תִּקּוּן בֵּית פִילִיפִּינִים

Photography By: Vincent Garrucho

||At the 66th Celebration of the Independence of the State of Israel.||

jmdelarama: I know how special that night was so I didn’t let my tiny frame absorb such fraught and overwhelm me (I tried). It was a significant evening as I felt the strong and deep connection between the nations of Israel and the Philippines. How these two countries helped each other in times of difficulties. 

That evening, His Honorable Albert Del Rosario, Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines shared three points about the relationship between Israel and the Philippines. Philippines were among the 33 countries, and the only Asian nation that supported Israel to be a State. We also assisted a thousand (not sure about the exact number) of Jews in our country during the holocaust period. The last point was something personal for him, which was related to his grandfather who helped two German women. And who could forget the devastation that Typhoon Yolanda left our country? The Israelis were one of those nations who offered immediate help to us. While these points were shared, I just nodded in agreement and marveled.

Then another strange thing happened. Of all places and of all people, an old lady came inside the bus. She was carrying a grocery bag and a bag of bread. Our eyes met then she pointed her lips on the seat beside me. 

I was trying to fight my thoughts. I don’t want to cry inside that bus. So to divert my attention, I reached for my purse, grabbed and sprayed some organic hand sanitizer on my hands. Eeek, wrong move! Something that I feared the most happened. The old lady started talking to me, and in Hebrew! 

She was moving her hands directing where I bought my hand sanitizer. I told her I didn’t buy it there. I bought it back home, in Manila. Then I just couldn’t help it. I tried to keep my tears from falling but she noticed it. And she asked why. I told her through gestures and in words that my Ima (one of the only few words that I know in Hebrew) passed away earlier and she was in the Philippines far away from me. 

With gentleness and kindness in her eyes, she told me that I could stay with her when I get to visit Israel again. I gave her my card and thanked her. I didn’t have time to get her name and contact details. In just a split second, my friends called me that it was already our stop. It was time to leave. I hurriedly said goodbye to the old lady. Then as if our world paused, she gave me a warm hug and a goodbye kiss. 

I couldn’t help but think that in that brief moment, God made a way, drove the bus that afternoon, played with my pre-paid bus card, pointed me to the perfect sit, and let me and my Mama talk, hug, and kiss me for the last time through that old lady. Is it just me who find this bizarre? Just minutes after my Mama’s passing, this happened.