While visiting the esteros I always greet the people that live there. I look at their houses. I never fail to be impressed with how pleasant they are given their depressing surroundings. This time I met Larah. She had the sweetest smile, and I was surprised that she did not mind that she would soon be relocated. She was an OFW working in Dubai, but she had just given birth.
What floored me was her premature newborn, a two-week-old baby named Luis. I asked if I could hold the baby. I was totally unprepared for the effect Luis would have on me. He was quiet and oh-so-peaceful! The peace extended and penetrated my heart. It was as if he rested in me. I can feel energy, and the energy of this newborn baby moved me deeply. I had staff members waiting for me and I had the rest of the estero to look at so it was not practical or feasible to bask in the peacefulness of this baby while everyone was waiting for me. But it was difficult to extricate myself! I can remember when nursing my firstborn — I would just stay in bed as long as he was there. I am very disciplined with regards to my meditation in the morning. But when I had my firstborn, I would stay in bed just to be near him. I felt something similar at the estero. It’s like these children bring vestiges of the Divine with them, having just come from Higher Worlds, and that energy effectively tugs at my heartstrings.
So I decided to go again the next day. Luis was clearly capturing me in his magical web. I again held the baby in my arms, and again his energy went straight to my heart.
I was so enamored of this baby that the following day, on Saturday, I asked my security detail to go and get the baby — together with the mother and her other daughter, lest I be accused of kidnapping!
Saturday afternoon was spent basking in his silence. I was on the phone, but holding Luis had a calming effect on me. The mother is very sweet, and her older daughter is also quite pretty.
When my sons were babies, I was enamored of them as well. They were just sooo beautiful! Sigh… The reality is that babies grow up, and now I am lucky to get a kiss from my kids, so Luis was a welcome meet.
It’s amazing the people you meet in the esteros. I came across another family. I was impressed by the mother. Her three kids are all valedictorians! In the estero her husband works in a printing press. She didn’t mind being relocated. She just wanted her kids to finish their schooling. I told her that if her kids continue to get good grades, I will help them with scholarships.
What struck me was her gentleness and her intelligence.
In Paco once, we found a bomb; at another time the skeleton of a fetus. While the estero has more than its share of crime, dangers, drugs and negative energy, it also has rays of sunshine and hope. It holds proof of the resiliency of the human being. It tells the story of human resources waiting to be tapped, to be nurtured, to be saved lest they fall into the clutches of despair and hopelessness — and even worse, into crime and drugs.
For me, the people I meet at the estero give me hope. I met one young girl who could dance ballet very gracefully. I asked her, “Where did you learn how to do that?” She said she picked it up from somewhere — an untapped talent. One of my river warriors is an elderly lady without any teeth, but you should see her dance! I have yet to see someone dance with such abandon, gyrating and feeling the music without the slightest inhibition s; she never fails to send us all laughing in stitches! I even discovered a fine arts student who we ended up hiring because he made beautiful murals.
These people give me hope. More than that, they give me joy. It’s an exhilaration that comes when one feels life blooming. It is a taste of what can happen on a massive scale as we set about cleaning our esteros and our river — the sun on the horizon that is not just about clean water flowing through our city, but of life finding the means to discover its destiny. Now, how can anything be more fulfilling than that?
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If you are interested in helping the Pasig River Project, please call Ryan Guzman at 0917-8502626 or e-mail him at ryan_guzman@abs-cbn.com
I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.