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 Do you know where Bayong came from?  

THE LAMENT OF THE PANDAN LEAF

     Aling Ninay is a old single woman 

happily living in a rural barangay 

(village).

She sells fruits and vegetables to the 


poblacion (town center) for a living.

Ninay thank Magbabaya (God) all the 


time for the good harvest.

One day the fruits and vegetables 


gather to discuss which among them 


is most important.

The fruit sector chorused, “we are 


giving Aling Ninay sweet fruits like 


 mango, papaya and pineapple to 

sell.”

Father Vegetble said, “the 

vegetables 


also give Ninay a whole year round of 


good harvest plus we of course are 


healthy foods also.”

The debate continue and is heating.

In the order, their stand a group of 


silent grass, the group of pandan.

The pandan sway silently with the 


wind.

They did not talk. Until the Little 


Pandan asked, “are we not important 


to Aling Ninay?”

The group stared at him. The mother 


said, “we are just one of those 

grasses.”

“ Yeah right,” chorused the fruits and 


vegetables.

“ You don’t have any value to Ninay.”

“ No!” the Little Pandan disagreed. “If 


Aling Ninay and the others didn’t 


make market baskets out of us, then 


there your fruits and vegetables will 




not be shared to others.”

Then there was a sudden silence.

Until one of the vegetables broke the 


silence and said, “the Little Pandan is 


correct.” “But I think we shall stop 


this debate. We are all important—


fruits, vegetables and grasses like 


pandan.

We contribute so that Aling Ninay will 

leave.  

There 

shall be no point of comparison.

All said, “yeah right, correct.” And 


 they laughed and hug each other.

Then Aling Ninay arrived. She smiled 

and said, “God, I forgot to thank you. 

The grasses in my backyard are still 

abundant, there will be more baskets 

and bags to be made out of them. I 

will also take care them—grasses,

fruits and vegetables.”

 
 

ERNESTO C. CASIPLE, JR./ DTI-RuMEPP Philippine 
Bayong: Paper presented to the Asia-Pacific Forum: Youth 
Action on Climate Change; Exploration through Cultural 
Expressions Income for Rural Entrepreneurs; Weapon for Climate Protectors 24-27 January 2011 @ Rajamangala University of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand