A River That Runs Through . . .

. . .Our Town.

I visited the river or ILOG in Tagalog, that runs on the North-Eastern part of our province. It connects to the Pampanga River and a small portion is called Daus River. There is also a resort near the mountain, taking advantage of the view and the waters that nature offers.

It was late afternoon when I visited the river. So refreshing...the cool breeze that touched my skin. I walked, skipped, hoped along the river banks... on the stones.. some with moss and a bit slippery. The water here ius a bit cold. (I have taken a bath here a couple of times, along with the carabaos.. hehehe)

The river is surrounded by hills. And glancing to the east, the great Sierra Madre Mountain Range can be seen where the water comes from.

I saw some carabaos being bathed by their owners. Kalabaw is the national animal of the Philippines - the farmers' best friend. Near the river, there are farms of vegetables and mostly of palay (rice) and onion. Agriculture, being the main source of income of most of my provincemates, the river really helpd them a lot.

The modern world has also taken its toll in the province. I am surprised to see a plastic trash - one that I can trace to have come from supermarket in Metro Manila which is 5 hours away sans traffic. There are also other garbages in the river, but not really that much. I hope, the local government and the public will be more concerned and help clean this river.

As the sun starts to set, there were farmers crossing the river. Walking. Traversing the water current. On their head, they carry produce or whatever items they got that they avoid getting wet.

Some farmers are already on my side of the river, but came from the far east side. I saw them walking in groups towards town. Next thing I knew, some of them are already watching me taking photos of the river and the sunset. Most are their kids watching me.

I heard someone say "Ang ganda! Ang ganda pala!" meaning, it's beautiful, surprisingly beautiful.

Seeing the photo of the river and the sunset from the digital camera.

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That time, I realized that maybe they were amazed by its beauty only because they have not stopped... paused... in order to appreciate their environment. Farmers are known hard workers. I am just glad to have sort of shown them the nice view of their workplace... of the river ... of the farm.

For some people, it is just a river. For some, it helps them water their farm.

For others, it could be a place to dump their trash.

For some, it helps them clean themselves... it also helps clean their animals. ...

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The river also marks their pathway towards town... it segregates the northern and southern portion of our part of the province.

It is just a river... that has different meanings to us province dwellers.

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A river that helped a lot in agriculture, in maintaining the balance of nature.

...A river that runs through our town.