82/100+
Present day
My barrio - its progress is bittersweet. I long for the rivers, the bignay trees, the bridge where one can see the mini falls whose waters flowed straight to the Kutsarita River, where the clear water mirrored the dragonflies and blades of grass, trees, laughter, splashes, gossip, and birds. The big mango tree. The carabaos grazing along the path leading to my grandparents' home. The coffee trees, cashew trees, jackfruit, santol trees -everything was there, even the sampaloc tree. What more could one ask for?
In those days, we longed to be in Manila, to be mapusyaw. Not knowing that the color of our skin is not as important as the values our old folks have taught us. We walked. Rain or shine. Our umbrellas our constant companions. But watch out for BLTB Co. That red giant of a bus that stopped wherever, whenever, and then was gone.
Our roads welcomed everyone, the sari-sari store slowly vanishing in place of discount ones. Fast fashion and fast tools; repair shops are nowhere to be found. And as the river vanished, laundry shops emerged. No newsstands anymore or library. Farmlands subdivided, calamansi trees replaced, and the guava trees? Do children still know how to climb trees?
But I am still hopeful, though miles away. I have to be. My roots are there.
Comments