Miracles still happen

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Roger Sinot Sr.

TUBA, Benguet -- In an annulment of marriage case, the judge said, “Mister and missus, will you please approach the bench together with your lawyers.” They came forward and the judge continued, “After 30 years of being married, for the last time, will you go down to Asin and take a bath in one of the hot springs in the area. To be specific, go with your lawyers to the original hot springs managed by Roger Sinot.”

The following day, the wife came ahead with her lawyer. She paid their entrance fees to the pool area, saying: “Hmm, bayadanna met a ti entrance na ken ti abogado na” (He should pay his and his lawyer’s entrance fees), referring to her husband. After a few minutes, the husband came with his lawyer. As they approached the receiving area, the husband opened the registration log book and noticed that the names of his wife and her lawyer were listed. He said, “Talaga nga madi ah… binayadan na laeng ti bagi da” (This is bad, she paid only for their own entrance fees).

As per instruction from the judge, the husband and wife went inside one of the private hot bathtub cubicles available at that time. The private bathroom is located very near the Asin riverbank. It was here where ancestor Ibaloifolks said that “miracles still happen” because rivers, like any other bodies of water, are the highways of the unseen. It was common belief among many Ibalois that when you want to talk to a departed loved one, you go to the river.

Your prayers will be answered. So after being together for almost an hour inside the hot bathtub in a private room, the couple came out screaming and raised their hands saying “It’s a miracle!” The lawyers were shocked with what they saw. One of them said to the other, “Panyero, naabak tan. Sapay nagngina abang ko ti upisinak ijay Session road” (My friend, we lost. I even have an expensive rented office along Session road).

***

A doctor’s advice to a young lady patient who cannot walk: “You might as well try soaking your body in hot water. Go down to Asin Hot Springs. It is our last resort.” In the days that followed, the parents saw to it that their young lady dipped in hot water everyday. They even found a room nearby to stay in as transients. In a month of dipping in Asin’s medicinal hot waters, the young lady can now walk.

A year has passed and unaware of the event, a couple of parents came down to Asin looking for their daughter. They said, “Remember us? We were the family that came to this place one time because of our daughter’s problem with her legs.” Before their conversation with the Asin Hot Springs manager ended, they said, “After our ordeal, we are now looking for her – because now that she can run, our problem is “nakitaray metten!” She ran away with her boyfriend.

***

One morning, two muscled members of the Philippine National Police SWAT team came to dip in the private bathtub near the Asin river. After a long, hard night’s mission they undertook, they thought of coming to Asin to relax. After registering at the entrance, they laid down their heavy equipment hanging from their bodies. They undressed their uniforms and went inside the bathroom in their bikini briefs. I put their armalite rifles inside the house for safekeeping. After an hour, the bathroom door quickly opened and I saw the two holding hands, raising them and shouting, “It’s a miracle!”

***

Benguet’s finest officials could hardly come to a common stand on a certain financial issue. One of the members got an advice from my columnist neighbor on what to do and come to a solution to the problem. He told them to go to Asin and have a dip in the mini pool by the river then sit around the dap-ay that has 13 stone backrests and three stones at the front. The 13 dap-ay stones symbolize the Benguet 13 towns while the three stones in front stand for the congressman, the governor and vice governor. So the Benguet officials scheduled their trip.

They all undressed and soaked their bodies all together in the open pool by the Asin river. As they dipped in the warm medicinal water of the Asin Hot Springs, they talked about issues, the pros and cons. They bowed their heads and rested while soaking in the pool. After an hour they went to the dap-ay and prayed that the spirits of their ancestors and Kabunyan be upon them as they decide on issues that have divided them.

The eldest said a prayer like a “mambunong.”  After all the decision-making, I noticed the tilapias in the river grouped on one side of the river, as if they were all ears to what was going on at the dap-ay. It looked like the fishes grouped the way the government officials did. The tilapias were in a dialogue. It’s a miracle.

Miracles still happen. Happy trails to everyone… and Happy Father’s day. - RDS