Pagdalaw sa Lawa ng Bulusan
Ni Perlegio Paderes
Mataas na Paaralan ng Samar
Unang Gantimpala, NSPC 1993
KUNG sinasabing ang pluma ay higit ha pakapangyarihan kaysa anumang snadata, sa pluma man
ay may higit pang makapangyarihan. Ito ang ganda ng kalikasan.
Kahanga-hanga, makapitlag-puso, makalangit, kapita-pitagan at walang pinag-iwan sa isang tunay
na paraiso. Ito ang Lawa ng Bulusan, lawa para sa sinumang nilalang na ibig mapag-isa upang
lasapin ang biyaya ng tunay na katahimikan sa buhay o dili naman kaya’y upang lunasan ang hapdi
ng puso sa pamamagitan ng walang sawang pagmasid sa mapang-aliw at masaganang
kagandahan ng buong pusong inihain ng kalikasan.
Sa aking nasaksihan sa una kong pagdalaw sa lawang ito na matatagpuan sa dakong timog
silangan ng lalawigang Sorsogon na may apatnapu’t limang kilometro mula sa punong bayan ay ang
mga sumusunod:
Isang likas na daan o pilapil na maaring mapagdaanan na tuloy-tuloy sa buong paligid. Sa pampang
naman ito ay nakapalibot ang malilin na punong-kahoy na pawing nangayuko at animo’y nahihiyang
nagbubulungan.
Sa paligid pa rin ay ang mgaburol na siyang nagsisilbing muog sa sinuman o anumang ibig
magsamantala sa walang batik na kagandahan nito. Sa libis naman ng burol ay para-parang inihasik
and naglalakihan at nag-papaligsahang mga magagandang bulaklak.
Tunay na kawili-wili at kahanga-hanga. Ang malamig na simoy nghangin ay nakapagpapadama na
waring ang buhay ay walang katapusan. Ito ang mga pangunahing katangian ng lawa ng Bulusan na
may labing anim na hektarya ang lawak at may tatlumpu’t dalawang metro ang lalim. Ang lawa ay
tatlong daan at animnapu’t limang taong gulang na. Ito’y maaaring marating sa pamamagitan ng bus
o anumang sasakyang pangkalsada sa loob ng may humigit-kumulang sa dalawa at kalahating oras.
Ibig ba ninyong dumalaw doon? Kayo’y malugod na inaanyayahan at buong pusong tatanggapin ng
mapang-akit na lawang nakahimlay sa tuktok ng higanteng bulkan.
***
Human Interest Feature Article
George, he’s a hero!
By Emilyn Martinez
IT IS “natural” for women to be lavanderas if that is the best thing that they can do for a living, but
have you heard of a guy who does laundry to support his family? Well, there is such an unusual guy
in our school.
George Francis, a 17-year-old junior, has taken on the difficult responsibility of providing for his little
sister and brother. He is father and mother to them, since both his parents are deceased. His three
other sisters have their own families. Fortunately, his youngest brother is cared for by an aunt.
To be able to feed his siblings and send them to school, George does the laundry of a family in
Moriones. Saturdays he washes their week’s laundry and Sundays, he irons them, a back-breaking
job that assures him P400 a week. And for schooldays, at 5 p.m., when his classes are over, he
cleans the house of his amo for a monthly wage of P500. In one month, he earns a total of P2,100
which he says is enough for their food, daily baon and monthly rent of P300.
“I’ve been doing this for three years now,” he says. “Mahirap, pero nasanay na ako (It’s hard but I’m
already used to it).” Despite his work, he manages to get good grades. And although he has so
much to do, he does his share of the housework because he doesn’t want to tire out his brother and
sister “I want them to concentrate on their studies,” he says.
George Francis is only one of our many students who must struggle daily in order to survive. If
Rhona Mahilom, the girl from Negros who saved her younger sisters and brothers when their house
caught fire, is a hero, George is a hero for saving his sister and brother from starvation, for giving
them a home and family to afford them the security they badly need in their formative years.
George’s touching story serves as an inspiration to us. We give you, George, a big round of
applause. We are proud of you and may your tribe increase.
