*Note this story is in Hiligaynon
Masubo namon nga ginapahibalo ang pagpanaw ni Tea Ramirez, isa ka bata nga may tumalagsahon nga kaalam.
Natawo siya sang sang ika dose sang Enero 2018 kag nagbiya sa sini nga kalibutan sang ika trese sang Hunyo 2026. Mahimo nga wala siya sing malawig nga pagpanglakaton sa sini nga kabuhi, pero madamo siya sang natandog nga kabuhi samtang yara siya diri sa amon.
Isa ka masubo nga traheya ang nagkuha sa iya sa amon kag wala pa guid namon nahibal-an ang matuod nga mga sirkumstansiya sang iya pagtaliwan.
Ang iya misa antes sa iya paglubong yara sa kapilya sang St. Francis sa Siyudad sang Quezon. Ang serbisyo mangin isa ka sirado nga lungon suno sa pangabay sang amon pamilya.
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Ginbayaran nila kami.
Indi ko luyag kuhaon ang ila kuwarta nga may bahid sang dugo apang nahangpan ko kon diin naghalin ang akon mga ginikanan.
Kinahanglan nila bayaran ang mga balayran bisan paano.
Kapoy na guid ako.
Nakigbato ako kutob sa akong masarangan. Tea, palihug patihi nga ginhimo ko ang tanan ko nga mahimo..
Kag subong and imo dugo yara sa ila mga kamot.
Simple ang mga patupato, ang dugo sang mga kabataan, kung isagol sa mga pundasyon sang isa ka estruktura, magahimo sini nga mabakod batok sa panahon kag kalamidad.
Indi mabudlay ang pagpangita sang mga sangkap para sa mga explosibo, ang abono mahapos lang makuha.
Magaupod ako sa imo sa matam-is nga mga nalipatan.
Palihog, pasayloa ako.
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English Version
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Tea Ramirez, a child of exceptional brightness.
He was born on January 12, 2018 and left this world on June 13, 2026. He may not have had a long journey in this life, but he had touched so many lives while he was among us.
It was a terrible tragedy that took him from us and yet we still do not know the true circumstances of his passing.
His internment is in the St. Francis chapel in Quezon City. The service will be a closed casket as requested by our family.
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They paid us off.
I didn’t want to take their blood money but I understand where my parents were coming from.
They had to pay the bills somehow.
I am so tired.
I fought for as long as I could. Tea, please believe that I did.
And now your blood on their hands.
The superstition was simple, the blood of children, when mixed with the foundations of a structure would make it strong against time and calamity.
It wasn’t hard looking for ingredients for the explosives, the fertilizer was particularly easy to source.
I will join you in sweet oblivion.
Please forgive me.
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The Hiligaynon language, also colloquially referred often by most of its speakers simply as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, mainly in Western Visayas and SOCCSKSARGEN, most of whom belong to the Visayan ethnic group, mainly the Hiligaynons. It is the second-most widely spoken language and a member of the so-named Visayan language family and is more distantly related to other Philippine languages.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Hiligaynon translation by Tanya Lopez
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Tanya Lopez
Inspired by the Sipay description in an interview with Richard Visco.
Illustration by Benedict Jose Villarante used with permission from Rob Martin of Pine Box Entertainment and Secret Garden Games
