Diary of a Campaign

Last Saturday, we joined a "caravan" to support an uncle's bid for election as Baranggay Chairman of Ipil.  Together with his seven kagawads and their supporters, we braved the elements and took to the streets one last time before the campaign period officially came to an end.  This was the first time I accompanied a campaign because I have a distaste for politics.

Although I spent most of my childhood in Ipil, I knew so little about the place.  The caravan introduced me to places that I have never seen before--from the rocky beaches of San Roque II to the rice fields of Panali-an.  

These are the pictures we took to document the campaign trail for Election 2010.

The assembly area was Ipil Central School.  The caravan was supposed to start at 8:00 a.m, but had to be delayed for the local band whose call time was 9:00 a.m.  

Cousins

With Tiyo (Uncle) Alan and my sister

The Old

The Young

The Women

The Men 

Family and friends were on hand to offer their support to the party.

The caravan finally started when 9:00 a.m. came around.

We walked on the highway in San Roque II, 

and on dirt roads that are too narrow for some vehicles,

passed under untamed bamboo grass, 

and made our way to a beach littered with pebbles.

(The sea was beautiful during this time: glittering under the sun, but serene at the same time.)

We squeezed into narrow passages, 

until we gained room to breathe.  

(Being a city girl who loves the country life, I was only too happy to see rice fields.  These greens made me think of the good old days.)

We trudged on narrow pathways,

saw goats grazing in the pasture,
(Again, was very delighted to see animals  we don't see in the city.)

continued with the walk in the blistering heat,

 then we reached these muddy tracks next to a river.

(Meanwhile, a bulldozer was busy excavating gravel and stone in the dying river.  It's a sad sign of the times when the river you used to swim in as a child is being exploited like crazy!)

Finally, we reached the highway in Panalian and headed south. 

The caravan ended just before noon with lunch served at Buena's residence.  By then, we were exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, but it was all worth it.

Another reason to love my Ipil:  the harmony between modernization and the "old life". 

 (This could inspire another post in the future.)

  

XoXo