The Drama that is Tondo

A few days ago, I tweeted (is that a word?!) about a drunk man who has been shouting in the middle of the night, sarcastically thanking everyone for what happened to his life. He is one of our neighbors here in Tondo.


I have lived in Tondo for about 20 years now. I was never ashamed to tell people that I'm from Tondo. Tondo is one of the poorest communities all over the country. It was the birthplace of my favorite Philippine hero, Andres Bonifacio. And by the way, Erap and Dolphy were also born here. However, Tondo has a bad reputation. It is believed to be a dangerous place, where a lot of crimes happen. It's thought to be a sanctuary for hoodlums. That is why a lot of people are afraid to go to our place.



I remember this one time, when it was raining very hard and I had to take a taxi home. I hailed around 20 taxi cabs, and none of them would like to bring me to Tondo.


But more than the adventure of rubbing elbows with the tambays ("standby") of Tondo, what fascinates me about this district of Manila are the different stories of the lives of the people living here. What I call, drama, the telenovelas of real life.


It was just a few hours ago that I called for a home-service massage. Ate Marta came. She asked me whether I was already married. I told her not yet. And then she started telling me about her telenovela-ish life. How her son, at 21 years old, already got married. (I told her I was already 26, and she was even more puzzled why I'm not married yet.) He married a girl who already had a child. Ate Marta also told me that her son was recently jailed because "he entered the wrong house when he was drunk". She had to pay around PhP6,000 for the bail of her son. This is not a small amount for her. She went on by telling me that this same son already had a son with a different girl, eloped with another girl, and so on. I can't believe so much events could happen in a lifetime. I really thought ate Marta would pass as female protagonist in a telenovela or an episode of "Maalaala Mo Kaya".


Ate Marta's story is just one of the many dramas that happen everyday in the district of Tondo. She's just another character in the sea of stories of Tondo. But just like in a typical telenovela, a lot of people here are expecting a happy ending in the dramas of their lives. But sadly, not all stories end in happy endings. But I hope, ate Marta would find her happy ending.


I really hope that what Andres Cristobal Cruz said was true..."Ang Tondo Man May Langit Din".


P.S. It was ate Marta who told me, "wala ka pang asawa noh? buong-buo pa kasi ang balakang mo eh."


Yun na! Pak!