(Editors’ Note: The Bikol version, Buhay Riles, was awarded Best Essay in the 2009 Premio Tomas Arejola para sa Literaturang Bikolnon (PTALB) and was published in Rimpos Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 1, 2015. The English version which was translated in 2009 appears at the end of this article.)

INTRODUCTION

From the 1950s until 1990s, the rail skates were the major mode of transportation in the town of Ragay, Camarines Sur, particularly in the barangays on its western area, Liboro, F. Simeon, Port Junction, and Godofredo Reyes, Sr., and those in the eastern area, Binahan, Apad, Cale, Apale, Agrupacion, and Banga Caves.

During its heyday, the railroad was the center of life in Ragay. The trains, then operated by Manila Railroad Company (MRR) and later by Philippine National Railways (PNR), passed by twice daily: from Manila going to the province of Albay, and then returning. Day and night, the train stations and stops were always filled with peddlers, passengers, and laborers. In the midst of all these were the skates, unceasing, relentless, in their efforts in bringing and carting passengers, cargo, and products.

For the towns of Sipocot, Lupi, Ragay and Del Gallego, the skates served as the bridge and means by which the people could travel, move their products, or just be connected to the outside world. This was when the area was not efficiently serviced by PNR. The train schedules became irregular, until they completely stopped due to excessive damage to the railway tracks caused by accidents and natural calamities.

The people around the idle rail tracks, however, eventually adapted. Indeed, the saying is true, “Need is the mother of invention.”  According to the local townsfolk, the skates were invented by a Ragayano with the surname Packay from barangay Apad, the location of one of the busiest PNR train stations.

Made of sturdy wood, the original skates design had two horizontal seats at either side, with a back rest, a roof and four large metal bearings as wheels. It had to be pushed by the driver to make it run on the railroad tracks. It could carry six to 10 passengers. The fare was 30-50 centavos up to 1-3 pesos.

These days, the skate rigs, now equipped with a motor, have seats back and front in addition to those on the sides, with capacity of 10-15 passengers. The fare ranges from P5 for students, P7 minimum, and P20-25 for those going to the farthest destination in the different barangays of the town. (Editors’ note: These fares are the rates in 2015, when the essay was first published.)

From the past through the present, there has been an unwritten but well-respected rule among the skate riders and operators about right-of-way: the skate ride with the smaller number of passengers and lighter cargo shall get off the tracks and give way to the other with the heavier load. The passengers always exercise patience and generosity in waiting and allowing the others the right-of=way. Those who are given the favor express their gratitude and appreciation. In so doing, delays, disagreements and disputes are minimized and avoided. In some instances, this practice has led to friendship, even courtship and wedding vows among the passengers and with the skates operators.

BUHAY RILES (Bikol version)

“Baba muna po kita, Ma’am, magabat an dara ninda.”

Si Botoc an nagtaram, amigo ko, alagad Ma’am an apod sako poon kan magtukdo na ako sa eskwelahan na pareho mi pigtapusan sa hayskul.

Dagos ako nagbaba, pigwalat na sa tukawan an sarong bayong na may laog dyaryo para sa mga magurang na kakaulayon mi sa kataid na barangay. Nahiling ko sinda Anj, Ehda, Ena asin Ailyn na nakababa naman, asin nakatindog sa gilid kan riles, pigtatanaw an kasabat ming skates na pano nin pasahero asin may kargang mga sako nin kopra, bagas, talong, hog feeds, asin banyerang pano nin sira.

“Si Jolie palan an driver,” naisaboot ko, kan nagngirit sako an nagpapapadalagan kan kasabat mi.

“Naghahalat na saindo sinda Pinsan, Ma’am! an sabi niya kan magtungod sa pigtitindogan ko.

“Sige, maray man. Salamat,” an simbag ko.

Pagkasakay ko liwat, narisa ko na harani na kami sa dakulang tulay na nagsusuhay sa Liboro kun sain kami hali, asin F. Simeon, kun sain kami paduman.

“Narumduman mo sinda Aga, Atoy, Kiking asin Saning, Ma’am?” nadangog kong hapot ni Botoc.

“Iyo,miss ko na ngani sinda,” gusto kong isimbag, alagad ako baga na namungnan. An siring na hapot, an tulay, asin an skates na sakong piglulunadan nagdara sako sa sarong hararom na paghurop-hurop. An sentro: an skates nakagamot na sa kultura asin gawi nin pagbuhay sa banwaan na sakong pig-iistaran.

An skates iyo an mayor na paagi nin transportasyon sa mga barangay nin Liboro, F. Simeon, Port Junction, Godofredo Reyes, Sr., sa parteng sulnopan kan banwaan nin Ragay; asin sa mga barangay nin Binahan, Apad, Cale, Apale, Agrupacion, asin Banga Caves sa parteng sirangan, kan dekada 50 hasta 90.

 Kadto, an riles an sentro kan buhay sa Ragay. Duwang beses kada aldaw an agi nin tren: haling Manila pasiring sa probinsya nin Albay, asin pabalik. An mga estasyon nin tren pano nin paratinda, pasahero, trabahador sa maghapon hasta sa banggi. Sa tahaw kan gabos na ini, yaon an skates, pabalik-balik, mayong ontok paghatod nin pasahero, kargamento, asin produkto.

Lain kaini, may panahon sa istorya kan mga banwaan nin Sipocot, Lupi, Ragay asin Del Gallego na an skates iyo an nagsirbing tulay asin dalan para an mga namamanwaan makabyahe, makagibo nin mga transaksyon sosyal, ekonomikal, edukasyonal, agrikultural, asin iba pa. Ini an mga panahon na mayo pa nin tren, asin kadtong an byahe nin tren naging irregular, hasta dagos na napundo, huli sa grabeng raot sa perokaril o riles dara kan surunudan na kalamidad.

Ini man an mga panahon na napatotoohan an pusog kan pagtubod sa sadiring kakayahan nin mga taga-riles. Sinda naggibo kan mga paagi para makahawas sa kasakitan asin kakundian dara kan kalamidad asin kakulangan kan pasilidad pantransportasyon asin komunikasyon.

Tama man nanggad an kasabihan na an pangangaipo iyo an ginigikanan nin imbensyon.

Base sa mga istorya, an skates, naimbento nin sarong Ragayano na haloy na nag-istar sa Apad. Siya may apelyidong Packay.

Gibo sa matibay na kahoy, an lumang modelo nin skates may duwang pahalabang tukawan sa magkaibong na gilid, may sandalan sa likod, asin may atop na kahoy dangan may apat na gulong na metal, an bearing, dangan pigtutulod kan drayber para mag-andar. Walong pasahero an kasya. An pasahe 30-50 centavos hasta P1-3.

Sa ngunyan, an skates nadugangan na nin makina, de-motor na, asin may tukawan na sa likod asin atubangan. An pasahero na pwedeng magsakay sampulo hasta kinse. An pasahe poon P5 sa estudyante, P7 an minimum, asin P20-25 para sa pinakaharayong destinasyon sa mga barangay nin banwaan.

Kadto hasta ngunyan, an skates na may dikit na pasahero asin karga iyo an minapahunod, iyo an nabuhat, iyo an nababa, para makaagi an kasabatan. An mga pasahero, nagtitiyaga, nagpapasensya, naghahalat. An mga napapaonrahan, nagpapasalamat. Nin huli kaini, mayong naaabala, mayong iriwal, mayong ralamangan. Igwa pa ngani nagkakabistuhan, nagigin mag-amigo-amiga, o kaya mag-agom. (Alagad an mga ini, iba nang istorya, haha!)

Sinda Aga, Atoy, Kiking, Saning, pati naman si Botoc asin an agom niya na si Kisat, parte kan kabtang nin buhay ko kun sain dakol na Sabado asin Domingo yaon kami sa riles, sakay nin skates, paduman sa mga destinasyon kun sain kami nag-iiriba sa pagtipon nin magagayon asin maoogmang recuerdo asin istorya bilang mag-aramigo-amiga.

Masasabing an mga lakaw, an mga pagtiripon, an mga byaheng ito kan panahon na kami gabos pa nagkaklase sa hayskul asin kolehiyo iyo an nagpanday nin samong mga karakter, nagpalinaw nin samong mga plano sa buhay, nagpakusog sa samong determinasyon na mag-uswag, siring man nagpapusog sa samong pag-iribanan.

Ngunyan na an Rolando R. Andaya Highway, asin an dyip, bus, traysikel, motor, asin padyak parte na nin buhay sa banwaan, an skates, dakula pa man nanggad an pakinabang.

Mayo na an tren, dai aram kun makabalik pa an byahe kaini digdi. An skates iyo na an hadi sa riles. An mga pamilya na nag-iistar harani sa perokaril, asin mas madali an pagbyahe digdi kaysa sa highway, nag-aasa pa nanggad sa skates.

Dakol pa giraray an skates driver asin operator sa mga barangay nin banwaan na nag- ampon sako.

Si Botoc Hernandez, 39 anyos, taga Binahan, nagpoon magskates kan siya 14 pa sana. Pigbuhay niya an saiyang agom asin anom na aki sa pagtitiyaga niya sa pagskates, maski ngani ini magabat asin masakit; asin an ganar kada aldaw P150-200 sana.

An duwang matuang lalaki tapos na sa hayskul. Si Aldin may trabaho na sa sarong factory sa Laguna, alagad nag-skates man kan siya hayskul pa para pandugang sa allowance niya. Si Allan, nag-iskates hasta ngunyan, ta an sarong skates ninda pigpamana na saiya ni tatay ninda.

“Pag naaarkila akong mag-service sa skates sa harayong lugar, mas mahal an bayad, mas dakulang ganansya. Mapagal, alagad, maray na ta sigurado na an kita, asin ako nakakapasyar pa sa manlain-lain na lugar, nakakabisto nin ibang paraskates, asin kami nagkakaistoryahan nin samong mga buhay-buhay,” sabi niya.

Si Jolie Escartin, 39 anyos, nakakapaklase sa saiyang matuang si Vernalyn sa Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Ragay Extension sa pag-skates. An saiyang tolo pang aki nagkaklase man, saro sa hayskul, duwa sa elementarya. Siya an service nin mga estudyanteng tagaduman sainda sa F. Simeon alagad nagkaklase sa Ragay National Agricultural and Fisheries School (RNAFS) sa Liboro. Sabi niya, sinda nakakaraos sa pagtiyaga, paghigos, pagtipid asin tamang pagdiskarte sa buhay.

Istorya pa kan mga para-skates na bisto ko, delikado an trabahong ini, lalo na kadtong nagadan. May mga pasahero man na nagsapo nin siring na kamugtakan. Alagad an gabos may byahe pa an tren. May mga dating para-skates na nairido huli sa aksidente, igwa man ma ini, parte nin buhay sa riles. Dai rason para manluya an saindang boot, o sinda matakot na magpadagos sa paghanap nin ikakabuhay.

“An pag-skates, saro man na paagi nin pagsirbi sa kumunidad, asin sa banwaan,” an sabi ni Sir Jose O. Casquejo. Siya asin an saiyang agom na si Ma’am Linda, may service na skates sa paglog sa eskwelahan sa aroaldaw, asin minabayad P400 kada bulan. Sinabi niya na bilib siya sa saindang drayber ta ini matiyaga asin mahigos, maski ngani medyo nasasakitan na magbuhat sa magabat na skates.

“Dai siya namimili nin pasahero o karga, basta may espasyo pa, pigsasakay niya,” an dagdag pa ni Sir.

Dakol pang arog kan drayber na ini, nakakatabang sa mga kahimanwa sa paagi nin opisyong pag-skates, odok sa boot na pagsirbi, karibay an baratong bayad asin dikit na ganansya para sa paglapigot asin paghigos.

Dakol pang arog kina Botoc, Aldin, Allan, Julie. Asa sa pag-skates para mabuhay an pamilya. Nagsisirbi sa kumunidad sa paagi nin pagskates. Sinda may kanya-kanyang rason para danay na mag-skates.

Naisip ko, maski siguro may iba pang paagi para sinda mabuhay, maski an ibang paaging ini mas madali asin magian, sinda maskates pa man giraray.

Ta an pag-skates yaon na sa saindang sistema, kabaing nin doros na saindang hinahangos, nin maluto na saindang pigkakakan.

Dakul pa an arog samo kan mga amigo ko asin amiga. Buhay – riles an pundasyon nin pagka-aramigohan, asin nin mga pangaturogan. Sinda mga aki na nin bagong henerasyon, alagad nagtutubod ako na siring samo, sinda nagmamawot na magin kapaki-pakinabang na aki nin banwaan asin sosyedad.

Sa hiling ko, ini mapadagos, hasta may riles, hasta may mga pamilyang nakaistar harani sa riles.

Kun sabagay, ako ngani sa sadiri ko, dai ma-imagine an mga barangay sa Ragay na mayo nin skates.

Maski ngani sa paghatod sa bados na mag-aakion, pagdara sa ospital sa mga may helang na dapat mabolong tolos; maski sa paglobong, kaipuhan an skates.

“Ma’am, uni na po kita”, si Anj, sabay kua kan bayong nin dyaryo sa kataid ko.

Nagtingag ako, asin nahiling ko an bestfriend ko, si Ram, parani sako, may darang mga buko, asin kalamay para sa mirindalan kan grupo. An mga campus paper editors asin writers na kaiba ko naglalakaw na paduman sa barangay hall, kun sain natanaw ko na igwa nang naghahalat na mga kamiting mi.

Naghilig na ako, nagpasalamat kay Botoc, dangan nagsabay ki Ram paglakaw paduman sa mga naghahalat.

Sa gilid nin riles, may mga nakaparadang skates, service kan mga magurang asin barangay asin Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials na nagtitiripon para pag-ulayan asin pagplanuhan, kaiba an sakong mga parasurat, an mga proyektong makakatabang sa padagos na pag-uswag kan buhay riles sa banwaan nin Ragay.

Sarong kabtang na naman nin sakong buhay an mapoon sa riles, pagpapadagos nin mga naenot na kabtang na nagpagimata sako sa sakong misyon bilang tagatukdo, tagahiras, asin tagapadanay nin kultura.

LIFE ON THE RAILROAD TRACKS (English version)

“We have to get off, Ma’am, their cargo is heavier.”

The one who spoke was Botoc, a friend. However, he had started calling me Ma’am ever since I began teaching at the high school where we both studied.

I got off of the skates slowly, leaving on the seat the big abaca bag filled with the newspapers I would be distributing among the community folks we would be conferring with at the nearby barangay.  I noticed that my campus journalists: Anj, Ehda, Ena and Ailyn were already down and standing by the wayside, looking at the oncoming skates full of passengers and laden with sacks of copra (dried coconut meat), rice, eggplant, and hog feeds, as well as basins of assorted fish.

“Jolie is the driver,” I was thinking when I smiled at the one manning the rail track vehicle.

“My cousin is already awaiting you, Ma’am!” he said as he neared my spot by the track beside my companions.

“That’s good, thanks!” was my reply.

On my return to my seat, I noticed that we were already approaching the big steel and wooden bridge separating Brgy. Liboro from where we came, and Brgy. F. Simeon, where we were headed.

“Do you think about Aga, Atoy, Kiking and Saning, Ma’am?” I heard Botoc asking me.

“Yes, I miss them,” I wanted to answer, but it seemed that I was suddenly at a loss for words.

That kind of question, the bridge, and the skates I was riding in caused me to think deeply. The focus: The skates are at the root and foundation of the culture and way of life in the town which adopted me as a child.

The skates had been the mayor mode of transportation in the barangays of Liboro, F, Simeon, Port Junction, Godofredo Reyes, Sr., on the western part of the town of Ragay; and in the barangays of Binahan, Apad, Cale, Apale, Agrupacion, and Banga Caves on the eastern part, during the 1950s until 1990s.

During those times, the railways were the center of life in Ragay. The train passed by twice daily: from Manila going to the province of Albay, and then returning. Train stations/stops were always filled with peddlers, passengers, and laborers day and night. In the midst of all these, was the skates, unceasing, relentless, in its efforts in bringing and carting passengers, cargoes, and products.

Aside from this, there were times in the history of the towns of Sipocot, Lupi, Ragay and Del Gallego when the skates served as the bridge and pathway so that the people could travel, engage in social, economic, educational, agricultural, and other related endeavors, and just be connected to the world outside their far-flung railroad communities.

Those were the times when the Philippine National Railways (PNR) hadn’t reached the area yet, and when the schedules of the train rides became irregular, until they completely stopped due to the excessive damage to the tracks from accidents and natural calamities.

It was also during those times that the strength and depth of the railway people’s faith in their own abilities and capabilities were tested and proven. They created and used ways and means to alleviate themselves from the difficulties and inadequacies caused by calamities and catastrophes and the lack of amenities and facilities for transportation and communication.

It was indeed true, the saying that “Need is the mother of invention”.

Based on local talk, the skates was invented by a Ragayano surnamed Packay, who stayed for a long time in the barangay of Apad where one of the busiest train stations was situated during the golden years of the PNR.

Made of sturdy wood, the oldest style or make of the skates had two horizontal seats at either side, with a back rest,  a roof and four metal wheels called bearing and was being pushed by the driver to make it run on the railroad tracks. It could carry six to 10 passengers. The fare was 30-50 centavos up to 1-3 pesos.

These days, the skate rigs boast of a motor and a seat at the back and at the front in addition to those at the sides. Ten to 15 passenger could fit in it, and the fare ranges from P5 for students, P7 minimum, and P20-25 for those going to the farthest destination in the different barangays in the town.

From the past to the present, there was an unwritten but well-respected rule/agreement that has prevailed regarding the skates: the ride with the less passenger and cargo gets off the track to let the competition pass.

The passengers always exercise patience and generosity in waiting and allowing the others the way. Those who are given the favor express thanks, gratitude and appreciation.

In practicing this agreement, delays, disputes, quarrels and injustices are minimized and avoided.

 In some instances, this practice had led to friendship, courtship, and marriage among passengers; and even between the passengers and skates drivers/operators.

Aga, Atoy, Kiking, Saning, Botoc and his wife Kisat, were friends who came at a part of my life  during which many a Saturday and Sunday  were spent on the railways, riding on the skates, on our way to destinations where we all gathered to collect beautiful and happy memories and stories as friends.    

It can be said that those trips, those gatherings, the bonding, during our high school and college years cemented our friendship and strengthened our determination to become better individuals and live fuller and happier lives.

Nowadays that the Rolando R. Andaya Highway, as well as the jeep, bus, tricycles, and pedicabs have become an integral part of the life in Ragay, the skates still plays a big role.

The PNR has not yet resumed its operation. Nothing yet is certain; and the tracks continue to await the whistle and the rumble. The skates, as a mode of transport, has become king of the railways. The families living by the tracks, and those folks who find it easier to travel there than the highway, still rely heavily on the skates.

There are still a big number of skates drivers and operators in the barangays of my adopted hometown.

Botoc Hernandez, 39, from Binahan, started in the skates when he was 14. He supported his wife and six children by striving to eek out a living driving the skates despite its hardships  and inconveniences, earning only  P150-200 daily, barely enough for them all to get by in a day.

Botoc’s eldest sons finished high school. Aldin already works in a factory in Laguna in Region IV-A. He also drove the skates during high school days, for his school needs and expenses. Allan, on the other hand, still works as a skates driver until now, having inherited one unit from his father, and having been tasked to support himself and his wife, marrying right after high school.

“Whenever I am hired to bring passengers and/or cargo to far places, I earn more. It is very tiring, but then, my earning is assured with one trip, I also have a chance to see other places, and meet new friends from whom I hear and learn about life,” Allan narrated.

Jolie Escartin, 39, of F. Simeon is able to send his firstborn Vernalyn to Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Ragay Extension from his earnings as a skates owner and operator. His three other children are all in school, one in secondary and two in the elementary.

His skates is being used as service ride of students studying in Ragay National Agricultural and Fisheries School (RNAFS) in Liboro. He said that they are able to get by through perseverance, industry, thrift, and proper allocation of their limited family resources.

According to my friends who are skates drivers, owners, and operators, life on the tracks has always been dangerous, especially during those days when the trains were having regular trips.

A large number of skates men were injured due to accidents, some of them even died. There were also casualties among the passengers. However, all of these were recognized as part and parcel of life on the railways. Certainly, there has never been any cause or reason for the railways people to be weak at heart, nor to be fearful of continuing in their quest for an honest source of living.

“Driving the skates is also one way to serve one’s community folks and one’s hometown,” remarked Sir Jose O. Casquejo. He and his wife, Ma’am Linda, rent a skates for going to school every schoolday, and pay monthly. He added that he admires their driver because he is industrious and patient in spite of the difficulties he encounters daily in his chosen occupation.              

“He is not choosy when it comes to accepting passengers; he accommodates them all whenever spaces on the skates allow,” added Sir.            

There are a lot like this driver, helping their townsfolk through their honest labor as skates drivers, serving from the heart, in exchange of a minimal pay and gain for their perseverance and industry.                                                                                

There are still a lot like Botoc, Aldin, Allan, and Jolie. They, who rely on the skates to be able to live, they who serve the community through the skates they drive. They who have their own reasons and stories to continue with the industry which has kept the railways alive to this present time.

It occurred to me, that, during that few moments of reflection while riding the skates, even though these men can find another way to live, and these alternatives ways will be easier and safer, they will still choose the skates.

They will still stick to driving the skates, because it is already in their system, akin to the air they breathe, the rice they eat, and the clothes they cover their bodies with. It is a part of what and who they are.

There are still a lot who are like my friends and me: life on the railways is the foundation of friendship, and the anchor of dreams. They are children of the new generation, not mine, but I believe that just like us, they have a burning desire to be productive and be a pride of their community and society.

It is my belief that this will continue, so long as there are the railways, so long as there are families living by the railways.

For even I, to myself, cannot imagine the railroad barangays in Ragay without the railways.

Even in bringing the pregnant women in labor pains to the hospital, in seeking relief for the ailing in emergency cases, even in sending the dead to their final resting space, the skates has its place.             

“Ma’am, we have arrived”, my chief editor, Anj, as she got the abaca bag beside me on the seat.

I lifted my head, and saw my bestfriend, Ram, walking towards me, carrying young coconuts and kalamay, sweet rice cakes, for our morning snacks.

My campus paper editors and writers started going to the barangay hall, where I saw that a number of people were already assembled for the conference.

I got off of the skates, paid and thanked Botoc, and walked with Ram to the waiting folks.

When we got in, I confirmed that my students began distributing the newspapers, and grouping the attendees to prepare for the discussions. I smiled, feeling proud that the journalists, young as they were, consistently lived up to the tenets and mantra of our campus publications: bringing the school closer to the community through truthful and responsible journalism, and team- building activities.

When I glanced outside, by the railways, I glimpsed a number of skates parked under a huge sampaloc tree shade. They belong to the parents and barangay as well as Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials who were meeting with us to start the planning and funding of a couple of identified projects designed to accelerate the continuing drives and efforts for the improvement and the progress of life on the railways in the town of Ragay.

Still another chapter of my own life is beginning on the tracks, a continuation of the others which made me realize my mission as a teacher, sharer, and learner of, as well as advocate culture and life.

Header image: credit to Georgette R. Imperial, Teatro Ragayano Production Designer)