sergs ikaw pa rin

 Aking ngang nababatid

Buhay ay saglit lamang,

Isang pitik,isang saglit

Lahat ay mapaparam.

Kaya ating pagsikapan

Buhay nati'y ilaan,

Sa gawaing mainam

Upang ito'y 'di masayang.

Tunay nga, kaka-awa

Mga taong panlupa lang,

Ang s'yang pinaglalaanan

Ng kanilang kalakasan.

Hindi masama ang maghangad

Dito sa mundo ay yumaman,

Datapwat dapat na unahin

Pagsunod sa kautusan,

Na sa ati'y ibinigay,

Ng Amang makapangyarihan.

(23 February 2009)

I have nine siblings. Myself as the youngest, never saw my father since. My mother was six months conceiving to me when my father died. I have another four siblings with my mother's second husband.

My family was poor. My elder brothers and sisters has to go to Manila to work right after elementary. Some of them didn't even finished grade school because of too much difficulties.

My sister, Edith, (as I fond of calling her) is a year older than me.  She only finished grade two. She's very eager but she is very sickly. She had been  admitted to the hospital every now and then because of meningitis.

Luckily, (when my cousin was still alive) was very helpful to my family.  She sends my sister to the hospital and pay for all the my sister's expenses. But rough time comes when she can no longer afford to support my sister's hospitalization. Oftentimes we have to evade the hospital by escaping my sister out to avoid paying the bills.

Helpless. My mother decided to send home  my sister back in Bicol. My sister can't walk. Her legs, paralyzed, her eyes were  as blind. Sometimes she has to bang her head off the wall because of too much pain. It was the complications of her disease.

GOD never let us down! My sister fully recovered from meningitis without medications. She walks normally though her eyes are a bit blurred.

Her struggles never stops. January 2, 1984. We heard a big blast! Suddenly people were screaming. I saw a bloody-dead-child; a teen-ager with sharpnel's shots on the face; and a class mate of mine with scrape-bleeding-butt!

We were shocked! A home-made dynatime exploded in my classmate's house. Too much shocking to find out that my sister was there---lying unconsciously!

It was a devastating event in our life. My sister was unconscious for sometime. One side of her face was totally damaged. But she was a fighter.

Time passed. She recovered and out of the hospital.

Now, my sister is a good "physical therapist". She has for her own record a paralytic who was able to walk again; a stroke victim who recovered rapidly. These are just  few.

Though my sister's eyesight were as blind, she is not considering this as a hindrance to become a productive person.

GOD never let us down!

Angelo at six is in Grade 1.

In 1992, he was only four months old when his mother ask an elderly couple to take care of him in exchange of one hundred pesos (P100) every month as fee. That lasts only for months. Angelo's mother finally left him to Aling Editha and Mang Ruben Manego's care.

Angelo was a goodluck to the couple because they have no child. They treated Angelo as their own. The little  boy  called them "daddy" and "mommy".  The family is now complete, except the fact that they are very poor. Angelo's "parents" are just mere care-taker of the house where they lived. They are jobless.

Angelo can only wish for good health and longer life for his elderly "parents", as he loves them so much. While the elderly couple's  wish is to ensure Angelo's future because they may no longer able to take care of him as they are ageing. And Angelo's real identity was not kept secret by the couple, as they want him to turn to his real mother, when they eventually die.

Angelo is very unsociable in school. This triggers his teacher, Emelina Rubin to asks for reasons? And she finds out why. The small boy cannot go to school in times when they have no rice to cook for  food.  Lucky, if they have rice accompanied with "toyo" and "kalamansi". Sometimes, the family has to settle for foods served in the  funerals in return of ushering  the visitors.

Teacher Emy, then decided to make a wish in 'Wish Ko Lang', her little way of helping the family. Thanks to 'Wish Ko Lang' they had given out livelihood for the family to start out on their own. While teacher Emy got commendations from the school and from her Grade 1 students, too. What a heartwarming scene, indeed!

Brian at 20 is in 2nd year, a nursing student at STI.

In 1999, Brian parents got separated. Her mother nearly gave up. She suffered depression. Their life completely turns in the absence of the father in the family. Angelo was only 11 years old then. Eldest in the family of three, he gave encouragements to his mother that they can stand on thier own.

At his  young age, Angelo would frequent GMA7 studio to sell pulvuron the family has made. He was good in marketing.  That's when Southborder noticed him; took his number and later on asks Brian expertise to sell their music album. Southborder was independent at that time, selling albums on their own. Angelo made a very good sales and has helped Southborder alot.

In return of the young lad's help, Southborder gave him his college scholarship. They wanted the young boy to finish his study as they knew how difficult his life was. The band also wished for 'Wish Ko Lang' to further support Brian studies by giving him his school needs like a laptop to work on with his projects.

Same with Angelo and Brian, some of us are experiencing life's difficulties.  But we should not stop. Follow our dreams. Determination and faith is the key, though life seems uphill and road is winding. Because as what Brian's favorite song from his favorite friend/band says, "there's always a rainbow after the rain". (01 November 2008)

 I am tired,

I am exhausted,

I am sick,

I am weary.

I am lost,

In the dark,

No way out,

Lead me.

I am cold,

I am solitary,

I am dying,

Need me.

(21 September 2008)