MY LATEST TRIP TO PANGASINAN-(Part 3)

 
By Rene Calalang
Scarborough-Canada
August 26, 2019
 


AS this trip was neither a holiday nor a pleasure trip, but rather to visit my ailing mother but in law, I, because of some idle moments, used this opportunity to observe the surrounding and the environment; hence, my opinion of Bani was purely my observation. For me, there is only one word to describe the environment of Bani – green.



How green Bani is can be seen in the town proper itself, with massive acacia trees that provide shelter to a vast area dominating the surrounding. I would like to commend the people of Bani for having preserved these mammoth trees and not succumb to the pressure of commercialization, thus saving them from their worst enemy – the chainsaw.

Bani is green not only in the town proper but also outside the town with rice paddies teeming with blooming rice plants; to yards, unoccupied or not, green with swaying bamboo trees, sprawling acacia and mango trees; bushy wild plants and vines; densely planted banana plants; and other medium sized trees like ipil-ipil, kamatsile and others I cannot remember their names.



Along the uncultivated and unplanted areas of the vast rice farm area, I saw some cattle feeding themselves in the pasture area. However, I did not see many water buffaloes, which for me is a good sign as far as farming is concerned, for farming using a water buffalo is an old, primitive way. It is also hard, unproductive and back breaking. You may ask me why? Because I had experienced it, although not to the same scale as my elder brothers. This is the reason why many young men of my generation did not want to become farmers. But with mechanization, I hope this attitude has changed, for farming is a noble occupation and one of the backbones of a progressive nation. With proper farming, and since the whole country is suited for rice farming, there will be no need to import rice from other countries; but rather, we should be exporting it.

ONE day when we were on our way home after visiting my mother in law, I asked Lyndon, the driver and owner of our rented Toyota Hi Ace minivan, “I hardly see any water buffalo here?”

“They don’t use them here anymore. The farmers are now using Kuliglig,” replied Lyndon.

I let go a boisterous laugh. Note: for the reader’s information, Kuliglig is a locally made hand tractor, with metal wheels for making the rice paddies muddy. It is powered by an engine, normally a diesel engine, which drives a pulley. This pulley is then connected, by means of belts, to another pulley that is secured to the metal wheels.

Although not using water buffaloes for farming made me happy, I became sad upon thinking what happened to them? Will this be the end of the existence of this gentle beast? For God’s sake, I hope not. I hope they are still around, released in the savannas at the foot of the Zambales Mountain, with pasture land to feed themselves as well as creeks and rivers for them to bathe and drink. They are our national animal; and for generations, they are a big factor for our national survival, and as such, they should be preserved through sanctuaries scattered throughout the whole country. It will also be nice if we can bring back the animals that once loitered our forests: the tamaraws, the deers…, and give the water buffaloes a company. Ah, what a dream.

Here in Bani, even the yard where my wife’s ancestral home is located is green, Here, I saw trees and plants I can no longer found in my hometown of Malolos - trees and plants like malunggay, ikmo and kamias. What happened to them is caused by the loss of land, as the land where they were once planted, houses now stand.

Here in Bani, like any other Philippine towns, tricycles, jeepneys and mini buses are still the King of the Road – tricycles for transporting passengers around the town; jeepneys and mini buses for ferrying passengers when visiting other adjacent or nearby towns. For trips to Metro Manila, there are buses, normally air-conditioned, emanating from Bolinao. How frequent are these trips, I have no idea.



But the increase of motorcycles on the road was very noticeable, perhaps made affordable by the influx of motorcycles coming from China, which is only one of the thousands of goods dominating the market now - just like many other towns and cities.

ON the second week of our trip, things became better as my mother in law’s ill health, which I could attribute to the loneliness of being away from her surviving children, as none of them live here anymore, had dramatically improved. You see, Maria, for a traditional mother, their children’s presence can do miracles.

This was also the time we can start playing some tennis for exercise sake. No Maria, this was not the strenuous game we used to play, but a form of exercise we can do here and get a good sweat, for it was hot and humid this time of the year here and playing this wonderful game starting at six in the morning for one to one and a half hour was more than enough for us to have a good sweat. It was sweating and drinking a lot of water, I believe will make me lose weight, and hopefully during the duration of my stay here, I had played enough to reduce the size of my bulging mid-section.

And so for the remainder of our stay here, and provided that the court was dry, playing tennis with my brother in law Tony O, in the lone tennis court located besides the playground and perhaps about fifty meters from the police station was indeed part of our routine and was an enjoyable experience even if the quality of the court is nowhere close to where we used to play in Toronto.

But it was not only the amount of perspiration I sweated out that made it memorable, it was also meeting a kid who cleaned the court for us on most mornings, as the court, being surrounded by many trees, was littered with fallen leaves.

One morning that I was on the court earlier than normal, that kid, as usual, was already there, cleaning the court with his walis na tinting (broom made of bundled coconut sticks). He was about eleven years old, skinny, and wearing a slip-on rubber sandal.

And so after he was finished cleaning, I quickly initiated a conversation with him, “What’s your name?” I asked.

“Totoy, Sir,” he replied.

“How old are you, Totoy?”

“Eleven, Sir.”

“Where do you live Totoy?”

“At the STI, Sir”

I was not sure if he was kidding, but kidding or not, I laughed because I know what STI means. STI is an acronym for “Sa Tabing Ilog”, It’s English translation is “Besides the River Bank”. Living in the STI also means living as a squatter.

“Do you go to school, Totoy?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“What grade are you, Totoy?”

“Grade seven, Sir.”

“What do you do with the money we give you, Totoy?”

“I use it Sir for my school allowance, and whatever is left, I give to my mother.”

I was touched by his answer. Here was a kid who would wake up early just to earn a little amount of money – money that will help him in his schooling. Here was a kid who knew what life is and the meaning of responsibility. Realizing what he was doing, I knew he will have a good future, and I just wish that many other kids in similar situation should not lose hope – that in struggle, there is a reward.

Our conversation was interrupted when my brother in law arrived, and it’s time for us to start hitting the ball.

“We will talk again, Totoy.”

“Yes, Sir.”

ASIDE from my opinion of Bani, which is mostly about the surrounding and the environment, Bani has a lot more to offer (mostly about nature like beaches, falls and caves), as this town, known also as the Watermelon Capital of the Philippines, has the potential to become a tourist paradise. Unfortunately, because of the nature of this trip, I was not able to explore any of them.

Here are some, mostly nature related, to name a few:

-          Busay Olanen – a 20 foot high water falls located in Olanen, Dacap Sur.

-          Olanen Beach – it has a pristine white sand beach and crystal clear water which can be enjoyed by young and adult vacationers.

-   Bangrin MPA II – located at Barangay San Miguel, this 42.27-hectare mangrove forest is an awesome destination for wildlife lovers. This place is a sanctuary to 122 species of migratory and local birds.

How good they are, I have no idea. They are for you, the readers and possible future tourist, to discover

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TO BE CONTINUED

Related articles:

• MY LATEST TRIP TO PANGASINAN Part 2()
• MY LATEST TRIP PANGASINAN (part 1)