By: Anonymous Gray
I’ve been watching him for days now. Two weeks and four days to be exact.They came a month ago and have been putting out checkpoints almost everywhere in the barangay. The first time it happened, the roads were filled with soldiers I thought there was going to be war with the rebels. But not a single shot has been fired ever since. They seem, in fact, very friendly and gentle; which was rather fascinating. On one side you see men with hulking frames, soiled boots, guns strapped to their shoulders, and piercing eyes that seem capable of reading what’s in your head. But other times you see them roaring in laughter like children, joking around in the streets, and even helping Lola Belinda with her goods.
But not the soldiers at the Kadlagan checkpoint.
There were originally four of them: Carlos, Alberto, Cesar, and Philip. Unlike the other soldiers, these four were consistent in manning the Kadlagan checkpoint day and night. There was never a day when you don’t see any of their faces before you enter the Kadlagan area. Four huge muscular men, in their late 30’s, scrutinizing every individual entering and leaving the Kadlagan area. These four had no trace of the friendliness exuded by their comrades in the central part of the barangay. In fact, I could sense that they even disdain the locals; probably thinking that we are all members of the NPA. The very few times I see them smile or laugh make me think of demons conjuring up wicked plans.
“Puta pare tigang na tigang na ako malapit na akong mabaliw sa lugar na ‘to,” I overheard Cesar talking to Alberto one morning. They were a few meters away from Philip who was in front of me and who was supposed to check my license. But like my previous encounters with him, he never does. Instead he would block my way and stare at me in the face like some psychopath for about a minute. Then he would grin, wink, then form his lips into a kiss, and finally let me pass.
Maniac.
“May maliit na kalabaw akong nakita diyan sa may malapit. Tirahin mo ‘pag wala iyong may-ari,” I heard Alberto’s response to Cesar.
I gave them a swift side glance and was initially amused that the Kadlagan boys have finally learned how to play jokes, regardless of how gross or how poor the choice of humor is. But to my surprise, the men seemed serious all along.
