Tuesday, November 9

Community work

Barlig Mountain Province, Philippines.

Yoyong”, one of the super typhoons hitting the country has terribly affected Manila. High numbers of displaced houses and families and floods mainly occur in capital cities and towns. However, the rural areas are no exemptions too especially when the eye of the storm has already determine to hit that place. I heard that this Yoyong has had a disastrous effect to the ricefields and properties of the Barlig people. Every year Barlig is never an exclusion of the strong winds and rain from passing storms that come across the north. I went home for a short vacation few weeks after the Typhoon came. The ricefields of Kiangaw in the west of the village has one of the greatly affected ones. One afternoon during a vigil of one of the elders in Latang, I and my uncle went to see how a family is working in their damaged ricefields in Kiangaw. It was the same spot where I usually stand and take a picture of the rice terraces of Kachattay and Tannud area. Despite the season and the damaged rice paddies, it even added to a new beauty of the overview of the mountains and ricefields. The presence of the people working is a touch of hardwork, of how ricefield maintenance could be complex. The affected family is being helped by other farmers of the neighboring ricefields. My uncle lends some help as well. The women and men are working together. As I observe and took pictures, a thought came across my mind. I am glad that up to my time, up to this modern technology and generation. This little ways of working, these skills of people before still exist now. May the bayanihan continous, and may the skill of maintenance and farming remain. When our ricefields and farms get damaged, we can’t get someone from Manila or overseas to come and fix it. This tradition is tradition and we must value by preserving our skills. It is very well wished to my mind but I don’t know what the future is. I don’t know how it would look like when this ricefields are ignored and forgotten.

No comments: