LIGHT AND DARKNESS, THE WORLD’S
ETERNAL WAYS

As was the habit of the aging lion since the adjacent sitio of Punta was filled to the shore by shacks of squid gatherers from Surigao, he diligently locks the gate of their backyard whenever darkness sets in the horizon. The last time however, he noticed that three of the five huts (one was added to the original four) that the lion tamer help lighted with electric current since two years back were without lights and so he reported what he noticed to her upon entering the house. No sooner and the lady with the whip went out and some thirty minutes later returned and furiously remarked that the electric company cut off the current because they have not paid the loan on the materials that were used to connect the wire from the electric posts to lighten their respective houses. Only one of the original four was able to pay half the amount and therefore was spared from having his connections cut on the promise that he will make good paying the balance no more than a week later.

The aging lion could only shake his head. There was the golden opportunity dangled to these poor folks to take advantage of electric lighting, a commodity that in the past they did not have and they blew it. The lion tamer remarked it is possible they ignored the notices of their delinquency and the attendant warning that connections will be cut because their fairy godmother has strong connections with the electric company’s resident manager and that any threat of disconnection can be dismissed because all that is needed will be a call the latter that disconnection be waived or at least deferred.

But it was now water under the bridge; the aging lion was indifferent at bailing them out of their predicament, saying it was made clear to them that their respective loans that averaged a thousand pesos each must be paid in twelve monthly installments and that except for one who managed to pay about six hundred, the three never bothered paying. And as it would look very awkward for the aging cat to request the electric cooperative’s resident manager that an extension be arranged as no payment was ever made for two years, he concluded that the disconnection was well deserved, and there’s no ifs nor buts about it. And who was that balladeer who playfully sang a revised rendition of an old love song that echoed “financial obligations are not really difficult to remember, it is only that we simply chose to forget!”

On the part of the three families that were affected, it appeared they have no remorse at all that the electric connection was cut. The more vocal of the three remarked she was not able to pay the installments because her husband is always sick, a comment that only infuriated the lion tamer because while her husband has indeed been sickly the past months, he has not been sick all through the two years that their huts were lighted and therefore it is a wonder why not a single installment was ever paid. Another wryly said to another neighbor that they had been accustomed to living without lights in the past anyway and therefore getting back to the use of kerosene lamp will not be the end of their world, a comment that only irked the lion tamer even more. What was apparent however, was that paying the loan (they somehow managed to pay their monthly electric bills) was never in the order of priorities of paying their bills probably thinking that the lion tamer can come to their succor should the electric cooperative badger to cut their connections off..

The pink panther however has a slightly different theory and it has something to do with the stark reality caused by vices, laziness, the corollary effect of effectively addressing their needs, and setting up of priorities especially in the settling obligations. (This writer is currently writing another article on this hypothesis but his miniature storehouse of the English vocabulary has been all but drained already).

Take this classic need (but pardon the unhealthy connotation) for a toilet, for example.

Of the four shacks, two have toilets while the two others don’t. The obvious result then is for those who don’t have it to use the facilities of the two who have. And since the number of residents of those who don’t have are almost equal in number than the users of those who have, it is normal then that when the need arise, especially in the morning before going to school, all the children do of those who don’t have toilets will look for the facility that is vacant and do their thing there. The irony is that the children of the owners must not only wait but at times even have to bear the irksome and unhealthy prospect cleaning the mess of the child who was ahead.! And it is not rare that the remark that the owner gets is “Pasagdi” or let it be! Children will be children, and no word of apology will be offered. And why don’t those who don’t have toilets build their own? Well, because why should they spend if they can use one (or better still two) for free?!

Or take the case of their water connection. Of the four, only one has his shack connected with potable water and consequently, the other three requested that they be allowed to fetch their water needs on a sharing arrangement. Fine! The only trouble is, when payment is due, one or two would renege on the deadline, thus compelling the registered user to either pay his share or else it will be subjected to penalty if it is not paid on time, but this time, the penalty will have to be burdened by the concessionaire! Alack and alas, he did not only spend more than P3,000 to have the pipeline installed, he also has to bear the share of an irresponsible neighbor who would not plan ahead and pay his share so that the penalty may be avoided!!

The subject of the lion tamer’s plan of celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 14 thus came to the fore when their connections were cut and so the lion tamer ordered her pet to arrange with the electric company’s Resident Manager that the two backyard lights that presently light the shoreline at their backyard be converted into “street lighting”. This mode of lighting will transfer the obligation of paying the cost of electric current from private account to the baranggay and thus will pave the way for lighting the area all through the night or until the time the baranggay also renege in its obligation. This the aging lion did and so she attended to the baranggay resolution that was needed finalize the arrangement because it was needed by the electric cooperative and was also successful in convincing the baranggay council..

With the approval of the “street lighting” resolution the aging lion could only half remark “if it is no longer possible to give ‘symbolic lighting’ to the adults, then perhaps providing light to children via the lighted mini-park that the lion tamer installed at their backyard can still bring cheers and enjoyment to their lives.

And the aging lion yawns!