Pila-pila commitment

I find it ironic that I am beginning to go back to my mother’s birthplace, Pila-pila.  When I was little,  she would always bring me with her when she visited some of her cousins in this barrio. At times she would ask me to do this and that for their old chapel but I was not able to do some of her requests.    And now,  some 10 years after her death,  I am finding myself an active member of their closed-knit community. Everybody  here knows every body.  If you’re looking for someone,  just ask the istambay sa kanto or any one and you’d definitely find who you’re looking for.  They would even accompany you to that person.  Most likely, the person is a relative of the person you asked info from.

Pila-pila is gearing up for its first ever Holy Week celebrations.  The whole town is involved.  the more affluent ones are preparing for their own santo and carosa.

La Pieta

LG Antiporda’s

Santos waiting for their own carosas

The town folks were bringing some santos to the pabasa in the next barrio (Kabilang Tabi).

The whole barrio would even go to Batangas in several buses for the Visita Iglesia,  all 350 of them as of last count,  wearing uniformed t-shirts.  Willingly shelling out P650 per person to join in this priest-initiated religious field trip.

I have always declined to own a santo.  I have said it many times that “walang mag-aasikaso”.  All my surviving siblings live in the bay area.  Kuya Ben, the one who’s best qualified to get involved in this kind of festivities has long passed on to heaven. 
I live 30 kilometers away from Pila-pila and I just can’t be as committed.  I travel a lot too and I can’t promise that I would be here on every procession day. The parish priest and the church volunteers fully acknowledged my limitations.  They all pledged to take care of my santo and said that I don’t have to be present at all times.  They would keep the santo inside the church in the baptismal area and would also be in-charge of bringing it out during procession days. I couldn’t say no.   
So here I am,  finding myself going back and forth Binangonan, more frequently than before.

There were two people na daw who backed-out of their commitments to give the St. John the Evangelist. Can’t blame them, it’s a big responsibility, and a continuing commitment too.  I have so far spent a hundred grand for this.    But this is a religious endeavor, so I should not even keep tabs.   And my sister said “matutuwa ang mama”.   I just wish she could see the santo when it’s done.

I have to go.  I am going to Home Depot in Julia Vargas to find some nice lights for the santo’s andas (carosa), generator for the carosa.   I told the guy making it to put mirror and arinola but he couldn’t decipher what I was asking him to do.  Mahaba ang prusisyon ano,  para susuot na lang ako sa ilalim nung carosa at dun na lang ako, may arinola.  

It depends on my energy level,  I will run to Binangonan to check if the guy who’s supposed to do the powder room has started work.   Ang init pa naman duon,  super.

Didith  Tan (church’s parish secretary), omb, and Eden (professor at URS).
Every person that sees me greets me either tita Annie or Ate Annie. The next comment would be “kamukha ka ng tiya Felicing” or ” kamukha ka ng lola Felicing”.