Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Nalzaro: Nanay Doring By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
DIPOLOG CITY---I am back in my hometown, this time not for a vacation, reunion or pleasure but to tend to my seriously ill mother. She has been confined at the provincial hospital since last week. She could no longer talk and she seldom opens her eyes or moves her body. She has been on oxygen support and dextrose.
Admittedly, I am preparing for the worst. Nanay Doring is 84 years old. She just celebrated her birthday last June 5.
I was supposed to leave last Saturday night but schedules for boats bound for Dipolog City were irregular and some were even cancelled because of typhoon Frank. I was able to leave Cebu Monday night on board mv Filipinas Dapitan of Coka-liong Shipping Lines, a clean and reliable shipping company.
I was apprehensive of taking a boat for Di-polog because of what happened to mv Princess of the Stars. But I had no choice. You can get there only by boat. No airline serves the Cebu-Dipolog route.
I pity Nanay Doring. Given the choice, I wouldn’t have wanted seeing her in this condition. My sister from Bacolod and brothers in Palawan and Zambonga City are all here giving her moral support. But her doctor said she is in critical condition.
Well, if that's God's will, then who am I to question it? Sakit man tuod apan pilit nakong dawaton gumikan kay iya mang gimbut-an.
But I feel guilty every time I see her. She was alone in our house and no one among her five children personally took care of her. We just hired a relative as her caregiver and we answered her financial needs. But I know that money could not compensate for her longing to be with her children and for the personal care she expected from us.
But Nanay understood our situation. We are far from her because of our work, and we already have our families to attend to. It's useless to stay in our hometown when we have no earnings. If we personally till our little farm, the harvest would not be enough to support our needs.
We asked her to stay with any one of us but she refused to do so and opted to live in our little house in Barangay Olingan.
We cannot force her because she said she prefers to die here. I think our family situation is very typical of Filipino families.
Children go somewhere else to earn a living to support their parents. The practice is common especially in the rural areas.
Now is the time to show our love and concern for Nanay Doring. I don't know if this is too late. Only God knows, but at least for now we are on her side.
