MEMORIES: Life and Time of Pastor Rudy Bernal, His
Glimpses on History & the People’s Struggle
forFreedom
Chapter 9 – Drowns Nearly at Salaman
River & Got Lost in
a Virgin Forest
Two things I will
never forget while studying at Salaman Institute in Libak, Cotabao. First, I nearly drowned bathing at
Salaman river. And 2nd, I lost my way in the
vast, dense and virgin forest
where we toured as students about 1
½ kilometers away from our school. I remembered the fears that gripped me when I found, I lost my way
and sitting alone on a protruding roots, as the lights dim and twilight seems
fast coming.
Salaman river was a wide and long river that comes down from the east to the sea in
the west. I did not not knew where the river comes. And I never knew where it passes until it reached the sea. Above the mountains, we only saw the vast and virgin forests. I only knew that Salaman River
was covered with virgin forests around, from east to west and from the north.
One morning we went swimming with my 4 classmates. It was
about 1 hour walk to the river from our
school. The river’s sides were covered with lush and big timbers.
There were also bamboos growing on the
river banks. On some sides of the mountain there were trees that were cut and burned by kaingeros.
Some rattans
were hanging on the trees on both sides of the river. But the rattan
were high. We took off our clothes and
throw it on the sand. I walked to the river and lie on the sand. I knew a
little swimming. For in Iloilo, I swam
on the sea water near the seashore. I have never experienced swimming on the
river with strong running water
with currents moving down the river. Two of my classmates were Christians. Two
were Muslims. We were very close
friends. While they were playing, I swam
to the middle of the river. I did not know that the current was strong. I
realized the strength of the current, when I was carried down the river
fast. When I tried
to stand, my toes were not able to
reached the ground. When I tried to swim back, I was carried fast by the running water down
the river. I shouted for help.
When my friends
saw me, carried down by the strong
current, they worked together to help me. I was already far, about 200
meters away. They run down the river
side, about ½ kilometre away from me.
They hold their hands together, so they will be able to catch
me when I passed near, carried
by current. I was moving down fast.
But while my
friends were already preparing to be
able to catch me, I was able to reach
and hold on a small bamboo twig, protruding from the bamboo that was
uprooted and carried by floods, and
deposited on the middle of the
river. I was able to climb the uprooted bamboo’s
roots. I climbed and saved myself.
I would not be
able to return to the bank alone. But my classmates worked together to help me. My two Muslim classmates
went down the water which was about
three meters
deep. My two Christian classmates stood
on their shoulders under the water. I leaped to
the shoulders of my two Christian
friends who used all their strength to catch and throw me
to the shallow water near the bank. There, I sat
for a few minutes on the sand. I was still speechless. I
was trembling but my fears were now gone. We celebrated our experiences that morning.
We eat our lunch, which we brought with
fresh drinking water. Then we
went home.
My 4 classmates told our teachers and classmates what happened.
They said, I saved myself. They just helped me get out of the deep river. This
experience remained fresh in my
mind. I never forget it. .
Another
experienced in Libak while studying
was getting lost in the forest.
One afternoon, our teacher, Mr. Tanangonan, told our class that we will have a biological tour. We will visit the forests. There was a vast forest on the western side
of our school. We will see some wild
flowers. We will see some life in the forests. Perhaps some small animals. It was part of our learning on life and living things. Before we
went, our class
secretary listed all our names. We were
42 First Year students who joined our forest tour that afternoon.
The forest
was only about 1 1/2 kilometers away
from our school. It was a virgin forest. We passed some corn farms along
the way. As we entered the forest, our
teacher told us to be observant. We will not talked loud. We will try to remember what we saw. We
will see the birds, animals, snakes,
butterfly, monkeys. . But we will not harm them.
We must be kind always to living
things.
We entered the
forest. Inside, the surroundings were clean. Only rooting leaves. Some new leaves were around.
The timbers were all very big and
tall. Some
were about 3 meters around. And the
timbers were about 50 meters high. There
were also many small
timbers. But no grasses. Only the leaves
of the trees that have de-composted. I enjoyed watching and making my
observations. There were some
butterflies. I saw some lizards. There were birds. Some monkeys were howling far. I have never saw a snake. I think I have walked a bit far ,and even
farther. Yes, I think, I walked quite far. I
forgot the time. i forgot that I have classmates few meters away.
Later, I
discovered it was getting darker. The
lights that pierced the leaves of trees on the top were still seen but getting faint. The wind was a bit colder. I turn back.
But I do not know where is the front and the back of the forest. I do
not know anymore where I am. All around, I only saw the trunks of
big trees and the wide forest. Wherever I look, I saw trees, the same
trees around. I cannot sea the sun. It was covered by mists
and the dense forest leaves,
I
realized, I do not know the way back from
where we assembled. I tried to
walk again. Perhaps, I might walked farther and farther away. I
began to feel frightened. Since, I did not knew where the East and West or the North and South, I decided to just set and try to calm myself. I shouted to my classmates. But no response. I sat down at
big protruding roots. I do not know where I am now. It was hard to be lost in the forest.
I shouted.
Again, hoping my classmates would hear me.
But no answer came back.
I began to think that a demon may have worked out so I will get lost in the forest. There were stories
back home in Carles, where demons tried
to leeway people to lost their way in wide swamps. I heard from older people, that when one got lost in the
big swamp and do not know their way home, they must invert their shirts.The
inner part of the shirt will be out. This will gave the a chance to recover my bearings and find their way. But I thought, God is powerful. He will help me find my way. But I said what’s wrong, if I invert my
shirt? So, I took off my shirt and
inverted it. Then, I sat down and
prayed. I prayed that my classmates will know I lost my
way. That they will come back and looked for me. I tried to calm myself. I made use of some community belief. I
combined it with prayer. It’s my simple
faith.
During that time,
my classmates were already returning back to school. They have
gone almost halfway back. The
have left the forest nearly half an
hour. Then, our secretary decided to
have a Roll Call. She wants to be sure
all our classmates were around and present. My
classmates went around her. They
discovered I was not with them. I
was left
behind. Our teacher, Mr. Tanangonan and all my classmates returned
to the forest. When they entered the forest, they knew that in less than half an hour it will be dark.
They divided the
group into 3. The 1st group will go west. The 2nd group
will move north. And the 3rd group will move south. They did not assigned some to go east. That
was the directins of our school. Each in the group will stay close to each other. They will be about a meter from each other. Each group will
have a wide reach of about a hundred meters.
if I happened to be unconscious and lying on the ground, they can see me
immediately. They walked looking for me on
3 directions. They shouted my name.
This time, I heard their shouts. I responded. I called on them.
My classmates came
to the directions of my voice. And soon, they were all around me. It was a great joy and experience of my life. It was also a beautiful experience of my classmates. They said: “I
was lost in the forest. They looked for me. And the found me.” They asked me what happened. I told them I don’t know. I really don’t know
what happened. I saw a beautiful butterfly. I followed it. I saw beautiful
flowers. I tried to look for it. I did
not know that I have gone away from them. I even forgot that we were together.
Until I knew I was lost. They
were happy they found me. I thanked them. And we move on to our school and homes.
Then, I realized I have gone about 1 kilometer away
from our entry point. I have gone to the
western side of the forest.
I was not able to
finish by First Year High in Salaman
Institute. In October, my father
went home to Carles again. My mother was sick. She was gravely sick. She
has given birth to my 5th sister. My mother asked sister, Aurea
to take care of us if she die. She was really ill. Happily
my mother recovered. But she decided not permit our father to continue their
ventures to Mindanao. He asked my father
to stay in Carles and leave the plan of returning
to Mindanao.
It was hard for father to follow. That year, together with about two
hundred people from Luzon and Visayas, they
went to occupy the vast tracts of
land, all virgin forest. Together with the
representative of the government, they were given homestead in that vast land.
They were given 8 hectares each homesteader. They have put markings on it. But the sickness
of my mother change the plans. My two
uncles, after receiving the news that my father have decided to go back to
Iloilo for good,
The following year,
my father enrolled me, first year again, in Balasan High School. I finished it.
But I was not able to continue again for my 2nd year.
Some years later,
when I was already in college, a war
broke out among Muslim rebels and the military, I learned that there were heavy fighting in different Libak villages, including in
Calamansig. Many died in Libak, including some from Iloilo. Many Christians and Muslims were killed. Many more were wounded. Some were disabled. It was hard battles among Filipinos – Muslims and Christians. I
thought, it was good, ou plan to settle in Mindanao did not pushed through. For
on several occasion war in Mindnaao came, and often the fights were in Libak and nearby towns.
History has told
us, that hundred of years before the Spaniards came to Mindanao, Muslims were
already living there. It was there land. It was their heritage. And I think,
there was no way for the war between the
Muslims and the military to stop, as
long as Muslim remained a second class citizens in Mindanao. And President Rodrigo Duterme is
right. He is trying to find a way, where Muslims will find a real place, there own place in Mindanao. Christians have come several decades ago, controlled Mindanao and made the laws of
Christians in Manila, the law for
Muslims in Mindanao.
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