The carabao

Episode on May 25, 2009 Monday late night after Saksi The trusty and hard-working carabao has long been a symbol for the ordinary Filipino. So what does it mean when an unusually large example of that brawny symbol goes berserk on the day devoted to its kind in Pulilan, Bulacan? Passing the town church for the annual Carabao Festival, dozens of carabaos in a long procession were made to kneel by their masters, not just a sign of piety but docility of these gentle giants. Townfolk and visitors from neighboring municipalities had thought this would be a fun afternoon spectacle, until an unusually large participant defies tradition and refuses to kneel. The adamant carabao violently toys with its handlers, causing a mini stampede beside the church. The carabao takes a long manic run through the crowd, wildly towing its wagon and three other carabaos tied to it. Howie Severino and his I-Witness team discover that the delinquent carabao is a Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo, a carabao breed imported during the 90s to enhance the gene pool of its docile and undersized Philippine cousin. Experts say that crossbreeding the native carabao with the Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo creates a hybrid that produces more milk and meat, yielding better income to farmers. However, the Bulgarian Murrah Buffaloes are by nature more aggressive, and it takes longer time to tame this breed. On one gut-wrenching level, the rampage means Howie and his team almost get trampled during a crowded parade, and their camera collides with a charging bull. On another level, the crazed carabao focuses attention on its imported aggressive species, the Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo, whose growing presence in the Philippine countryside could change the image of a gentle giant. Howie Severino’s gripping documentary on the Carabao Festival airs on I-Witness this Monday midnight over GMA-7.

---

Karaniwang sa telebisyon at pelikula lang mapapanood ang mga nanunuwag na toro sa Espanya at Mexico. Pero ngayong lunes ng gabi, saksihan kung paano nakipag-patintero sa kamatayan si Howie Severino dahil sa pagwawala ng isang kalabaw na ipinaparada habang dinaraos ang taunang Carabao Festival sa Pulilan, Bulacan. Sa mahigit tatlong daang kalabaw na kalahok ngayong taon, hindi ang tradisyunal na pagluhod ang nasaksihan ng mga tao kundi isang naghurumentadong kalabaw na nagdulot ng pagkasira ng mga ari-arian at nakasakit sa ibang mga nawiwiling manonood. Sa mahabang panahon na ng pagdiriwang ng piyesta sa Pulilan, ngayon lang daw sila nakaranas ng nagwalang kalabaw. Lumalabas sa pananaliksik ni Howie Severino na halos purong Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo ang lahi ng nag-amok na kalabaw. Inangkat daw ng mga eksperto sa Pilipinas ang mga Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo noong 1995 para palakasin at palawigin ang lahi ng mahiyain at balingkinitang katawan ng ating kalabaw. Kapag nalahian daw kasi ng Bulgarian ang native na kalabaw, mas maraming gatas at karne ang maibibigay nito at tumataas ang balor ng kalabaw. Hindi hamak daw na mas malaki ang kita sa gatas at karne, kaya dumarami ang bilang ng mga magsasakang pinapalahian ang kanilang mga kalabaw. Marami sa kanila, kinakalimutan na rin ang tradisyunal na pag-aararo at pagsasaka. Ang problema, mas agresibo raw talaga ang lahi ng Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo at kailangan pa itong sumailalim sa matinding pag-aalaga para ito mapaamo. Abangan ang makapanindig balahibong pagsuwag ng kalabaw kay Howie Severino at sa kanyang I-Witness team sa kanyang dokumentaryo para sa I-Witness ngayong Lunes ng hatinggabi pagkatapos ng Saksi.