From a Cebuano, a touching and a worth-living story
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From a Cebuano, a touching and a worth-living story
by J E F F R E Y Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:27 am
The Basureros
Ever since I was diagnosed with having a possible heart enlargement, I
have followed a strict regimen of physical exercises. I jog during week
days and take a long ride biking to the mountains every Sunday.
But this Sunday turned out to be a special Sunday for me. While I was
on my way to the mountains of Busay ( Cebu ) hoping to strengthen my
heart by this exercise, I personally encountered a heart-breaking scene
that changed me.
I had already passed by the Marco Polo Plaza (formerly Cebu Plaza Hotel)
when I decided to stop to buy bananas at a small carenderia located
along the road. I haven't taken any solid food that morning so I wanted
some fruits to have the needed energy to get to my destination - the
mountain
top.
I was almost done eating with a second banana when I noticed two
children across the street busily searching the garbage area.
"Basureros" I said to myself and quickly turned my attention away
from
them to sip a small amount of water. I couldn't care less for these
children, to make it straight, I do not like them and I do not trust
them at all.
You see, several times I had been a victim to these children who are
pretending to be basureros looking for empty bottles and cans when in
fact the 'plangganas' , kalderos', and 'hinayhays' are their
favorites.
I remember one afternoon while I was watching a TV program when the
screen suddenly became blurred. I checked outside and saw two young
basureros running away with my newly installed antenna!
Hatred may be too strong a word to describe my feeling towards these
basureros, but I honestly just do not like them. Until I met these
three
children.
I was about to embark on my bike again when I heard one of the two
children, a girl of about 7 or 8 years of age, saying aloud to the
other, a boy of about 12 years, "Kuya si Dodong kunin mo kasi tumitingin
sa mga kumain, nakakahiya." Only then did I notice a small boy standing
near me biting slightly his fingers. He's a few inches shorter compared
to my own 5-year old son (I came to know later that he's also 5 years
old).
Though he did not ask for food from anyone in the carenderia, the way he
was looking at the customers who were eating was enough to convince me
that he was intensely craving for food. The older boy then quickly
crossed the street and gently pulled out the little one who politely
obeyed. As I watched the two crossing back the street to the garbage
area, I heard the tindera saying "Kawawa naman yang mga batang yan
mababait pa naman." I learned further from the carenderia
owner that
the children were from a good family. Both parents were working before
and that their father had a stroke 3 years ago and became partially
paralyzed while their mother died of heart attack as their father was
still confined at the hospital. The parents were still in their early
forties when the catastrophe happened and the children became basureros
since then to meet their daily needs and the cost of their father's
medication.
Deeply moved by what I heard, I went to a nearby bakery and bought 20
pesos worth of bread and gave it to the children who initially refused,
including the little boy. "Sige lang po, salamat na lang, bibili na
lang po kami mamaya kung makabenta na kami," the young girl said to me.
I explained that they needed to go home because it was starting to rain.
"Nasanay na po kami," the girl answered further.
Again, I explained that the rain could make them sick and if they
get
sick there'll be no one to take care of their father. Upon mention of
their father, they nodded and accepted the bread but I noticed that the
older boy did not eat.
When I asked him if he does not like the kind of bread I bought for them
he smiled and as he was about to explain, the little girl, who is the
more talkative of them, interrupted "Linggo po kasi ngayon, pag sabado
at linggo hapon lang po siya kumakain, kami lang po ang kumakain ng
agahan pero di na po kami kakain pagdating ng hapon si kuya lang po.
Pero pag lunes hanggang biyernes, kasi may pasok, si kuya lang po ang
nag-aagahan, kami naman hapunan lang. Pero kung marami kaming benta,
kami pong lahat (kumakain)," she continued. "Bakit hindi nyo na lang
hati-hatiin ang pagkain kahit kakaunti para makakain kayong lahat?" I
countered.
The young girl reasoned out that their father wanted her older brother
to come to school with a full
stomach so he can easily catch up on the
teacher's lessons. "Pag nagkatrabaho na si kuya, hihinto na kami sa
pamamasura, first honor kasi siya," the little boy added proudly.
Maybe I was caught by surprise or I was just overly emotional that my
tears begun to fall. I then quickly turned my back from them to hide my
tears and pretended to pick up my bike from the carenderia where I left
it. I don't know how many seconds or minutes I spent just to compose
myself pretending again this time that I was mending my bike.
Finally, I get on to my bike and approached the three children to bid
them goodbye and they in turn cast their grateful smiles at me. I then
took a good look at all of them specially to the small boy and pat his
head with a pinch in my heart. Although I believe that their positive
look at life could someday change their present situation, there is one
thing that they could never change
anymore, that is, their being
motherless. That little boy can no longer taste the sweet embrace,
caring, and most of all, the love of his mother forever. Nobody can
fill the empty gap created by that sudden and untimely death of their
mother. Every big event that will happen to their lives will only
remind them of their loss and make them wish for their mother's
presence.
I reached into my pocket and handed to them my last 100 peso bill which
I was reserving for our department's bowling tournament. This time they
refused strongly but I jokingly said to the girl, "Suntukin kita pag
hindi mo tinanggap yan." She smiled as she extended her hand to take
the money. "Salamat po, makakabili na kami ng gamot ni papa," she
uttered. I then turned to the small boy and though he's a few feet away
from me, I still noticed that while his right hand was holding the
half-filled sack, his left hand was holding a toy --a worn out toy car.
I waved my hand and said bye bye to him as I drove towards the mountains
again. Did he just find the toy in the garbage area or was the toy
originally his -- before the misfortune struck? I did not bother to
ask. But one thing is crystal clear to me, that in spite of the boy's
abnormal life, he has not given up his childhood completely. I can
sense it by the way he held and stared at his toy.
My meeting with those young basureros made me poorer by 100 pesos but it
changed me and made me richer in lessons of life.
In them, I learned that life can change suddenly and just anyone may be
caught completely unprepared.
In them, I've learned that even the darkest side of life, cannot change
the beauty of one's heart. Those three children, who can infrequently
partake of three meals a day, were still able to hold on to what they
believe was right. What a contrast to many of us who
are quick to point
to our misfortunes to justify acts of impropriety.
In them, I've learned to hope for deliverance even when things seem to
go the other way.
Lastly, I know that God cares for them. That while He may have allowed
them to suffer such a terrible life, which our finite minds cannot
comprehend, His boundless love will surely see them through. And in
God's own time I know they will prevail. GOD BLESS!!!
Ever since I was diagnosed with having a possible heart enlargement, I
have followed a strict regimen of physical exercises. I jog during week
days and take a long ride biking to the mountains every Sunday.
But this Sunday turned out to be a special Sunday for me. While I was
on my way to the mountains of Busay ( Cebu ) hoping to strengthen my
heart by this exercise, I personally encountered a heart-breaking scene
that changed me.
I had already passed by the Marco Polo Plaza (formerly Cebu Plaza Hotel)
when I decided to stop to buy bananas at a small carenderia located
along the road. I haven't taken any solid food that morning so I wanted
some fruits to have the needed energy to get to my destination - the
mountain
top.
I was almost done eating with a second banana when I noticed two
children across the street busily searching the garbage area.
"Basureros" I said to myself and quickly turned my attention away
from
them to sip a small amount of water. I couldn't care less for these
children, to make it straight, I do not like them and I do not trust
them at all.
You see, several times I had been a victim to these children who are
pretending to be basureros looking for empty bottles and cans when in
fact the 'plangganas' , kalderos', and 'hinayhays' are their
favorites.
I remember one afternoon while I was watching a TV program when the
screen suddenly became blurred. I checked outside and saw two young
basureros running away with my newly installed antenna!
Hatred may be too strong a word to describe my feeling towards these
basureros, but I honestly just do not like them. Until I met these
three
children.
I was about to embark on my bike again when I heard one of the two
children, a girl of about 7 or 8 years of age, saying aloud to the
other, a boy of about 12 years, "Kuya si Dodong kunin mo kasi tumitingin
sa mga kumain, nakakahiya." Only then did I notice a small boy standing
near me biting slightly his fingers. He's a few inches shorter compared
to my own 5-year old son (I came to know later that he's also 5 years
old).
Though he did not ask for food from anyone in the carenderia, the way he
was looking at the customers who were eating was enough to convince me
that he was intensely craving for food. The older boy then quickly
crossed the street and gently pulled out the little one who politely
obeyed. As I watched the two crossing back the street to the garbage
area, I heard the tindera saying "Kawawa naman yang mga batang yan
mababait pa naman." I learned further from the carenderia
owner that
the children were from a good family. Both parents were working before
and that their father had a stroke 3 years ago and became partially
paralyzed while their mother died of heart attack as their father was
still confined at the hospital. The parents were still in their early
forties when the catastrophe happened and the children became basureros
since then to meet their daily needs and the cost of their father's
medication.
Deeply moved by what I heard, I went to a nearby bakery and bought 20
pesos worth of bread and gave it to the children who initially refused,
including the little boy. "Sige lang po, salamat na lang, bibili na
lang po kami mamaya kung makabenta na kami," the young girl said to me.
I explained that they needed to go home because it was starting to rain.
"Nasanay na po kami," the girl answered further.
Again, I explained that the rain could make them sick and if they
get
sick there'll be no one to take care of their father. Upon mention of
their father, they nodded and accepted the bread but I noticed that the
older boy did not eat.
When I asked him if he does not like the kind of bread I bought for them
he smiled and as he was about to explain, the little girl, who is the
more talkative of them, interrupted "Linggo po kasi ngayon, pag sabado
at linggo hapon lang po siya kumakain, kami lang po ang kumakain ng
agahan pero di na po kami kakain pagdating ng hapon si kuya lang po.
Pero pag lunes hanggang biyernes, kasi may pasok, si kuya lang po ang
nag-aagahan, kami naman hapunan lang. Pero kung marami kaming benta,
kami pong lahat (kumakain)," she continued. "Bakit hindi nyo na lang
hati-hatiin ang pagkain kahit kakaunti para makakain kayong lahat?" I
countered.
The young girl reasoned out that their father wanted her older brother
to come to school with a full
stomach so he can easily catch up on the
teacher's lessons. "Pag nagkatrabaho na si kuya, hihinto na kami sa
pamamasura, first honor kasi siya," the little boy added proudly.
Maybe I was caught by surprise or I was just overly emotional that my
tears begun to fall. I then quickly turned my back from them to hide my
tears and pretended to pick up my bike from the carenderia where I left
it. I don't know how many seconds or minutes I spent just to compose
myself pretending again this time that I was mending my bike.
Finally, I get on to my bike and approached the three children to bid
them goodbye and they in turn cast their grateful smiles at me. I then
took a good look at all of them specially to the small boy and pat his
head with a pinch in my heart. Although I believe that their positive
look at life could someday change their present situation, there is one
thing that they could never change
anymore, that is, their being
motherless. That little boy can no longer taste the sweet embrace,
caring, and most of all, the love of his mother forever. Nobody can
fill the empty gap created by that sudden and untimely death of their
mother. Every big event that will happen to their lives will only
remind them of their loss and make them wish for their mother's
presence.
I reached into my pocket and handed to them my last 100 peso bill which
I was reserving for our department's bowling tournament. This time they
refused strongly but I jokingly said to the girl, "Suntukin kita pag
hindi mo tinanggap yan." She smiled as she extended her hand to take
the money. "Salamat po, makakabili na kami ng gamot ni papa," she
uttered. I then turned to the small boy and though he's a few feet away
from me, I still noticed that while his right hand was holding the
half-filled sack, his left hand was holding a toy --a worn out toy car.
I waved my hand and said bye bye to him as I drove towards the mountains
again. Did he just find the toy in the garbage area or was the toy
originally his -- before the misfortune struck? I did not bother to
ask. But one thing is crystal clear to me, that in spite of the boy's
abnormal life, he has not given up his childhood completely. I can
sense it by the way he held and stared at his toy.
My meeting with those young basureros made me poorer by 100 pesos but it
changed me and made me richer in lessons of life.
In them, I learned that life can change suddenly and just anyone may be
caught completely unprepared.
In them, I've learned that even the darkest side of life, cannot change
the beauty of one's heart. Those three children, who can infrequently
partake of three meals a day, were still able to hold on to what they
believe was right. What a contrast to many of us who
are quick to point
to our misfortunes to justify acts of impropriety.
In them, I've learned to hope for deliverance even when things seem to
go the other way.
Lastly, I know that God cares for them. That while He may have allowed
them to suffer such a terrible life, which our finite minds cannot
comprehend, His boundless love will surely see them through. And in
God's own time I know they will prevail. GOD BLESS!!!
J E F F R E Y- ADMINISTRATOR
- Number of posts : 386
Age : 51
Location : Kawit, Cavite, Philippines
Registration date : 2007-11-10 -
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