Playing at talisay tree

Outside our house, in Libertad Street, in Palompon town was a young talisay. A tree that usually thrives in coastal areas but it survived in our place, though some few hundred meters from the shoreline.

It has been our favorite place during my childhood days when I was only two years to twelve years old, perhaps.

Our parents has been strict and disciplinarian. They barred us in mingling with other street kids in our age, my siblings too. They said that they were bad influence to us and going with them would be disastrous, our parents described them as “maldito”. I could still recall our neighbor who often plays outside their house, anything they could do in the streets playing takyan, luksong tinik, tubig-tubig, dakop-dakop and other games. But since we are prohibited by our parents, we could only watch them under the talisay tree. I hold its trunk and feel its coolness while under it. I could not feel the intense heat of the sun because I am under the tree.

But the most memorable of all was playing with Japanese beetle (bakukang) every afternoon. I enjoy playing these little creatures and tied them with thread (tanud). And oftentimes, I look for bakukang and played them inside the house.

I cannot climb the tree, I cannot attempt to climb as well. My parents or my grandfather would reprimand me if I do so. My grandfather (Papang Juaning Codilla) was as strict as my parents, he is a retired air force sergeant and a pensioner at that time (he died at the age of 73 in 1996). He used to give me P 1 everytime he was from the public market (mercado). He is using hock and line fishing as his pastime and oftentimes has panghalwan or timbungan as his catch and we have it for lunch or dinner.

The talisay tree where I used to play was pulled out after my father’s death in 1991, when major renovation was made in our house by my uncle, Vic Codilla, my mother’s younger brother, who is working as bank assistant manager.

Now, the talisay tree is no longer there.