

I know, I am also one of the needy, and so I know the feeling how it is to be poor, but I already learn to love my simple lifestyle, away from public attention and scrutiny.

I, and my family of four, live together in my parents' home together with a lot of extended families. Here, we relish the time we share meals, which are sometimes given by neighbors, every day. The “tamban” and the “piyutu,” the most cherished ones.

We relish getting wet inside our home when it rains, and we play on the pool of water while we wipe it away. We relish watching the stars from our kitchen through the holes on the roof.

But despite our poverty, we still try to share blessing with other people, and make a difference on their lives.

My uncle told me once: "Why are you doing those things you are doing? Aren't you needy, too?"

"You should have used your talent for your personal gain," he said. "Why not approach politicians and get a job?"

And so I told him: "How about you uncle? I didn't see you going to your politician friends and ask something for them, too."

He said: "I am shy."

"And so, we are just the same," I concluded.

Doing good things for others may get a little expensive sometimes, and my own income is not always enough for funding our varied activities. But I am still doing it because it is my passion. I just love seeing smiling faces, those little gestures of gratefulness.

But the more compelling reason why I am doing what I am doing is that: I had already received a big chunks of goodness from other people. It is just fitting that I share it to others, too.

In a "pay-it-forward" principle, let the goodness ripples like the waves of the sea. And hope that all people's heart would open up to do good things for others, also.

For after all, helping others is not the monopoly of the rich people. Selfless service for others is sometimes more rewarding than giving your money out.