This unpretentious barrio like the others had its share of a man of wit and wisdom. He was the only known scholar and probably a man of all seasons. Like other men of letters and academic excellence, his life had colour, pathos, and tragedy. He was Ka Tano.
During Ka Tano’s time many in the barrio and other barrios would come to this man for consultations on any problems. Barrio elders and officials have asked for his advice, even police officer the questions on law and orders. Probably, only the parish priest knew more about the Holy Bible than this man, but many would bet he knew more about Islam, Buddhism, Confucian philosophy, Taoism and Zoroastrian than the Padre. Ka Tano had resolved amicably controversies and conflicts in the sedate community exemplifying him as a scholar, philosopher and a thinker. To those who knew him well, he was a Guru, a Mullah, a Pundit and a Moolvi.
“Where did the parents of Ka Tano come from?” inquired one of the local schoolteacher from Ka Pedro, the town barber.
“Well, Ka Tano’s parents just came from nowhere and settled here. The couple bought a land and had their house hurriedly constructed. What made the couple conspicuous was their ethnicity. They were mestizos of Spanish-Filipino mixture”, narrated Ka Pedro as he was busy with a customer. “Tano’s father was a big man with a crooked nose and reddish complexion while the mother was petite with olive complexion. Many said that she was part Portuguese”, added Ka Pedro.
“When was Ka Tano or Cayetano was born?” queried another man in the shop that morning.
“On the second year of their stay, Ka Tano was born and this called for a big celebration with so many out of town guests, and the affair reverberating with the Castila’s loud laughter,” continued the barber, as he picked up his lighted cigarette and took a deep puff. “What seemed strange on this family was that they never ran out of cash, you would see his wife spend money,” he ended.
In the local school, young Tano showed unusual talent amazing the teachers. “I’ll be lawyer when I grow up”, he would say when asked as to his future ambition.
Tano graduated in the local school at the top of his class, and breezed through high school in three years under the abbreviated curriculum at the provincial capital. Then, he was sent to the city for his pre-law course.
“Ill be in a lawyer soon”, Tano told his friends when he came home during the school. Tano, in his stylish wear looked like a movie actor.
The barrio residents were excited to hear the news, for the first time, there will be a lawyer in their barrio. Tano and his parents were considered an integral member of the community.
One day, when Tano was in the city, the mailman delivered a registered letter addressed to Tano’s father. “His face became pale like a frightened man seeing an apparition and was terribly upset and uneasy upon reading the message”, reported the mailman.
Without any word, the couple left that night. The neighbours just watched the unfolding scene and they dared not ask any questions.
After a month, Tano came home with a ravishing woman companion, looking for his parents. The neighbours informed him of the letter and the sudden departure. As a future lawyer, he went to the postal office to check the sender of the letter. It was a court subpoena from a southern city court. Tano in his last year of his course and supporting his wife he recently married. Tano left the barrio along with his beauteous companion.
For the next three years, no one heard about Tano and his parents. The residential house the couple built started to deteriorate due to absence of maintenance. Bats were using the house, as hogs and goats took possession of the garden.
“Who’s that?” asked Mang Senso when he saw a car stopped in front of Ka Tano’s house one late night.
“He looks like Tano’s father” answered Marta, his wife, who was watching the man who alighted from the car alone.
Propriety prevailed over the couple over their curiosity as the answers could be found the following morning, so they retired for the night.
The next morning another neighbour heard someone was talking inside the house. Overtaken by inquisitiveness, he checked. Walking back and forth in the living room was a man with unshaven face, crumpled clothes unwashed for sometimes and long hair. The man was Tano, who had grown old and haggard. This man reported what he saw to the barrio leader and other elders, they all went to see Tano in the house.
“Esta bien, buenas”, greeted Tano to the group. “I returned to this barrio to practice my law”, he continued and then he cried like a child. Then he related that the law in the south wanted his father after having defrauded a large amount of the company’s funds. He sought sanctuary in the barrio but the law caught up with him. He died a year later in prison, and in grief, his mother died a year later. His wife left him as he was penniless. So his last recourse was to return to this hospitable barrio.
Tano never became a lawyer. It was only in his mind that he was. His law books were the contents of his bag when he arrived. His mind snapped due to unbearable pressure on his life, all-coming simultaneously. But in many instances, he was normal in every way. So, the barrio people tried their best to support him materially, which he did not resent. In return, he was their scholarly advisor, consultant, and mentor on any subject under the sun. The arrangement worked just fine.
“The term of your barrio leader is ending, all the barrio elders must recommend his successor or extend the incumbent”, read the message of the town mayor, announced one of the elders.
In one big barrio meeting on the day to select the barrio leader, many residents were interested to be a barrio leader. The meeting presided by the incumbent could not control the crowd many felt that they qualified to be the successors. Out from nowhere, a known barrio figure came.
“I understand that many of you want to be a barrio leader” the barrio scholar started, and the crowd became quiet. “Well, you can all aspire but only one should be the leader. So if each of you honestly think can do the job, then count me in as a candidate too,” Ka Tano ended.
The aspirants got the message of the scholar and one by one withdrew. Only two candidates remained and upon voting, the incumbent was re-elected. Ka Tano prevented the disorganization of the residents. Then, Ka Tano left the meeting.
After the meeting, the barrio elders wanted to thank Ka Tano for his spark of wisdom for if not for him, there could have been disunity and disharmony in that quiet barrio.
The barrio elders went to Ka Tano’s house and found him seated in an old scarred rocking chair with the book on his lap. He seemed to be asleep but the barrio leader had a close look and found him still warm but lifeless. The town doctor was called and he attributed the cause of death as heart failure.
The barrio scholar was laid to rest befitting a real gentleman and man of wisdom. If not for his timely intercession, the unity he found in the barrio could have changed. His struggle for a profession failed but instead he found himself in the warm hearts of the barrio residents.
