Dubai de Binakayan

Dubai de Binakayan?

Why? Someone would wonder!

Is it really comparable with regards to progress and wealth? Well maybe or maybe not! Is there really a standard for wealth and progress?If so, what could that be and who sets such standard?

Having been born and raised in what was then a beautiful and peaceful barrio of Binakayan,and that was in the early 50's, one would really wonder and ask, why?

Life was very easy going then and people would just take one step at a time,so to speak.Almost all residents were legitimate and were born in the place though there were but a few migrants yet everybody seems to know each other.Each clan or family has their own callings or aliases (bansag).To name a few, there are the posporo family,swallow,kabayo,bageng,bibe,aswang,gaway, surot and kalabaw.Every family were known even from neighboring barrios or even municipalities. If one would be looking for a person one would just ask someone and all that he needed would be to give the family alias and surely he could find who he was looking for.The people were much healthier and there were but a few sick people. They used to walk going to and from their daily destinations even if it be a kilometer or much longer distance.The older ladies who would be going to market to buy their daily food and stuff because there were no refrigerators then, men would be getting water from the public artesian wells would have their pushcarts full of tin cans(balde) to fetch their daily water needs. And people would drink this water and nobody got sick of any kind due to this water.Yes, this water would be used in taking a bath,in cooking foods and in drinking.Water needed for washing clothes, cleaning the house and watering the plants would come from man made open wells (balon).Mothers would just let their babies play and sleep in a crib made of wood and bamboo sticks and this would be so big that even the mother could go inside to breastfeed the baby and when the baby was full and asleep,she could readily get off and continue with her house chores.Children were allowed to play and wonder around some orchards (looban) even without their slippers on, they would be called to go home if it is already time to eat and after their lunch they would help in cleaning the mess and washing the dishes. They will then be told to have a siesta or a nap.After this,they would then go back to play again till it's almost dark.Everybody,young and old must be home before six pm for the praying of the angelus headed by the grandmother (lola).School children would go to school in their uniforms and wooden shoes (bakya) or rubber sandals (tsinelas).Very early in the morning they would walk their way to the school and go home to eat lunch and then return to school and go home after class in the afternoon..........to be continued for more nostalgic moments.