Minsan sa May Kalayaan

I remember how ten years ago in the summer of 2005, me and my sister set foot in UP Diliman for the enrollment- her for her last year in the university and me as a clueless freshman. I am not sure if I was the only freshman with no parents in tow- just a sister who was also busy collecting her class cards in preparation for her enrollment. Excitement overpowered that fear of entering the university for I have heard a lot of inspiring stories from my sister. How students go to class with the clothes they wore last night, with how cheap the things are, with the type of exams, with the brilliance of the other students and with the beauty of living inside a dorm.

Indeed the university dorm life made my stay in the university bearable and fun. I have acquired friends who remain to be my friends to this day and some inspiring acquaintances who are nice to run into now that we are in the corporate world. Living in a dorm offered an opportunity for a balance of the pressures of the academics and the demands of the soul for social interaction. I will never regret living in a dorm all my college years.

A month ago I attended a launch of a program aiming at raising funds for the rehabilitation of the dorms. I met a lot of old faces at the event- some of those remember me and maybe more cannot. But who cares, it is still extremely inspiring to look at these people and see how far they have gone in life. Although it saddens me not see some of my residents when I had a brief stint as a Resident Assistant at the Kalayan Residence Hall, looking at all these familliar faces and spaces is more than enough. I cannot ask more for I have seen my sweet college professor, my former dorm managers, my sisters in crime and have even visited my old rooms.

I know a lot of successful people (including my room mates hahahahha) who have stayed at the dorms in UP. I hope and pray they will help the university in preserving these structures that served as a home during our college days and now a memorial of those memories that have lead us to where we are now.

photo from http://upd.edu.ph/~updinfo/apr15/articles/balikUPDormGallery.html

photo from http://upd.edu.ph/~updinfo/apr15/articles/balikUPDormGallery.html

Coming Home

I have literally flown all the way home for the homecoming early this month. I have boarded a plane from Surigao, boarded a bus to Baguio in Cubao upon arrival, and finally boarded the bus to Sagada. On top of those, I have boarded a banca and a lot of taxis in between. I have braved all those in the name of the homecoming 2015.

For most, homecomings are intended to rekindle the past by meeting the old faces and reminiscing all those silly moments. For some including me, it is our way of showing our gratitude of our roots. If the former would have been my primary reason, it was a disappointment for only I showed for our batch. I am aware of some batch mates who settled in the locality yet failed to show at the event. I understand them for they have their reasons.Seeing old faces those of my generation and beyond is already a rewarding experience. How many of these old faces have inspired me into what I am today? The list is endless.

For how can I not attend an event if I have practically grown with the school? The school is the very reason why we are now residing in Sagada. My father hails from Sabangan and my mother from Tadian making us "dayos" on where we now call home. Ever since I was a child, my mother would bring me occasionally to school. I remember playing with those potted plants-sipping the sweet nectar and popping their buds. I remember playing with the stapler and getting my hands stapled. Along the way some of our students became our kuyas/ates.

Growing older I have constantly witnessed school affairs through my mother. Some of my projects during my elementary days had their inspirations from the works of my mother's students. Then it was time for me to be in high school and I attended school here. Graduating from it's portals, I am proud to say that I am a product of a quality public education institution.

So you see I cannot blame those other batch mates of mine if they have not shown up during the event. Among all of us, I am the most expected to be there for I have spent a longer part of my life there. I have attended not just for myself but also for my siblings who have gone through the same way as I did. We will always treasure the school because it was the reason why we have belonged to the community. Even if my mother does not teach there anymore or that me and my siblings rarely come home, the school and the community occupy a permanent slot in our hearts.

Live long Bangaan High.

Please Do Not Come to Sagada

I am personally making this appeal to my friends who intend to visit Sagada- please do not. Not that I am not proud of where I came from but the recent realizations when I recently went home pushed me to clamor for your support. If you are expecting to find a quaint town where life is quiet and simple, you are up for a disappointment. Traffic, noise and the crowd tarnished the image of the town.

I cannot think of any better feasible action than to ask support from my well traveled friends whose words of recommendation are credible. I am hoping that the desire to see Sagada will not prevail over the desire to preserve the environment. If you are aware of the concept of carrying capacity, then I hope you will agree with me. At present, figures show how the in-traffic far exceeds the number of people that can be conveniently accommodated by the town. I am gripped by fear having seen what tourism did to once quiet towns turned tourist havens. What you will currently see is not Sagada- at least not my version of home.

You may say that you are as environmental as I am and that you are very much aware of the ways to preserve the environment. I know that you all are- but waste generation is directly  proportional to the number of people (whether we like it or not). You might have pocketed your candy wrappers and have used the water sparingly but what about the waste generated by the restaurants that prepared your food? What about those resources used to accommodate you? How about the human wastes generated in the absence of proper sewage treatment?

I hope you find it in your hearts to heed me. Please do not come to Sagada and tell others to do that too. Please come when things are better- when the government has devised a way of regulating tourism and solving all those perpetual problems that come with it. While waiting for that, please let my stories be your virtual tour to the town.

Thank you!