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Cultural Heritage

by Telly G. Ocampo

Kadlit ug Bakuna sa mga EDARAN NA!

When i was very little in the mid 50’s, there was scarcity of medicine for tuberculosis. Penicillin and streptomycin were still in the trial stage.  

Before the war, tuberculosis was still rampant.  And so, the vaccination program was initiated in schools. Mao kadto ang gitawag ug kadlit nga karon nabantug sa ngalan nga “bakuna”. There were medical practitioners supervising every town’s “Department of Health”.  And remember, there was no rural health center, at that time. And all i could remember was Mr. Edilberto Salamat Sr. (the father of Sangguniang Bayan secretary of Baclayon). Edilberto Sr. was our municipal sanitary inspector, then. I remember him to be a very dedicated man to his work. Susama gyud to siya ug doctor nga muadto sa nagkalain-laing nga mga baryo (nga gitawag na karon ug barangay). Si Mr Edilberto Salamat Sr. dili taga Bohol. Maoy hinungdan nga bisan ug dugay na siya nga nagpuyo sa atong lalawigan, Tagalog gihapon ang iyang sinuginlan. Ug siya gyud ang dali matawag namo kaniadto sa Baclaon kun dunay problema sa panglawas. Our doctor, then, had three (3) towns under him.

When we were young, during the vaccination schedule in school, we were just told to fall in line with the guidance of our teachers. Our teachers would simply stay by the side of the line we formed. We noticed that we were brave but scared, too. Daghan gud maghilak sa among pagbakuna kay mura man to ug daghan ug ngipon ang dagum nga itusok sa among bukton.  Dugay gyud tong moalim ang gikadlit kay mohubag pa man to unya usa maayo. In fact, most of us now have still the vaccine scars visible on our arms.

As a result of the big scar on my upper left arm, there was a time I refused to wear sleeveless dresses just to hide the scar which, to me, looked ugly. That served well in my adolescent years since the sisters at the Cebu dormitory where i stayed, would not allow us to wear sleeveless clothes even for our night wear. But when the “halter” style became a fad, I had to do away with the thought of the ugly scar. Gusto pud ko nga muapil sa uso. 

And here comes Covid.  I’m now 75 years old and with many fears.  The first time I saw the vaccination procedure on television, I seemed to see a huge needle thrusted abruptly into one’s skin. It was really scary. Pagkadako gyud sa dagum nga akong nakita ug kining maong dagum ikalit lang ug tusok sa imong bukton. Mao toy hinungdan nga kami sa akong bana, mura gyud ug gaduhaduha nga magpabakuna ba. 

However, my children were insistent on having us vaccinated. They insisted that everything was for our protection and for the protection of those around us.  There’s that goal of herd immunity, too, so that the contamination of the virus will decline.

It’s only now that i understand the meaning of herd immunity.  Nabakunahan na gyud ko. Salamat, Lord! Allow me to share with you my “bakuna” story including the steps I went into: 

We did not have any adverse reaction after the vaccination.  We followed the advice of my bff to take paracetamol for any signs of “you know what” and we drank plenty of juice.  We just felt a bit drowsy and that was it. THANK YOU, LORD! As senior citizens, we have a lot to be thankful for. Now, we are looking forward to our 2nd dose of Sinovac which is scheduled on June 23, 2021. 

For those who are yet to be vaccinated, there’s no problem in the vaccination procedure. Gamay ra gyud ang dagum.  Wala pud magsanga ang dagum para sa mga batan-on pa mi .  And the health workers are doing things with tender loving care.So, go go go go . Have yourself, vaccinated. Protect the country from Covid-19! Wala gyuy mawala nato ug magpabakuna ta. Sige na!

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