Pila-pila or Queuing up

Pila-Pila -- Number 6 in a series of articles about Tagalog Words and everything Tagalog by Evelyn Miranda Feliciano, a best-selling author of books on Filipino culture and family life. Mrs Evelyn Miranda Feliciano is also a Wordhouse Consultant in Ilonggo.

Pila-pila also met me in town. A long line snaked three blocks away leading to another NFA outlet, with harassed sellers equally harassed by buyers who were there as early as 4:00 o’clock in the morning! “Hindi pa kami nakapag-almusal!” (We haven’t had our breakfast yet), shouted Aling Dora as she hunched at her place in the long line. Meanwhile another line met me on the next block – this time it was a pila of Meralco customers lining up at the Land bank to get their share of refunds. Because they consumed less than a thousand peso worth of electricity; they get a government dole out of five hundred pesos, supposedly, this will help them buy more rice. The drama of life comes to life in a pilahan. There’s the inevitable conflict when someone makes singit (literally – to insert oneself by force). “I got here first, how dare you!” the offended first-come liner would shout at the interloper. “Why?” the brash singitero answers in menacing pose. “Did you buy this place? Do you have your name on it?” Then a shouting match – if not a boxing bout – ensues pacified only by cooler heads in the long pila.

Or, in the course of long waiting, your kapila (fellow queuer) regales you with her life: how she married a husband who was not only full of vice but was also abusive (you learn in the long litany that they have twelve children). Now, he is dead and she misses him. Tears brim in her eyes. You do not know whether to whack her on the head or put your arm on her shoulder.

And there’s the pickpocket who takes advantage of the situation. Sometimes, he gets away with his nefarious act and all of a sudden, the victim realizes his loss and shouts, Magnanakaw! Magnanakaw! (Thief! Thief!)) Then everyone commiserates with the victim and the pila becomes a-buzz with stories of similar incidents, pickpockets, hold-uppers, kidnappers, and corrupt politicians. More likely than not, others in line will have compassion on the victim and give some spare cash until he has enough to buy rice for his family. (Pinoys are innately maawain (compassionate). Our bayanihan spirit comes to the fore in times of difficulties. And, strange but true: the poor among us are oftentimes more generous than the well-off.) With these and many others incidents, the pila becomes bearable and even entertaining under the heat of the sun, in the swirl of dust and noxious smell of gasoline and garbage. In a matter of minutes, a clown surfaces among the queuing public whose antics put the rest to stitches of laughter making the long wait pleasant. Or, a mali-mali who loves the momentary attention as he/she involuntary mimics whatever he hears or sees. Or a ventiloquist making fun of personalities heard and/or seen on radio and tv. In the midst of great inconvenience or calamity, expect the Filipinos both to commiserate, to laugh and have fun.

Sometimes, the day suddenly turns dark and fat rains pelt the pila. Ang mga nakapila will scamper for shelter and as they do, they reserve their space in the pila, shouting to the one in front – in case that one is holding an umbrella and will endure the rain – "Diyan ako ha, magkasunod kita” (Reserve that space for me, I come after you.) And surprise, after the rain is gone, everyone goes back to where they were before! Who says that Filipinos have lost touch on honesty!

They say queuing is not part of the Filipino system. Generally, the discipline is bad and to get ahead of others no matter what is the norm. But, with this pila-pila for rice we see all over the country - with each Pinoy enduring the worst - this seems very untrue. Yet, it is a pila for survival. A pila of desperation. A pila that diminishes the dignity of a Filipino. The day this kind of pila becomes an accepted scene in our country, politicized by our government and tolerated by Christians and the Church, is a sad day indeed. Should we allow it? The resounding answer is NO. We will make pila for the right reasons, but not this one. If so, in unity we need to push our government to focus on programs that will help produce more sufficient and affordable food. She should relentlessly pursue such program in this millennium when hunger should have been a minimized, if not eradicated. Filipinos are not meant for scarcity, given the resources God has given this country. We are meant for sufficiency where everyone ought to live in peace among our own farms and fruit trees, and nobody should go hungry. This is what the Lord Almighty has promised us as He did long ago to the Jews (Micah 4:4 rephrased to fit context)

May it be so. Pila-pila or be careful lest you fall flat on your face because of hunger.