By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
The Waling-Waling, the Sampaguita,
and a Trio Talking about a Nation Losing
Its Essence and Trading Its Soul
My thoughts started with a flower. Or rather, two of them. Then the lines of a song came into mind:
Lovely bloom of the Sampaguita
By my Philippine maid beloved,
Not a flow’r in the world is sweeter
As you circle her lovely brow!
From Sampaguita to the Walingwaling. Our national flower is now the Waling-waling. Would that mean the obliteration of the wonderful song of the Sampaguita? What is happening to our country? This is the heart of my article: a lament, a laugh, a little bit of anger, and, despite all, a whole lot of love for a country that feels, and a country that is spinning too fast to hold.
The Sampaguuta bloom representing Maria Claria, a beloved symbol of our dear maidens.
From Sampaguita to Waling-Waling: A Question of Identity
For decades, the national flower of the Philippines was the Sampaguita – small, white, fragrant, and unpretentious. It was the flower of Maria Clara, of Rizal’s time. It was the symbol taught in school, pinned on uniforms, offered at altars. We represent the Maria Claras in Rizal’s time. We are today’s Maria Claras. But do we still exist?
Now, the Waling-waling has become the national flower. And with that change comes confusion. Ngano man intawon nga nakahunahuna na man pud sila sa Walingwaling? The Waling-waling, Vanda sanderiana, is undeniably beautiful. It is also rare. Apan dili tanang tawo nakaila sa Waling-waling. Ang datu ra gyud ug mga collectors sa orchids ang maka-ila kaayo sa maong buwak. It does not grow in every backyard. It is abundant at Mount Apo in Davao. What Filipinos see in markets are often hybrids. The Waling-waling flowers we have in the market are crossed with other vandas and such variety do not anymore represent the Filipina. The Sampaguita does – simple, beautiful, fragrant and humble. The Waling-waling, to this voice, feels distant, elite, exotic. It does not carry the memory of the “Philippine maids beloved.”
The Waling-waling – elite, exotic, and rich
Friday Night and Three BFFs Until Midnight
The flower debate did not happen in a boardroom. It happened over a night out. Friday last week, the 3 bffs (Dory, Ardy, and the author) had a night out. By night out, it meant from sundown to sawa. We do not meet very often. But when we do, we have the same reason as most Filipinos have – to laugh together or be sad for one another. We just talked and laughed for the memories we shared, expressed a little frustration for those who have misused, abused, and committed all other forms of misconducts going on in this country.
A Night That Ended Before Cinderella’s Curfew
The timing matters. At that time, the Tacloban shooting did not happen yet. Had that occurred before our conversation, abtan gyud mi ug alas dose like Cinderella. The reference is frustrating. I consider it a national tragedy. And with that as our topic, our gathering could have stretched past midnight. Crisis such as that tragedy always steals time from ordinary people.
When Heroes Disappear from Our Pockets
By the end of the night, the conversation landed on money. Not wealth, but symbols. Our evening ended up with our national heroes turned into eagles and pearls in our paper bills. Nawala na si Ninoy ug si Cory sa P500 bill, ug ubang mga bayani sa P1000 bill.
These are not just design changes. They are reminders of our heroes who shaped this country into the pearl of the orient seas. They are like the Sampaguita now placed on another seat to allow the Waling-waling to take front seat at the front row.
When faces leave our paper bills, what else leave with them? Definitely memory, gratitude, and wisdom including a visual claim on who we were and who we are supposed to be.
And so the night ended the way all good conversations do with a promise to continue the next season.
Again, my article is not just a write up. It is a feeling. It is about the Waling-waling that only a few can name, about the Sampaguita that everyone remembers, about the friends who meet rarely but know each other completely, and about the heroes who once fit in the palm of our hand. It is about a country in turmoil, yes. But it is also about a country that still talks, still laughs, still asks “What is happening to our Philippines?” out loud, past sundown, until sawa.
And that, perhaps, is the most Filipino thing of all.
Our heroes who once fit in the palm of our hand