When I was in Batanes, I asked a new friend to tour me around Batan Island. We rode on her motorbike and she brought me to an abandoned Radar Station where we saw an unobstructed 360 degree view of Basco, the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.
On our way back to town, my friend lost control of the bike and we crashed against a hill. Fortunately, we didn’t sustain any injury but her left side mirror was reduced to rubble. She was afraid to go home with a broken sidemirror for her father would surely scold her. So when we got back to the town we went around looking for a sidemirror replacement. The only store which had an available sidemirror was closed at that time; so we had to wait for hours for the store owner to come back who was then in another barangay at nakikipamiyesta (in another village, attending a fiesta).
Finally, after waiting for more than two hours, my friend’s officemate who we called for help finally suggested to her--
“Eh kung umuwi ka na lang kaya at sabihin mo sa tatay mo na ninakaw yung side mirror mo.” (Why don’t you just go home and tell your father your side mirror was stolen.)
They looked each other in the eye and then they laughed so hard. They laughed so hard for around 30 seconds. And I was left wondering what was so funny about the suggestion. It took me several minutes to realize what the whole laughter was about. Batanes has zero crime rate; their provincial jail is empty (policemen in this island are so bored); no one locks their doors at night; and someone stealing a side mirror is unheard of!
It was a joke I didn’t get right away because I came from a place where sidemirrors were stolen everyday, sold to car accessories shops in Banaue and bought again by the same car owners from whom the side mirrors were stolen.
I wish someday I could tell that joke in Manila and people would also laugh hard.
Batanes Islands: Batanes, Ivatan People, Mavudis, Batan Island, Itbayat Island, Sabtang Island, Siayan Island
Batanes Islands
Batanes Islands
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