BAYANIHAN IN ITS MODERN STATE (dedicated to all Macatians)

by Madelyn Paguel-Morales

With social networking sites rapidly arising and with the increasing number of users, connecting with love ones and friends and even just your playmate since  you were two not seen for 20 years will make it possible to reconnect again. The question of “what’s up” and “how are you” can now be answered by merely looking through the photograph your friend has posted and how is he feeling today through his shout outs. Now into its more meaningful purpose social networking are now being use to reach out others to help.

I am in the UAE, they are in the Philippines, in Europe, in the US or where ever in the world but we share the same purpose… to unite and share for the improvement of our community.

Our village is three kilometers away from the national highway, one hour to the main city, Vigan and eight hours to Manila. Though the roads are not concrete, this can be reached by all kinds of vehicles during summer time but during rainy season roads are muddy and sometimes vehicles cannot pass through due to the depth of the water in the road. When I was small I remember walking from the highway to our house with my barefoot and against the flow of the water and it took me one, almost two hours to reach. The road turned into a river and will continue to flow until the rain stops.

I don’t consider this community as small one. It actually has 4 sub- villages where I live in the centre of it. Farming is the main source of income. Tobacco and rice planting are the main crops though there are some others who are professionals and those relatives are abroad but only few during my time when I was still 7 years old, 20 years ago. Life is so simple but you can see a lot of dreams of the parents like mine for their children and I was one of those children who dreamed and I must say I succeeded. 

School is provided but there was no day care centre during that time unlike other communities. We have a primary school where there are only two rooms on it. One room is for grade one and grade two with only one teacher and grades 3 and 4 with again only one teacher. After grade 4, students will travel out of our village to continue the study in the nearby community. They endured a lot of sacrifices  but they cannot do anything because that is the only school our village has. Twenty years now had passed but still the same situation. As the days pass more and more people are getting out, some settled down in the different places, some  migrated and worked abroad, some became professionals and worked in the cities but still many are there, raising their own families but continue to dream.

Since I finished my school and started working, I only visit the place once in a while. My parents are still there farming and doing some business. The usual scene you can see but now more beautiful houses are rising, beautiful cars coming, many relatives are going abroad and lifestyle for some are changing.  Individually they are surviving but the roads, the school seems to be left behind. People seem to have their own lives now and not being mindful of the things around them.  What are the government’s plans for our community? How about the roads, the school. Seems totally forgotten. Survival of the fittest will that work in the community?  Shall we just wait for the government or shall we unite and move forward for the common good.

Recently a group of people created a profile of our village in one networking site. They invited those who they know including me. The first time I saw it I was really shocked and was so curios of knowing who are behind it but I never asked but looked more on the intention of the group. In the site they have shown some photos of our community and that really strikes me deep down in my heart. I realized how the infrastructures in our community are being left behind compared to other communities in our municipality especially the school where I came from. The same chair, the same room the same scenario- one teacher for two classes.  

Many responded positively mostly those from abroad. They have started to send their help for the school and continuously becoming an active follower of the site giving their comments and encouragement towards the attainment of the goal. While others welcomed the idea there are still some who are not happy about it.  At the start some people are criticizing it, claiming that they are just putting our community into shame but that doesn’t stop the group but worked harder to establish the site and strengthen the group. Everyday I check the site, it becomes my daily habit to post something and how I gather funds for the our projects.

Now the group is continuously  working and already receiving a lot of donations and pledged project sponsored by the people who once in their lives were in that place.  While others now are having a better lives there are still other who are still deprived.  I have been an active follower too and I don’t stop giving words of encouragement and help for the welfare of our place. It is then a great success. The spirit of bayanihan as being taught during our school days doesn’t happen only during the stone ages but also in the modern times we are in now where communications are easier wherever you are in the world.