FEATURE
PUNTA MATAGAR
Last January 14, 1999, Dante Fadriquela posted an update on the activities of the Haro sa Yagting to the Romblon Discussion List. He touched on the proposed Millenium Tower to be" erected on top of Punta Matagar". His message goes – "Last meeting, the chairman brought us news that in Banton, Yagtings will put a millennium land mark. The exact spot where this landmark will rise will be Punta Matagar. I don'thave the sketch/design and have never seen the artist's conceptualization of thelandmark.
The name - i don't know if it's really the official name - will be "Millennium Tower". This will look like a lighthouse if viewed from a distance."
Poor Dante, e-mails got back like the waves that lash at Punta Matagar during habagat – strong and unforgiving. Excerpts of the mails are reproduced for you to read.
Silak even promised to bring the issue to the Bantoanon community with this issue to gather support agains the construction of this landmark.
Anyway, after those hard lashes, Mahlie Fonte came up with the news that the landmark will not after all be built on top of Punta Matagar but on "the vacant area near Punta Matagar where they used to dump garbage."
Suddenly, there was calmness.
This feature may seem academic. We thought it is not. What the concerned Bantoanons have expressed appliy to all of Punta Matagar’s kins. They leave a lasting impression that there’s beatuy in nature, there’s beauty in the old and most of all, there’s beauty in things that remind us of the Bantoanons that we are.
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...another bright idea to distort the natural beauty of a rock formation?
what are we doing here? build another monstrosity? why not preserve
it as it is? Punta matagar is one of banton's unsung heroes. Please,please sa-ono baga kita matungon it pasipala it mga hanrumanon nak nakatusok sa ato tagi-pusoon? …matagar has been a lighthouse for bantoanons for centuries - a symbol of the bantoanon pride to stand up against insurmountable odds! what more are we looking for? will it make heroes of us all when we destroy a gift of mother nature? pasensya yangey. i'm just as mad as hell! Ish Fabicon* * *
How about erecting a Millennium landmark in front of any historical building or within a historical place with a time capsule inside containing stuffs which represent Banton culture, achievements, etc. from the past and present?
…Forget about punta matagar... This beautiful landmark is mother nature's gift to us. It is just proper to let her decide it's fate. Gerry Falsado
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Once a structure is built on it, Pt. Matagar will be forever lost. I would imagine that building the structure would require to level certain areas or chip away some rocks and even if someday it is restored, it can never be restored to its original form…Nic Musico
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What in the world are they thinking about? A light house on top of point matagar? i don’t think so. sometimes i feel there is nothing original left in banton.such idea doesnt seem to be original either. is it the location that makes punta matagar the target of mans follies? ...i havent recovered from what was done to the "great wall" then here comes the next blunder. Bibeth Ferrera
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I am strongly against spoiling the rugged beauty of punta matagar. Gerry falsado is right. They should find another place. Can we never learn from our mistakes in the past? Look at the facelifting of the church, the post office, the muralla showing the foolishness of man for the sake of modernization. Pinky Ferrera-Bahceci
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tapyake't muyat kaling guso-gusoon
ag kagirkirong uda:
ka ak tayurtor ay hinuknit sa habas it bayor
ag payapayay nak teral.
Ka ak pisngi'y ngiti't simyat it adlaw;
ka ak mga hingab ay haguphop it amihan
tinguha nako'y yanrong it sugbuhan
ag mga kitik it uyagon nak uyan!
kayamanan nako'y ragos-rusong rughang
guing hihimashimas it pusa't mga bayor
nak waya't pu-at it pusa sa ak tagiliran;
ka ak mga kalantahon ay mga huni it tangkali
ag ngokngok it rukogong yab-ongan;
ka ak mga batyagon ay mga kompesay it aropilan
ag panambiton it kinang minatay sa taytay.
man-ong masaydo kamong magpangruya
magpamagoy, napanuyor, napangrilam-rilam?
ayam nako ka mga nahinabo bag-o kamo natawo.
bag-o nag-abot katong mga matataas it ilong;
ka ak mga papitlo ay maraling bungkagon:
si-o katong naghilop it sarinlab
ag nabukog it sinugbang ipingan?
si-o katong pay mga buntidinong mga anak
it saga-saga nak naghayas sa guyangan
ag nagkanta't tamboy tamboy si agong?
si-o katong nagto-o't yagting
ag agor indo masakro napatabi anay?
si-o katong nilipongan't uyo pagkaon it namo,
ag katong si ulo nak nagbilang it uyan?
ayam nako kinang mga tawong nagpangyungat
ag katong nagpamaril sa gakot.
ayam nako kong asing nabadoktong katong baka
sa panghitgan; nabibilang nako kinang mga israng
nagsusuhot sa bobo;
ayam nako katong ruhang nagtagbo ag
kinang ikakasalta sa atubangan it munisepyo.
ayam nako katong suyor it libon
it katong tawong napatukar sa bukir kong eleksyon.
ak mapasapo.
yamusang ka ak ayam.
karkolo kamo!Doc Simp (1975)
The Editor
11 Amethyst Rd., Pilar Village Las Piņas City 1740 Philippines
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