os FOOTPRINTS OF TRAVELERS . ON THE HEART OF A DREAMER “Who Is the most important Filipino writer? a German couple asked me. My business sign outside advertised that | housed also a library aside from a café and a ‘rafts shop. Husband and wife weren't looking for food or souvenirs but were just leisurely exploring our tourist town. Walking by, it was the library that drew them in. They told me that they also have a library, albeit private, in their home in Kassel. The complete books of the most important German writers live in their book shelves. | fumbled for an answer. “Many people wouldn't agree who the most important Filipino writer is,” | answered, not really knowing the list of writers to mention next. Internationally acclaimed writer? F. Sionil Jose? Nick Joaquin? Who is being read by 1 many Filipinos? Bob Ong? Bo Sanchez? How about a critically acclaimed writer widely read by Filipinos? Blank. Look up. Breathe. Look sideways. Blank. Time is ‘ Tuning out. Uhm. Ahm. And then, | just remembered. “Ant Jose Rizal. He is the most important Filipino writer!” Jackpot. | felt ike a winner in @ quiz show. “He wrote about the abuses of the Spaniards occupying the Philippines for more than three hundred years. His writings fueled the Philippine revolution against Spanish rule.” Rizal's novels are required reading in high school. if there’s something unifying, at least to all Filipino who finished high school, it is that we all learned about Rizal and his two novels for at least two school years. The kid in @ high schoo! in a village in a mountain near the forest trees in Sierra Madre in the big land mass of Luzon and the kid in a high school in a village in a seaside near the corals in the tiny isle of Tawi-tawi will have Jose Rizal in common, aside from their universal human traits. We talked about many other things. ¥d mention German writers I've read. They'd tell me more about these writers.They asked about me, about my family, where | was born, where | finished my studies, who designed my shop, why | thought of including a small public library in my shop... “want to encourage reading among people, the local young people especially.” ‘in Germany, the reading is now going not so good,”. husband said, “especially ‘among the young people. Many young people now don’t know what to do with their lives.” “it’s the same here in my country. But my friends are different. We think we young people should speak up and express and involve ourselves in community development.” “Oh ohl That's very good!” husband said. Wife didn’t speak much English. She beamed after husband told her a couple of sentences in German, which | assumed was the translation of what | just said. “My friends and | believe we can involve ourselves in community development through artistic expressions.” Husband and wife were very happy. Then about themselves. They're been married for more than thirty years now. Husband retired five years ago, wife retired just this year. Every year, they set a vacation for a country abroad. This year they came to the Philippines. They didn’t ike Manila. They've toured around a bit: Intramuros, Luneta. “You're always nervous there,” husband said. Wife nodded thrice. “You like it here?” husband asked me. Small town gossip in this countryside is repulsive. And the water supply system, or the lack of it, is a frequent problem. But there are trees and all sorts of plants all around me, the road beside my house is idle more parts of the day and walking alone at night isn’t dangerous. No traffic jam. No rush hour. No one aiming to grab my cellular phone, my wallet or my ass every timeao rm outside of my house. No thieves trying to get in my house at night. No air pollution. No noise. Of course I like it here. “Good that you like it here,” husband said. “We saw in Manila many young people in the streets,” husband continued, shaking his head, | told them | was lucky | had this | opportunity to work in a business and live here, in the hometown of my father. If vwret there were job opportunities here, or in the countryside in general, more young people would live in places like this. Atleast | thought so. Gen his ‘They came in the shop at sunset. When we stepped outside, it was already dark. ‘Saying they'd be back, the German couple left. We didn't exchange names. Husband { reached out for a hand shake and wife did the same after, both saying they wished | ime all the best. | was waving goodbye to what felt lke old friends. Husband came alone the following day. Wife went for a tour inside Sumaging Cave . and expected to finish around the time husband came. They were to meet at my café. He ordered a cup of coffee. He was talking to another guest in a nearby table and next time | looked he was scribbling, then pausing to think, only to write again. Wife came after husband finished coffee. #- ‘As soon as she stepped in the café, wife sald “The cave was wonderfull It was beeauuutifull” Wife ordered a beer, husband another cup of coffee. Then she was telling him what he missed for the past three hours that they were apart. While she spoke, he leaned over to see the pictures she took with their camera. They looked like 2 couple on honeymoon. [pina ae + z & — ~ ‘After they finished their drinks they paid their bill at the counter. Husband handed | me the piece of paper he was scribbling on. And explained what he had written 1 down. { “Here’s something | thought might interest you. It's easy to find the information in the internet. Or if you want more, look for books,” husband said. | ae eee cue weair nin Host impoilel Pe Role in bimeny, bile res Jr Pisbing Philosophie , A MO vurete about —Gathe Dare, Abed Ere, | German Mert, Caneh, Lilos Het mentality + Be te Fadi, yar Mele | history oo ‘9 Pyne Hare, fark Béitt , Heinrichs oe Schoptahowes Get, fowler Mosh Ds Snportant Pepe in e. Philippines A th p | Rich e eT gem te (whe a tn tie oy wre 7 Pi Pa cn Filpine E ee AR] Pe Ree, | des vee gi || Mest Poplar People. in Hel ¢. a us ei | | Piuepives ai ast? nine Bel ete | 1+ Mam fogs o He Ty Nae | a. vice & 12. cae opin | 3 mn hyping 13, [eeAinend Meetl it 0» Eteards eG ER ange Beare’ eerste i @Ullina Sander + Cheche Lona, Tint Tan Beet } Norm favor Bh Goria fo 13+ Lavio-e: Sn ong E+ Tohin Loyd Crua | 2 are fenpery If ise «ncaa, Sof facet Soke Slee, this ap | 10 Deviqne Bywive. 20. Ding dann Ones ches a“I've been looking for that book,” a guest said, pointing ea to.a small book displayed in a shelf. “You may read it. The books here are for free reading,” {informed him. “Noon sana,” the woman with him said, “before he started his own trip. One hundred days around the Philippines.” My eyes widened with wonder. My heart leapt with joy. “Wow! To go around the Philippines is my dream!” | said, almost screaming. There ‘were too many questions to ask. How was it? Where did you start and end? What places did you visit and why? How much did you spend, all in all? What did you find out about our Filipino nation and our Filipino people? Are you single? In other words, did you travel alone? May | have your autograph? ‘Then audibly, “Are you writing a book about it? You should bel” “1m working on a book,” he replied, smiling shyly. “Tyrone,” he offered his hand for introductions. “You're Traveling Tyrone?” my shop assistant Trisha chirped in from within earshot. “ve read what you wrote about Buscalan in the internet.” She comes from this remote Kalinga village, accessible via a motorcycle ride through dirt roads from the ‘main highway, followed by a short walk up the mountains. She now studies college in the city but comes to the shop to work during semestral breaks. Wow, | say to myself, at least here’s some writer guy who's being read by a young ‘woman from Buscalan. “Popular ya iman (he’s quite popular),” my assistant informs me. I'm further impressed. “Kumusta ngoy jay insurat na? (What did you think of his writing?” | asked her. o ° he “w Poe “Mayat (Good}", Trisha answered, smiling at Tyrone. “Reserve for me two copies of your book when it’s out,” I said to Tyrone. When he and his woman companion left, I realized that traveling and travel writing can be 2 powerful means to build this nation. These many travel ‘magazines and blogs inform us about our country, leading us to understand our millions of differences. Tyrone’s book is going to be reference for education. Mm, They're not all pleasant, these travelers. Sometimes there are just assholes whom you'd wish went straight to black holes out there. And they come with words like, “Are you single?” “Are you looking for investors? You seem like a good investment. You can have a lot of money if you let me help you.” One grumpy dirty old man from America was exactly like that. Those exact words. “1 am single but | have a boyfriend,” | informed him, politely smiling. He ordered a meal and a drink, which he was eating when he summoned me. “You shouldn't have children,” he ordered. | was appalled by his audacity to order me what to do with my life. A Japanese traveler would never say that. Or anyone from Korea, no matter that we think most of them who come here are arrogant. “Did you know that it takes eight million dollars to raise a child?” "It’s a lot cheaper to raise a child here, Sir. And we don’t mind.” Furthering the damage, (or maybe my shock wasn’t obvious) he continued, “That's why developing countries never progress. There are too many people destroying the world. And you don’t care about your environment. There's garbage everywhere. Developing countries pollute the world.”was raging x 10 This guy was obviously looking for a fight. “Our society here loves children. My boyfriend has ten siblings. And we plan to have children,” | informed him, straining to keep my voice calm. Grumpy dirty old guy sneered. “Look at developed countries, we've stopped having children.” I sneered back. “That's precisely why you're having problems,” | told him. “You have an old population with no young people who will give care and to replace your people now. And | frankly think the transnational corporations owned by developad: countries also pollute the world, even more that individuals in developing countries do.” The customer is not always right. My current blood pressure: 140\120, | think, “Yea, But developing countries are really the problem. They just have children and more children. And they don’t care about anything except themselves and their families.” “Wow! You know about developing countries more than anyone who lives here,” | retaliated. | heard footsteps coming. Relieved to see that friends have arrived, | tell him, “Excuse me, my friends are here.” Grumpy dirty old guy left shortly after, polite enough to say a Thank You he probably didn’t wholeheartedly feel. | spent the hour that followed ranting to my friends about what just happened. We were all enraged. A few days later, when | was a bit calm about this incident, | thought that developing countries like the Philippines have a lot of problems, and, yes, ere causing problems in the web of interconnected existence in the universe. Just like developed countries. We just don’t get anywhere pointing fingers. v Derick ordered a cup of coffee and camote fries. He chose to sit in a corner.Spending the whole afternoon in my café, he read books about Sagada lifé and culture, and the magazine featuring travel in the Cordilleras. Quite unusual for me to see a young Filipino to pick up books on culture from my small collection, one was even a PhD dissertation on death rituals. He’s Probably an anthropologist or a historian, | told myself. He was neither. “Trip ko lang basahin (| just feel like reading them)" he told me. It was his second time to visit our town, staying a week this time. He likes it here. He’s even thinking of renting a place here for at least a month. Now if we just have a Filipino writer who can capture a readership that included the likes of Derick, Juan, Juana, John, Maria, Trisha, Rocky, Eki, Flor, Sacha, Zenaida, Bantiag, Bognay, Adamey, Penelope... ‘Who again is the most important Filipino writer?