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Caroling as a Source of Income
By Jetty Ayop-Ohaylan
davaotoday.com
DAVAO CITY -- Demetrio Adiong arrived in the city on Dec. 18, at about the same time that his fellow Lumads also descended from the hinterlands of Paquibato and Marilog. For days now, Adiong and the others have been staying at a gymnasium here. At night, they sleep on cartons spread on the cold basketball court. During the day, they roam the city streets as carolers.
Adiong is a Matigsalog from Marilog, which is a two-hour ride from downtown Davao. Every year, he comes to town along with his clan, hoping to receive cash and gifts from city dwellers. He has been doing this for almost 10 years now. “Every Christmas, we make it a point to come here so we can have money, clothes and food,” Adiong said.
He and his 14-year-old nephew, Jimboy, go around the city, singing and
dancing before houses andcurious onlookers to the beat of their koglong, a two-stringed guitar. During mealtime, they return to the gym where porridge courtesy of City Hall await them.
“In the mountains, we eat sweet potato and cassava. We could hardly buy new clothes for ourselves,” Adiong said. “We come down from the mountain during Christmas because people from the city would give us their used clothes.”
Meanwhile, Carmencita dela Cruz and her niece and nephew had also been going door-to-door for a few days now, singing the usual Christmas carols.
She said she decided on caroling because the times are hard. “We don’t
have money for our noche Buena,” she said, and promptly ended the interview. “The more time we spend for this interview, the lesser income we get tonight,” she said.
Although Christmas caroling is supposed to be the singing of songs and hymns in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, it has become a source of income for many poor Filipinos. More than the joy they bring to our homes during the holidays, they are a reminder of the hard times the country faces. (Jetty Ayop-Ohaylan/davaotoday.com)
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