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Publisher’s Note
by Roberto Ugaddan Hello readers, It’s now half of September and soon it will be officially Fall. Not only that when the months starts to end in BER, that means we are almost approaching the end of 2019. It was just like yesterday when we started with the year 2019. There were lots of activities/concerts coming up [...]
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Looking Back, Giving Back

By Roger Encarnacion

“Ako’y isinilang sa bayang Rosario,

Isang munting bayang Blue Seal ang produkto.”

(Mula sa “Buhay at Panitik” ni Alejandro G. Abadilla)

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One of the great sons of Sapa, Rosario, Cavite is Alejandro G. Abadilla, a renowned Filipino rebel poet. For those who do not know AGA or who have not read his poems, let me say that his poetry is different from the mainstream Filipino poetry of rhyme and measured lines and sentimentality, in the same way that Walt Whitman, a poet of free verses, is different from his American contemporaries. Some of AGA’s well known poems are Parola, Pasko Ko’y Sonatang Tinig Ma’y Wala Na, Mabuting Di Hamak Ang Pagwawasak Ko, Ako Ang Daigdig, and more.

While in the crest of his career, AGA did not forget the youth of Sapa, a barrio in Rosario. In 1967, he put together a small library and dedicated this library to the young Sapanians. Nestled in the heart of the barrio, this library boasts a vast collection of essays, short stories, novels, plays, poems (some in the form of Balagtasan), reviews, commentaries, biographies, etc. which were written mostly in Tagalog and a few in English. The majority of the books came from AGA’s personal collection. The rest were donated by AGA’s circle of friends in the literary world.

During the opening of the facility, AGA reminded everyone that the library is meant to attract all Sapanians, most especially the young ones, to the love of reading. He was convinced that in the company of books, the youths would be whiled away from idleness which is the breeding ground for bad habits and behaviour.

Because the library had no librarians, AGA exhorted everyone of the virtue of ‘malasakit’ which means that every Sapanian is expected to be the librarian and guardian of the property. In the beginning, the ‘malasakit’ system worked like a charm. Maybe it was out of respect for the man whose noble intentions and literary achievements had put him in the altar of the gods. But AGA underestimated human frailties and shortcomings. Slowly but surely, the books started to disappear from the shelves. Sapanians borrowed materials from the library and “forgot” to return them. Others returned the books in tatters. Where before the books were nicely lined up on the shelves and the area was tidy and uncluttered, now the books and materials were in shambles and the library was a mess. Accountability and discipline went out the window completely. AGA must have been bitterly disappointed.

A certain wise man once said: “It is better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all.” Surely, AGA had tried but he did not get the desired result.

But AGA did not totally fail. The seed of ‘malasakit’ and noble intentions has germinated and flourished in the hearts and souls of those who have heard of AGA’s lofty pursuit.

If AGA believed in the magic of the books, the elders of the present generation of Sapanians believe in the magic of sports.

And here is where Fil-Nannies came into the picture. With the support from Western Union and from many Filipino civic organizations in Calgary, Fil-Nannies has launched an ambitious project whose goal is to raise funds to help the young Sapanians direct their idle time and energy to sports, such as basketball.

Mayer D. Reyes, a Sapanian by birth and the proprietor of Fil-Nannies, has heard of the plight of poor young Sapanians who for lack of monetary resources play basketball in borrowed uniforms. It was said that after the players have completed a half court game of basketball, they will lend their uniforms to the next sets of players who are waiting on the sidelines.

In a basketball game, a uniform means something to the players. It is a source of pride and inspiration to them and it adds colour to the game.

The cost of uniforms in the Philippines is dirt cheap. Fil-Nannies’ goal is to raise over two thousand dollars to cover not only the cost of uniforms but also shoes and championship prizes in order to generate more excitement in the competition.

The elders in Sapa have already won half the battle by getting the young Sapanians into sports. They believe that busy minds and bodies are antidotes to boredom and the lure of drugs. If one young soul can be saved from the evils of drugs, then the efforts of the elders will not be in vain.

The other half of the battle is still being staged ten thousand miles away in Calgary, Alberta. With the Filipino-Calgarians’ proven generosity to a worthy cause such as this, Fil-Nannies and Western Union have no reason to doubt that victory is at hand.

Looking Back, Giving Back

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