Tatay: Iniidolo, kinainisan, pinasasalamatan

Sabi sa Bibliya, "Kapag binato ka ng bato, ang iganti mo tinapay." I was born on January 13,1980. Pangatlo ako sa pitong magkakapatid. Habang ako ay nagkakaisip, lagi kong naririnig sa lahat ng taong nakakasalamuha ko na kamukhang-kamukha ko raw ang tatay ko--ang tatay ko na inidolo ko, kinainisan at habang buhay kong pasasalamatan. INIDOLO.- Mabait ang tatay ko. Hindi namamalo o nananakit. Kapag nakagawa kaming magkakapatid ng mali, kakausapin n’ya kami at pangangaralan. At ang bawat salita o pangaral na ibinibigay n’ya sa amin eh sinisiguro n’ya na tumitimo sa aming kaisipan. Lagi n’yang ipinaaala sa amin na ang pagsunod sa sinasabi ng magulang ay bagay na aming pasasalamatan pagdating ng araw. At napatunayan ko ‘yun ngayong ako ay nakarating dito sa UK. My father used to push me to study hard when I was in high school. Even if I didn’t get the honors when I graduated in high school, nagtapos ako as a student council president of my batch. May talino rin naman kasi ako kaya nga lang may mga kalokohan din kasi ako that time, which, I think, was normal to a teenager trying to learn some things. It gives an adrenalin or spice to a simple life. I used to cut classes twice every week. I used to go to a basketball game or hang around outside the school. My father came to know about it, kaya lagi akong napapagalitan ni tatay. My father taught me and my older brother how to earn money in a way na kailangan mo paghirapan. Pero ayaw n’ya na makikita kaming nakikipagtanim ng palay kapag taniman, o makigapas ng palay kapag anihan. Pero wala s’yang choice kasi nga talagang mahirap kami that time. Naisangla kasi ang lupa naming sinasaka when he was accused as a prime suspect in killing our baranggay chairman. Naipanalo rin namin ang case kasi nga talagang walang kasalanan ang tatay ko. Nang makulong s’ya, natuto kaming magkakapatid na makipagtanim ng palay at makigapas, kasama namin ang aking butihing ina. Hindi namin alintana ang init ng araw o ang ginaw ng basang mga damit kapag umuulan. Kailangan kasi naming kumita ng pera para pambaon sa iskwela at pambili ng mga kailangan sa bahay. Nang makalaya ang tatay ko, pinilit n’yang makapagpundar ng bagay na pwede naming pagkakitaan. He bought a male pig or boar and he started to have a boar for hire in our baranggay and nearest baranggay as well. Kailangan naming gumising ng maaga kapag may tawag ng serbisyo. Wala kasing sasakyan ang aming bulugan(boar), kailangan naming akayin para makarating sa lugar na tumawag o nag-abiso na kailangan nila ang serbisyo. P350 ang katumbas ng isang serbisyo. Kung walang pambayad kailangan naming maghintay ng apat na buwan para makolekta ang upa o bayad. Ang kapalit nuon ay isang biik o piglet. Kapag gipit na gipit si tatay he used to sell the piglet for P350 to someone he knows. But they need to wait for four months to collect that. Kapag walang serbisyo nakikipagtanim pa rin kaming mag-iina ng palay o nakikigapas. Nakaraos kami sa buhay na isang kahig isang tuka. Dumating ‘yung time na nakaluwag-luwag kami when there was an investor who came to our place to invest in some poultry business. They hired my father as a private security in their poultry farm. Hindi kailangang magbantay ng tatay ko sa farm basta siya lang ang bahala kapag may mga problema na kailangan ang presensya nya. I can say that they hired my dad for the security of their business in our place. Kilala kasi ang tatay ko na magaling makisama, maprinsipyo at may paninindigan. Dumating din sa buhay ng tatay ko na may mga nagbabanta sa buhay n’ya dahil gustong kuhanin sa tatay ko ‘yung pwesto na ibinigay ng mga investor. Pero hindi natakot ang tatay ko sa mga banta sa buhay n’ya. Sa halip, pinipilit n’yang matulungan ‘yung mga kababaryo namin na walang trabaho at ipinasok n’ya sa trabaho sa mga farm na hawak n’ya. My father has faith in God and he believes He saved his life in one bad attempt to kill him. He was once ambushed near one of the farms he used to look after. There were four gunmen who tried to kill my dad one early morning. They positioned themselves in a way where no one would believe that my father and one of his friends would not have survived. The first gun man shot my father while he was on a motorcycle. With the help and guidance of our Lord, he didn’t hit my father and his friend who was driving the motorcycle. They stopped the motorcycle and tried to find a way to escape from the first gun man, not knowing that there were three more gun men waiting for them. It was the loudest sound of gun fighting I ever heard in my entire life. The three gun men showed up and started firing on my dad. It was a good thing that my dad brought his M-14 service firearm issued by the government (because he was a CAFGU) that time. My dad has 40 bullets only that time. He forgot to bring his bullets. So when we heard the gunshots, my mom started to cry and said, "it’s your dad." That time, my dad just left our house. From the distance the gunfire was coming, my mom was sure it was my dad. I couldn’t say anything. I grabbed the pack of bullets that my dad forgot to bring and run toward the direction were the shots were coming from. As I was running on the street, all the people who saw me carrying my dad’s bullets helped me carry it, and other things could get (maybe to help my dad). It’s almost two kilometers away from our house. When I reached the place, the gun fighting was already over. My dad was safe. No single bullet hit my dad. The four gun men escaped. Our kabaranggays came, trying to find out what happened, and after that a battalion of Scout Rangers from Camp Tecson arrived, trying to search for the four gun men flew. It was like a scene from a movie which we cannot forget until now. When I saw my dad, .the first thing I did was to embrace him. I was in tears. I said, "Tatay mahal na mahal kita." That was the first time I saw my dad crying. He held my hand, took me to the motorcycle and we went straight to the church. When I was carrying my dad’s bullets, I knew that time that God was always there for me, for my family, for my dad. Kaya ko iniidolo ang aking ama. Iniidolo ko ang aking ama hindi dahil sa tatay ko siya. Iniidolo ko siya dahil sa kanyang pananampalataya. KINAINISAN...nang makulong ang tatay ko, I was 10 years old. Lahat ng bagay nagbago sa aming buhay. Kailangan naming magbanat ng buto para makaraos sa buhay. Lahat ng paraan para kumita ng pera kailangan naming gawin ng kuya ko. Makipagtanim at makigapas ng palay, makipag-agawan sa ibon sa bunga ng kamatsile para maibenta ng aking tiyahin, makipitas ng mangga kapag panahon ng mangga, at magpastol ng baka sa parang kapag bakasyon. Kaya tuloy lumaki akong sunog ang balat. Minsan nga tinawag akong negro ng mga kababata ko, Pero hindi ko sila pinansin, bagkus itinatanim ko sa isip ko na balang araw lahat ng hirap at pawis na dinaranas ko may kapalit din balang araw. Nainis ako sa tatay ko kasi kung hindi s’ya nakulong hindi sana ako daranas ng mga pasakit sa buhay na tulad ng mga pinagdaraanan namin that time. Pero mabait ang nanay ko at palagi na n’yang sinasabi na, mga anak hindi kayo dapat magtanim ng sama ng loob sa tatay n’yo, dinaranas natin ang mga pangyayaring ito sa buhay natin dahil ito ang paraan para maging matatag ang bawat isa sa inyo. Kapag dumadalaw ang nanay ko sa tatay ko nung time na nakakulong s’ya, ayaw akong isama ng nanay ko, kahit na mag-iiyak ako at humabol hindi talaga n’ya ako isasama. Magagalit daw ang tatay,eh. Makaama kasi ako. Kaya nainis ako sa tatay ko that time.. Later on ko na lang nalaman na kaya pala ayaw akong isama ng nanay ko eh dahil kabilin-bilinan ng aking ama na huwag daw kaming isasama ng nanay ko. Ayaw daw kasing makita o maranasan ng tatay ko na makita namin s’yang nakakulong dahil para sa tatay ko ang piitan ang impiyerno sa buhay ng tao. Kumbaga kaming mga anak n’ya ang dahilan kung bakit s’ya nagpapakatatag sa loob ng preso kung makikita daw n’ya kami eh baka hindi n’ya makayanan. Ang tatay ko rin ang dahilan kung bakit ako nagsumikap na makahanap ng trabaho sa Maynila when I graduated in high school. I was student council president that time. There was an award that they call as Carlos Palanca Leadership Award. In short medal, eh mahalaga pala ‘yon sa tatay ko kasi simbolo daw ‘yon ng mga pagsisikap ko sa pag-aaral at kung baga eh extra achievements ko daw ‘yon except from the diploma na matatanggap ko. Sa kasawiang palad, hindi ibinigay ng principal ng school sa akin dahil hindi ko raw na retain ‘yung standard na kailangan. Ang dahilan dahil madalas daw akong mag-cutting classes at may mga gulo sa school na nadawit ako. Stupid reason for me kasi based on papers, kwalipikado ako. I reached the average grade, and I was student council president, (Hinala ko na pulitika ako). To make the long story short, I graduated in high school without the award at ang pinakamasakit hindi ako sinamahan ng tatay ko na for me eh napakahalaga na nandoon siya na kasama kong tatanggap ng diploma ko. Pagkatapos ng graduation ko, kinabukasan nag-alsa balutan ako. At that time alam ko naman na hindi ako kayang pag-aralin ng pamilya ko ng kolehiyo dahil may lima pa akong kapatid na nag-aaral na rin. So I decided to go to my auntie who was living in Kawit, Cavite. I started to help my auntie in her small tapsihan which was open 24 hours daily. I was in charged of the evening operations. After six months, my good auntie told me that if I wanted to find jobs in Manila she would support me as she felt that I was feeling bored already in the tapsihan. Then, my career started there.Nagtampo ako sa aking ama ngunit nang dahil sa kanya kaya ako narito sa kung ano man ang narating ko. I have been here in United Kingdom for almost a year now. How I came here is another story. I am posting my story here in GMA to encourage more people to strive hard, push your self to reach your goals, don’t lose hope. Have a faith in God. Ang aking ama at ina na nagsilbing gabay ko sa buhay ay habang buhay kong pasasalamatan. Alam ko na hindi kayang bayaran ng kahit na anumang materyal na bagay ang lahat ng sakripisyo at hirap na kanilang dinanas para lamang ako ay mabuhay. Isa na rin akong ama sa ngayon. I have my daughter last March, at talaga namang wala akong mapaglagyan ng sobrang tuwa at galak the first time I saw my daughter. I remember the words that my parents told me before I came back here in UK last May. They told me na mababayaran ko lang daw ang lahat ng sakripisyo nila sa akin kung makikita nila na I will bring up my daughter in the way that they expected. Salamat sa Diyos at sa lahat ng mga taong naging instrumento ng aking tagumpay sa buhay. Alam kong malayo pa ang buhay na aking tatahakin subalit alam kong sa bawat dilim na aking makakaharap, may ilaw na ibibigay ang ating Panginoon. GMA, Kapuso maraming, maraming salamat. Marvin Dela Cruz