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Tuesday, July 01, 2003
Flavier: The pets
By Juan Flavier
COMMENTARY
THE young farmer had just been orphaned and left to live alone in their relatively large village house. He has five siblings but all had married and settled down in other villages and the big city. He was home alone.
Out of seemingly genuine concern but also needing a place to stay, his three cousins offered their company – that they move in and live with him. The proposition was made graciously and with sincerity. The young farmer, still grieving and lonely from the sudden loss of his parents, agreed. Little did he know that he would get more than he had bargained for.
The three cousins soon showed up with very few modest belongings. But each one has brought a pet. The first owned a fighting rooster. The second had a goat. And the third brought a pig. Raising pets was very common in the barrio. What was unusual was the insistence to have the animals stay inside the house.
At the outset, the young farmer tried to tolerate the animals. But it didn’t take long for the noise and smell to overcome him.
Hints to move the pets out fell on deaf ears. “Why, my pet is practically part of me,” explained one cousin. “If my animal goes to the yard, I go, too.”
The situation deteriorated as the stench worsened. But the farmer felt that smooth interpersonal relationships was more important.
Finally, the farmer decided to seek the help of the barangay captain. Maybe an old ordinance prohibited the keeping of animals inside the home.
The village head listened with concern. “I understand your problem. But I am sorry to say that there is no prohibition to keeping pets inside the house. It does not matter if the pet is a dog or a pig. The only recourse is to ask your cousins to leave which you are not willing to do.”
“Is there nothing at all that I can invoke without hurting their feelings?” asked the farmer.
“None from a legal standpoint,” replied the barangay captain. “But I do have a suggestion. You should improve ventilation. You can add more windows or simply keep all existing ones wide open.”
The young farmer thought for a while. “I can’t,” he said.
“But why not? It is your house, you can do whatever you please with your windows.”
“True. But my precious flock of pet pigeons will fly away!”
(Juan Flavier writes for Sun.Star Baguio)
(July 1, 2003 issue)
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