Tooth and Claw

She was one of my favorite midwives in Concepcion.  She smiled a lot, hardly ever spoke ill of anybody, and had a pure-hearted, child-like aura to her that betrays her age.  It would almost seem that she was blessed enough not to have seen enough hardships in her life to taint her soul with bitterness. But one could tell from the lines on her face that she’s had her fair share.  I always imagined that it was because she saw the world in a brighter light than most, and this light was reflected in the warmth of her presence. 

Despite her mild nature she was one of the most influential persons in her community, partly, I suspect, out of a deep respect for what she stands for, but even more so because she has helped so many in her life that one could not simply deny her request for a bit of their time to learn a bit more about health.  She always drew quite a crowd when she called for a mothers’ class, and I could not help but admire how she did it with minimal coaxing and her disarming smile.

In my two years as a doctor in Concepcion, it was Bagongon that I visited the most because Manang Aida was always generous and willing to have me around.  I could still vividly recall the wait for Manong Cano, her husband, to pick me up at the port the locals call “Talisay” because it was marked by a great old tree of the same name, driving his motorized outrigger boat, the only one of its size with a plexiglass windshield in the entire town - supposedly specially built to keep his dear Aida from getting wet.  Their love for each other was the talk of the town.  It was said that when Manang Aida first came to Concepcion, she was quite a catch being a lovely single professional health worker, while Manong Cano, whom one can clearly tell even at his age where he got his nickname, had his own following of admirers.  Soon enough Manong Cano won Manang Aida’s heart and there they setlled in the fishing village of Bagongon, where they raised two boys, owned a few fishing trawlers, and Manang Aida worked all her days as a Rural Health Midwife.

I would always stay over at their home, a warm and loving one, and I could tell in my heart that indeed the story of Manong Cano’s devotion for Manang Aida was true.  I loved the fruit salad that she made mixed with fresh coconut shreds, corn kernels, and ground peanuts - a treat that I would always look forward to after an entire morning of consults.  In between meals she would serve me snacks from her store, and whenever I would ask her if the barangay reimburses her for hosting me she would always say that they do, when in fact I suspect she spends out of her own kindness, only happy to have a doctor around to tend to her neighbors illnesses.

Bagongon wasn’t the most beautiful of the island villages, but I loved going there because I had all the comforts provided by Manang Aida and her family.  Since there wasn’t much to do in the island, I would spend evenings listen to the stories of how they came to settle in that island and the glory days of fishing.  It was one of those moments that I felt how it was to be truly free from the desire to surround oneself with life’s luxuries - a glimpse of God’s kingdom.  Unknowingly, by living her own simple life, Manang Aida had been instrumental in my own pursuit of happiness.

It has been more than a year now since I last set foot on Bagongon’s shore, and only yesterday, I received news that Manang Aida was riding a passenger boat on her way to the Main Health Center, when a sudden storm caught them at sea and capsized the vessel.  Unfortunately, Manang Aida who lived half her life by the sea did not know how to swim. 

“If you pass the raging waters of the sea, you shall not drown”, God has promised.  I take comfort in my faith that God kept his promise and took Manang Aida with Him before the sea took her earthly form.  Many would say that the Doctors-to-the-Barrios are today’s heroes, but for a Doctor-to-the-Barrio, rural health midwives as dedicated and as giving as Manang Aida are the real heroes -  the proverbial wind beneath our wings.  We will miss you Manang Aida.

In loving memory of Aida Libre, Rural Health Midwife, Municipality of Concepcion