PAGBABAGO

At my book launching last Monday at the Club Filipino, our guests were entertained by the former training director of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, Janelle Dagaas Tolentino with a song she composed and sang, accompanied by a video which captured the highlights of my life. A gift to me her godmother, she said. 
It was a most touching number and it brought tears to my eyes as well as that of my sister and her family. 

As some may know, “tagpo” connotes “setting,” “meeting” or “coming together.” While searching for an appropriate word that would precede “Right place, right time,” I was advised to look for a term that captures this convergence and which is easy to remember. 

As one speaker noted, I may have arrived at it because “tagpo” is the equivalent of “Nandaragupan” from which the name Dagupan, my hometown was derived. The lyrics of the song goes:

Bawat buhay 
ay may kahulugan
Bawat daan 
ay may 
pagtutunguhan.
Bawat mithiin 
makakamit sa 
tamang paraan
Tamang sandal, lugar ay 
narrapat sa isang tagpuan.

Nagsimula sa mga munting pangarap.
Pinagaralan, pinagdasal, nagsikap.
Narating man o hindi lahat ng hangarin, 
Mga aral na natuklasa’y 
gintong handog sa atin.

Chorus:
Pagtatagpo ang ating pangarap,
Pagtatagpo ng ating isip, 
Pagtatagpo ng ating pag-asa, 
Upang makamit ang ating mithi.

Mga pagsubok na ating naranasan,
Nagpatibay sa ‘ting puso’t isipan, 
Mga taong nakilala, nakabahagi’t nagging kaibigan, 
Pasasalamat sa lahat ng ating nakatagpuan.

Tamang landas ay piliit na tinahak.
Mga hamon ay kusang hinarap.
Tagumpay na nakamit nawa ay magsilbing…
Gabay at kislap

Here, the song writer captures challenges I have faced which are similar to what we see among many of our countrymen. Our story may be compared to the myth about Sisyphus who was repeatedly condemned to roll the boulder up the hill only to see it roll down. The learning here is that every struggle strengthens our belief and every victory serves to enliven our resolve. 

And, as the Chorus notes, we can only achieve our hopes and dreams if we come together. 

The title further complements the remarks of the speakers – Justice Adolf S. Azcuna, Dr. Maria Celeste Habito Cadiz, Dean Farah Decano, and Dr. John Lent, as well as the forewords of former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno and AIJC Chair Mel V. Velarde and other contributors of the book including the author herself, when they wrote about transformative change, of surviving the odds or the crisis by living lives where there is no gap between principles and practice, of actively taking part in social change, of allowing transparency in the search for truth, and taking a stand instead of becoming a mere bystander. 

“Tagpo” is a humble contribution to our continuing search for answers to questions like why ours is still a divided society. Or why the gaps between the center and the periphery continue to widen, why more Filipinos want to migrate, and why indices of social progress and wellbeing continue to put us near the bottom. 

Even while we are being critical about our inability to positively respond to some challenges, we still believe that there are still many positive things about us – our resilience, our creativity, tenacity, a trait called “malasakit” or being empathetic, our work ethic and adaptability, volunteerism - attributes that characterize our OFWs which we had witnessed during the pandemic. 

These make us hopeful about the future. ([email protected])