By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
Thank you for the heavy rain!
After 6 months of praying for the rain, our prayer request was granted. That was in the late afternoon of Friday, May 24. 2024.
Do you know where we were when the rain abundantly fell and blessed all of us on that day? I was with my friend Chona Escano Bernad and close relative, Daria Realista to the upland barangay of Baclayon, specifically at the the bougainvilla fields.
As we reached the place, the sky began to
gather gray clouds, a strong indicator that rain was coming. Usually people scamper for shelter when it is about to rain. But at that particular moment, we were not afraid the rain would fall. We waited for it with full anticipaton of joy. We wanted to get drenched and be “blessed” by whatever drop would fall from the heavens.
Chona has not been to Bohol for a decade. But ours is a friendship not by blood; she is more than a blood kin to me. The first time she came to Bohol was in 1995 when the Immaculate Conception church celebrated 400 years as a parish. That was the time when Baclayon church went into restoration projects funded by the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) and by the countryside development fund of then Senator Raul Roco. We were very active, then, with the Baclayon Church Restorers’ Association (BACRAI) with Nang Mameng (Gatal) at the helm.
We went into greening project with Nong Ite (Graciano Mendez) heading the actual planting activity of the area fronting the church. We experienced how our plaza was filled with Banderas Espanolas as a symbol of the legacy of Spain. Alas, the earthquake sliced the space we had and what is left is the Cristo Rey with just a yokka and the bougainvilleas. It is now the highway.
Chona and I, after the rain, went into an inventory of the plants and trees we have tended in our front and backyard. She learned that my gardener just gave them a sprinkling of water for the 6 months of dryness. Water went fearfully scarce and there was no sign of rain in the skies. But on the 24th, we had the heavy downpour and we allowed ourselves to be totally drenched on our descent to Poblacion, Baclayon from the hills of the flowers.
Bougainvilleas and kalachuchi’s are dry season beauties. The kaleidoscope of colors given by the five trees of these varieties of flowers on our backyard, catches the eyes. Most of these came from my friend Lando. I am sure, the flores de Mayo devotees noticed the scent and the sight of my kalachuchi blooms in the basket for Mother Mary.
The heavy rain also made my cacao trees happy. As they were shedding their leaves for our own version of Autumn (how I wish), the rain fell. The seeds of these cacao trees were given to us in one of our suroy suroy days to Bilar, years back, with the Tawomci ladies: Pumi Buot and Bff Dory. We were very lucky to have with us, during that trip, Bff Ardy and Josefina Caballo.
Our nangka (jackfruit), from my fruit bearing trees, gi-utan na lang kay mikuyos. Tungod tingali sa kainit sa adlaw. We managed, though, to salvage a ripe fruit. Pero ga uga gyud ang iyang unod. The lakatan that were distributed during the pandemic days also had fruits. Nagbunga man tuod pero nagdungayngay hangtud namatay.
I’m most happy to have harvested fruits from our
sineguelas which I planted years ago when we transferred to Taguihon. Ang pagtanum ug sineguelas mura ra ug magtanum ug kamunggay ug kalachuchi. Isandig lang usa sa bongbong to shed off the dagta. Then plant these on sunny days. Dili bobo-an kanunay aron dili malata.
Starting this month of June, I will replant and plant the seeds of flowering shrubs coming from my friend in Tacloban. I will also start planting ubi, the ones I’ve saved for planting purposes.
Join me as I enjoy the season of planting especially with the heavy rain.
Magenta Ocampo Alaan, my granddaughter, with her basket of flowers from my garden, ready to be brought to the Flores de Mayo in the church of Poblacion, Baclayon.
The author, Chona and Daria Realista at the bougainvillea fields of upper Baclayon