In a remote barrio somewhere in the Philippines, there was a farmer named Nonoy Mapalad who had a small piece of land where he planted vegetables and fruits. Nonoy was a typical Filipino farmer who worked in his farm from dawn till dusk. He had a wife and twelve children. Although, the Mapalad family lived in a nipa hut which was too small for Nonoy’s growing children, their humble abode was a happy home. Like what his surname denotes, Nonoy considered himself blessed because he had no problem feeding his big family since he had an abundant supply of fresh fruits and vegetables in his farm. He sometimes bartered his produce for some meat & fish in the market. Nonoy also owned a carabao which helped him till his small farm & pulled his cart of vegetables and fruits to sell in the market.
Unfortunately, Nonoy was not able to finish his grade school because he had to help his parents till their land. He was their only child. Similarly, his parents, were not able to go to school because it was too far away from where they live. For them, attending school was an ordeal because they had to pass a long stretch of muddy field, climb a couple of hills and cross a dilapidated old bridge just to learn to read and write. They were simple-minded folks. His parents died when he was only 15 years old & left him this small piece of land where he was born. He met his wife, Neneng while he was on his way to the market to sell his produce.
One day, Typhoon Coring struck their land destroying everything on sight, their crops and their nipa hut. Their one & only carabao was nowhere to be found. Nonoy was only able to save his family & ran to their neighbor, Mang Gorio who also lost everything. They were all wet & shivering. There was no shelter nearby to stay for the night. The Mapalad family just huddled together for warmth under a tree & stayed put. They only prayed and waited for the heavy rain to stop. The next morning, they headed for the town proper to see Mayor Salvador.
The Mapalad family waited for their mayor to arrive in his office. The mayor’s secretary was not too pleased to see them because they crowded his office. When Mayor Salvador arrived at 11:00 am, he did not attend to Nonoy & his family immediately since he was busy entertaining other people. Again, the Mapalad family waited outside for a couple of hours & finally the mayor ushered them in his office.
“What can I do for you, Nonoy?” Mayor Salvador asked while eyeing Nonoy’s big family curiously.
“My crops which I was supposed to harvest next week were destroyed by the typhoon yesterday. My nipa hut was also destroyed & what pains me most is that our old & reliable carabao is missing.” Nonoy wailed, letting his tears fall down his dirty cheeks unashamedly.
“I am so sorry, Nonoy. If only your parents sold off your farm to me, you wouldn’t have these problems. By the way, my offer still stands.” Mayor Salvador said with a fake smile. “However, since your farm was affected by Typhoon Coring, I will only be willing to buy it for P20,000.00. That is a lot of money for you to start a small sari-sari store.” the mayor advised, thinking that Nonoy would eagerly grab this opportunity.
“Thanks for your offer, sir. But I can not accept. I’ve been a farmer all my life. I know nothing about managing a sari-sari store. Besides that small farm which I inherited from my parents is the only legacy I could give to my children. I was born in that land & I will continue to till my own land & grow my own vegetables and fruits until the day I die. The reason why I am here today with my family is because I would like to request for a small loan from your office if it’s possible so I would be able to buy food since all our crops were destroyed. We have nothing to eat, sir. I also plan to buy some seeds and plant again.” Nonoy said humbly.
“I am so sorry, Nonoy. I can’t help you. All our funds were used for various constructions and projects.” Nonoy gave the mayor a strange look and scratched the back of his head. He couldn’t remember seeing any new school buildings or roads being constructed. “I am not a bad mayor, Nonoy. Here is what I can do for you.” The mayor reached out at the back of his chair and took a fancy-looking small box on top of his side table. “This is for your wife’s and your own happiness.” the mayor laughed.
“What is this, Mayor?” Can my children eat this?” Nonoy thought it was a box of candies.
“It is better than food because that (pointing to the box) would solve all your problems. Nonoy, you are such a productive fellow.” the mayor laughed all the more while looking at Nonoy’s children.
Nonoy and his family left the office and hit the road towards home. They could feel their stomachs growling with intense pain. It was a long, long walk. Nonoy, who felt drained of all his energy, could hear his children crying. His heart ached. It was already late afternoon when they arrived at their farm. They saw Mang Gorio waiting for them with food. Their good neighbor told them that a priest passed by and brought some food and drinking water. He also told them he already ate his share and while waiting for them, he already cleared the debris and salvaged whatever he could save. Nonoy saw that Mang Gorio was able to build a makeshift shelter for them. Their elderly neighbor, who had no family of his own, was a very good friend of his parents. That night they were able to sleep soundly.
The next morning, Nonoy was surprised to see his carabao grazing not far away. He ran towards his carabao and hugged him tightly. He couldn’t believe his eyes as if he were seeing a ghost. “I thought I’ve lost you.” he whispered in his ears. “It is truly a miracle your carabao survived.” Mang Gorio said smilingly. Afterwards, he and Mang Gorio surveyed the extent of the damage in his field. Nonoy felt like shouting for joy when he saw that a small part of his field was not damaged. “God is good.” He shouted. He felt happy again because he saw light at the end of the tunnel. He knew he and his family will survive with God’s help. His faith in God is his source of strength and hope.
Later that day, he remembered the fancy-looking small box which the mayor gave him. He took it and opened it delicately. He saw several small individually wrapped items inside. He opened them one by one. The items look like multicolored deflated balloons. “Why would the mayor give me these? He told me that this box was for my happiness and for my wife, too. My children are our happiness. He must have meant to give these for my children. The mayor was thoughtful after all.” Nonoy thought aloud and smiled. One by one he blew the multicolored latex rubbers for his kids to play later on.