by Telly G. Ocampo

FOR JUNE 18, 2023

Inform and Transform

My regular day ought to start at 5:30 in the morning.
That was our normal day during the covid times when
my husband was still alive. Between the two of us, he
was the early riser. And now I’m back to my usual
routine of telebabad due to “Dirty Linen”. I can skip
Batang Quiapo but I have to wait for the 9:20 p.m.
“Dirty Linen”. It must be my fondness for Agatha
Christie that hooked me to this kind of drama. I had
made my resolve, then, to stop reading Agatha Christie
until I could pinpoint the murder. Namatay na lang si
Agatha Christie wala gyud ko makatagna. With “Dirty
Linens”, we know the murderers but who is the one
clicking the camera in the murder scene?
Why the title “Inform and Transform”? This is the
message of Bishop Abet Uy today. At 6:00 in the
morning at dyTR, I turn on the radio to know the news of
the day, most especially the local news. The program
starts with the message of the day coming from our dear
Bishop Abet. God’s words are intended not just to
inform, but to transform.
Listening to the Bishop, I can’t help but think of his pet
projects: Planting trees and Balay sa Kabus. Indeed, I
feel sad for the four acacia trees that were cut to give
way to a gasoline station. I feel sadder because there
are no more notes to mention the identity of the culprits.
Silent night na! Holy na sila?

Moreover, I have noticed that almost all the towns and
barangays in the province are all agog over basketball
tournaments and beauty contests.
Is it possible if the energy of the youth be channeled to
tree planting and volunteering for the Balay sa Kabus
projects? Can we use the government funds given to
sports development (especially the basketball and the
liga-liga province wide) and the miss-miss tibuok
lalawigan be slashed and the balance be appropriated
for a worthier cause? As an accountant, I know it is
illegal to divert funds. But as a human being and
septuagenarian, I also know that it is better to provide
shelter to the needy and to “clothe” the earth with more
trees than to “undress” beautiful ladies during beauty
competitions. I know you know what I mean.
LGUs are fighting for water source against water
shortage and the likes. Isn’t it that one of the answers to
these problems is planting trees for our water shed?
God knows I would not like to use two broadcasters’
style of saying: “Nangutana lang” ug “Haaaahhhh?”
Miundang na ko ug paminaw nila oy.
Planting trees could surely lessen global warming.
Nahibaw na kita ug unsa na gyud kainit ang atong
panahon? Accordingly, four big trees, when put
together could be equivalent to one airconditioning unit.
You can prove and experience this feeling when you
pass by the man-made forest going to Bilar. The area is
very refreshing!

We have to plant native trees whose species are almost
gone and extinct. There’s sungkad. The quality of its
timber is like our tugas and both can be used as posts
in our bahay kubo. Our bamboos are vanishing: the
kawayan nga botong and the bagakay – they are
slowly disappearing from our landscape. When the
flowers of bamboos bloom, they will die. So, we have to
harvest them before the flowering stage. And there’s
also that belief that bamboos ought not to be harvested
during the “ber” months: September, October,
November, December – kay dali bokbokon. In my
case, I instruct my people to dip the bamboos in the sea
waters for one week before using them. And you are
telling me to use the kinamahalan nga chemical
pagpatay sa anay ug sa bokbok? No way!
So let’s join Bishop Abet in his advocacies. Let’s inform
and transform!
In a related development, I am proud to say that in our
town, Baclayon, the latest piece of information I’ve heard
regarding the “Balay sa Kabus” project led by Msgr.
Harold Parilla and the local chapter of the Knights of
Columbus is: The group has already built 14 ka mga
Balay sa Kabus with beneficiaries who are truly
deserving. Moreover, these beneficiaries have also
received the Certificate of Land Title to the lot where the
house is constructed. Accordingly, the group’s goal is
one deserving family beneficiary in each chapel or brgy.
So, there are three (3) more houses to go to complete
the 17 beneficiaries from the 17 barangays.