My Hometown:Sigma

There’s no place like home and there’s no place like Sigma.

Sigma is one of the sixteen (16) municipalities of the province of Capiz situated in the central plains of the province. The Poblacion is strategically located at the crossroads of the three provinces: Capiz, Aklan, and Iloilo.

          A peaceful community, Sigma is around thirty (30) minutes non-stop ride from the capital city of the province Roxas City or a forty-five (45) minutes ride by passenger buses and jeepneys. Iloilo City is as good as two and a half-hours ride from Sigma, and is practically two hours ride by bus or jeep from Kalibo, Aklan.

          The municipality is known for its annual HIL-O-HANAY FESTIVAL held every last week of June in celebration of the feast of St. John the Baptist.

          Hil-o-hanay Festival showcases local traditional arts and culture of Sigmahanons: Storytelling, Composo, Harana, Payag Contest, Pailig it Lantay, Lutong Sigmahanon and other activities sponsored by various agencies and organizations.

          I am inviting you all to come and visit Sigma and experience the Sigmahanon hospitality. See for yourself what the place has to offer you.

Aetas of Roxas City

We often see them roaming the streets of Roxas City, Capiz  trying to stop every person to ask for alms. They wore old, tattered and out of style clothes. Others wore slippers but most of them especially the children are barefoot. They are not beggars or orphans. They are our Aeta brothers.

 Aeta or Ati in our dialect are indigenous people found in the Philippines. They have black and curly hair, snub nose, short in stature and dark skinned. They are uncivilized, had no permanent home and they never remained long in one place. They are always wandering around. When they happen to stay in a particular place, they are often seen camping in the streets or under the bridge. 

Atis are illiterate for they never had education. They had many children which are mostly malnourished for of their environment and lifestyle. 

Aetas hunts wild animals for their consumption and sometimes they would sell it to people in town. Others sell herbs and wild plants which they get from the mountain but others depend on the alms of people.

We give them alms not because we pitied them but because we want them to go away and to stop bugging us. We look at them with curiosity but we never take time to talk to them. We avoided them not because they have contagious disease but because of their physical appearance. We treat them not as our brothers and sisters but like they are some kind of wild and untamed animals.

Now, who do you think has better understanding? The Aetas who continue to preserve their culture and and their way of life because they lack knowledge and proper training to change their lifestyle or us who are educated and has all the knowledge but continue to avoid our social responsibility.  

 

See related article: http://floressamay.wordpress.com

 

My Prized Possession

I have been playing table tennis for almost half of my life. I love this sport and I can’t help myself to love it more. I’m very much thankful to my table tennis racket for sticking with me through ups and downs. I am so attached to my racket that I can’t play well if I’m not using it. I treated my racket as my partner. Every time I compete, I always see to it that my racket is in good condition.

No matter what will be the results of the game, I always feel good and thankful to my racket for helping me survived till then end of the game.

My team mates always complain that I am so selfish for not letting them borrow my racket but I don’t mind them. What’s important is I’m taking care of my racket and I don’t want someone to destroy it. We have been together since I started playing. I skipped my meals and deprived myself of buying new things just to save my money so I can buy my racket. It is so important to me and I will stick to it until my last game. 

My Role Model

I belong to a family that is poor in purse but rich in love. My father always told us to that poverty is not a hindrance to success and even though we are poor we still have the right to enjoy life. He is hardworking, caring and loving father to us and is a good husband to our mother.

He loves his life at the farm and he didn’t mind doing difficult works. He is doing all his best to provide our needs and to give us education. Every morning, he wakes up early to feed the animals (ducks and chickens) and to collect eggs but he doesn’t mind because he loved doing these and he is fond of animals.

He came from a poor family and did not finish his studies but he tried his best to put up a small business and managed to send to private schools. We have a small business just enough for our tuition fees and other expenses.

He is happy and contented for what we have and is not ashamed of where he came. We are very proud and thankful to our father for being such a good example for us.

           

I’m In Good Hands with FCC-CCS

This year will be my last year in Filamer Christian College, College of Computer Studies. I am taking up Bachelor of Science in Information Management. For the last 3 years, the Technical Building of FCC (formerly High School Complex) where the College of Computer Studies is located became my home away from home. I really enjoyed my studies here in FCC specifically in CCS because of the warm reception of students and friendly and considerate teachers.

      Truly, the College of Computer Studies lived up to its promise that is to give quality and best education to its students. Being a Christian institution, they don’t just educate their students academically but also they teach their students to be a good person with respect of other people regardless of religion, individual differences or financial status. They train students to be a God fearing individual and to become socially responsible citizen of this country.

      Being a BSIM student, we should be updated of the current trends and technology. Our college prepares us for the real world of business by providing us with all the best and latest equipment. We have the best computer laboratory in the province with the latest hardware and software installed.

      We also have other facilities which we can use such as the air-conditioned library equipped with the best collection of books. Our library has internet section that can be used exclusively by Filamerians. We have the speech laboratory wherein students are trained to improve their communication skills.

      The College of Computer Studies offer courses such as Ladderized Bachelor of Science in Computer Studies, Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering. Our graduates have a high employment rate with high paying jobs.

      Right now, FCC is preparing to be the 1^st private university in the province of Capiz and it makes me feel proud to be a Filamerian.  I am proud of my parents for choosing Filamer to be my school.

My First Ferries Wheel Ride

 Fiesta is an annual event wherein people are gathered to celebrate. There is an abundant food and overflowing drinks. People from different places came to hear the mass and to celebrate with their relatives.

One of the attractions during fiesta is the ferries wheel. A ferries wheel is an amusement ride comprising a large upright wheel revolving on a fixed axis and having suspended seats. People (especially the children) are excited every time the ferries wheel is coming to town. They can only ride on a ferries wheel once a year during fiestas so the people grabs the opportunity to ride in a ferries wheel.

I remember my first ferries wheel ride way back when I was small. The night before the ride, I was very excited and I can hardly sleep. My sister said earlier that we are going to ride in a ferries wheel as long as I won’t be afraid and cry. I made a compromise with her so she bought tickets for us.

I saw people shouting every time they reached the top and suddenly I felt nervous too. After we enter and sat I told my sister that I don’t want to ride anymore because I am so afraid and nervous. My sister told me that I will surely miss the fun of riding in a ferries wheel.

As the ferries wheel started to turn, I felt relaxed and at the same time excited. As we reached the top, I saw the aerial view of our town. I felt like I was fling. My first ferries wheel ride is very memorable to me because with the help of my sister I overcome my fear.

 

Music As An Expression of Self

            Listening to music makes me calm and peaceful. I don’t have any particular favorite song but I like listening to mellow music. Music soothes me when I’m stressed, uplifts my spirit when I’m down and makes me more cheerful when I’m happy. Listening to music is also my way of escaping from reality.

I really admire the songwriters and composers for making such songs that could capture our moods. Whatever moods you have there’s always a corresponding song for you your mood. Composers must relate themselves to the feelings of others for them to write a song that we can relate to.  

Music can be an eye opener too. Sometimes we are not aware of the things that are happening around us until we heard someone singing a song that is relevant to some of our social problems. Who knows, maybe someday I can write the music of my life and share with you..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Favorite Childhood Toy

I had a doll named Pollyanna. It used to be my aunt’s doll but she gave to my older sisters as a hand-me-down toy. As my sisters grew older, they had outgrown Pollyanna and they gave it to me. Pollyanna and I became inseparable ever since. She was my only companion.

She is made from plastic, about 2 feet long, blinking eyes, and an angelic face. My mother made her some dresses and I often changed her clothes and brushed her hair. Every time I had my tantrums, I smashed her and throw her on the wall. Since she is made from plastic, the only damaged I done to her was making her eyes bulged out.

My sisters got angry at me for my recklessness and threatened me that they would take her back. They always reminded me to take care of Pollyanna the way they take care of her. Since then, I always take care of her and made sure she is in good condition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Fantasy Place

I always dreamed of going to a desert. Every time I see pictures of a desert, I would think that the place was so peaceful and calm. I would like to ride a camel and eat different kind of cactus. At night, I would sleep in a without a tent and cover myself with a blanket. I would count the stars in the sky until I fall asleep.

Nobody would know me and I would do anything I want to do. I like stargazing at night but I don’t have a good view in our place because of the trees. In the desert, I can do stargazing every night and I will surely have a good view of the sky.

Of course it is just my fantasy because in reality, living in desert is quite difficult. I may never survive the heat of the sun and the lack of water and other necessities. But I still want to go there and experience the desert life .  

A Place Near Water

Living in Sigma could be difficult sometimes because of the occasional flood, much more when you are near the river. When we were young, we were always excited when there is flood because all the classes will be suspended and we can play at the water all day long.

We would make bamboo rafts and we would ride with it and pretend that we ere in the ocean. We had so much fun playing in the flood unaware of its harm that may inflict us. As we grow older, we no longer felt excited when the flood is coming because we already knew that it means trouble.

Flood could be very devastating. It destroys houses, appliances and farmlands. It also brings sickness for people and animals. We had difficulty in transportations and in doing our daily activities.

I hope the government will find ways to prevent flood in Sigma.

 

Cemetery At Night

          A cemetery is a burial ground for the dead people. It is also said that a cemetery is a dwelling place for the restless spirits. Our town cemetery is located along the highway and it is very dark and deserted at night. There are hearsays from different people who claim to have seen a ghost walking outside the main gate of the cemetery.

           Many motorists had said that they had seen a lady dressed in whiter gown standing at the road as if waiting for someone to give a hitch.

            One night my friends and I were having our usual motorcycle joyride when suddenly we thought of going to the cemetery to see if we can have a glimpse of the said white lady.

            As we go nearer, we were very at the creepy atmosphere. We enter the cemetery and we found a tomb that was comfortable to sit. We stayed and talked for a while and got bored. We did not saw any unusual sight but we were all afraid.

            After a while we saw a shadow moving behind us and we all jumped to our feet and run outside. We were all ashamed to ourselves when we found out that the shadow belonged to a cat.