The MIMAROPA Festival was launched three years ago, in line with the region’s vision of being “The Destination of Choice.” The festival was hosted by Romblon this year and it was held in Odiongan, the festivities duration will be from Nov. 20 to November 25.  The town wasn’t adorned well when this is a big festival, bigger than the town festival, the aura wasn’t too festive maybe if they add the colorful flag lets that was used last town fiesta together with the MIMAROPA festival banner/tarpaulin around the town of Odiongan it will be a bit more festive, but the question was where are those flag lets already? Are they being kept or the locals took them at home already as keepsake?

[Tribu de ESTI]

Anyway, the MIMAROPA festival brought excitement to Odionganons but I think sad to say many are not aware of the schedule of festivities and wasn’t able to go to town.

[Koron Festival – Ferrol, Romblon]

Well, in the morning after the conducting the opening program and lightning the torch of Unity there was a parade for  Romblon Drum and Lyre competition which I wasn’t able to witness because I am bit lazy to go to town as early as 7 o’clock in the morning followed by the Ribbon Cutting of DOT MIMAROPA Photo exhibit at Odiongan Legislative Building and the Ribbon Cutting of the Romblon Marble Festival at Odiongan’s Children Park and so on.

[Biniray Festival – Romblon, Romblon]

We have decided to go to town in the afternoon to watch the Romblon Festival Parade with MIMAROPA Festival Contigents, it took us a long time to find a good spot for the parade that started at two o’clock in the afternoon.  There were about six tribe who joined the festival parade which are as follow ESTI (Erhard System Techological Institute), the Koron Festival of Ferrol, Romblon, the Biniray Festival of Romblon, Romblon, the Kanidugan Festival of Odiongan, Romblon, the Talabukon Festival of Looc, Romblon, the Carabao Festival of San Jose, Romblon. The latter wowed the on lookers and by standers with their uniformed kinky hair (curly) like of an Aeta, one of the aboriginal people in the Philippines.

[Kanidugan Festival – Odiongan, Romblon]

The contigents from Palawan, Mindoro and Marinduque were present too. Sad to say, tribes from Palawan was the only tribe I’ve seen performed a bit in the street. It was such an experience watching the parade of all the Romblon Festival in one, but seeing them in competing in a ground demonstration is the real deal.  You don’t need to go to Romblon, Romblon to see the Biniray Festival and to San Jose, Romblon to witness their Carabao Festival.

[Talabukon Festival – Looc, Romblon]

The ground demonstration followed at the Provincial Sports Complex popularly known as Oval to many Odionganons.

[Carabao Festival – San Jose, Romblon]

When my mother and I arrived it was already full of people. The ground demonstration started around 6 o’clock in the evening, the first contigent almost lost it chance to perform because of broken sound recording, they have to stop dancing because their background music isn’t working properly, it looks like they have used mobile phone as storage device for their background music.  When, things were put to order they are able to show what they’ve got which made the audience laugh with the antics of a dancer who lost his costume while dancing.

Well, I will blog about the Romblon Festivals Ground Demonstration and Fireworks display soon, separately.

If not for my sister blurting out that it will be my birthday soon, I will not be reminded of it.  Yes, it will be my birthday in a few days, my family is excited about the thought of eating a chocolate cake and eating out on my birthday. The thing is my sister and mother planned to buy a chocolate cake, they both agreed that they will split the cost of the cake but I right now I don’t think there will be a cake on my birthday, my father didn’t work for a week because he is sick.

They’re in town right now for his check-up, hopefully they are able to scheduled a time for the doctor after getting a diagnosis in a diagnostic center. The doctor told him to return to her clinic after two months but it didn’t happen, he got many complications to the medicine prescribed by the doctor, so he stop taking the medicine and then we decided to changed it to branded medicine, it works well the side effects were gone but he didn’t finish taking the complete medicine, he either forgot to take every morning or I guess he just didn’t want to, because every time my father take the medicine he will asked how much does it cost,  knowing that the medicine is expensive he didn’t take the remaining medicines since he knew when he is done with it we have to buy another set of it until he finishes 60 tablets.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

Well, I didn’t force him to finish taking the medicines I just watch out his diet, I also didn’t insist of bringing him to the doctor for his scheduled check-up but things things became more complicated after he works under the rain, he needs to see a doctor today which means expenses.

The thought of cake and eating a simple meal on my birthday is gone, I have so many bills to pay. I set-up a small business at home but it didn’t work smoothly, my resellers have many past due accounts that I have to pay in town. I have loans left and right so I could pay them because there is no one I could ask for help, my work online wasn’t that great as before because my internet connection is limited and not much opportunities anymore. I have become sickly too these past few months, had a minor electrical accident and so on.

There are times when I am alone, I just cry silently and not letting my family see my tears, I smiled and laughed in front of them, cracked jokes like crazy but little did they know…