Carabaos plowing the hundreds of hectares of rice fields along the highway from Binangonan to Angono to Taytay were a constant sight every time I traveled with my father from Binangonan to Manila and back. The lush green fields, the sight of pointed hats worn by the farmers, the small kubo in the middle of the fields, the Laguna de Bay lake at a distance, the clear blue skies mixed with streaks of white hues, all these painted a serene, simple, provincial life in my memories as a young girl.
The landscape has completely changed. The open fields where summer softball games were held have disappeared. The rice fields in Cainta, Taytay, Angono and Binangonan are now filled with residential structures and commercial establishments. I haven’t seen a mound of hay for the past twenty years. No more carabaos swimming in mud.
Carabaos are now considered endangered species. I don’t want them to disappear. I’ll breed them, my small contribution to the preservation of nature’s creatures. I’ll buy a pair and hopefully they will multiply. I wonder what I will do with their babies. Maybe donate to the farmers in provinces where they still employ the help of carabaos in cultivating rice fields. I have no space for them in our small farm. I will house them in Binangonan instead.
I know where to buy them. At the cattle auction.
