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Saturday, December 20, 2003
Flavier: The parable of the smart farmer
By Sen. Juan Flavier
THE farmer prided himself for being both hard working and smart. Here, he liked the appellation of listo used by others to describe his wittiness. Listo literally meant 'alert' but the connotation was of being manipulative - or being a sly operator who very often got one over others.
He had an average standard of living. Unlike most farmers, he owned two hectares of land, which he ended up owning after the mortgage arrangements lapsed.
This came about because a few years back, the original owner needed some money as an emergency for the hospital needs of his wife. The farmer loaned the amount with the piece of land as collateral. On the side, a deed of sale was prepared stipulating that the land was considered sold if repayment was not made in ninety days. After that date, the farmer suddenly found himself the owner of the two hectares for the unpaid loan at one-tenth of the real market value.
"Is that proper, Father?" asked the teenage son with some feeling of discomfort.
"It appears unjust."
"It is perfectly legal," responded the farmer. "Ganyan talaga ang buhay (Life is really like that). Ang marunong ay sumusulong (The smart one moves ahead)." `Marunong' literally means wise or intelligent. But in his usage, it meant being streetsmart enabling him to put one over an unsuspecting person.
When the farmer was found to be delinquent in paying real estate tax for his property, he went to see the assessor. All was settled without a problem.
"How did you do it, Father?" the same boy asked.
"Easy," he said with an air of pride. "Ayos, lagay, at lakad lang ang kailangan. Ganyan talaga ang buhay (A quick fix, bribery and some negotiation are all you need. Life is really like that)."
In time, the teenage boy had to enter college. His grades were not good enough. But somehow his father managed to get him accepted to college. "How did you get me in, Father?"
The farmer replied with a sense of achievement, "Abilidad, anak (Ability, son)! Ganyan talaga and buhay (Life is really like that)."
Things went well for a while. Then one day, the teenager returned home with the sad news of his expulsion from school.
"What happened?" the father inquired with shock.
"I was caught cheating in our final examination, Father. So I have been expelled, I can never return to school."
"What a great shame to me," shouted the farmer. "My son being expelled! What a shame to the family. What have I done to deserve such treatment? You are so ungrateful. With all the things I have done for you, is this any way to repay me!"
(December 20, 2003 issue)
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