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Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Home for the Blind
By Leticia Suarez-Orendain
Even in daylight, Max Cahatol walks with care as he listens to the clicking sound that precedes him.
He sees a pathway different from ours. Scents marking an area, unique contours in the terrain, and sounds are his landmarks.
Darkness has been with him since he was three years old. His walking stick and his senses have replaced his eyes.
“Nabuta ko tungod sa overdose sa tambal. Makasaka kog bungtod pero basta wala koy pas-anon.
Mohinay man gud ang pandungog; maapektohan. Mas maayo gyod kon dunay guide,” said the 52-year-old president of the Home for the Blind.
He has tenaciously kept his dreams for Home in spite of the dwindling number of membership and lack of money. The monthly due is only P2.
Cahatol would still like to set up a cooperative and a trust fund to fuel livelihood projects, emergency cases and social activities.
How he would like to have a building that can house members and one that is accessible and safe.
“Duna pud unta usa ka massage clinic nga kami ang permanenteng masahista. Sweldohan mi.”
This man’s courage to go on is the reason why the Home is still alive when it should be dead.
It is a splinter of the Cebu Rehab Center (CRC) where visually impaired persons could stay and earn a living. CRC was occupying a leased property. When the contract expired, so did CRC.
“Diha pod mga problema. Dihay mga miyembro nga nibaligya sa ilang puwesto o ni-violate sa by-laws sama sa dili pag-solicit og donasiyon. Ni-pull out mi sa grupo.
“Gitukod ni Porferio Torentera, among kauban, ang Home sa 1985. Diha among center sa Sitio Baca.”
It offered livelihood, socialization, help during emergencies and training.
“Gi-train ang tanang miyembro didto sa Area Vocational and Rehabilitation Center,” said Cahatol, a father of two.
The government let them stay in Sitio Baca for free on condition that they would leave when the land was needed.
Under this term, the members, who are masseurs, decided to live in Sitio Baca too as the location was ideal.
Because it was familiar and accessible, clients would drive in to pick up their favorite masseur or call them at the Home for an appointment.
There was no grabbing of clients. Their by-laws prohibited that. They were also prohibited from drinking, gambling and begging.
The Home was a blessing. But the word home became a misnomer in August 2002.
They lost it when it had to demolished along with their own houses because the land was now needed.
This time, they could not recover even with the P37,000 disturbance fee that each one of them received.
They were scattered again. Some members now live in nearby B. Rodriguez or far away Minglanilla. Some have lost contact.
About 20 of the original members have chosen to live in Sitio Plaza, Barangay Apas. It is a remote and hilly region behind the defunct Plaza Hotel, the source of its name.
With the money, they bought property rights at P3,000 each to the only available spaces: cliffs. With the balance, they built houses made of wood and hollow blocks.
To reach this place, you start at Country Mall where you get a habalhabal (i.e. motorcycle ride). It makes for a precarious ride even for people who have no disability.
For directions, just say the politically incorrect “adto ta sa puy-anan sa mga buta.”
The road is alternately paved and unpaved which makes a rough ride. You get off at an unmarked, ramshackle billiard hall.
To the right is an asphalt road that noses up. There on a mossy cliff Cahatol’s unfinished house perches. It is the unofficial Home for the Blind.
Here members gather for the monthly meeting but those outside the sitio cannot attend because of the distance.
Although Cahatol has a telephone, only a few know the number (231-1956). If the call is for a neighbor, he uses a public address system. However, it is in disrepair.
“Wa pa mi ikapaayo. Karon paadtoan na lang nakog usa sa akong mga anak.”
The distance has turned off customers. As a result, their income has paled.
“Lisod kaayo ang panginabuhi labi nag mag-ulan. Dili mi makatawag og taxi sama sa una kay mobalibad man kay sudlonon. Kon maghabalhabal mi, mabasa sab mi. Di na lang mi mogawas.”
Although he can move around the house safely, going down alone on the steep staircase, which has no handrail, is risky.
One time he could not find a guide but had to meet a client. “Nanaog kong ako ra. Kuyaw lagi kay kon masipyat kay dangog ang agianan, mahulog ka.”
I met Victor Pugoy, 53, last month in an outdoor grill in Lapu-Lapu. He moved from table to table, singing for a donation. As we talked, I heard of the Home.
“Nisabot na lang bisag mura nig begging. Gihagoan man sab nako. Sa una makamasahe kog katulo sa usa ka semana. Karon binuwan na lang.”
Baselides Asebo, 50, said, “Kaduha sa usa ka semana makamasahe. Mag-uniform mig puti aron disente,” referring to the white smock she had on.
Rosemarie Paduga, 45, said she hopes their life will improve.
Their plight has touched Montebello Villa Hotel which has a massage service for guests.
“Tawagon mi usahay sa Montebello. Turno-turno mi. Hatagan mi sa hotel og commission sa kada kustomer.
“Amo ang plite apil ang guide. Ang habalhabal tag-P10 ang usa. Maayo lag di pa gyod sakyunon sa diyep. Kuhaan sab og P40 para share sa guide.”
So if they have two customers, the guide receives P80.
The rest is for needs like food, soap, fuel and P28 for one drum of water. They can use up to 30 drums a month.
Members have agreed to help foot the telephone bill by sharing P30 each time they earn something.
The hard life has not hardened Cahatol. “Wa koy mahay sa Dios. Maayo siya. Di sab ko masina sa uban nga maayog kita. Lisod man ang daghan og kawarta basin ma-spoil ta. Di na mokaon og buwad. Kusog na ang gasto. Ang ako lang nga matuman ang akong mga damgo para sa among pundok.”
(September 30, 2003 issue)
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