The Filipina Mom in Denmark

Eduvijes Preztosa Navarro of Mangaldan & Dagupan City passed away yesterday Nov.4 2008

Yesterday my grandmother passed away at the age of 90 or 92. I just posted something about the All Saints day festivities in the Philippines and mentioned about my grandfather her husband which I did not meet and now it her. I’m very sad because I can’t go and bury her because we just went to the Philippines last august and I’m very glad that we did. I was blog hopping last Nov.2 and I read one post about how they started a tradition where they have to post about their loved ones who passed away and I think I don’t have to wait for the All Saints Day to do it.

We called her Inang Ebeng. She got married at very young age of 13 or 14 where arranged marriage was normal at that time. She was tall, pretty, got curvaceous body and nice skin just look at her picture @ 90. She had a lot of suitors but I think my amang was charistamic so he was chosen by my grandmother’s parent. But my inang hadn’t her period at that time so my amang had to wait for some time. They had 7 children and my father was the third child child and came out during the 2nd world war. I can still remember her stories how they live and hide during the war.

At that time that the husband is the breadwinner of the family and the wives are the homemaker or SAHM (stay at home mom). But what you would you do if you are became a widow at a very young age and left alone with 7 children? I don’t know if I can manage that.

Like most of Filipina mothers she was strong and did not hesitate to do what ever to find food for her children. Life in the province was hard but you can not call them poor because they usually have farms and fishponds but lack of proper farming or fishing knowhow makes it not that profitable way of leaving and . Since our province in the Pangasinan is like a highway of typhoons sometimes there’s no harvest because of the floods or typhoons. She sold fish in the market in the morning and cooks sells dinuguan or goto in the afternoon. Besides that was the barrio’s manghihilot or some kind of healer. She was today’s physical therapist and chiropractor because all who got sprints and any problems with joints or muscle pain went to her with just oil and her knowhow. Almost everyone in our small barrio and nearby went through her strong hands. She was respected because she did not ask any payment for her service. She was the real Babaylan in her time.

We are so close to her more than our any other cousin because she was the one who took care of my brothers and sister when leave to work abroad. She lived in our house while I was in college in Manila. But besides that she still taking care my other uncle’s children who were mother left them while they were still small.

Only one of her children went to college and finished pharmacy but the rest they were not so happy going to school like the rest in that barrio. So my inang life did prosper because until her last breath she still thinks of her children and grandchildren. My parents gives her monthly allowance but sometime we also becomes angry because when we gave her something fruits of foods she gave it to her grandchildren. But that who she is, always prioritizing her family than herself. She taught us not to be plant any hate in our neighbors even they misjudge or steal something from you, help those in need, and a lot of good virtuous. She told us that what is important is that you have a clear conscience and don’t steal or be unreasonable even though you are poor then you can sleep soundly at night.

All of what is left now is memories when I was young and I don’t know if my siblings shares the same because I was the eldest. She was the one who accompany me when I graduate from elementary and pinned my medal I was salutaturian(2nd place) and she was so proud. I remember we used to wait for her getting down from a calesa, a horse drawn carriage with basket in her arms and happy with whatever she brought fruits or candies. Sometimes we fights who will lie besides her because we want to hear all those stories in the past like the 2^nd world war and the ancestors we never knew.

He died suddenly and I think she still thinks of her family not suffer. She was so strong when I last saw her she can still sweep her backyard and see to it her house was rebuilt. Her house fell down because of a strong typhoon last year as well as our house and other houses in that area and I think that stressed her so much that maybe contribute to her stroke.

Now she joins her husband and her family (she was the last in her siblings) in heavens I just pray that she lie in peace. I love her and I wish that I can be with her but that’s the price we have to pay as a OFW we can not just go home due to some circumstances we can’t control.

Life is so short we have to show our love and say it to them that we love them before it’s too late. I think I haven’t said that to my inang I wish I said but I know that she knows.

To Inang We love you and thank you.

Another sad story which you almost hear regularly when you read news about OFW (Overses Filipino Worker) coming home in the Philippines in a box or coffin. But this time the victim is not an OFW, but she was living with a Dane in Singapore and her name was Janeth Calamohoy a native of Alicia Zamboanga .The police report says that she jumped on the 5th floor condominium apartment. But the families doesn’t believe that she committed suicide since she did not fall face down rather obtaining injuries at back of her skull. Therefore Janeth’s sister will leave for Singapore to coordinate with the Singaporean Police to speed up the investigation.

It’s good to hear that the OWWA (Overseas Welfare Admisitration Admisnistration) helped her even though she wasn’t an OFW. This is an interesting story because there is a danish national involved which seems like they will questioned him with the incident. I just hope that it will not be another jealousy related incidents that has been happening here in Denmark.