By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo

Let us give thanks for the rain!

Last Sunday, in my article in The Bohol Tribune, I prayed for rain.  The past four months of less rain or no rain at all, made our soil dry, our plants and trees shriveled, our water levels low, and our ricefields parched, In fact our town has adopted the water rationing strategy, hence, watering of plants is the least among our priorities. 

In addition, to this, the ASF scare in the town of Dauis entered like a dragon. Thanks God, they say it is now contained. Yes, it might already be contained, but looking back, I could ask: Ngano man intawon nga ang mga motorista nga mosulod ug mogawas sa Panglao Island gipagba man sa kainit sa adlaw? Was this not posing threat to the safety of people especially the age of Borja Bridge?

There were (and are) three Dauis barangays involved in the ASF alarm: Biking, Mariveles, and Mayacabac. Salamat kay naminaw ang mga hingtungdan sa sugyot sa katawhan nga didto na ibutang ang mga checkpoints sa maong mga barangay. I remember the Pilar ASF  incident. There was less chaos about the situation since they made a systematic approach in the containment of the outbreak. Unya gireport pud dayon ang sitwasyon.

Kinsa may looy sa panghitabo sa ASF? Tanan gud looy: The implementing police force,  the motorists, the people and the people and the people. Di ba? Maayo lang gyud kay daghan nga nagtagawtaw sa radio.  Ug wa pa, unsa na kaha???? Tingali moubos pa ug samot inyong satisfaction rating.

This Sunday i would have dwelt on last week’s editorial of The Bohol Tribune by Atty. Greg Austral. This was on Monomania and the recent increase in wages.  I’ll forego with that now to give way to my jubilation over the heavy rain.

So, what have I been doing after the rain that poured days ago? Since I was able to save Ubi nga Kinampay from the produce I had in my yard last December, I requested by gardener to plant the crop and supported them in 4 posts. Mao ni gitawag kaniadto ug butok. Salamat, Lord kay nangunod na pud. Lahi man jud ning atong kalipay kon duna tay gamay tang napanglin. And to think that it is UBI nga KINAMPAY.

It’s really true gyud that nothing grows under the mahogany trees. My Macapuno breed of coconut has grown tall but with no fruits at all. Wala gyud ko kakita na nay butay. The leaves of the Mahogany can’t really blend with the other leaves for mulching; even the birds don’t perch on its branches. My Banaba tree has flowered this year, two years after Odette. It was ravished into half by the raging storm.  And now, the crown is filled with purple blooms. During Covid, our barangay distributed Lakatan Propagules.  We have already harvested Busok and a sturdy Bulig, but the second harvest was not that good due to the climate.


I have yet to put more soil into the plant bin of the Guyabano trees I planted years back. Few more days to go and my Nangka (jackfruit) shall have been right for the picking. Kadaghan na mi nga nakautan ani nga tanom. Mao gyud ni among “iwahon” matag Biyernes Santo.

There’s a lot of rearrangement to be done now since the potted plants are hidden below the leafy branches of our Tugas and Jasmine tree. Even the pruning of our overgrown Lagnub has to be postponed to provide shelter to the Agloenemas and Philodendrons.

We really have to thank with a grateful heart the Creator of this universe for the rain on the vesper of the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. 

More drops of rain please, oh, Lord our Saviour!

Photo Credit: Google.