People were throwing sharp glances at me,
as I languidly walked down the main road from lofty Fort Culion. I was looking for a
place to have lunch, and regretted heading out in the punishing noontime sun with
a daypack and 2 cameras strapped around me. Along the way, I was shooting random street
scenes: leper-colony era structures now in decay, kids playing with their
makeshift toys of ruined bicycle tires & used food cans, homemakers tending
to their sari-sari stores and food stands. The locals
projected this canned smile at me, as if telling me to take their photo - and when I'd
oblige and point my camera they would break into wild laughter and shake their
heads as if it were a silly thing to ask for.
As I was walking along I heard a loud and elongated cry from behind me, like a
jungle call that drowned out all other noise on the street. I looked around
and saw this lady at the bend of the road, bucket in one hand and a carrying staff
hoisted on her shoulders with green bundles hanging from it. She was steadily marching
down like a soldier in a parade while chanting her jungle cry. As she
came into better view I realized she was peddling "lato" - that
delicious seaweed salad that exploded into the taste of the sea in your mouth.
She stopped a short distance away, looked at me intently and exclaimed in a
commanding voice: "kunan mo ako ng litrato."
She told me her name - Gloria Bereng, and that she was
Tagbanua. Gloria had a regal posture, standing erectly never mind the heavy load
on her shoulders. She was dark-skinned and her hair was brown, baked from working
under the harsh sun most of the day for sure. What caught my eye though was a deep
& very pronounced canal on her temple, right between the eyebrows. The rest of her forehead looked like it was collapsing,
being sucked in by it. This sculpted what seemed like a permanent scowl on her
face. I asked her to give a big smile for the photo, and all that she could
muster looked like a squint against the afternoon sun, rather than a smile. Despite that, I was pretty sure she was elated to have her photo taken.
 |
| Gloria Bereng, Tagbanua Lato vedor from Culion, Palawan |
I promised to have the photos printed for her and sent to Hotel Maya via postal mail, where she can pick it up after a month. I was able to send them after 2 weeks, and I hope she got her copies.