By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
Ang Bakya Mo Neneng
It is said that we, who were born during and immediately after World War 2, are the luckiest people in the world. It is because we had the entire world to make do with what was there.
Indeed, in the post war era, walay suga nga dagitabnon apan nadan-agan among mga pinuy-anan pinaagi sa kingkilya. We did not always use candles as these were reserved for Candelaria every February 2 which is now celebrated as the feast of the presentation of Jesus Christ. Candles that were blessed on those days and especially on February 2, were reserved purely to light our houses during storms and thunderstorms. Dagkutan namo dayon ang mga kandila kung dunay kusog nga kilat, lipak, ug bagyo. These candles were also used during novena prayers and important religious events.
During the period we call the post war, we the children had our share of household chores. Each of us had our specific assignments in the house. There was no water system, then, but we were very fortunate to have the Baliaut Spring nearby where we did our laundry using our own
palopalo. Gikan sa Baliaut Spring, kinahanglan waswasan ug tubig sa uwan ang mga linabhan pag-abot sa balay kay may pagka asin-asin man gud ang tubig sa spring. We also had to apply starch called “almerol” on our clothes and blankets after washing them. Seldom did we have silk dresses as these were very expensive. If we had silk, it was authentic silk and not an imitation of the real one.
Shoes then were made of leather and were made to last long. The “hand me down” practice was very common. Our pairs of shoes were purely for church use only and fiesta programs since we used our bakya for school and ordinary activities.
We went to school wearing our bakya. We were young children and the girls were called neneng. Hence, as we wore our bakya we were addressed with the phrase “bakya mo neneng”.
Amo gyud gipangga ang among mga bakya
aron dili dali mahilis. Isulod namo sa among bag nga buli ang mga bakya unya anha na namo kini isul-ob kung duol na kami sa eskwelahan.
Ambot lagi wa man pud mi mahitunok bisan ug nagtini-il mi.
I remember the name of the person selling bakya in the market every Wednesday. She was called Nang Mangting Bangoy. I think she was not married. She looked very proper and neat. The heels of the bakya she sold were sculpted. Hawod naman gyud ang among feeling to have those bakya. Mao bitaw tong panahona nga dihay kanta nga “Bakya mo Neneng, luma at kupas na.”
Our bakya gave us pride and honor. It was part of our growing up. However, when we were already in grade 5 and grade 6, there came a footwear we called “smagol”. With this, the bakya slowly disappeared. It was a novelty and it was a bit costly. Imported pa kunohay to kay di pa man “smagol” ang ngalan. It was called a pair of Japanese slippers.
In the earlier fifties diha nay electricity: Baclayon Electric Company founded by my Oyong Ando and Col. Anghel Oppus and other incorporators, which made Nong Angie the first to own a refrigerator at that time because of the availability of electrc power. And the next was my Oyong Ando and Oyang Tiva. But electricity was a 6 to 6 thing. Later, the company was absorbed by Boheco during the rural electrification program of then president Marcos.
During our schooldays, books were left in school and these had to be shared by rows. Wa mi maglisud sa kabug-at sa among pag-daladala ug dagkung bag kay wala mi mga bag pagadalhon. We only had our 100 leaves of Senorita notebook divided by the number of subjects cut in dogears for easy opening of the particular subject for the assignments.
We had no television sets but we had our imagination as a big screen for our assignments. We had to climb trees to get the sasa seeds for the development of sensory motor skills.
To sum it up, our teachers had to be good story tellers. And we had the sun, moon, and stars and the universe as the big school of our little minds. We are products of the “bakya mo neneng” generation and we feel truly great and blessed about it!
