Chapter 32
Home at Long Last
"I'm coming home to your loving heart.
You're the one that I adore though we broke apart.
I want you. I need you. I know it's true I made you cry.
I must get back to you somehow. So now I'm coming home to you.
My life is nothing without you. Please let me stay. . . ."
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IsuYfEXXlk)
It's Tom Jones' old-time favorite "I'm Coming Home" providing the soundtrack as Fr. Driarco was aboard the Roro Ship sailing from Batangas towards his home Marble County Osigan.
"You're right. It's such a beautiful heart-rending and haunting ballad from a lover who has realized how long he has been away and decided to go back home hopefully for good."
"What apt music playing the soundtrack of his life reliving those exciting beautiful memories together down the memory lane," Fr. Driarco thought his eyes set on the beautiful sunset melting away from the horizon.
"Love never loves until you give it away and returns to you," the thought playing in his mind now as his yearning to be home is given a fitting close.
"What a sentimental journey it has been indeed reinforced by the nostalgia invoked through that song probably only this great singer with a resonant voice could best deliver the message with aplomb and justice," the thought continue engrossing him as fresh and biting sea breeze caressed his face sending long and straight hair flinging into the air.
Constantly gliding against normal cascading waves, the Roroboat continued sailing Tablas Strait the sun gradually losing its luster as if bidding him goodnight after a hard day's grueling journey from Mindanao finally setting engulfed by dark clouds on the horizon.
It was like a dream come true indeed going home at last after those long years of wanderlust bringing his political beliefs to different parts of the country. Thus, excitement surged as he disembarked from the huge metal gangplank from the RoRo boat arriving at Osigan port, Romblon.
"Home at long last!" he stepped into the concrete pavement. And lo and behold what vast and marked improvements feasting his eyes looking around.
"Must have been long years since I did not visit my beloved Marble County." True enough given roughly three decades of drama living like a fugitive shaking out every dragnet set by authorities forever living like any freeman enjoying satiated from the lust over the beauty that is life.
The port was excellent with all those improvements put in place. Unlike before where you have to fight it out finding your way against wild onrushing passengers and laborers giving you headaches and wishing you did not travel anymore. Today the order is seen all over making traveling practically a breeze. But to his surprise, the motorcycle fare was prohibitively sky-high more than the ordinary taxi fare as he paid arriving home. Understandably maybe because the arrival was already past unholy hours midnight.
Just how long he's been away. "Well if how then magnificent Araneta Coliseum imposing its towering grandeur against Cubao skyline but now mercifully dwarfed by condominiums in the background is the cue, then it is truly long as if far bygone years," he thought. The vacation was therefore welcome development and colorful traveling back down memory lane reminiscing those good old days again what with the excitement of reunion among his cliché.
But all were gone now as Marble County morphed into a progressive and competitive province teeming with skyrocketing commercial buildings. Houses like castles like in fairytales changed mostly the residential landscape of the municipality. This was made possible because of the competition for the remittance of Almighty Dollars among the sons and daughters of the homeowners who are mostly Overseas Filipino Workers. Constructed by integrating marbles from balustrades in the entrance to the Sala, kitchen and sleeping quarters, and chandeliers you would mistake as hanging giant lanzones in the night when lighted indoors could make your night sleeping the shortest sending your stress and worries away. The colorful ice-cream-like flavor given all those sweet-looking mixtures of yellow, green, scarlet, and various color combinations, makes you wonder how Osigan residents are agog in exploiting a maze of combinations like any rainbow hunters for color.
The town is relatively peaceful now, and cleanliness and order are felt and seen all over as you walk around, especially on the newly created Boulevard all the way from the town to the port. But Vultures of Development have made their day arrogating upon themselves otherwise 20 meters legal easements from foreshores and 40 meters from the bank of the river. It's the DENR who actually created that limits but whatever happened that exploitation of private businessmen has their day full of establishing those unwanted and illegal structures along beaches depriving the public.
"Boracay across Osigan would have been not Boracay had then DENR Secretary Lito Atienza did not recall private individual titles preserving legal easements from Station 1 all the way to the last section," Fr. Driarco recalled.
"The roads are mostly paved too. It's almost all concrete pavement all over in all circumferential road of Tablas," Julie, Driarco's stepbrother enthused and confessed meeting him in the port. As usual, the superb marble products Romblon is famous of could be seen all over. Marble figurines from exquisite dancing swans and galloping horses to colorful key holders among other marble products were on display along the port. But not anymore on makeshift shanties but on permanent display centers dramatizing the premium provincial government is promoting exquisite marble industry, which Romblon province is known for.
It's sad to note though that politics however is still taking its toll on the province. Gauging from the scandalous and vulgar thread on Facebook and UTube washing dirty linen in public probably dragging the good name even those who carved a niche in the country's literature the likes of NVM Gonzales, Butch Dalisay and other Romblon greats is annoying.
"Why all this crab mentality mindset has not changed for the better of the Province? This is what we get engaging in dirty politics," Fr. Driarco reflected.
The recent May 9, 2022 National election shows 'why'. All is told, opposition candidates all over Osigan were mostly wiped out. To think that the province was once Leni Robredo's country winning in all municipalities and thrashing even the 2022 President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.in the 2016 Vice Presidential race is incredible. But it did happen because the young Governor and most likely with the imprimatur of the Congressman sold the soul of the province to BBM, in their last-ditch effort of saving their neck in that hotly contested National Election race.
"How could we win with the incumbent dishing out P3,000.00 per voter compared to us who capitalizes only on our honest platform?" a friend who run that election for Sanggunian Panlalawigan Board member and owner of Printing Press wailed.
Fr. Driarco just shook his head hearing all these development as if getting rid of a bad omen.
"How in God's name they could not be more sober and professional in dishing out services to the people when she's all that we've got? What a sign of immaturity giving disservice instead to the next generation. Who could afford not to give his best shot for the Province?" the question reverberating in the air.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Blast from the past would be soon rekindled. He was on his way to attend the important event at his once-beloved Alma Mater wondering how many from among his cliché would attend today's Anniversary. The aromatic scent of palay, classmates unrepentant voices as they lend their helping hands planting rice at his farm in RSU, coco beer constantly overflowing in cans and containers once upon a time, an afternoon spent away listening and sharing anecdotes and serenading in the evening comes vacationing beautiful ladies from Manila, fishing catching all those fishes by the nets –once regular fixture of yesterday when they were young and innocent cohesive bands of adventurous students. All these sent fleeting contentment to the group. He smiled hearing banters inside Aling Nita's Refreshment Parlor and for sure too earnest waiting Maj. De la Rosa and Fr. Driarco, two favorite long-lost sons of RSU now about to meet each other after many decades of absence.
True enough wave of catcalls erupted as both stepped in. Total packaged anniversary celebration with the some of the group became rowdy with all laughter there reverberating igniting lost opportunity of presence. This was followed by the collective rendition of the group's favorite ditty – "Ibon man may laying lumipad, kulungin mo ma't umiiyak. Bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag .. . ." This time however a descant was added by Driarco sing "Mindanao O Mindanao. Mindanao Na bayan ko. Ikaw ay nasa puso ko, Mindanao ikaw ang buhay ko!" before going back to the chorus.
And the final refrain: "Mindanao O Mindanao. Ampingan ta ang Mindanao. Duyog ta sa paglakaw paingon sa kalinaw. Mindanao O Mindanao ikaw ang akong gimahal. Duyog na kay naglawig na mi paingon sa kalinaw sa Mindanao."
The lyrics were original in Bisaya. But Fr. Good priest didn't mind. The message that counts hopefully contributing for lasting peace for Mindanao both Fr. Driarco and Major de la Rosa remains an elusive dream. But who knows given the sincerity of the government pushing for real development?
Why Mindanao? It's because it's Fr. Driarco's second home where he spent many decades of his life meeting his once bosom friend Maj. De la Rosa in a dramatic manner yet.
"What a fitting closure that is." The good priest exclaimed in silence.
It's such a fitting refrain as the group reminisces the good old days back again. Mostly so far were sporting formal attire diametrically opposing the good old days. Hairs were noticeably trimmed. Bodily improvement getting bigger is also noticeable.
Natural development. Three so far were taken ahead by the Lord – Josie, Lino, and Rona – but otherwise, the group remained intact. What a grand eyeball-to-eyeball celebration savoring all the thrills and experiences each one living to the fullest had. Some dangerously brought about by the nature of their work but most importantly, by the vision and dreams of joining the National Struggle for liberation restoring democracy – this Driarco feels the sweetest of them all.
Hugging, shaking, and kissing after gestures of giving me "Five" were all seen and exchanged all over renewing the bond of friendship. This didn't escape the enjoyment of each one. And one among the happiest was Fr. Driarco and Major Taklin de la Rosa each one thought would never see each other again alive. Wrong, they were among the two warm bodies present!
"This the one you requested a pendant tied to a leather thong as well with three gold-like scraps securing a customized needle inside," Maj. De la Rosa put in a neck of Fr. Driarco, him doing the same to his bosom friend the rest of the gang witnessing the significant event wondering what's it all about though.
"Good grief buddy as both gentlemen lead the bottoms up emptying right away the wine in a cup!" While the fun continued, both bosom buddies left the group momentarily heading back towards the School campus across. It's time to confuse the devil exorcising and bury the past and welcome back to a new beginning," the two said standing on rice paddies. As they mutually agree on together, they raise their hands and with needle incased in a pendant both throw away on the newly plowed ride paddies maybe bury the infamy it did to Osigan restoring hopefully new beginning for both protagonists.
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