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Sayrin and Her Long Trip to SchoolShe left school before she started her second year in college to join the New People’s Army in Aurora province. Sayrin fondly calls this as her long trip to her new school – the school of life in the countryside. BY DABET CASTAÑEDA AURORA PROVINCE – Two deep wounds from an M-14 bullet cut across the right leg of Ka (short for kasama or comrade) Sayrin. Sitting on a makeshift hospital bed made of bamboo wood and white rice sacks inside this New People’s Army (NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines or CPP) camp somewhere in the outskirts of this province, Ka Sayrin managed to smile (and sometimes laugh) despite the obvious pain brought by the wounds. At exactly 3 in the afternoon of August 22, about 60 soldiers from the 69th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IB PA) attacked Ka Sayrin and 11 of her comrades while resting in one of the barangays (villages) in this province. The signal fire from the soldiers hit Ka Alex who was sleeping inside a taffeta hammock. “Nagulat ako nung marinig yung putok. Tapus, nakita ko tumutulo na ang dugo mula sa duyan,” (I was surprised when I heard the sound of gunfire. Then I saw the blood dripping from the taffeta hammock.) Ka Sayrin said. That single shot caused the martyrdom of Ka Alex who was hit on the head and, according to the villagers, was stacked up inside a military chopper together with most of the NPA guerillas’ belongings. “Nakuha nila (the soldiers) ang mga pack namin,” (They got our backpacks.) Ka Sayrin said adding that only two of her comrades were able to save their back packs. The guerillas were forced into a defensive mode, Ka Sayrin said, but were able to fire back. At the end of the firefight, reports from the masses said four soldiers were killed while many others were wounded. Meanwhile, Ka Sayrin was hit on the right leg while two of her comrades were hit by shrapnel, one on the buttocks and the other on the face and leg. Retreat The following scenes remain vivid in Ka Sayrin’s memory and she tells them with gushes of nervous laughter while on the verge of tears with occasional verbal relievers as she ends most of her sentences with “pero, okay lang.” Ka Sayrin said one of her comrades who was hit was left on the ground. “Akala namin patay na s’ya,” (We thought he was dead.) Ka Sayrin said because they saw blood flowing from the face. This comrade was left alone for three days without neither food nor medication. But he was able to find solace in the hands of the masses who found the guerilla fighting for his life in the middle of the cogon fields. Meanwhile, with only 10 of them left, Ka Sayrin said she and her comrades were able to ask assistance from the masses who readily provided food for the guerillas who were on a long retreat. “Nakapagpabili kami ng bigas at nanghiram kami ng kaldero,” (We were able to purchase rice grains and borrow pots.) Ka Sayrin said. The guerillas survived the next five days running along the mountains with only instant noodles and sardines to keep them alive. “Naku, umuulan pa,” Ka Sayrin gushed. ”Kaya yung pagkain namin laging may sabaw na ulan. Wala na ngang lasa ang noodles.” (It was even raining. Our food always had rain as soup stock. But the noodles became tasteless.) With survival foremost in their minds, Ka Sayrin said she almost forgot she was badly hit on the leg. “Lakad lang kami ng lakad hanggang makarating kami sa kampo,” (We walked on and on till we reached our camp.) she said. She only realized her leg was becoming numb and infected when they reached the camp after five days. “Yung binti ko para nang binti ng elepante,” (My leg was as big as an elephant’s.) she recalled. Long trip As she sat down for the interview, it seemed it was only then that Ka Sayrin realized she has gone far too soon. A first year college student in one of Metro Manila’s state universities, Ka Sayrin started as a student activist only in 2006. The eldest daughter of a company utility person and a vendor, Ka Sayrin started as a student organizer but later became a community organizer in one of the urban poor communities in Manila. She said she started to live independently at a young age. As an activist, she survived by collecting empty plastic bottles and sold them at the nearest junk shop. “Literally, namumulot ako ng basura,” (I was picking up garbage.) she said. She took up Business Management during her first year, a complete irony from what she has actually chosen to do now. “Sa maniwala ka at sa hindi” she told this reporter, “nag-enroll ako dun kasi dun maikli ang pila,” (Believe it or not but I enrolled in that course because the queue was short.) she laughed. On her second year in college, Ka Sayrin was given a small amount by her mother to pay for her tuition. On the day of enrollment, Ka Sayrin left for Aurora. Today, she says the trip to Aurora was a long trip to her new school – the school of life in the countryside. Aurora The province of Aurora is one of six provinces in Central Luzon. In 2004, hundreds of homes along the shores of Dingalan were swept away by flash floods. Reports said the flash floods were caused by intense logging operations in the province. There are four logging concessioners in Aurora that operates in thousands of hectares with no reforestation at hand. Villagers here either live as workers in logging companies or are themselves small loggers. They also till ancestral lands and plant rice for their consumption and corn or citrus fruit for market retail. Ka Sayrin said villagers here, mostly of the Dumagat tribe, are campaigning for higher wages for the logging company workers and, in the long term, for ancestral land control. Healing “Monthsary namin ng sugat ko ngayon,” (It is the one month’s anniversary of my wound.) Ka Sayrin said as she remembered having been hit exactly a month ago on the day of this interview. One of the comrades from the medical team said Ka Sayrin has developed a strong sense of survival albeit her being young and very new in the war zone. Less than a month since the firefight, she has learned how to clean her own wound without any sign of regret or anguish. “Dito na ako,” (I am here.) was all she could tell her mother when she called her up to tell her she has joined the ranks of the NPA and has sworn to serve the masses here. “Mag-iingat ka anak,” (Be careful my daughter.) was all her mother could say not knowing that her precious daughter has incurred two deep wounds from her first firefight as an NPA guerilla. With her pack now gone, Ka Sayrin arrived at the camp all wet and wounded with nothing but her clothes on. But other comrades have been willing to share their things, Ka Sayrin said. She has been handed down some clothes and important jungle survival supplies. Her only regret so far is that she lost the plastic cup that one of the villagers gave her. “Yun ang unang gamit na bigay sa akin ng masa. Sayang, tuwang-tuwa pa naman ako nung binigay sa akin yun,” she remembers. “Sabi ko pa naman sa sarili ko, mawala na ang lahat wag lang yun.” (That was the first implement given to me by the masses. I was very happy that it was given to me. I even told myself that I could accept losing all of my things except that.) “How long shall it take for the wounds to finally heal?” this reporter asked. And Ka Sayrin smilingly said, “Malapit na.” (It is about to heal.) As she strided up a hill leading to her tent, comrades greet Ka Sayrin with all smiles on their faces. “Wow, kaya nang lumakad pataas. Parang walang sugat,” (Wow, she could already walk uphill as if she has no wound.) one of the senior comrades said. Ka Sayrin answered, “Pwede na uli bumalik sa baryo,”(I can already go back to the barrio.) referring to her organizing work in the surrounding villages. With the numbness of her legs gone and wounds healing faster than she thought, Ka Sayrin is optimistic that the only thing left infectious in her is her smile. Bulatlat ( categories: )
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