I only see her during my old age. I only knew her because she used to visit my mom. Tiya Dada, we called her; though my mother insisted that we should call her Nanay Dada. She is actually my mother's distant Aunt.
I heard few stories about her and the most reliable, I should say, among them is the story relayed to us by my elder brothers. All I got from them are bad testimonies of her, even from my parents.
It was known that she was once very affluent. Her family owned a passenger boat, had a mansion in Siargao island. And she was known to be mata-pobre - she looked down or scorned poor people. My siblings experienced spending a night sleep in the boat because they were never given an accommodation inside the mansion, when once they visited there with our parents. I was kinda fortunate not able to experience such maltreatment. My parents and our family somehow belonged to the category poor people, and we humbly accept that.
As relayed by my mother, Tiya Dada's affluence started to decline after being robbed. The robbery resulted to the death of their only daughter, gunned down by the thieves. They later sold their mansion... adopted a boy child... resettled in the city of Surigao. This I remembered, their adopted child was schooled at the known pricey Chinese School... they owned and managed a automotive shop... owned a operated a line of public utility tricycles... and rented out a boarding house for college students. Our eldest brother stayed with them, worked as one of their helpers, while studying and completing his college diploma.
Then, Tiya Dada's husband suffered stroke and later died... sold all their assets and stopped doing business... got old while her adopted went away, lost contact with, and disowned her... ended up a helper of any family in her and my mother's side.
During the last stretch of her years, she stayed at my parents house. In fact, she occupied or we let her occupy a room in the house I built for my parents. But she indeed performed household chores to help my mom. She stayed with my parents for quite a time, until one time that they decided to share the load of caring for the old lady to other relatives - those relatives she used to mingle during the years of comfort and luxury. My parents sent Tiya Dada off to our relatives in the city proper. This move was related to my parents plan to pay us a visit in Manila. But then one day, she was transported by a Rescue Team and deposited by her relatives back to my parents' house and hence homecare. As my parents retold, the old lady appeared unkempt, thin and abandoned, even smelled of dried urine, rancid clothes, and garbage.
This move has shaken our plan of flying our parents to Manila. We propose to take them away from our residence to give them break from usual chores and strenuous activities in the nearby farm. Further, we wanted to rid them of caring the old lady because they are also old, sickly and fragile. We don't want them to worry much, primarily on bothering themselves to care for Tiya Dada. We later heard that Papa changed the old lady's clothes and linens, Mama washed the used clothes and linens. They even fed her, bathe her.
So my brothers, my sister and I decided to hire and pay somebody for the old lady's care while Papa and Mama are with us in Manila. Their visit is scheduled in August.
And Tiya Dada died today at 6pm... She is finally rested! Good for her!
Our family arranged the burial, and everything related to it. She was laid to rest on top of our grandfather's tomb, her relative, which tomb my parents had built one for her. Without much ado, the internment immediately followed the next day.
May Tiya Dada rest in eternal peace for I knew she had suffered a lot already!
I heard few stories about her and the most reliable, I should say, among them is the story relayed to us by my elder brothers. All I got from them are bad testimonies of her, even from my parents.
It was known that she was once very affluent. Her family owned a passenger boat, had a mansion in Siargao island. And she was known to be mata-pobre - she looked down or scorned poor people. My siblings experienced spending a night sleep in the boat because they were never given an accommodation inside the mansion, when once they visited there with our parents. I was kinda fortunate not able to experience such maltreatment. My parents and our family somehow belonged to the category poor people, and we humbly accept that.
As relayed by my mother, Tiya Dada's affluence started to decline after being robbed. The robbery resulted to the death of their only daughter, gunned down by the thieves. They later sold their mansion... adopted a boy child... resettled in the city of Surigao. This I remembered, their adopted child was schooled at the known pricey Chinese School... they owned and managed a automotive shop... owned a operated a line of public utility tricycles... and rented out a boarding house for college students. Our eldest brother stayed with them, worked as one of their helpers, while studying and completing his college diploma.
Then, Tiya Dada's husband suffered stroke and later died... sold all their assets and stopped doing business... got old while her adopted went away, lost contact with, and disowned her... ended up a helper of any family in her and my mother's side.
During the last stretch of her years, she stayed at my parents house. In fact, she occupied or we let her occupy a room in the house I built for my parents. But she indeed performed household chores to help my mom. She stayed with my parents for quite a time, until one time that they decided to share the load of caring for the old lady to other relatives - those relatives she used to mingle during the years of comfort and luxury. My parents sent Tiya Dada off to our relatives in the city proper. This move was related to my parents plan to pay us a visit in Manila. But then one day, she was transported by a Rescue Team and deposited by her relatives back to my parents' house and hence homecare. As my parents retold, the old lady appeared unkempt, thin and abandoned, even smelled of dried urine, rancid clothes, and garbage.
This move has shaken our plan of flying our parents to Manila. We propose to take them away from our residence to give them break from usual chores and strenuous activities in the nearby farm. Further, we wanted to rid them of caring the old lady because they are also old, sickly and fragile. We don't want them to worry much, primarily on bothering themselves to care for Tiya Dada. We later heard that Papa changed the old lady's clothes and linens, Mama washed the used clothes and linens. They even fed her, bathe her.
So my brothers, my sister and I decided to hire and pay somebody for the old lady's care while Papa and Mama are with us in Manila. Their visit is scheduled in August.
And Tiya Dada died today at 6pm... She is finally rested! Good for her!
Our family arranged the burial, and everything related to it. She was laid to rest on top of our grandfather's tomb, her relative, which tomb my parents had built one for her. Without much ado, the internment immediately followed the next day.
May Tiya Dada rest in eternal peace for I knew she had suffered a lot already!
