Barrio Mauway, my place.

Yesterday afternoon, my eldest brother told me that another acquaintance died in our place in Mandaluyong where we were born and grew up. You may ask, "What's new?" Di ba normal lang ang may namamatay? True, death is a normal occurrence. But recently, such news had been affecting me in the sense that I am realizing the fact that one by one, those people I grew up with during my younger days in my native barrio Mauway in Mandaluyong, are now passing to the next life. 

Since I entered the seminary in 1985, I had not lived in our place anymore. Once in a while, I would go home to visit my parents. That was how I would be updated about the whereabouts of the people there. Usually, I would be given information about who had gone to another place, who got married and to whom, who were sick, and who had died. Then, they were just a news. Now they meant more. Most probably because now, I feel a certain kind of separation. These people were my playmates and neighbors for so many years. I had spent time with them in one place. We talked, laughed, worked, and celebrated. We practically lived in one "roof"! We shared basically the same experience.

When my brother broke the news to me, I felt very very sad. It prompted me to ask for others who I had not heard anything of. One or two were still good while many, to my surprise, had already passed away for a long time without having known it at all! (After ordination in 1992, I had lived at my place of assignment.) Our place had greatly changed. The once squatter area had been awarded (for a low monthly rent payable in 25 years) and divided among the original residents. The atmosphere had also changed. And of course, the people had changed, at least on who still remained and who had newly arrived. 

No doubt, physically, our place is a lot better than during our time more than forty years ago. Houses are better and are neatly arranged. The people's standard of living had greatly increased. This is evident because of the presence of many sari-sari stores, a mineral water station, lots of motorcycles and tri-cycles, home appliances, computers etc. With he advent of new things, new events, and new people, the old is slowly giving way and fading away. I am a part of the old. Yes, I may have gone a long time ago due to my ministry and assignments, but I am still connected because of my family who I visit whenever possible. But I know that my connection is only very minimal now. Much more, our generation in that place would soon come to its expected end. I am both happy and sad. Sad because it was a happy and worthy generation in spite of the prevalence of violence, crimes, and ills of that time. I believe that in that small place, I had known and lived life in its entirety or at least much of it. Recently, I had been going back to the memories I had in that place. Signs of growing old? I think so. But sign also of having lived there happily! Rarely do we go back to our past if it will not bring back some smiles and good feelings in us. I am proud of my youth. I am proud of barrio Mauway. I am proud of the people I had lived with in that place!