[Letters] Typhoon survivor shares his personal story

In the wake of Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, reader Daniel writes:

Our town of Javier, Leyte was just as badly hit as tacloban and guian Samar. Fortunately, my brother Sandy who is the mayor there, was able to forewarn our constituents to gather at storm shelters before the storm hit. Although 90% of residential structures were felled! we only had 3 casualties, all seniors who could not stand the stress of being in the storm for four hours.

We have made it a point to just use our own network and resources to start relief and rehabilitation work in our town and nearby municipalities in coordination with like minded local officials. I have made a personal decision to ignore the noise of media, armchair executives and the strident opinions of people who do not matter to the task at hand. The voices of self glorification and off the cuff expertise are irrelevant to our situation at the moment and deserve the least bit of our attention.

I understand the wisdom of your position.

As we all try to return to reality on the ground.

[Letters] Reader shares his real-life brush with the supernatural

In response to "Something Wicked This Way Comes", U.K. reader Mario A.G. Lopez writes:

Hi! I notice many Fil-Ams have been sending me copies of your publication. They forward it because they are happy at reading it and some are positively delighted.

This latest todos los santos edition is something i like because it resonates with my own childhood experiences. I not only grew up with the stories - meant to both entertain and scare me to sleep, but because i am told, believe it or not, that my first yaya from the time i was three months old until the fifth month was an aswang [We ilonggos do not distinguish between aswang and mangkukulam]. Her name was Tisay, obviously a derivative of her real name - the word tisay to indicate a female mestiza had not yet entered local vocabulary in 1947. 

It seems like I got sick soon of some ailment none of the doctors could diagnose soon after she became my yaya. It was by accident that my father's elder sister, to whom I would become a favorite nephew, chanced upon her in one of those moments when she was keening, spastic and gyrating in some dark corner of our farm with hair disheveled. 

This auntie managed to get some of Tisay's hair brush and used it for what we Ilonggos call a "to-ob", smoking the place using the hair as part of gatong. Anyway, this caused Tisay to experience intense stomach pains and breathing difficulties. My auntie and my Lola on my Tatay's side then had a priest sprinkle holy water throughout the house and its surrounding which got Tisay all nervy and edgy.

It all came to a head when she had another of those keening, spastic and gyrating spells and my aunt, Mama Edith, confronted her, .45 cal. and some gunpowder in hand (seems like ilonggo witches weaken at the smell of gunpowder), pointed at Tisay's head. Mama Edith got her to confess and ordered her out of the house and out of our lives.

The rest of the story is hazy for me and I will have to ask my uncle about the specifics but the family had consulted an herbolario who said that someone must collect the soil she steps upon and throw it at her should she look back and this would cause her to die. They also got itenms of her used clothing and more hair which they would burn over several days after she left.

Anyway, she never returned and her I am, not at all scared of maligno, aswangs, kapfre, tikbalang, etc. But i think i developed asthma as a result of all that smoking the house out of evil spirits.

Cheers!

[Letters] Reader recounts his time with the manongs in Alaska

In response to "The Wards Cove Case: Separate And Unequal", reader Andy Roselada writes:

I love this …

I worked in the farms of California from Dec. 1958 to September 1965 and the Canaries in Alaska from July 1963 to March 1967 … SEASONALS. It's a 'necessity'. I arrived in San Francisco Sept. 1958 with my dad but he got sicked so I sent him home. I knew nobody and I never worked in my life (21 yrs. old). So, I took my chance in the farm of California and a I met a 'boss' who trusted. In the long run, I helped him out because everybody is taking advantage of him since he had no education.
 
In  Alaska, I made a motion that helped out the old Pilipinos that worked there. They never ever complained and I was the youngest who ever work there in 1963. Those old Pilipinos were sent there by the Union guys in Seattle and NOT young people, because they accepted bribes. It's a long story. Bad!
 
Continue stories about the MANONGS.