Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Lola Lourdes





Even the sugarcoated cells of Yuyu Hakusho didn't wash away the bitter aftertaste. It got stuck, like your worst nightmare after waking up at the wrong side of bed.

The image is that of an old woman inside a cage.  Her spot is in a shaded storage area with plywood serving as her bed. My skin could almost feel the dampness of the ground. Seeing her paper thin hands shaking the iron grills, begging, in her muted voice, to be let out tells the bestiality of those who put her there. 

Her name is Lola Lourdes and her story was featured in XXX last night. I was about to go to sleep when I checked my mom to make sure a blanket covered her body. Then I caught glimpse of the TV showing the footage of the old lady's being beaten by her own children.

In one of the scenes, a man in his mid-fifties swung open the cage . Because the poor octogenarian staggered to get out, the man grew impatient. Instead of helping Lola Lourdes, the man cussed her. The relentless shouting gave way to violence and viewers had to endure the horror of seeing the poor woman being hit with the captor's bare hands.

Just hours before the rescue operation took place, another surveillance footage revealed a mid-fifties lady, this time, shoving and then slapping Lola Lourdes. We learn that this was her own daughter. The guy in the earlier footage was the old lady's son-in-law.

Police and social workers stormed the house immediately. But instead of admitting to the crime, the daughter's husband strongly defended their actions.  He said that Nanay Lourdes roamed the streets at night. The couple incarcerated her out of fear that she might get run over by passing vehicles.

Defiance of the son-in-law resulted in heated verbal exchanges, as Anthony Taverna tried to make the couple realize what was wrong about the whole thing.  Mr.Taverna was the Kapamilya correspondent who led the rescue of the poor woman.

"Kaya mo bang tumira sa kulungan na yan buong araw?"

"Okay lang na gawin sa iyo yan ng sarili mong anak?"  At any minute I was expecting a fist to hit the good-for-nothing, ingrate son-in-law.

Viewers who were sharing their thoughts on Twitter can't help but express their rage as they try  to understand the reason for putting your mother in  a cage. The couple appears well-off and having a mother, who nurtured you, see you grow and have a family, took you in her arms, but is now suffering from Alzheimer's was never an excuse for such inhuman treatment.

"Subukan kaya nung nagsumbong na siya ang mag-alaga?"  They should have consulted with their barangay officials or at least the parish church for assistance.

"Wala kaming katulong eh, paano namin aalagaan yan?"  I wonder if Nanay Lourdes ever thought of saying the same excuse when she raised her daughter.

It was a successful rescue mission and Lola Lourdes is now in the care of Golden Acres.  The brief relief gave way to a night-long trauma as I try not to judge the couple, whose way of life would forever be shaken now that their story is out in the open.

"They must have grown tired of taking care of her."  The psychologist from St. Luke's explained.

"They said the DSWD didn't come to their aid.  They had no choice but to put her there." It was my mind speaking.

"She defecated all over the place," her daughter reasoned out. "How could we afford to put her in a much comfortable spot?"

Despite these face-saving excuses, all  forms of  understanding was drowned by two scenes that will forever scar my sensibilities:

First was the video taken from the camera phone of the tipster with Mang Eddie caning his mother-in-law.  Lola Lourdes was seen in the short clip being hit repeatedly with a stick. She was heard saying "aray!!" after the solid object made contact with her brittle bones.

Second was when Lola Lourdes said she still loves her daughter despite her treatment at the end of the segment.



No. 8 Pulog St. 


21 comments:

iurico said...

grabe ano?! Paano kaya naging tao ang mga 'to?!

DBoy said...

hindi mo talaga kinaya at napa-blog ka, hehe. kame nga ni mama teaser pa lang napapamura't napapa-iyak na eh =p
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anyway, i was talking to a friend from the Network and i suggest a follow up run of the story. there should be justice to that! f*ck with their excuses.
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also, others debated that Anthony shouldn't have reacted that way (but the Executive Producer allowed it so..what's the sweat!?)since he's still a journalist after all & must stand with neutrality. but i think i would've done worse than he did =p
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plus, i think she's (lola lourdes) better off in a house for the elderly in Rizal that i'm frequenting. but love for her daughter, eh?

RainDarwin said...

Di ko napigilang maiyak habang pinapanood ko yan.

Hanggang sa pagtulog ko dala-dala ko ang bigat sa dibdib ko.

Nishi said...

oo, sabihin na nating mahirap na alagaan si lola. sabihin na nating madami silang naging di pagkakaunawaan noon.

pero tangina naman. para bang hindi siya inalagaan ng nanay niya. kung napakawalang kwenta niyang nanay noon at di niya maatim na alagaan, sana man lang iniwan niya na lang sa retirement home yung nanay niya. kesa andun, tinatratong parang aso.

Viewfinder said...

I'm sure heaven would find a way to teach this people a lesson...

Mugen said...

Clarence:

Heaven has already struck the bestial couple. I posted the address to personally investigate what happened after the story was featured in XXX.

Nishiboy:

Hindi ko rin maintindihan kung bakit. Marahil napakalungkot ng buhay ng mag-asawa.

PapaPilyo

Hanggang alas-sinko ng umaga, dala ko ang bangungot.

Mugen said...

Iurico

Gaya ng aking kabiyak, alam ko na ang nagpalaki sa iyo ay ang iyong lola. Mabuti na lang at hindi niyo napanood sa XXX ang kanyang storya.

Dboy

Hindi ko talaga kinaya! Pilitin ko man matulog, wala rin. :(

Kung walang follow-up ang network, susundan ko ang kanilang storya.

Marhk said...

Di ko pa napanood at baka mangigil lang ako sa galit at mabasag ang TV sa bahay pag napanood ko yan.

Spiral Prince said...

matanda na nga, ganon pa ang pag trato nila. napakawalang utang na loob naman nila. nanay pa din naman nila yon - yung taong talagang may hawak ng kapalaran nating lahat - kung bubuhayin ba tayo o hindi. :|

Ms. Chuniverse said...

I actually cried after watching this. and i still feel sad for the lola.

Mugen said...

Miss Chu:

Rage was what I felt after watching the show. Tao lang, if someone called a rally at the couple's compound.. makikiusyo-siyo ako.

Spiral Prince:

Perhaps the answer could be found once someone investigates, or digs information about the couple.

Markh:

Sosyal, binabasag lang ang flat screen sa bahay!

dark_knight said...

ako din nagalit when i saw the clip.. walang patumangga kung manakit ng magulang amp..

Mugen said...

Dingding:

Magkasama kayo ni kabiyak mo nanood no?

Desperate Houseboy said...

Papa mugen, ako ay naiyak sa sama ng loob nung napanuod ko to. Meron palang mga ganitong klaseng anak. :(

Mugen said...

Mr. Houseboy:

Yung pinsan ko, binubugbog niya yung nanay niya...

Medyo bumait lang siya nung nagka-anak siya.

Unknown said...

perhaps a possible untold side of the story is if the lola treated her daughter the same way when she was young. i find it hard to believe a daughter could be so harsh to her mother unless she's been shown an example.

Anonymous said...

lola ko nga di ko hinahayaang masugatan. sila pa na anak nila grabe

If she had experienced that in the past, fighting back with harshness to that very old lola is a very stupid thing and such useless trait of them.
i think the lola still don’t deserves that treatment, considering that she is very old and sick.

peace8love said...

lola ko nga di ko hinahayaang masugatan. sila pa na anak nila grabe

If she had experienced that in the past, fighting back with harshness to that very old lola is a very stupid thing and such useless trait of them.
i think the lola still don’t deserves that treatment, considering that she is very old and sick

Anonymous said...

Nakatira ako malapit dito, di ko alam na ganto nangyayari sa loob ng mataas na bakod nila. Pero ang masama nito after ng nangyari, di pa agad dinampot ng mga pulis ung manugang at ung anak, siguro kasi may pera din sila at kaya nila magbayad ng abugado. Kung iba-iba siguro to, nakakulong na to agad. Sana sa bitag na lng to sinumbong para kawawa to kay bitag. sa mga gustong "dumalaw" eto pala ang address nila. No. 8, Pulog St. Brgy Malamig, Mandaluyong City. Punta kayo ng Boni avenue, pangatlong street ito kung galing kayo sa edsa.

Jeremy Ong said...

Good day,

May I cite this blog entry for my thesis which is entitled Coping with Alzheimer's (www.philippine alzheimers.com)

This will be useful, as I will try to see Aling Lourdes personally in Golden Acres and have a picture taken as well. Also interview caregivers there as to how has been doing lately :)

Thank you
Jeremy Ong
De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde

Anonymous said...

eh yung mga anak ng mag-asawa, alam ba nila ang ginagawa ng mga magulang nila sa lola nila? bkit di nila pinagtatanggol ang lola nila? o bka nmn deadma lang sila sa nangyayari? second time ko nang napanood 'to still napapaiyak pa rin ako...