from pick a burger to minute burger

san ildefonso, bulacan has been my hometown for the past 29 years and in those years i still ask myself, why does it takes extra effort on my part to answer if an acquaintance ask where i came from.. and even before my existence, why there is no specific positive trait nor characteristic that really defines the town of san ildefonso. walang sariling pagkakakilanlan, na isang bigkas at banggit mo pa lamang ay may rehistro na agad sa sinumang iyong kausap.

i clearly remember those instances: a classmate in college, a friend at work, a chatmate on the net, a common "tao" in the long queue for a driver's license, their common question was, "taga saan ka?"..then i will reply, "san ildefonso" then with uncertainty they will ask, "saan yun?". with eagerness i would tell them the geographical description of the town, "malapit yun sa baliuag saka sa san rafael then after san rafael san ildefonso na, kung alam mo yung san miguel, bago san miguel san ildefonso muna..."..."ah meron palang ganun." it was the common reaction.

and if one would know the town, they will right away say, "di ba marami NPA dun..."

last january of 2012 i had the chance to go back home from overseas and seeing the changes in my hometown gives me a feeling of hope and resiliency. recollecting my elementary days at saint paul school and comparing the town to what it is now is a big difference. the changes are really evident in my own perspective, specially for me who has been away for years and i guess in my absence for long time made it more apparent.

the IN thing then was the "PICK A BURGER" its a small burger stand located in front of the church, it came at a time when the people in the town get to be introduced with the convenience and taste of a western burger pinoy style. and just recently a competitor came into being with a more established branding and promotional tactic with their buy one take one burger, the "MINUTE BURGER". there were attempts ( the magbitangs ) to put up a bigger investment with a bigger name in the fastfood industry (with a bee on its name) but they said it was not feasible to put up as such in an area where population's income is coming from agriculture and small- scale businesses.

sino nga ba naman ang uunahin pang mag "dyolibi" kesa ang ibili ng bigas at ulam ang kinikita sa isang araw na pinaghanapbuhayan din sa araw na iyon. ang mga magsasaka, mga mangingisda, mananahi at iba pa ay uunahain muna ang kape at asukal upang iuwi sa bahay at magsisilbing agahan at pampainit ng sikmura sa kinabukasan.

there were a lot of establishment that came even before the minute burger. dunkin donuts who withstands the competitor mister donut, a good commercial bank which is metrobank.. mercury drug, the biggest name in the drugstore chains in which is good for taga bulaks, they have choices other than the botica / farmacia gonzales..even senior citizens can enjoy their discounts. and there is also pandayan bookshop which also presented themselves as a selection other than "MALIWAT" school supplies. who could forget the MALIWAT school supplies, every school project and supplies were supplied by MALIWAT. goldilocks bakeshop is also in the midst, although it is not a  totally goldilocks store it is commendable that it is readily available if you want it, hindi na kailangang umakyat pa sa kabayanan at karatig bayan upang makatikim ng goldilocks product...pero masarap pa rin ang pandesal sa "PAN GRANDE" at "PANDESAL NI DOLFO" andyan din ang TOOTSIES BAKERY at saka EVELYN SALAO BAKERY.

the town had been in the national media several times not for so good things but for controversial things. who would forget the case of galvez versus vinculados, a "lola" being raped in one of its rural barrio that was featured via abs-cbn SOCO, and few other things that demean the name of the town in some way or another.

the political climate in the town is like a tropical depression... it was even under comelec watch list for some election periods because of vote buying and a close fist, tight fight between opposing parties, the color separation of PULA AT DILAW. the town was under the helm of the galvezes' for so many years, from the deceased honorato galvez, tried to be taken over by the wife, then taken over by the brother of honorato in the name of sazo galvez, then after the, stewardship was passed on to the daughter of sazo, paula carla galvez-tan, the present head of the town. at may ugong na balita, the mayoralty seat is planned to be taken back by the son of the late honorato galvez even fighting with the uncle, the returning sazo galvez... so if rumors are correct it will be a galvez versus galvez fight. the question to be answered is, is it a political dynasty?

but some would defend it, "its not a political dynasty, we just want the next seating official to be an ally so that we can continue what we had started" but the question again is, what thing has been started that need to be finished? are those good things or bad things left unfinished?is it the town's economic progress or the town's economic continuing fall to a quicksand ( kumunoy).

in all fairness to the present seating mayor a lot would say she is very able and she knows what her plans are despite her young age.

the province of bulacan is known to many as the "lupain ng mga bayani at magagandang dilag" and there is nothing that i know of that came specifically from san ildefonso, bulacan. but there is "CHICHAY" the actress and commedienne of the 60's or 70's who has roots from san ildefonso, bulacan, famous for her role as the lola of bondying starring jimmy santos.

little did i know that longganisa ( pork sausage ) has been a signature product of the town, another variety to the existing san ildefonso famous produce like the pastillas ( carabao milk candies ), sabutan and buntal bags and some other crafts.

baliuag has their buntal festival, san rafael has their angel festival, marilao has their luyang dilaw festival and surprisingly there is gulay festival for san ildefonso, i just hope that the organizers will be able to sustain it every year for it to become a signature festival of the town.

who would also forget the haunted house ( bahay na pula in anyatam ). famous location in the movie "kumander bawang" starring herbert bautista and some other horror flicks and in history and in some documentaries the house was said to be the site of traumatic experiences by the comfort  women during the war.

the town and its people are without a doubt are the most hardworking.

so who is to blame for its obviously slow pace to progress? is it its people, is it the leaders or  just a stride of fate that we need to embrace? in our hands and in the hands of its leaders lies the answer to all of these questions. a leader should be taking care of its people and give them what is due to them, a political leader should not think of its post as a business to gain profit everyday as they work but as a dedication and vocation to serve the people everyday.

to the parents of this town it is imperative to invest on education to your children and education is the way to go.

we were once asked by our politcal science professor, "in which time where rich and the poor becomes equal in all its aspect?" then i raised my hand and answered, " election time". she tapped the table with a bit force and uttered the words "very good".

indeed in the practice of suffrage and election we all become equal, walang mayaman, walang mahirap. so its in our hands thats gives us and will give us hope everytime. so let us not let this opportunity of equality be wasted.