Vantage Point

birthday ni erpats ngayon, actually medyo complicated ang birthday n’ya, kung naaalala ko pa ng mabuti yung kwento ni nanay, april 13, 1942 talaga ang birthday n’ya kaya lang hindi agad naipa-rehistro ng hilot na nagpa-anak kay nay fina¹, september yata ng mai-rehistro so september ang naka-rehistrong birthday n’ya.

my father was born to a peasant family in nabua, camarines sur, pinaka-bunso sa 7 magkakapatid. he never wanted to be a farmer kaya lumayas at the age of 17 at naki-tuloy sa kapatid na nakatira sa project 4 quezon city. he worked as a laborer at an ealy age, piyon, mason, karpintero, at kung ano-ano pa.

in september 1, 1963, ikinasal siya kay nanay sa isang aglipayan church sa pasay city, i think sa pasig sila nagka-kilala, worker sa isang factory si nanay noon sa pasig when they met. walang details si ermats sa love affair nila, parang bitter siya tuwing maalala niya un.

i might sound as bitter as my mother when i said those words when we last saw each other, pero thankful ako sa kanya. despite being a womanizer, he has been a responsible father. a fisherman at night and a carpenter during the day and para maitaguyod ang mga pangarap namin, nakipag-sapalaran sa ibang bansa.

almost 12 years din siyang nag-trabaho dito sa saudi arabia, nakapagpatapos ng isang hrm, isang bsmt at isang nurse, before finally seeking happiness from somebody else’ arm.

maraming nag-judge sa kanya, isa na ako doon, pero looking back and with the help of some friends, mas nakikita ko ngayon ang naging sakripisyo n’ya in the past. sacrifices that brought food in our table and wisdom in our minds, yun ang di ko pwedeng kalimutan. he may have abandoned us, but what he has left will remain with us forever.

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1. nanay ni erpats, lola ko better known to us as lola bicol [↩]