MINALAS O SINUWERTE?

["Putangina ninyo, sino`ng demonyo tumulak sa akin!?"]

The big ferry docked without incident, and the gangplank was extended from the side of the ship, to the
concrete lip of the jetty. Passengers soon trooped out, but since the gangplank was wooden and was
barely a meter wide, the going was slow.

Then suddenly a splash followed by a scream, "My little boy fell! Help!", a portly woman screamed.

Suddenly, everyone were craning their necks and saw a little boy on the water his head barely out of the
water.

"Will somebody please help my son?", pleaded the woman and when no one even bothered the mother
looked down at the water to see the outlines of a shark circling his boy, the shark probably aroused by
the splashing in the water.

Since there was no overt action from the crowd to help, the portly woman shouted; "To anyone who
helps my boy, l will pay P100,000.00!" No takers, just shrugging and shaking of the heads from the
gathered crowd.

Then again the mother said in a louder voice, "P300,000.00 na!"

Just prolonged shaking of heads from the many men looking down with pity on the boy, who was now
gasping. The shark was still circling the foundering little boy.

Moments after that, the portly mother again upped the ante, with more urgency, "Tulungan naman po
yung anak ko! Kaya, Kalahating Milyon na!". Half a Million!
Then out of nowhere, the crowd saw a fleeting image of a man falling to the water, with a bigger splash
than the boy. The louder splash probably chased off the shark, but the man in the water was taking so
long underwater.

Then suddenly the man's head and shoulders burst out of the water, and he took many lugngfuls of air
while rubbing his face numerous times, to remove water.

People cheered! The portly mother was ecstatic and shouted to her maid, "Inday, akina yung Tseke at
bayaran natin itong magiging na bayani".

The crowd could see the man to be about 60, thin and barely able to keep afloat too, then the gasping
man said to the crowd above:

"Putangina ninyo, sino`ng demonyo tumulak sa akin!?"

CTTO: Ding C. Velasco Thanks sir for this. Pampagood vibes. Hehe