Pandemic Diaries ( Continued )

continued...

The JICA Hall next to Bing’s sari-sari store , was crowded. The concrete government super structure served as a hub for local authorities such as the head of the barrio and his subordinates. It is one of the many facilities built nationwide by Japan, the country’s major strategic development partner for several decades after World War II. Japan built town halls, hospital,  class rooms and many other structures all over - a seemingly perfect way to attempt to heal and erase the history of the heinous wartime crimes they have committed. Filipinos will never forget, for the war veterans and many others, these are just emblems that rekindles the past that tells a thousand stories of atrocities by the blood-lustful Japanese soldiers against our countrymen,  whom they victimized, raped and murdered. On other occasions, it housed a dozen of prepubescent children, there for the towns medical circumcision drive, a cost-free salvation for the shame of undergoing the same ritual at an older age. Older town folks claimed it was both a religious and a cultural practice to recognize manhood in the community, while my parents said it was a health-promoting practice. Visibly shocked newly circumcised children, hobbled in various directions like drunk zombies,  walked the walk of shame,  most of them wearing skirts, their gait awkwardly wide based, none of them were proud and none of them were happy. 

Having deliberately defied Bing’s early warning, I continued pedaling towards the mob of local rickshaw drivers gathered right in front of the hall, i stopped and eavesdropped a little. They were complaining about something which i did not really care about, the head of the barrio said there was nothing that he could do. Sir Den, a slender six footer man with a fair skin complexion was standing next to his 1996 white Toyota Corolla, on its rooftop was a sign that says TAXI. He was the same age as my parents and has a daughter who was a table tennis athlete, her name was all over the school’s publication after finishing third in the division level championship, which meant she battled against all other five districts in our province.  Why recognition was important, i did not know. In addition, in celebration of her success, she was honored with one of those massive congratulatory tarpaulins being mounted high on the walls of the school for the public to see, similar to those garbage ads, oversized, misplaced and mounted literally wherever possible, the higher the better, obscuring every possible view, bearing names of candidates running for office, a politcal campain strategy worth millions of pesos then considered legal, how, i did not know. 

To be continued....