As I Do My Homework II

Have you read "As I Do My Homework I" yet? No? Scroll down for it first.

After a short break, "Sepang Loca" came next. It was already 8:30pm and I was getting worried that I might not catch the last train to Ayala Avenue on my way back. If that happens, I would have to take a bus. Luckily, Brian gave me instructions in case I fail to catch the train. Even more luckily, I got in the train! I arrived in Makati around 11pm and I was surprised to see that the streets were still filled with people and cars. For a moment, I thought it was still 8pm.

Anyway...


People say that each barrio has its own lunatic or madman. Each has unique and peculiar stories. In this particular barrio, what the townspeople had was a madwoman whom they called Sepang Loca.

The story was narrated by an engineer who was tasked to cement the dusty roads of the barrio. It was said that when Sepa’s water has broken, she rushes to a well and gives birth. By that well, she cleanses herself and her newborn baby. The townspeople will then hurry to Sepang Loca, take the baby, and raise it themselves.

One evening, news spread that Sepa had once again given birth. The baby fell into the well while Sepa ran to the field and died. The townspeople thought that it was best to retrieve the baby from the well. While in the process, the wives in the town talked which led to a surprising turn of events.

During the month of May, the town holds rituals in honor of Sta. Clara, the patroness of the childless. It was during this time that the women would dance in the streets and ask the saint for a miracle, to grant them a child. However, no matter how many months of May they dance, not even a single wife bore a child. The only woman in their town who could get pregnant was Sepang Loca.

Hours passed and after finally retrieving the baby, the people discovered that the baby was dead. The mother of the engineer took the baby in her arms and was shocked. On the baby’s chest was a birthmark, a mark that resembles the one on her husband’s chest.

It was later revealed that during the nights when the streets seemed empty, the men in the town, masked and unidentified, rape the poor Sepang Loca.

The thought of the men raping the defenseless Sepa took days before leaving my mind. It was said that it was Sepa’s custom to give birth by the well. This must mean that she had given birth several times. Logically, Sepa must have been raped several times too. The villagers’ sin was unforgivable. Actually, the thought still haunts me once in a while.

The story was narrated by an engineer. In his short monologue in the beginning of the play, he explained what he was tasked to do as an engineer. He pointed to a particular well which he was also asked to cover with asphalt. Here he began to tell that there were rumors about that well. I remember him mentioning that no one was really sure whether the rumors were real or not. Only he knows what really happened during that night.

The revelation of the “village secret” was followed by another monologue from the engineer. I remember him saying that soon the dusty roads and the well would be covered and together with their stories, they would remain buried beneath thick asphalt.

I liked how the author picked the narrator. The engineer, probably, stands for progress. In the play, his mother never ceased saying that she was very proud of her son. She said that her son builds bridges and roads that help people. She said that she was proud of her son no matter what.

It is surprising how progress can erase the past in just one snap. Once the well becomes covered, it can no longer speak of its stories. It can no longer speak of the tales it has witnessed. The brutal act that the village had done will be forever forgotten.

Just like in our very own country, Fidel Ramos was accused of cheating in the presidential elections. But when the country progressed because of the stabilization of the economy, the rumor was never spoken of.

Just like in “The Judgment”, a Thai novel, a man named Ai Fak got himself in trouble when he tried to defend his insane stepmother from naughty kids. In the process, he hit the kids with stones and sent them bleeding. Because of this, Ai Fak was despised and loathed by the whole village. He was the subject of all the rumors that roam around the village. There came a time when electric power transmission reached the little community, resulting to the villagers buying all sorts of appliances—refrigerators, ovens, televisions. This was when the subject of the gossips shifted from Ai Fak to new appliances. Ai Fak’s misdeed was immediately overshadowed by the latest trends.

In just one snap, when bridges are created and roads paved or food preserved in fridges and soap operas watched, what happened before these will be forgotten. A sin, no matter how serious and grave it was, will be forgotten. Who among us will remember the violence committed in the past when we can enjoy the comfort and luxuries of the present?

"Sepang Loca" is a bit disturbing. The "baby" creeps me out. It looked real and slippery and alive. *shudders* And the men from the village are sick, right? Well, I think they are. What was shown in the play was a "gang rape". *shudders* I was so disturbed that the moment I got back home [in Makati], I began to tell my sister about Sepang Loca and the villagers. And she told me a story almost similar to "Sepang Loca" which she said was even "sick-er". I even joked and asked to sleep beside her because the baby haunts me, haha!

But really, I was disturbed.