Skip to main content

To My Dear Papa in Heaven On Father's Day

Although it's been many years since God called you home, and your warm presence is no more, your guidance, advice, and love have stuck with me all the time.

I would not be who I am today without you. I miss the endless arguments we had about the difference between latitude and longitude (I was stubborn then) and your endless discussion about the classification of living things. KPCOFGS is the one that stuck. Back when K only refers to either Animalia or Plantae. And I will never forget the endless sessions we had playing chess and staying up very late just for one more match. Loser set up the board and I don't mind setting them up again and again. Just to have one more game with you. And who would forget the number of meter sticks that were broken when I get some ass-woopin'? I understand it now, more than ever. Now I am a father too. We can't do that today, though :-). Lucky kids. I also miss the time when we go to Bayog to gather kuhol and pako. We didn't have much then, but I never felt we were poor.

The older I get, the more I realize how important it was to have a father like you.

Happy Father's Day, Papa Od! Hugs and kisses to you and Mama in heaven.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aswete

Noong bata pa ako, ang sanga ng aswete ang isa sa mga paborito naming gawing trumpo. Ikaw nga, pag gawang aswete, ay maganda ang hugong. Naging paksa din ng mga biruan ang aswete at ang katangian nitong gumawa ng kakaibang tunog. Nang lumaon, kapag sinabihan kang gawa sa aswete, ibig sabihin nun ay mayabang o maangas ka, kase mahugong o maingay. Ha ha! Malalaman mo talaga ang pilantik ng diwa ng mga tambay sa ganun.
2 comments
Read more

Kuhol

Kuhol. Sa unang bigkas pa lang ng salitang iyan ang nag-iimbita na ng pagbulusok ng mga alaala ng aking kabataan. Una, bilang pang-ulit (tease) sa aking nakatatandang kapatid. Ikalawa, ang kuhol ay mas malalim na kahulugan para sa akin. Nung bata pa ako, kami ng tatay ko ay inaabot ng ilang oras sa ilog sa pangunguha nito. Dumadayo pa kami sa Bayog kapag tag-init at doon nangunguha ng kuhol. Bagaman at ang pangunahing dahilan ng pangunguhol namin ay upang maiulam, para sa akin, higit pa roon ang naging papel ng kuhol. Ang mga oras na nakasama ko ang tatay ko, daig pa ang nakapamasyal sa Disneyland. Na naging ginintuan at mahalagang alaala, lalo na nung maaga s'yang kinuha ng Poong Maykapal. Naging daan din yun upang pahalagahan ko ang payak na pamamaraan nang pamumuhay ng aking pamilya. Bagama't salat kami sa mga karangyaan, lagi kaming masaya kung ano man ang nakahain sa aming hapag-kainan. Kuhol. Pako (fern). Puso ng saging. Dahon ng gabi (ginagawang laing). Ilan lamang s
Post a Comment
Read more

Bataan Has Fallen

Seventy-seven years ago today, a radio broadcast from a secret location in the Philippines was made. RADIO BROADCAST MESSAGE, AS WRITTEN BY CAPTAIN SALVADOR P. LOPEZ, DELIVERED BY THIRD LIEUTENANT NORMANDO ILDEFONSO “NORMAN” REYES ON THE “VOICE OF FREEDOM” RADIO BROADCAST OF APRIL 9, 1942 FROM MALINTA TUNNEL, CORREGIDOR: Bataan has fallen. The Philippine-American troops on this war-ravaged and bloodstained peninsula have laid down their arms. With heads bloody but unbowed, they have yielded to the superior force and numbers of the enemy. The world will long remember the epic struggle that Filipino and American soldiers put up in the jungle fastness and along the rugged coast of Bataan. They have stood up uncomplaining under the constant and grueling fire of the enemy for more than three months. Besieged on land and blockaded by sea, cut off from all sources of help in the Philippines and in America, the intrepid fighters have done all that human endurance could bear. For what
Post a Comment
Read more