"Tikug" Mats Started my Advocacy in Manila but Nurtured it as a Student in NDTC
Posted on Monday, 5 December 2016
“Tikug” Mats Started My Advocacy in Manila
But Nurtured as a Student in NDTC
By Apolinario Villalobos
After my stint in Tablas station (Romblon)
with an initial job as Ticket/Freight Clerk of Philippine Airlines in early
‘80s, I was transferred to the Tours and Promotions Division in Manila. For
practical and economic reasons, I stayed in a boarding house along Airport Road
in Baclaran, as our office was at the old Domestic Airport (today, Terminal 4).
During the time, what is now as ASEANA City, was yet, a body of water – Manila
Bay, from the seawall of which the famed sunset could be clearly viewed. From
late afternoon to early evening, I and some of my co-boarders would spend time
at the seawall killing time. We would observe some people dragging their belongings
in plastic and tattered shoulder bags while strolling along the boulevard, some
were with their family. Before we would go back to the boarding house, we
observed them spreading blankets on the grassy ground on which they rested for
the night.
The scenes of elderly people and children
sleeping on the ground without mat made me restless for several days. When I
went back alone one early evening at around 6pm, I strolled up to the portion
of the boulevard in front of the Aristocrat Restaurant in Ermita. I saw the
same scenes – people lying on spread cloths and blankets on the grass.
When Boy Loquias, a new PAL recruit who was
undergoing training at the PAL Training Center at the Gate 1 of Nichols Air
Base joined us at the boarding house, I was glad upon learning that he was from
Bohol which afforded me the opportunity to speak in Cebuano more often. When I
brought him to the then, Dewey Boulevard, he was amazed to find the boulevard
sleepers. Jokingly, he said that we better join them rather than spend for the
boarding house. Honestly, however, he confided that something must be done to
help them and asked, “asa ang SWA?” (“where is SWA?”, for which he meant
Department of Social Welfare or DSW). When I mentioned giving them cheap
“tikug” mat from Mindanao, he agreed. During the time, a piece of said mat was
priced between 40-50pesos at the Islamic Center in Quiapo, unlike today that a
single-sized costs between 120-150pesos. “Tikug” mats which are colorfully dyed
are made in Cotabato.
From then on, I scrimped on my personal
needs to save for mats. When Boy Loquias learned about my plan, he gave me part
of his training allowance. Another co-boarder, Sammy, who was a member of the
combo that performed at the Ugnayan Beer House, across our boarding house, also
contributed. Initially, we were able to purchase 2 dozens of mats for which I
was able to get a discount. It was not enough. I raised another amount from my
saved per diem allowance, as my job then, required me to travel a lot. I also
refused to accept the contribution of Boy whose allowance was just enough for
his needs, especially, from Sammy who had two kids left with his wife in Naga
City.
My visits to the Islamic Center in Quiapo
for purchases of “tikug” mats led to my side trips to “Avenida” known for
prostitutes who could be seen prowling the avenue for prospective customers,
from early afternoon to early morning, the following day. I was staggered by
what I observed and experienced at the Avenida. Daringly-dressed women openly
made proposals while holding my hand but which I gently refused. On early
mornings, not yet 7AM, thickly-rouged and obviously ageing prostitutes would
ask an amount for a cup of coffee in exchange for sexual favor. From such
encounters, I was able to strike friendship with many of them that developed
into trust which became my passport to their dwellings in the slum along the
banks of Reina Regente River. There, I met snatchers, swindlers, sex peddlers
and their families. As pre-planned, I did not give them my real identity for my
own safety. What they knew was that I was a job-seeker from the province and my
thick Cebuano accent helped a lot, as many of them were also Bisaya.
Events oozing with colorful adventures made
my curiosity stronger that led me farther to Arranque, Divisoria, Pritil,
Malabon, Bagong Bayan (Dasmariἧas, Cavite), Tala Leprosarium, and Baseco
Compound where I was able let out my pent up desire to share. It also led me to
three other guys who had the same desire and with whom blessings were shared with
those dwelling along the bank of Pasig River and Recto yearly, from the last
week of November to the first week of December.
My advocacy was nurtured while I was a
student of Notre Dame of Tacurong (NDTC) and nobody, even my family and closest
friends knew about it, not even my colleagues in PAL later on, except Boy
Loquias who was assigned at Tablas after his training, and where he raised his
family. It was only when I shared my “adventures” on facebook due to the
prodding of some friends, though with much hesitation, that they came to know
about them. I just consoled myself with the thought that my sharing such
adventures would, hopefully, make others realize that one need not be rich to
be able to share blessings with others...and, that they can do the same, if
they wish.
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