Tabora in Divisoria

Every Good Friday I gave away hundreds of white face towels to those carrying the Santo Sepulcro, or to what I call Giwang-giwang in Binangonan. That’s how it was known when I was little.

The price per towel keeps on increasing by at least 15%. Last year, I paid P18 a piece. I want to increase the quantity to 1,000 pieces at least.
They didn’t want to give me any discount. I asked my staff to contact other suppliers, meron ngang nagpunta dito sa office, she brought a sample but it didn’t conform to the size I want.

After some thought, ako na nga lang ang maghahanap.

I skipped the office and I went to Divisoria yesterday.

I left the house with only two hundred pesos. Nalimutan ko wala pala akong pera.
I also don’t have an ATM card. I saw a Security Bank sign and asked the driver to stop. Buti na lang maluwag na ngayon sa Divisoria, dati kasi the road was full of street vendors. We were able to park. With some hesitation, I got off the van and walked in between vendors, going towards the direction where the Security Bank sign was.

A——– “Magkano yan?”
Vendor— “sampu”
A——– “Sige mamaya babalik ako”.

His table is so flimsy, if you’re not extra careful, you could knock it off and you would end up paying for everything.

If you are not cowboy like me, you cannot come here. Dapat dito street smart.

What kind of life does this boy have? It would have been a happy day for him had I woke him up and brought him to the Jollibee at the corner. But it’s too risky to wake him up. Baka high sa rugby. Or maalimpungatan, magulat eh kagatin ako.
Gulatin mo na ang lasing, wag lang ang bagong gising.

I couldn’t find SBC, kaya I asked a female fruit vendor. It’s inside pala.

Here’s the challenge. I don’t have any ID with photo. I lost my drivers license.
I approached the teller and explained to her that I came to Divisoria to buy towels that I would give away to the thousand people carrying the santo.
I don’t have an ID, I need some cash and I am not sure if I have enough money in my account.
The pretty teller looked at me trying to decipher siguro kung escapee ako sa mental institution. Tough luck talaga. I gave her my two credit cards and requested her if she could contact my branch in Tektite. She agreed.

After a few minutes, she gave me P20,000. yehey, I have money to buy towels.
And sobrang swerte pa. I asked the bank’s security guard to help me find a supplier “Manong, ngayon lang ako nakapunta dito, kailangan kong bumili ng mga puting tuwalya kasi ipamimigay ko sa isang libong tao na bubuhat sa santo sa Byernes Santo”. His face was stoned. Ayaw kumibo. Parang matapang. Siguro he’s thinking sino ba itong aleng ito. Baka sindikato.

And why did I have to tell my whole life story to strangers?
What I say has no relevance to their lives.

A—— “Manong, saan kaya dito meron? Natatakot akong mag-ikot”.
Naawa yata. I said the magic word, natatakot. Para akong vulnerable. Para akong little girl. Hindi nya alam, laking kalye din pala.

Bingo, from stoned-effect, his face turned into an approachable fellow. He used his lips to point, “Ayan o”. Ayun pala nasa tapat lang nila. Tsamba.

While they were packing, I wandered a few meters away.
I found this Aling Anding flower shop. I bought two plastic urns.
A———– “Miss, yung pinaka malaki, gusto ko malaki”.
Tindera—– “Wala na mam, yan na ang malaki”.
A———– “Magkano?”
Tindera—– “Four hundred ninety”.
A———– “Huh, mahal pala”.
Tindera—– “Four hundred fifty na lang”.
A———– “P850 na lang dalawa”.
Tindera—– “Hindi pwede, gusto mo yung maliit na lang”.
(Ang taray naman nito).
A———– “Sige, 890 na lang”.
Tindera—– “Hindi nga pwede. Yung itim na lang ang kunin mo”.
A———– “Sige na nga, dalawa”.
Tindera—– “Noy, kumuha ka ng apat”.
A———– “Miss, dalawa lang”.
Tindera—– “Apat nga”.
A———– “Dalawa lang”.
Tindera—– “Kailangan mo pa ba ng resibo?”
A———– “Syempre”.

After 15 minutes:
A———– “Miss, saan ba nagpunta yun bakit ang tagal-tagal”.
Tindera—– “Sa purt plur”.
A———– “Ang layo pala”.

After 5 minutes
A———– “Miss, yung sukli ko one hundred at resibo ko at paki follow up naman bakit ang tagal”.
She was walking back and forth.
Ano kayang hinahanap nya?

Here comes the guy, a different guy.
Guy———- “Mam, kumain pa kasi yung kumuha”.

What? Ang labo naman, he was just supposed to get two plastic urns, naglunch break pa pala, kinalimutan na ako. Kunsumisyon.

A——— “Miss, ito ba yung Tabora?”
I looked around and felt that the place’s peculiar. There’s something in there that made be feel nostalgic. Bigla kong naalala ang mama at papa ko.
This place could be the one. I felt so sad.

Tabora was the name of the place my parents frequented when they were buying merchandise for our store in Binangonan. Sometimes I tagged along and my mom would leave me here in Tabora. I would sit on a tiny wooden stool for a few hours, so bored to death, while my parents do their buying. They would come back when I would be so white from hunger. Many times, I passed time by crying— combination of boredom, thirst, hunger and fear that my parents would no longer come back for me.

I did a little shopping on my way back to the main road.
There were many fruit vendors. Ang mura ng tinda.

I bought a kilo of mangosteen. After dinner, Edmund finished it in less than 10 minutes. Dapat daw anim na kilo ang binili ko.

I didn’t haggle nor asked for discount. When I paid, they gave me extra change. Siguro they felt guilty kasi dapat kalahati ang discount.

Would you believe I paid P5 for 3 pieces of carrots. Big, fresh, bagong pitas talaga. Sampung piso na nga.

I spent P30 for one supot of veggies.

Imagine, I paid P35 for a kilo of mango. Meron pang libreng tsismis.
The guy’s indespair, pouring his heart out to the woman vendor.
She advised him —– “kung sinasaktan ka na, iwan mo na”.

Oo nga pala I promised this guy I would come back. I bought four pieces.

I was about to get on the van when I saw this P25 tsinelas.

More expensive P35

P25 a pair

Eto sana gusto ko, cool na cool. but they didn’t have my size. I bought a pair but with different design.

Pasakay na ako, this guy, out of nowhere, suddenly showed up right infront of my nose.
Tattoo guy—— “Bayad!”
A————— “Wala ka naman dito kanina”.
Tattoo guy—— “May bayad”.
A————– “Magkano?”
Tattoo guy—– “Singkwenta”.
A————– “Ha?”
I noticed he’s covered with tattoo. Medyo tagilid ako, hindi ko sya kakosa, sige na bayad na agad.