May is the month of Mary, and our local shrine is the Divina Pastora (The godly/holy shepherdess), because 300 years ago so Spaniard gave a local family a statue of that version of the Virgin, and then miracles happened.
Traditionally people return here to meet with families and have parties: and this includes many ex pats working overseas: Lolo visited for the fiesta for many years. The city parade includes both religious floats and representation of civic and religious groups. For example, Lolo and his fellow World War II veterans traditionally marched with the parade. They then would come back and stay with him in his house, drinking and playing cards and telling stories.
But slowly they got older, and they dropped out: Too old to march, or migrated to the US etc. so their kids could care for them, or died. And then it became too hard for Lolo to march in the hot sun, so he went in a car...
Sigh. The greatest generation is no longer with us: Lolo died a few years ago age 90....
since meetings are verboten, and church services are limited, (and those arriving from overseas get put into quarantine for two weeks) no celebration this year: But here is a video from the local students (the church has a high school, Divina Pastora College).
Kuya is busy with the harvest, and yesterday he held a meal for the workers and their families, and brought home two huge talapia that he had grilled, one for us and one for the staff here.
Today he is back there working with the harvest.
This havest has been good: and the rain during the dry season second harvest means that the farmers may make a profit this time (instead of using money to pay for irrigation water).
The main rice crop field preparation is starting now: No, not the planting but the preparation of the fields, which starts with the summer monsoon rains. Hence the fiesta because the people have some leisure before the monsoon means hard work starts.
The bad news is that it is also the hunger season. Usually the farmers sell their rice quickly, except for a small amount they hold back, and now is about the time they run out of both rice and money from the main harvest. So the second harvest crop should mean less hunger.
Alas, hunger season is worse this year: with the economic shut down, a lot of people in service jobs are not working and have exhasted their savings (and the savings of their relatives) and many from Manila have left there and come home to live with their families in rural areas.
And many overseas workers, also in service jobs, are not being paid or are losing their jobs in the Middle East, in hotels and in tourism, in cargo and cruise ships etc. So their money, which often supports entire families, is also not being sent.
We don't live in a gated community but in a regular middle class neighborhood that includes poor areas nearby and get a lot of requests for rice or small donations of money to buy food.
Our cook reports a lot of local families including those who usually support themselves by working are out of money to buy food and asking for help.
The Inquirer reports that 2 million are out of work, mostly in the capital region (i.e. Manila area).
and the vaccine roll out has many problems, which can be blamed on the central government's planning according to this Inquirer editorial. Until the workers get their vaccine, they can't work but the bias against the inferior Chinese vaccine is a problem: a lot of people don't trust it and are waiting for western vaccines.
So the economy is still hurting, and so many groups have opened food pantries, funded by churches or local politicians or left wing groups.
In our town, as I have posted in earlier essays, our mayor is trying to provide food and now is sending food to those in quarantine. And the informal gifts of rice etc. are common to neighbors.
Two problems with the food pantries: One is corruption (politicians, including those who siphon money out of the local budget for their own pockets, are essentially buying votes by giving out food). The other is of course the taking of food by people who don't need it. or who will resell it for a profit. Of course, this last item might just be a way for those who can't travel to the pantry to get cheap food from the younger more entrepenurial types in the neighborhood, or it could be major theft, depending on the details.
Our cook says the local pantry will only give out a one day portion of food to stop this problem.
In other news:
Dr. Angi's office has been cleaned and will reopen Monday. However, the department store next to our house has been closed for a few days because an employee got covid. And the community grocery store was also closed a week ago (and the owner died, and his son was sick, alghouth they probably caught it from their larger store, not the one here).
However, so far our family has been okay.
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