A short story
| Heidi M. Pascual* Publisher & Editor * 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA) |
| "This slave master was once a slave." by Heidi M. Pascual |
His eyes seemed to stare at the blue skies that enveloped the verdant mountains of Barrio Mahirap where he was born, except that
the stare was blank, lifeless, cold. His body, several feet away from his head, dangled at a protruding branch of an aging tree whose
roots hugged the rocky cliff of Bangin ng Pangarap (Cliff of Dreams).
******
Atty. Bernabe de los Santos was the son of poor farmers who used to till the land of Don David de la Merced. When Bernabe was
growing up, he witnessed how the wealthy landowner acted as if he owned the farmers and their families. While they were not
considered “slaves” because they could not be “sold,” they depended on Don David for everything to keep them alive. Why, in addition
to the small plot of land where their “home” stood, Don David also owned the only store in the village where the farmers’ families
“bought” their household needs (at excessive prices) as advance payment for their meager share of a future harvest. Bernabe grew
up in a shanty with no electricity, no running water, and almost no basic necessities that could make them feel human. All they ever
got after months of hard work in the ricefields were: a cavan of rice, a dozen cans of sardines, and 20 pesos. The family of four had to
survive another year with what little they had.
His older sister Maria, age 12, worked at the master’s big house, cleaning toilets, helping in the kitchen and laundry room, and
doing whatever work was assigned to her by the head maid. She never went to school. One day, she went home crying with her
clothes torn and bloodied. She never left their home after that, refusing to talk to anyone and just staring at nothing. Bernabe, then 10
years old, didn’t understand why his sister “deteriorated” gradually before his eyes and later on killed herself by jumping off from the
barrio’s highest cliff. Later on, as he thought deeply about why his sister became depressed, he told himself that ‘some people from the
master’s big house must have done something bad to her.’ “Ginahasa siya, (She was raped),” he heard his mother whispering to her
husband while crying uncontrollably at her sister’s grave. He asked his father why there were poor and wealthy people, and the old
man’s eyes told Bernabe that that’s the way it has always been and that there was no future for him and his family if things didn’t
change.
Bernabe went to the barrio school and got acquainted with a Peace Corps volunteer from America. He studied very hard under the
mentorship of his new friend. Bernabe promised himself he will take his family out of poverty and avenge his sister. Because of
Bernabe’s extraordinary intellect and focus, he was able to get local and national scholarships that helped him finish schooling. He
became a well known corporate lawyer, and within a short period of time, became wealthy. He fulfilled his promise to his parents; he
took them out of poverty.
Bernabe then pursued to fulfill another promise to himself: avenge his sister. He bought all the lands owned by Don David de la
Merced — who at the time was already bed-ridden — including the “big house.” Bernabe asked the de la Merced family to get out of his
land, making sure they knew who he was. He hired a big construction company to renovate his big house and to fence his property —
the biggest purchase in that region during the last century. Bernabe was in cloud nine indeed.
The poor farmers tilling the land of Don David became Bernabe’s workers. They were initially thrilled and happy to have him as
their new “master,” because they thought that since he was once like them, Bernabe would treat them differently. But they were wrong.
Bernabe told himself that he only promised to take his family out of poverty, not all others. He even got more from their harvest than
Don David ever got. He imposed more stringent rules on his property and instilled fear with his use of heavily armed guards who beat
workers for reasons of “property security” or insubordination.
What Bernabe didn’t know was that since he left his village, the farmers had joined a secret socialist revolutionary movement that
sought justice through its own “court” (the “People’s High Court”) and a small armed unit — the People’s Army. The farmers didn’t like
how they were being treated by Bernabe. “He’s worse than Don David,” they said. “Alipin ang turing niya sa atin.” (“He considers us
his slaves.”) Eventually, the People’s High Court handed their decision, and Bernabe was “tried in absentia.” He didn’t even know it.
He was never given the chance to “argue” his case.
Bernabe was found beheaded and thrown over the cliff where his sister had jumped long time ago. On his torso was written in the
vernacular: “This slave master was once a slave.”
Similar cases worried the government no end, fearing that the poor will take up arms one day and take the power from it. The
president decided to implement a massive land reform program that sought to “Free the Farmers from Bondage,” and helped farmers
own the land they tilled. For a while, the strategy worked. The poor farmers came back to the fold of the law. A few years later, the
wealthy landowners banded together, changed the government from the inside, and removed all government agricultural subsidies.
The cycle began again.
(This is based on a true story.)
the stare was blank, lifeless, cold. His body, several feet away from his head, dangled at a protruding branch of an aging tree whose
roots hugged the rocky cliff of Bangin ng Pangarap (Cliff of Dreams).
******
Atty. Bernabe de los Santos was the son of poor farmers who used to till the land of Don David de la Merced. When Bernabe was
growing up, he witnessed how the wealthy landowner acted as if he owned the farmers and their families. While they were not
considered “slaves” because they could not be “sold,” they depended on Don David for everything to keep them alive. Why, in addition
to the small plot of land where their “home” stood, Don David also owned the only store in the village where the farmers’ families
“bought” their household needs (at excessive prices) as advance payment for their meager share of a future harvest. Bernabe grew
up in a shanty with no electricity, no running water, and almost no basic necessities that could make them feel human. All they ever
got after months of hard work in the ricefields were: a cavan of rice, a dozen cans of sardines, and 20 pesos. The family of four had to
survive another year with what little they had.
His older sister Maria, age 12, worked at the master’s big house, cleaning toilets, helping in the kitchen and laundry room, and
doing whatever work was assigned to her by the head maid. She never went to school. One day, she went home crying with her
clothes torn and bloodied. She never left their home after that, refusing to talk to anyone and just staring at nothing. Bernabe, then 10
years old, didn’t understand why his sister “deteriorated” gradually before his eyes and later on killed herself by jumping off from the
barrio’s highest cliff. Later on, as he thought deeply about why his sister became depressed, he told himself that ‘some people from the
master’s big house must have done something bad to her.’ “Ginahasa siya, (She was raped),” he heard his mother whispering to her
husband while crying uncontrollably at her sister’s grave. He asked his father why there were poor and wealthy people, and the old
man’s eyes told Bernabe that that’s the way it has always been and that there was no future for him and his family if things didn’t
change.
Bernabe went to the barrio school and got acquainted with a Peace Corps volunteer from America. He studied very hard under the
mentorship of his new friend. Bernabe promised himself he will take his family out of poverty and avenge his sister. Because of
Bernabe’s extraordinary intellect and focus, he was able to get local and national scholarships that helped him finish schooling. He
became a well known corporate lawyer, and within a short period of time, became wealthy. He fulfilled his promise to his parents; he
took them out of poverty.
Bernabe then pursued to fulfill another promise to himself: avenge his sister. He bought all the lands owned by Don David de la
Merced — who at the time was already bed-ridden — including the “big house.” Bernabe asked the de la Merced family to get out of his
land, making sure they knew who he was. He hired a big construction company to renovate his big house and to fence his property —
the biggest purchase in that region during the last century. Bernabe was in cloud nine indeed.
The poor farmers tilling the land of Don David became Bernabe’s workers. They were initially thrilled and happy to have him as
their new “master,” because they thought that since he was once like them, Bernabe would treat them differently. But they were wrong.
Bernabe told himself that he only promised to take his family out of poverty, not all others. He even got more from their harvest than
Don David ever got. He imposed more stringent rules on his property and instilled fear with his use of heavily armed guards who beat
workers for reasons of “property security” or insubordination.
What Bernabe didn’t know was that since he left his village, the farmers had joined a secret socialist revolutionary movement that
sought justice through its own “court” (the “People’s High Court”) and a small armed unit — the People’s Army. The farmers didn’t like
how they were being treated by Bernabe. “He’s worse than Don David,” they said. “Alipin ang turing niya sa atin.” (“He considers us
his slaves.”) Eventually, the People’s High Court handed their decision, and Bernabe was “tried in absentia.” He didn’t even know it.
He was never given the chance to “argue” his case.
Bernabe was found beheaded and thrown over the cliff where his sister had jumped long time ago. On his torso was written in the
vernacular: “This slave master was once a slave.”
Similar cases worried the government no end, fearing that the poor will take up arms one day and take the power from it. The
president decided to implement a massive land reform program that sought to “Free the Farmers from Bondage,” and helped farmers
own the land they tilled. For a while, the strategy worked. The poor farmers came back to the fold of the law. A few years later, the
wealthy landowners banded together, changed the government from the inside, and removed all government agricultural subsidies.
The cycle began again.
(This is based on a true story.)