Another Fiesta in Marikina

I’ve always felt I have two hometowns. There’s Pasig, my actual hometown; I have lived here since I was born. And then there’s Marikina, my spiritual home­town, where my Mom hails from. Much as I love being a Pasigueño (and I really do, since I live 10-15 minutes away from at least three Mandaluyong malls), it’s in Marikina that my sense of community is at its strongest. I’m sure the frequent gatherings there with my Mom’s many relatives, then and now, have a lot to do with it.

I always associate Marikina with special occasions. There’s Christmas and All Saints Day. There’s also Holy Week, for my early exposure to the town proper’s Lenten processions started my enduring fascination with religious spectacle—and the hypocrisy behind it. And fiestas, of course: Santa Elena, the barangay where my Mom’s family lived, holds a Santacruzan every May 3—and, for a time, another for little girls the day before and yet another for parlor gays the day after.

Another barangay, San Roque, just celebrated its fiesta today and my Mom and I earlier had lunch with my aunt’s family there (at their invitation, of course). I was raring to go: I had cooped myself up at home for the past two days, recovering from a fever. Once there, and after doing a series of besos and manos on older relatives, we went straight for the buffet table. One thing about Marikeños: not only do they love to eat, they also love to cook. The dishes may not be too fancy, but as far as I'm concerned they taste really, really good. I never get tired of their food. Rich, full of flavor (and in some of the dishes, cholesterol). My Mom and I really stuffed ourselves.

Once done with lunch, we proceeded to the palengke: she, to buy some fruits; me, to buy a few prepaid cell phone and Internet cards from a wholesale store. It’s curiously called “Psalm 23” (its tagline: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”). Strange as the name is, that’s where my parents and I buy our load cards whenever we shop for meat and produce at the market. We usually get really good deals there. How good? Not too long ago, I bought a single Inter.net prepaid card there that has 65 hours, priced P500 on the card; I bought it for P180 only. Is that a good deal or what?

I should write a story set in Marikina sometime. That should be interesting.