Konted's Make My Day 2: Tales From The Sitios

Tales From The Sitios

Veronica, a slender, suntanned woman in her early 40's, was holding tightly to the old, worn out truck's collapsible side steel cover as the truck was crossing the Matictic Bridge on its way to the mining quarry in Bangkal. She had hitched her ride home. Sunlight was bouncing off the azure waters of the Angat River as more than a dozen kids were taking turns diving from the edge of the bridge.

With a grocery bag full of mami noodles, coffee sachets, loaves of bread and brown sugar, Veronica alighted at the junction in Sitio Coral as she waved at the driver. It was her way of thanking him. She started her walk to another sitio in the mountains where her family had been staying for almost 7 years. She reckoned that her youngest son had been yearning for her return. Her rhythm changed.

She had a glimpse of husband Carlito standing near the main door of the house. As she walked past the beautiful Waling Waling hanging just beneath the coconut tree, she bent a little to place the grocery bag on top of a bamboo table. Without a word, without provocation, Carlito unleashed a wild swing at Veronica's right torso, forcing her to kneel and wince in pain. He followed this with a punch to the woman's mouth, causing blood to ooze. "Bakit ngayon ka lang, p_t_ng ina mo? "

Youngest son Ade ran as fast as he could to the nearest Barangay Outpost. But nobody there seemed to care. For them, it was the same old story. The same script repeated many times over for the past 2 years. Veronica had been a battered wife and everybody in the sitio knew about it. She had filed formal complaints with the Barangay five times and five times she withdrew those complaints. "Nakakaawa naman", she would say.

Carlito had been a farmer all his life. Calluses and bunions grew on both feet and his hands were soiled more often than not. He was good in spraying harmless chemicals on the mango trees that grew in the lot he was tending. But Carlito was a drunkard and he was partial to the Matador. And as he imbibed more liquor up to the wee hours of the morning, all the more he manifested his jealousy towards his wife.

Veronica was gentle in her ways and was well liked by almost everyone in the sitio. She played bingo with the women and had a discreet way of conversing with the men. She always had that smile on her face and had the habit of greeting everyone. If they liked her for that, Carlito did not. He was jealous. And he became more violent as the days passed by.

Regaining her composure, she slowly stood up as she wiped the blood from her busted lips. She headed towards the kitchen somewhat limping. By this time, Carlito had left for an afternoon ritual. And that was drinking with friends. Veronica was thinking long and hard. For her, that was the last straw. Her patience had been stretched to the limits.

As usual, Carlito was back by 1 a.m. He was drunk, very drunk. He was uttering something unintelligible: "Ina, ina, ina, ina, na, na..... " Veronica was sipping coffee, with her right foot swinging back and forth as Carlito fell flat on the bamboo bed near the window. He was dead drunk, no doubt about that.

It was the opportune moment that Veronica was waiting. Holding a long abaca rope used for carabaos, she approached her husband who was totally knocked out. He was snoring. Veronica tied Carlito's feet by the ankles and stretched the rope some more up to the neck and looped it around. Then she stretched the rope a little more up to the low wooden beam of the house. She wrapped the rope around the beam and slowly started to pull it hard.

For every pull, Carlito was being choked. As he tried to kick, which was the natural tendency, the noose all the more tightened. Both feet were connected to the neck. Hogtied and dead drunk, he was helpless. Veronica was now pulling the rope fastened at the beam with all her might. She was unleashing the anger within her which she had kept all the years. In a few minutes, Carlito was dead. Nothing was moving that precise moment. Only the blowing wind disturbed the tranquility of the night.

At the break of dawn, Veronica surrendered to barangay authorities. She was taken to the Police headquarters at the town proper. Her statements were taken and all her records were scrutinized. She was detained and the legal process moved. At the fiscal's level, the case against Veronica was dropped. It was for the simple reason that she was a battered wife. In most cases, authorities are lenient to the abused wife. She was set free. Free to move back to the sitio.

- Konted

P.S. Veronica relocated from that sitio to another sitio in the mountains. She has gone back to normal life. In fact, I took her in as temporary caretaker when my farm hand took a long,long vacation. She is now married to a retired widower some 25 years her senior. Veronica, from all indications, has found true happiness at last.

One has to cross the Angat River to get to the mountain sitios.

Facing south, this is a view of the Angat River from the Matictic Bridge.

The main road leading to the mountain sitios.

The resilient bamboos swing and sway as the wind blows in the mountains.

Beautiful orchids seen in the front garden of a house in Sitio Coral

Carabao is the farmer's best friend. Photo taken at Matictic Proper.

Tis the season for harvesting mangoes.

Mangoes wrapped in newspaper as protection from pestilent insects.

Former Philippine boxing champion Pretty Boy Lucas (left) works at the Barangay Hall of Matictic.

Albert Gener poses with boxing champ Pretty Boy Lucas.

Signage at the junction leading to Bangkal and Baraka.

A chapel on top of a hill

Multi purpose Hall in Matictic named after a son-in-law of the illustrious Atty. Silvestre Pascual. The late Engr Hernan Tinsay was married to Josefina "Nene" Pascual Tinsay and was an active member of a civic organization. The Pascuals have vast landholdings in Matictic. Other prominent members of the clan include Major General Rafael and Cynthia Zagala, Atty. Justiniano and former DSWD Minister Sylvia Montes and Mr. Augusto and Eli Mata.