ambassador
09-27-2007, 09:02 PM
This is a forwarded message by a friend. A heart touching story....
The Basureros
Ever since it was diagnosed that I am having a possible heart enlargement in
the last APE, I have exerted more effort to do physical exercises.
I do jogging during week days and do long - ride mountain biking every
Sunday.
But this Sunday is a special Sunday to me. While I was on my way to the
mountains of Busay (cebu) hoping to strengthened my heart by this exercise, in
stead, I personally encountered a heart-breaking scene that changed me.
I already passed the Marco Polo Plaza (formerly Cebu Plaza Hotel) when I
decided to stop to buy bananas at a small carenderia located along the road. I
haven't taken any solid food that morning so I need fruits to have the needed
energy to get to my destination - the mountain top.
I am almost done eating with the second banana when I noticed two children
across the street busily searching the garbage area. "Basureros" I said to
myself and quickly turn my attention away from them to sip a small amount of
water. I cared less for these kind of children actually; to make it straight, I
do not like them, and I do not trust them even more.
You see, several times I have been a victim to these kind of children who
are pretending to be basureros looking for empty bottles and cans when in fact
the 'plangganas' , 'kalderos', and 'hinayhays' are their favorites.
I remember one afternoon while I was watching a Mike Tyson fight when I
noticed that the TV screen suddenly became blurred. I checked outside and saw two
young basureros running away with my newly installed antenna.
Hatred may be a little bit stronger word to describe my feeling towards
these basureros, but I do not like them honestly not till I met these three
children.
I was about to embark on my bike again when I heard one of the two children,
a girl of about 7 or 8 of age saying aloud to the other, a 12-yr old boy,
"kuya si dodong kunin mo kasi tumitingin sa mga kumain, nakakahiya", only then
that I noticed a small boy standing near to me biting slightly his finger.
He's a few inches shorter if compared to my 5 years old son (but I knew later
that he's also 5 yrs. Old).
Though he did not asked for food to anyone in the carenderia, the way he
looked at the customers who were eating , enough to convinced me that he
intensely craving for it. The older boy then quickly crossed the street and gently
pulled out the little one who politely obeyed. As I watched the two crossing
back the street to the garbage area, I heard the tindera saying "kawawa naman
yung mga batang yun mababait pa naman". I learned further from the carenderia
owner that the children are from a good family , both parents were working
before, and that their father got a stroke 3 years ago and became partially
paralized and their mother died of heart attack while their father was still
confined at the hospital. The parents were still in their early forties when
the catastrophe happened, and the children became basureros since then to meet
their daily needs and for their father's medication.
Deeply moved by what I heard, I went to a nearby bakery and bought 20 pesos
worth of bread and gave it to the children who initially refused including
the little boy. "Sige lang po, salamat na lang, bibili na lang po kami mamaya
kung makabenta na kami," the young girl said to me.
I explained that they need to go home because it started to rain. "Nasanay
na po kami", the girl answered again.
Again, I explained that the rain can make them sick and if they'll become
sick there's no one to take care of their father. Upon mentioning their father,
they nodded and accept the bread but I noticed that the older boy did not
eat.
When I asked him if he does not like the kind of bread I bought for them he
smiled but as he's about to explain, the little girl, who is the more talker
of them interrupted, "Linggo po kasi ngayon,pag sabado at linggo hapon lang
po sya kumakain, kami lang po ang kumakain ng agahan pero di na po kami kakain
pagdating ng hapon si kuya lang po. Pero pag lunes hanggang biyernes, kasi
may pasok, si kuya lang po nag-aagahan, kami hapunan lang pero kung marami
kaming benta, kami pong lahat (kumakain) she continued. "bakit kung kumain
kayong lahat, hati-hatiin nyo na lang kahit kunti lang ang pagkain? I countered.
The young girl reasoned out that their father wanted that her older brother
to come to school with full stomachs so he can easily catch up the teacher's
lessons. "Pag nagkatrabaho si kuya, hihinto kami sa pamamasura, first honor
kasi sya", the little boy added proudly.
Maybe I was caught by surprise or I am just overly emotional that my tears
started to fall. I then quickly turned my back from them to hide my tears and
pretended to pick up my bike from the carenderia where I left it.
I don't know how many seconds or minutes I spent just to compose myself;
pretending again this time that I was mending by bike.
Finally I get on to my bike and approached the three children to bid goodbye
to them who in turn cast their grateful smiles at me. I then took a good
look at all of them specially to the small boy and pat his head with a pinch in
my heart. Though I believe that their positive look at life can easily change
their present situation, there is one thing that they can never change; that
is , their being motherless. That little boy can no longer taste the sweet
embrace, care, and most of all , the love of his mother forever. Nobody can
refill the empty gap created by that sudden and untimely death of their mother.
Every big events that will happen to their lives will only remind them and
make them wish of their mother's presence.
I reached to my pocket and handed to them my last 100 peso bill which I
reserved for our department's bowling tournament. This time they refused strongly
but I jokingly said to the girl, "suntukin kita pag hindi mo tinanggap yan".
She smiled as she extended her hand to take the money. "Salamat po,
makakabili na kami ng gamot ni papa", she uttered. I then turned to the small boy
and though he's a few feet away from me, I still noticed that while his right
hand was holding the half - filled sack , his left hand was holding a toy ?
a worn out toy car. I waved my hands and said bye bye to him as I drove
towards the mountains again. Did he just found the toy in the garbage area or the
toy was originally his - when the misfortune did not took place yet? - I
did not bother to ask.
But one thing is crystal clear to me, that inspite of the boy's abnormal
life, he did not given up his childhood completely. I can sense it that way he
hold and stare at his toy.
My meeting with that young basureros made me poorer by 100 pesos. But they
changed me and made me more richer as to lessons of life are concerned.
In them, I learned that life can changed suddenly and may caught me flat
footed. In them, I've learned that even the darkest side of life, cannot change
the beauty of one's heart. Those three children, who sometimes cannot eat
three times a day, still able to hold on to what they believe was right. And
what a contrast to most of us who are quick to point out to our misfortunes
when caught with our mistakes. In them, I've learned to hope for things when
things seem to go the other way.
Lastly, I know that God cares for them far more than I do. That though He
allowed them to experience such a terrible life which our finite minds cannot
comprehend, His unquestionable love will surely follow them through.
And in God's own time they will win.
The Basureros
Ever since it was diagnosed that I am having a possible heart enlargement in
the last APE, I have exerted more effort to do physical exercises.
I do jogging during week days and do long - ride mountain biking every
Sunday.
But this Sunday is a special Sunday to me. While I was on my way to the
mountains of Busay (cebu) hoping to strengthened my heart by this exercise, in
stead, I personally encountered a heart-breaking scene that changed me.
I already passed the Marco Polo Plaza (formerly Cebu Plaza Hotel) when I
decided to stop to buy bananas at a small carenderia located along the road. I
haven't taken any solid food that morning so I need fruits to have the needed
energy to get to my destination - the mountain top.
I am almost done eating with the second banana when I noticed two children
across the street busily searching the garbage area. "Basureros" I said to
myself and quickly turn my attention away from them to sip a small amount of
water. I cared less for these kind of children actually; to make it straight, I
do not like them, and I do not trust them even more.
You see, several times I have been a victim to these kind of children who
are pretending to be basureros looking for empty bottles and cans when in fact
the 'plangganas' , 'kalderos', and 'hinayhays' are their favorites.
I remember one afternoon while I was watching a Mike Tyson fight when I
noticed that the TV screen suddenly became blurred. I checked outside and saw two
young basureros running away with my newly installed antenna.
Hatred may be a little bit stronger word to describe my feeling towards
these basureros, but I do not like them honestly not till I met these three
children.
I was about to embark on my bike again when I heard one of the two children,
a girl of about 7 or 8 of age saying aloud to the other, a 12-yr old boy,
"kuya si dodong kunin mo kasi tumitingin sa mga kumain, nakakahiya", only then
that I noticed a small boy standing near to me biting slightly his finger.
He's a few inches shorter if compared to my 5 years old son (but I knew later
that he's also 5 yrs. Old).
Though he did not asked for food to anyone in the carenderia, the way he
looked at the customers who were eating , enough to convinced me that he
intensely craving for it. The older boy then quickly crossed the street and gently
pulled out the little one who politely obeyed. As I watched the two crossing
back the street to the garbage area, I heard the tindera saying "kawawa naman
yung mga batang yun mababait pa naman". I learned further from the carenderia
owner that the children are from a good family , both parents were working
before, and that their father got a stroke 3 years ago and became partially
paralized and their mother died of heart attack while their father was still
confined at the hospital. The parents were still in their early forties when
the catastrophe happened, and the children became basureros since then to meet
their daily needs and for their father's medication.
Deeply moved by what I heard, I went to a nearby bakery and bought 20 pesos
worth of bread and gave it to the children who initially refused including
the little boy. "Sige lang po, salamat na lang, bibili na lang po kami mamaya
kung makabenta na kami," the young girl said to me.
I explained that they need to go home because it started to rain. "Nasanay
na po kami", the girl answered again.
Again, I explained that the rain can make them sick and if they'll become
sick there's no one to take care of their father. Upon mentioning their father,
they nodded and accept the bread but I noticed that the older boy did not
eat.
When I asked him if he does not like the kind of bread I bought for them he
smiled but as he's about to explain, the little girl, who is the more talker
of them interrupted, "Linggo po kasi ngayon,pag sabado at linggo hapon lang
po sya kumakain, kami lang po ang kumakain ng agahan pero di na po kami kakain
pagdating ng hapon si kuya lang po. Pero pag lunes hanggang biyernes, kasi
may pasok, si kuya lang po nag-aagahan, kami hapunan lang pero kung marami
kaming benta, kami pong lahat (kumakain) she continued. "bakit kung kumain
kayong lahat, hati-hatiin nyo na lang kahit kunti lang ang pagkain? I countered.
The young girl reasoned out that their father wanted that her older brother
to come to school with full stomachs so he can easily catch up the teacher's
lessons. "Pag nagkatrabaho si kuya, hihinto kami sa pamamasura, first honor
kasi sya", the little boy added proudly.
Maybe I was caught by surprise or I am just overly emotional that my tears
started to fall. I then quickly turned my back from them to hide my tears and
pretended to pick up my bike from the carenderia where I left it.
I don't know how many seconds or minutes I spent just to compose myself;
pretending again this time that I was mending by bike.
Finally I get on to my bike and approached the three children to bid goodbye
to them who in turn cast their grateful smiles at me. I then took a good
look at all of them specially to the small boy and pat his head with a pinch in
my heart. Though I believe that their positive look at life can easily change
their present situation, there is one thing that they can never change; that
is , their being motherless. That little boy can no longer taste the sweet
embrace, care, and most of all , the love of his mother forever. Nobody can
refill the empty gap created by that sudden and untimely death of their mother.
Every big events that will happen to their lives will only remind them and
make them wish of their mother's presence.
I reached to my pocket and handed to them my last 100 peso bill which I
reserved for our department's bowling tournament. This time they refused strongly
but I jokingly said to the girl, "suntukin kita pag hindi mo tinanggap yan".
She smiled as she extended her hand to take the money. "Salamat po,
makakabili na kami ng gamot ni papa", she uttered. I then turned to the small boy
and though he's a few feet away from me, I still noticed that while his right
hand was holding the half - filled sack , his left hand was holding a toy ?
a worn out toy car. I waved my hands and said bye bye to him as I drove
towards the mountains again. Did he just found the toy in the garbage area or the
toy was originally his - when the misfortune did not took place yet? - I
did not bother to ask.
But one thing is crystal clear to me, that inspite of the boy's abnormal
life, he did not given up his childhood completely. I can sense it that way he
hold and stare at his toy.
My meeting with that young basureros made me poorer by 100 pesos. But they
changed me and made me more richer as to lessons of life are concerned.
In them, I learned that life can changed suddenly and may caught me flat
footed. In them, I've learned that even the darkest side of life, cannot change
the beauty of one's heart. Those three children, who sometimes cannot eat
three times a day, still able to hold on to what they believe was right. And
what a contrast to most of us who are quick to point out to our misfortunes
when caught with our mistakes. In them, I've learned to hope for things when
things seem to go the other way.
Lastly, I know that God cares for them far more than I do. That though He
allowed them to experience such a terrible life which our finite minds cannot
comprehend, His unquestionable love will surely follow them through.
And in God's own time they will win.