Where are we now?

Ben Contreras .

LIFE is what we make it, so the saying goes. A community is, I guess, what we make it, too.

I was born somewhere on Burgos Street and was six months old when we moved to Pabayo-Gomez Sts.. That makes me a “Yanong Kagay-anon” or “Lumad nga Kagay-anon”. That’s why I care so much for our city.

As a child, I remember Divisoria as an embodiment of the city. The Amphitheater was the market and the surrounding buildings housed the commercial stores where goods were spread on the ground by the boxes and transactions were made with mere pieces of paper.

The population was so small that almost everyone knew each other. The tranquility was only broken by the sound of the “tartanillas” or the revving sound of vehicles only the better off can afford.

Life was so simple then and happiness was sans the technology we have today. As kids, we played all sorts of children’s games in the park or in the grounds of Divisoria.

Once, Cagayan de Oro was adjudged as the cleanest city in Mindanao, or was it in the whole country. Our city officials then were all dignified people, serving the city with sincerity and honesty.

Where are we today?

Today, pur population is nearing one million and the “Lumad nga Kagay-anon” are slowly being cast into oblivion. The landed, except for a few, have sold their lands to migrants from neighboring cities and provinces. A few have become mere parts of our history, opting to live abroad.

I remember when I was just about 10, more or less, when while roaming around the “periahan” in Divisoria where the BDO-Velez Branch stands today, a snatcher was caught and those who saw the crime yelled “kawatan”. People gave chase, cordoning a whole block and the snatcher had nowhere to go. Call it “the bayanihan spirit” but that’s what it was during those days. People helped, people cared and they made their community what they wanted it to be.

Again, where are we today?

Everything has changed. The city has grown bigger and the population grew by a thousand fold. With modern technologies, we have forgotten the values while we keep ourselves busy with new gadgets. We care less for our fellowmen and our neighbors and the people running our city government. Our values have changed, too.

Who cares about our problems? Traffic, garbage, peace and order, corruption, drug, crime, dirty politicians, flood, rape of our environment — all these have become part of our daily life and we seem to have accepted all these without complaining. We have become complacent and numb, seemingly unaffected until something hits us painfully and unnecessarily.

We no longer complain the way we should. “All words, no action” bests describe our attitude. And for those who are supposed to give and serve justice, those who are supposed to be the purveyors of events and truth, those who are supposed to maintain peace and order, they have put a price in what they do. Dishonesty and hypocrisy have become the name of the game. And look how they love it and live with it.

Just because we are not yet the victims, we are tightlipped. Just because we are benefitting from these politicians, we keep our silence about their shenanigans.

How many of us are good at talking but when called to action, “kamo ra” is their answer?

Oh, the Church. How I love to see it practice what it preaches.

I care about our city. Do you?