Christmas and the way it should be!

Poverty is no stranger to you: You know its face, its form, its scent!

Living within breathing distance from squalor, you can’t help but get affected. And who wouldn’t if you have a neighborhood like this?







For sure it bothers you. But because you’re not Bill Gates, you think of little ways for them to experience joy and to set aside their misery if only for a day. And this you do on Christmas.

You began doing this when your niece, Maymay, was four years old. Maymay is already a nurse in London and you’re still at it, which means that you’re running it for over 20 years now. Yes, it’s that long; but the euphoria remains undiminished as you look forward to the date---anywhere from 27-30 December---every single year.

For the longest time you shouldered everything even if friends offered to share. It was only later that you allowed them the privilege to be part of this modest project. But through the years, the favored ones remain few: Marilen Ty, Melba Sales through Susie, Rhosalee Vasquez-Espinoza, Irma Maralit-Medrano, and Tita Soledad-Ubaldo.

Being one with the less fortunate kids during Christmas has become your form of meditation, your way of keeping in touch with the eternal child in you. But above all, because God has been ceaseless in blessing you, it’s your way of paying forward.

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THIS YEAR'S HIGHLIGHTS IN PICTURES

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9:00 AM, 27 dec: distribution of used clothing from ms. rhosallee vasquez-espinoza; almost half of the kids wore these clothes to the party in the afternoon.






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just before the program started; 3:00 PM, 27 Dec.











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saying "thank you" to this year's biggest donor, Ms. Tita Soledad-Ubaldo, my high school batchmate who lives in Texas, USA. She sent a boxfull of love, candies,chocolates, toys, school supplies, and many more!
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thanking yet another semi-regular donor, Ms. Irma Maralit-Medrano of Landbank-Tandag.
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chow time with bottomless orange juice!


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more stuff for tykes


Look, 'Nay, got some stuff from Auntie Tita!




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imported school supplies galore!






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Pinoy Henyo




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amazing race for kids


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mad scramble for candies and chocolates


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pabitin for toddlers


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kaliding race


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sack race


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Christmas spelling


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First Prize, Dance Contest


Second Prize


Third Prize
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post-program frenzy





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fiesta ukay-ukay

Time was when people associate town fiestas with attending mass, pigging out “from house to house,” chomping cotton candies, doing the rides and playing games at the carnival. But now people associate town fiestas with pigging out “from house to house,” going the ukay-ukay route, and back to pigging out again.

There wasn’t much good finds at this year’s mound of ukay-ukay. Still I managed to snatch three long sleeves that come in salmon pink, pewter gray and champagne. And there was this blinding white polo with superb button details but contained little black characters like those stenciled on Mahjong tiles. Much as I coveted it, I threw it back because I don’t want to be put in the same situation as my friend.

Let’s just call her Magda. An undisputed ukay-ukay queen, Magda is a fashionista who makes ukay of the whole universe if only to let her friends die of envy. One day she dangles before you a nice scarf she bought for P1 in Bukidnon; another day she fishes from her “UK” sundry bag a cardigan she bought for P10 somewhere in Cagayan de Oro. Another day...you get the point.

That balmy Wednesday afternoon, Magda was bound for Manila and was wearing a navy blue blazer. At Butuan airport's pre-dep, a foreigner approached her.

“From what branch?” the button hole-eyed foreigner said. The ever talkative Magda was taken aback, but only for a sec.

“Excuse me?” she said.

The foreigner smiled. “I’m from the same bank,” he said, gesturing a hand to the characters imprinted near the breast pocket of Magda’s blazer. “From what branch are you?”

“Oh,I’ve long retired,” Magda said and went straight to the comfort room.

nanga wara nay mulahutay pagbilar kuman sa tago

Friends, please excuse my French.

Nan gamay pa kaw, basta musabat si Mama mo nan pangadye mu-awos kaw gayud. Usahay swertehon, usahay sab dimalason. Pero haw dili gani si Mama mo magpa iban kanimo, anay haw uno mo na hibi sa kilid, way gayud kapuslanan kay di gayud mo salir kan Expectacion.

Pero matay haw paibanon kaw ngani, an kalipay mo sangko sa langit; kibale kaw gayud yakadaug nan Lotto agad wa pay Lotto naadi.

Nan Dekada Setenta, lain pan pangadye sa Tago kay magsubwak gayud nan tao an bay nan hintungdan. (Wa pay isab uso yadto nan mag tolda, dihaw haud kuman.) Tapos an pangadye mataasi, madugaye. Kay burayon pa sa kaw na bata nan yadto, di kaw kasabot nanga dugayi matapos si ‘Ya Sola magbasa nan iya libreto. Kay bata pa kaw gud, demodo magdalipasa kaw gayud, labi kay maarangi an tentasyon: an kautoton kaw, an kaliwa tuo mo na pandagpi nan hilam kay paga das-an an imo bitiis; an tapad mo na gaduka na sigen kapakog, an turog sa tungod nan hagdan na gahangad, ukab an bahbah na unsay alikawung nan tinilang na bebe. Laktud, lisudi pag concentrate.

Kada mo utot nan pinahuyanok, sikreto na kubot ni Expectacion sa hita mo. Pag mag dukih-kih kaw kay may imo inkit-an na kataw-anan, lain na isab na kubot, yaon manipis na pagka kibit na muiban an hawak mo haw hain ni Expectacion bitada an iya alima. Pero anguton mo kay pagka tapos gayud ni ‘Ya Sola pagbasa, managingka na sa dayon an mga baso, kutsara, plato. Pasabot, painit na!

Sa pangadye, yaon gayud ngad-on an pinakalami na kape bisan haw “Dragon” da; yaon sab sa pangadye an pinaka lami na budbod, biko, biringhi astan espasol. Inday nanga yaon na tanan ibana sa pangadye lamii sa gayud?

Tapos painit, sugod nan kalbaryo mo kay magsugod na sa si Mama mo pakig hinabi sa iban na manabatay. Pundok-pundok an mangadyi-ay na unsay tae nan kanding, sigen pa mur-ak nan tawa sanan hakhak nan mukuyam-kuyam. Taud-taud magsugod na kaw dayon pag manya: an mangawut kaw nan imo u, an bulikaton mon imo mata, an manghuyab kaw, an mag arihi.

“Amo kay lagi kay imbes dili paibanon, muiban sa gayud.” Amoy laong ni Mama mo kanimo, pero kon imo gayud yaon panalingahan pakadyaw, an iya gayud buot ipasabot amo ini: Pagtadung ngad-on na karaho kaw, haw di kaw gusto na ma bayud iton hita mo.

Mag puyo kaw naa, mag tadung.

Dapit sa kusina, an mga daga sanan mga ulitawo gasugod na pag duwa nan Bordon. Mukadto kaw, mangita. Kay memoryado mo san kanta nan Bordon na duwa, mukanta kaw nan singkitar ga sing-along agad way pay uso nan yaon naadi.

Taud-taud mugawas kaw. Sa kilid may mga babaye, yanag likit nan crepe paper na himuon nan buwak para korona nan patay. Mubalik kaw kan Mama mo, maghagad kaw manguli. Anhi kaw dayon mahilamit.

Hanapan kaw ni Mama mo nan kahigdaan, pero magpisi-pisi kaw, di kaw musugot kay hibawo sa kaw unoy imo dangatan haw mahikaturog kaw---pagmata mo, bunulitan na nan uling an ginawngan mo.

Kapila na lang bombahi an Petromax sanan dugangi nan gas, inpulihan na lang an gasa na Butterfly kay ya takdag pag tugpa nan organo, pero an managdye-ay yaon da gayud gihapon.

Padayon an kabibo nan bilasyon: may yangaon, may ga sugal, may ga bordon, may gahimon buwak, may gatiyaho, may yanagdayang na yagka bulitsing na an ginawngan nan uling, may mga turog na way panghimangkaagan na pagahikot na an iya siki sa haligi nan mga bilyako na yanagbilar, may paga tuytoy na turog. Basta bisan unoy lang kahuna-hunaan na minaldito.

Way bugto nan kape sanan painit.

Pag tugtugaok nan manok, magsugod na an mga tao paghibus hibus panguli. Pero an iban pag sidlit na gayud nan suga mukanaog nan hagdan.

Amo yaon an bilasyon sa una haw may patay. Kumusta an bilasyon kuman?

Kuman haw may patay, an hintungdan dakan gayud an magbilar. Anay pa haw uno mo na bana nan painit, anay pa magpa inom kaw obin magpa sugal, wara nay gayud mulutay nan bilasyon.

Kuman haw may patay, bungkag lapinig an mabilin ayok an pamaagi. Dalikakas an mga manabatay pag uli tagad sayo pa kay mahadlok sa sila na basin silay mahuli pag uli, malugos sila pag bilar kay hingtungdan dakan say gayud mabilin. Amo ini an yahitabo kan Bolon. Paglingi niya wa nay gayud lain na tao gawas sa hintungdan, ug yalugos dakan siya pagpaka buntag kay yasipog siya.

Kuman haw may patay, swerte na gayud haw may lima ka tao na mabilin pag bagting nan alas dosen dum. Unoy kaha rason?

Isa gayud na rason kuman nanga wara nay magbilar tungod nan TV. Inin mga teleserye gayud amoy ga dan tigaw sa pangadye kay dalikakas gayud pag uli an manabatay kay mutan-aw nan tv.

Isa pa, dili na sa lagi kuman mahadlok an mga tao muoli nan silahay da, bisan haw adto pa sa Soong an ila tuwad kay mapawae na sa lagi an dan. Burarati na an suga, di na mistil mag layong pa! Dihaw pareho sa una na malugos sa kaw gayud pagbilar kay hala purbari pag uli nan ikaw da isa haw di kaw lanton nan baboy na badingae kay makig trudin obin makig badu-baduan kanimo. Hala purbari pag uli kon di kaw sikupon nan sigbin kay makig Chinese garter kanimo bisan tugidluman. An labing gayud haw an hinaya yapatay kay in buno, obin yalumos o ya disgrasya. Dilie na manguli an mga tao kay haw aya sila sakpi nan santilmo kay dihaw magsiri-siri sila na unsay binggala na hupas?

An tanan sa gud kuman na may kalambigitan sa pagbangutan sayon dakan. Di na pandayon an kahon; di na huwaton an kabuntagon para ilas-on an minatay; dili na maghimon buwak na crepe paper sanan kinlaw nan sigarilyo. Amo ini an rason naman wara nay managbilar kay wa say ila kudi-kudion.

Swerte pa gihapon an imo henerasyon kay yakatilaw kamo uno-uno an tinuod na bilasyon. Mabibo bisan haw ga uli kaw nan ga bakang-bakang kay an hita mo unsay bayud na caimito nan kinulimutay ni Nana mo.