By Telly G. Ocampo
Touring Around Town via the Piyago
Many of you may not know yet what the “piyago” is. It’s the pedicab with the driver in the middle and the passengers comfortably seated behind ith your “putos-putos” at the backseat. Green “piyagos” are in Tagbilaran. They can enter our town and vice versa for as long as they would not pick up passengers along the way.
In Baclayon, my hometown, we have the “piyagos” . They can go anywhere to the neighbouring towns and what’s enjoyable is the “piyago” can bring us anywhere – to the inland barangays. Finally, we have a means of transportation which is an alternative to the “habal–habal“.
This is really timely when gasoline price hike happens almost every week.
Similarly, prices of commodities also increase almost every week. I have
never imagined in my life nga ang presyo sa tulingan moabot na ug P300 ang kilo. In my younger years, growing up in my hometown made me realize that prices were very affordable. Ang tulingan tag dos pesos ra ang usa ka basket. Inig tingug sa bugjong, managan mi paingon sa dagat aron moabat mi sa binaliw. Dinhi sa binalis modunggo ang mga mangigisda. Ang ilang pagdunggo kay atul sa likomlikom diin mudagsa na ang daghang tulingan. During the “tulingan” season, we had all sorts of “tulingan” menus the whole week: sinugba, inon-on, pinirito, tinap-an, ug uban pa. Panagsa ra hinuon mi mag pinirito kay mahal ang “purico”. Unya ang tinai sa tulingan, amo pang himoon ug dajok. I have learned from the faculty of fisheries that tulingan is the cleanest of all the fishes in the sea. They eat phlangtons and travel all over the world in droves. They come to our seas when it’s cold on the other side of the planet. Mao diay nga lami gyud ang dajok sa tulingan.
We don’t know what the future brings. Because of high prices, it is difficult to adjust the amount that we budget. I don’t dream anymore of hiring a driver and let my vehicles run. We’ve got to be practical. Naanad na ko sa hanoy nga “piyago”. I already have the number of my “piyago suki” in my phonebook. The driver is clean, and he drives smoothly. He knows how to handle a senior and PWD citizen like me. If I feel fancy free, and just thru messenger, the driver would come after a few minutes of notice. I go around town just looking for the landmarks that I know and are gone. This is the kind of life that I want now. Mag marites pud usahay. Sometimes my children would feel uncomfortable if they come along when I go around feeling fancy free. Why? Kay tanan nahong ikatagbo ako mang pangutan-on ug kang kinsang anak sila. Talagsa na man goy ahong nailhan. My hometown has become a metropolis. But I still dream of the Baclayon of old.
Whether old or new, I gladly welcome you to the world of the “piyago“. Come join me if you feel fancy free. Let’s go to the hills and play “Maria” of “The Sound of Music”. Thank you, “piyago”.
